‘A journey through time’- the new RIMOWA Lookbook 2015/2016

 

Diagrams cited from http://www.rimowa.com/zh-cn/lookbook

The 2015/2016 new RIMOWA lookbook presents us the history of the company and the development of its products. The glamour of 1920s was not only influenced by the Hollywood dream factory but also by the improvements in aviation as Hugo Junkers presented the Junkers F13, the first all-metal (aluminium) passenger aircraft in the world in 1919 and in 1950, Richard Morszeck, son of the company founder Paul Morszeck, drew his inspiration from the air travel and created the lightest aluminium and polycarbonate luggage in the world. This campaign employs both the persuasive techniques of high status-admirer altercast and message fit.

Pratkanis (2007) suggests that the high status-admirer altercast works because celebrities occupy a prominent and prestigious position in the status hierarchy. As such other people tend to admire and seek to be like the high-status person or win their approval. Thus the choices and behaviour of these people can help to influence the choices of everyday people.) The campaign features the Brazilian supermodel Alessandra Ambrosio (known from Victoria’s Secret runway) and the German model Johannes Huebl. 

The effectiveness of this tactic has been demonstrated by Weick, Gilfillan and Keith (1973). They found that orchestras made fewer errors playing the same music when it was attributed to a high- as opposed to low- status composer, in other words, the orchestras had better performance in serious plays (diagram shown below).  Therefore, according to this study, RIMOWA will have an impact on the public, inducing them to buy more products if they see them being used by the celebrities.  

Message fit is a tactic that links the content of a message to the pre-existing beliefs, experiences and the knowledge of the recipient. (Aristotle, 1954). In this case, the prior knowledge of the first all-metal aircraft F13 would give the public an impression of safety and lightness which is also the main reasons why RIMOWA is one of the leading luggage companies in the world.

Reference

Anthony R. P. (2007). The Science of Social Influence: Advances and Future Progress. Frontiers of Social Psychology.  California: Psychology Press.

Arittotle (circa 350 B.C.E./1954).Rhetoric. New York: Modern Library.

Weick, K.E., Gilfillan, D.P., & Keith, T, A. (1973). The effect of composer credibility on orchestra performance. Sociometry, 36, 435-465.