Sophia Loren has 57,742. Lauren Hutton has 58,609, and Ivana Trump has 16,903. Diahann Carroll has a total of 84,062, and Kathy Ireland has about 399,000. Joan Collins has 290,946, Cheryl Tiegs has 67,029, and Christie Brinkley 39,502. George Burns is the grandfather of them all with 846,765. These famous folks are all celebrities who have eyewear lines; and the above statistics are the number of Web sites that reference each of them, as indicated by AOL NetFind.

These celebs are among a growing list who have eyewear lines; and many optical dispensers employ a variety of creative methods to build a business with celebrity eyewear. Many say it is a stable or growing part of their dispensaries. "It looks good and it's a fashion statement," says Juanita Moman, owner of Moman's Optical in Gadsden, Ala.

THE NAME

When asked about the specific celebrity eyewear lines they carry, some optical retailers listed the variety of celeb lines available on the market, as well as those belonging to fashion designers. "We have Gloria Vanderbilt, Shari Belafonte, Sophia Loren, Stetson, Cheryl Tiegs, Kenneth Cole, and Polo Ralph Lauren," says Moman.

"Sometimes I think Donna Karan and other designer names fit into the celebrity eyewear realm because the names are so known," adds Isak Sivi, CEO of Real Optics Inc., a chain of 22 stores in Iowa and Nebraska.

Celebrity eyewear appeals to many different types of people. "Even the kids want the designer celebrity eyewear," says Moman. "We are living in designer times." Others say there is a certain customer who reacts to the appeal of the rich and famous, and seeks out the celebrity-endorsed eyewear purchase.

"People have more recognition for celebrities because of what they read in the papers," says Sivi. "People are getting familiar with Ivana in particular through her clothing and cosmetic lines that she does on the Home Shopping Network. They see her at least once a month. And I believe that the home shopping channels are perhaps even bigger here in the Midwest. That makes her pretty popular here."

Many of the celebrity eyewear lines also appeal to an older customer, says Sivi, because of the styling of the frames and the fact that some of the frames are larger.

Most dispensers agree that while the name and cache of the celebrity behind the eyewear line is extremely important, the design and value of the frames are equally important.

"It has to be more than the celebrity's name," says Terri Zinno, vice president of product and distribution at Sight Resource Corp., a chain of 129 stores. "There are so many celebrity lines out there, I wouldn't pick it up just for the name. It has to fill a niche."

For example, Zinno was searching for a women's ethnic line that would work for hard-to-fit customers. She says, "The Diahann Carroll line was a win-win situation" because it filled both needs and it featured a celebrity name. Zinno, who also carries the Lauren Hutton and Joan Collins lines, notes that she would not buy certain celebrity lines if they were not also priced correctly.

THE MERCHANDISING

Once optical retailers have decided which celebrity lines are appropriate for their dispensaries and which customers they will target with these lines, the next step is to make sure appropriate marketing and merchandising is in place.

Dispensers experienced with the category use a variety of methods including posters, photos, and vendor-supplied point-of-purchase in their stores, as well as in newspaper and outdoor billboard advertising.

"We have a large picture of Ivana on my wall near the reception area of my office," says Calvin Morgan, O.D. owner of Morgan Optical in downtown Pittsburgh. "People smile when they see it's Ivana doing an eyewear line. Some nice comments are made and it seems to be working. People are very familiar with her as a celebrity."

At Moman's Optical, billboard advertising has helped sales tremendously. "I have had billboards up for several years with a picture I had taken with Sophia (Loren)," Moman says. "That was very successful because people love Sophia so much." Moman has also run billboards with Gloria Vanderbilt. "It was a beautiful picture of her and we got great comments about it." Moman's Optical also sponsored a Little League team with Sophia Loren t-shirts.

I have gotten a lot of publicity from her," she says.

Moman also does a lot of newspaper advertising in which she uses photos of herself with the celebrities--something other dispensers can replicate as the celebrities often make appearances at large optical trade shows. Vendors of the celebrity lines may also arrange for personal appearances and "photo-ops."

In addition to advertising, proper in-store merchandising is also critical. For example, Moman sets up displays of the celebrity eyewear lines on tables covered with a unique tablecloth. Each celebrity "section" features the same photo of Moman and the celebrity that she ran in the newspaper ad. This creates an enhanced recognition for the consumer.

At Real Optics Inc., the celebrity frames are merchandised in groupings by name. "We display on shelves with the vendors' P-O-P materials," says Sivi. "So each celebrity line has one section of a shelf along with P-O-P."

At Morgan Optical, they are merchandised with other frames with "high style," says Morgan. "And we use different countercards. But the main thing we use is the picture we have of Ivana in the office. And that really works."

And at Sight Resources, the celebrity brands are separated from the other eyewear lines and shown together as a collection along with vendor-supplied merchandising materials.

While dispensers say the advertising, promotion, and merchandising of the lines all help to sell the celebrity eyewear lines, most agree that they still have to actually sell the lines.

Morgan's experience is that, "No one comes in and specifically asks for a Diahann Carroll or Ivana frame, for example. We really have to sell it."

Which is exactly why the styling, construction, pricing, and value of the line are critical--along with proper merchandising and sales techniques--to its success. FB