Forget advertising in glossy magazines, gushing celebrity endorsements or the creation of an exclusive, hush-hush cult of desirability. The latest and greatest marketing technique is simple, in theory: get Michelle Obama to wear your clothes.
It’s easier said than done, of course – but if you can pull it off, the impact is extraordinary. And now the numerical evidence for something that every brand consultant has known in their bones is in. An analyst at the Stern School of Business in New York has assessed the effect the First Lady brings to the designer labels that she is seen in, and worked out that the total economic benefit that she has brought to her chosen brands is around $2.7 billion (£1.7 billion). Not since Imelda Marcos has a political wardrobe come under so much scrutiny.