Would You Buy It Because Garrett Graham Uses It?

Let’s be honest.

We’ve all been there.

You see someone you like wearing something and suddenly you’re thinking:

“Wait…where did they get that?”

Maybe it’s a pair of sneakers.

A jacket.

A skincare product.

A coffee machine.

A lipstick.

Or, in the case of Off Campus, perhaps you’re looking at Garrett Graham, played by Belmont Cameli, and wondering whether those Reeboks suddenly look a little more appealing. 👀

That’s the funny thing about celebrity marketing.

We like to believe we’re rational consumers.

Then our favourite actor appears wearing something and suddenly our carefully constructed purchasing logic starts looking a little shaky.

But what’s actually happening?

Can a fictional character influence what we want to buy?

Can the actor who plays that character carry some of that influence into real life?

And where does marketing end and fandom begin?

Let’s investigate.

🏒 Meet Garrett Graham

For anyone unfamiliar with Off Campus, Garrett Graham is the star hockey player at the centre of the first season’s story.

He’s played by Belmont Cameli, with Prime Video describing the first season as following the relationship between Garrett and Hannah Wells, played by Ella Bright.

And Garrett isn’t exactly presented as an ordinary college student.

He’s an athlete.

He’s confident.

He’s fashionable.

He’s popular.

He’s part of an aspirational fictional world built around university life, hockey, friendships, romance, and the Briar University social scene.

That matters because characters don’t just sell stories.

They can sell identities.

👕 You’re Not Just Buying the Product

Imagine you see Garrett wearing a particular pair of sneakers.

You probably aren’t literally thinking:

“I would like to become a fictional hockey player.”

But you might subconsciously associate the sneakers with things Garrett represents:

Confidence.

Style.

Youth.

Sport.

Coolness.

The Briar U aesthetic.

That’s where aspirational marketing comes into play.

Consumers don’t always purchase something because of what it does.

Sometimes they also respond to what the product represents.

A pair of sneakers becomes more than footwear.

It becomes part of a lifestyle.

👟 Enter Belmont Cameli and Reebok

This is where the fictional character and real-world celebrity distinction becomes particularly interesting.

Belmont Cameli recently became a global brand ambassador for Reebok in a multi-season partnership centred on the brand’s Classics category. Reebok describes Cameli as a longtime Reebok fan and highlighted the fact that he arrived at the campaign shoot wearing one of his favourite pairs.

That is a fascinating marketing choice.

Because Reebok isn’t simply saying:

“This is the actor from a popular show.”

The partnership also connects Cameli’s existing personal relationship with the product to his growing cultural relevance.

That’s much more compelling.

🧠 The Character Creates Recognition

Here’s where Garrett Graham enters the equation.

Someone might discover Belmont because of Off Campus.

They recognise him as Garrett.

They follow him.

They become familiar with his style.

Then they see him associated with Reebok.

The pathway might look like:

Garrett Graham → Belmont Cameli → Familiarity → Brand Partnership → Product Awareness

That doesn’t mean every Off Campus viewer will suddenly buy Reeboks.

But the brand has gained something extremely valuable:

attention from an audience that already knows the person representing it.

❤️ Fandom Can Make Marketing Feel Personal

Traditional advertising often begins with:

“Look at our product.”

Celebrity marketing can begin with:

“Look at someone you already care about.”

That’s a significant difference.

If you have no emotional connection to the person in an advertisement, you may simply ignore it.

But if you’ve spent hours watching them on screen, following their career, seeing interviews, and discussing their character online, you already have familiarity.

The celebrity doesn’t have to introduce themselves.

You already know who they are.

That familiarity can make the advertisement feel more relevant.

But Would You Actually Buy It?

Here’s where we need to pump the brakes.

Attention isn’t conversion.

You might see Belmont wearing Reebok.

You might think he looks great.

You might even think:

“Okay, those sneakers are actually nice.”

