Lara Bingle’s Comfy Shoes
Lara Bingle is engaged to the Australian cricket team’s Vice Captain, Michael Clarke. She’s well known for her fashion, car (Aston Martin), previous boyfriends, and being the ‘star’ of the very ugly ‘Where the bloody hell are you?’ Australian Tourism campaign.
However, it’s her latest comment I find most interesting. She was at the ‘Allan Border Medal Ceremony’ last night wearing very high heels.
When asked why she was wearing them she said “They’re Louis Vuitton. They’re very comfortable.”
It amazes me that people still say things like this. People need to realise that they buy for image and emotion, but need to justify their purchases rationally, both to others and themselves. Is she kidding herself – yes.
I would love to have heard her say the truth, something along the lines of, “They’re Louis Vuitton. I love the way they are extremely expensive and not everyone can afford to own a pair. They help me feel more important, and part of an elite crowd of people. I feel a little insecure at black tie functions and they help me feel like I belong”.
Comfort obviously has nothing to do with it.
As a sweeping statement we buy on emotion, and justify rationally.
Fritz Bachen is a Consumer Psychologist and Founding Partner at Naked Communications. Fritz can be seen, read or heard at; The Gruen Transfer, ABC Radio (Sunday nights), Adnews columnist, as well as The Australian, Cleo, Mumbrella, Shop Till You Drop and so on. He speaks at numerous conferences on marketing, ideas, contemporary culture, and consumer behaviour. Fritz has degress in clinical psychology and commerce (marketing). A registered psychologist and has worked in private practice, forensic settings, advertising (Saatchi & Saatchi) and marketing consultancy (Added Value). He was also state under 12 chess champion on WA, and has a board game called The Analyst selling well in the Benelux countries.
Comments
Anonymous
Feb 4th, 2009she obviously means that they are good quality, therefore comfortable! i have many high heels of similar heights and they actually are quite comfortable compared to lower stockier heels. Give her a break if you were actually rich and famous i think u’d purchase expensive items just because you can.
Kelly
Feb 4th, 2009Sweeping statement but spot on. The core benefit of luxury / premium is the emotional payback, but it has to be underpinned by some sort of exceptional product delivery or benefit to help with that much-needed rationalisation (“sure – the car cost me 2 million, but have you seen the maple paneling?”) . “Comfy” wouldn’t necessarily be the one I’d call out for a pair of LV shoes – maybe handmade by the finest cobblers in the land, or leather beaten by Trappist monks…but Lara, (god bless her) needs the comfort.
Maybe she should look into Kumfs (“women’s shoes designed for comfort AND style”) – that seems to be what she’s looking for!
(is Lara and MC turning into our own Thick and Thin? I saw Clarke having trouble filling in his immigration form at LAX last year – but I guess they can be a bit tricky, bless)
Fritz Bachen
Feb 4th, 2009Hi Anonymous – if I was rich and famous I would hope I would resist the desire to purchase expensive items just because I could – especially with the global economic environment we are in.
Kelly, I think they are turning into our Thick’n'Thin, but unfortunately I think that says more about us than them.
pollyemj
Feb 4th, 2009With platform soles on them that enormous (and ugly) these shoes are definitely more comfortable than your average skyscraper stiletto! But I still dont think that’s why she (aka her stylist) bought them. Pass the havaianas thanks
mikej
Feb 4th, 2009http://www.amazon.co.uk/Emotional-Intelligence-Matter-More-Than/dp/0747528306/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1233748885&sr=8-1
Interesting book that actually explains that there has been research into the brain function and supposedly the truth is that all external inputs that we take in must go through a part of the brain that reacts emotionally first before it goes into the rational part.
science says it so it must be true
faris
Feb 4th, 2009yeah we do! cognitive dissonance baby!
jemster
Feb 4th, 2009… and the bigger the purchase the bigger the emotional involvement.