But that doesn’t necessarily mean you’re buying them.

There are still questions:

Do you like the product?
Is it affordable?
Do you need it?
Does it suit your style?
Do you trust the brand?
Is the celebrity partnership believable?
Have you seen the product enough times to remember it?

Celebrity influence can move someone from awareness to consideration.

It can’t magically eliminate every other part of the purchasing decision.

🎭 Garrett Isn’t Belmont

This distinction is crucial.

Garrett Graham is a fictional character.

Belmont Cameli is a real person.

The audience knows that.

But entertainment can create associations between the two.

When viewers see Belmont, some will immediately think of Garrett.

That’s not necessarily a problem.

In fact, it can be incredibly useful for personal branding.

A successful character can become the first chapter of an actor’s public identity.

But eventually, the actor needs to establish an identity beyond that role.

That’s where celebrity branding becomes more sophisticated.

✨ From Character Recognition to Personal Brand

Think about the evolution:

“That’s Garrett Graham.”

becomes:

“That’s Belmont Cameli, who plays Garrett Graham.”

And eventually:

“That’s Belmont Cameli.”

That’s a huge shift.

The actor is no longer dependent entirely on the fictional character.

They’ve developed their own public identity.

For brands, that’s potentially more valuable in the long term.

Instead of borrowing the popularity of a character, the brand is partnering with an individual who is developing influence of their own.

📡 Why Reebok Is an Interesting Example

The Reebok partnership is particularly useful because the brand has emphasised authenticity and existing product affinity.

Reebok described Cameli as a longtime fan, while Cameli himself said the Classics had been his go-to sneakers for years.

That matters.

There’s a huge difference between:

“Celebrity is paid to wear product.”

and:

“Celebrity already wears product, and now the brand has formalised that relationship.”

The second story is much easier for audiences to believe.

It gives the campaign a narrative.

And narratives are powerful marketing tools.

🛍️ We Don’t Just Buy Products

This is the bigger lesson.

People often purchase things that help express who they are or who they want to be.

That’s why celebrity marketing works particularly well in categories like:

Fashion
Beauty
Fitness
Travel
Technology
Lifestyle
Food and drink

The celebrity becomes part of the product’s meaning.

They’re showing the audience:

“This is what this product looks like in my world.”

And consumers get to decide whether they want a piece of that world.

🧩 The Four-Part Formula

For marketers, I’d break this down into four pieces:

1. Character

What does the fictional character represent?

2. Celebrity

What does the actor represent outside the role?

3. Audience

Why does that audience care about them?

4. Brand

Does the product naturally belong within that world?

When those four elements align, you have something much stronger than a random celebrity endorsement.

You have association.

⚠️ But Don’t Manufacture the Connection

There’s a temptation for brands to jump onto every popular character or celebrity.

That’s risky.

If the connection doesn’t make sense, audiences notice.

You can’t simply take:

Popular actor + random product = successful campaign.

It doesn’t work that way.

The product has to fit.

The celebrity has to fit.

The audience has to care.

And the partnership needs to feel believable.

Otherwise, the campaign becomes another advertisement that people scroll past.

🐈‍⬛ Simmba Has a Question

Anisha: “Simmba, would you buy something because Garrett Graham uses it?”

Simmba: stares.

Anisha: “That’s not an answer.”

Simmba: looks at the Reeboks.

Anisha: “You’re considering them?”

Simmba: “I have four paws. I don’t need sneakers.”

Fair.

Simmba remains undefeated in consumer research. 😂

📡 Simmba’s Signal

Here’s the real marketing lesson:

People don’t only buy products. They buy associations.

They buy the feeling.

The identity.

The aspiration.

The story.

The familiarity.

A character like Garrett Graham can create emotional associations that make the actor playing him more recognisable.

An actor like Belmont Cameli can then develop an independent public identity that brands can work with.

And when the celebrity already has genuine affinity with the product, the partnership becomes even more believable.