Houses have been bought because they ‘feel’ right and then justified as investment; Pretige Cars because they look right, and post-rationalised on technology etc.
I’d love BMW to come out with a campaign along the lines of “because we know you have a small c*ck”. But I’m not holding my breath.
No one ever bought a ball-point on emotion. Well hardly ever anyone.
Kelly
Feb 4th, 2009I love my LAMY ballpoint…it’s so, um, (searching for rational justification) “writey”
Fritz Bachen
Feb 4th, 2009I use a ‘Uni-ball’, interestingly made by Mitsubishi – it’s not as writey as the Lamy, but gives you significantly more words per page.
Jemster even in the world of ball point pens I think the principle can still apply (what pen do you take to important meetings?)
Anonymous
Feb 5th, 2009Ha! Are you sure this isn’t psychoanalytic babushka dolls? Sure you aren’t reading Lara Bingle emotionally and justifying rationally?
Anonymous
Feb 5th, 2009ldd
Anonymous
Feb 5th, 2009Sorry to use a well worn example – but if I wanted to tell you I was funny – would I say “hey, I’m funny”? or would I tell you a joke. If I wanted you to think I was sexy would I say “these hurt like hell, and I sold my own dog to buy these to impress you” or do I say “they’re by a designer, they’re so comfortable”…?
jemster
Feb 6th, 2009Yes I think you’re right, something that you spend so long using must have some emotion attached, though is the emotion based in the using, or the purchase? (suspect it’s in the using)
But to answer your question. If I had any important meetings I would take a free ball point with an interesting brand on it. Ever noticed how using a branded ballpoint (say from a competitor) freshens up the attitude of the CEO… one way or another ?
Most of the time I write with a fountain pen, my fathers, which I love. The emotion is purely sentimental.
Shoes, of course, can be unbelievably emotional items. I remember doing some research on anticipation and talking to people about much anticipated events. We got onto first dates. The boys all remember the girls and how nervous they were: the girls had forgotten who the boy was (something tells me this isn’t an issue about long term memory, repression perhaps), but remembered the shoes they were wearing.
Kate Richardson
Feb 8th, 2009Fritz for as long as I’ve known you, I’ve never seen you write with anything except post it notes and smelly pens.
It’s what women at awards nights and the like say when asked about their outfits. The designer and how fabulous they are.
And maybe Lara was looking for a some LV freebies.
jemster
Feb 9th, 2009… are you fishing for some Uni-ball freebies Fritz???
Anonymous
Feb 10th, 2009Well, I would have to say that I think that people sometimes buy things just because they can. It gives the person a sense of worth and self fulfillment. It’s all about having what you never thought you could, and showing people that you can get what you want. I’m not classifying everyone like that, but some people are.
backin15
Feb 10th, 2009I wear Campers whenever I can ’cause they look fantastic, feel like you’re wearing mashmellows and they’re from Spain baby. Spain’s freak’n cool. No cognitive disonance nor carbuncles; pity their ‘exy but.
Lara’s pretty too look at but I doubt she exercises a great deal of control over her image, what’d you expect she’d say really?
I’m short and can’t see where the ‘lavs are and don’t want to ask…
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Mar 17th, 2010I love the beautiful Papina pump, with a fiance 13 inches taller than me I need all the height I can get! They are the perfect height and look perfect for dancing all night too.
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Anonymous
Jul 3rd, 2010This is a smart blog. I mean it. You have so much knowledge about this issue, and so much passion. You also know how to make people rally behind it, obviously from the responses. Youve got a design here thats not too flashy, but makes a statement as big as what youre saying. Great job, indeed. Life Insurance Term – Insurance For Car
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May 10th, 2011these shoes are ugly and uncomfortable, I wonder why she uses this horrid stuff, what a fashion fail.
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Jul 17th, 2011It can't truly have effect, I consider like this.
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Dec 14th, 2011Those shoes dont look that comfortable at all, they look hard and not apt for walk between offices.
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