Friday 20 May 2022 10:19 PM Tom Cruise may be buddying up to Prince William and Kate to give Top Gun 'royal ... trends now
Tom Cruise may be using industry trick known as the 'brand halo effect' of buddying up to Prince William and Kate to give his new film the 'royal stamp of approval'.
The 59-year-old actor's long-awaited film Top Gun: Maverick is hitting cinemas at the end of this month.
PR experts have suggested the star may be using the trick of being pictured beside royalty to boost his new movie.
PR chief Lida Citroen told MailOnline: 'There's something called a 'brand halo effect' that many individuals, celebrities and organisations pursue.
Stepping up: She's two inches taller than him, but Tom Cruise still managed to measure up to Kate Middleton as they stood shoulder-to-shoulder at the Top Gun: Maverick premiere
Looking tall: Tom gave Kate, 40, a helping hand as they climbed the staircase, and he appeared to be almost the same height as the mother-of-three as they took the stairs side-by-side
Heels: Kate, who attended the event with her husband Prince William, looked elegant in an off-the-shoulder black dress which she teamed with pointed black steep high heels
Heel lifts: Tom's fluctuating height has sparked speculation he wears shoe inserts, which are are insoles that can be placed inside a shoe to lift the wearer's heel up
Princess Diana met Tom Cruise and his co-star and then-wife Nicole Kidman in 1992 at the charity Premiere of 'Far and Away' at the Empire, Leicester Square
'The idea behind the brand halo is that if you show yourself to be in relationship with something good, something positive, that goodness and positivity rubs off on you.
'This makes you and your organisation seem more favourable and an endorsement is implied.
'An example of this is when someone unrelated shows themselves to be close to someone who's seen to have a lot of influence.
'We see people hang around celebrities, want to be photographed at high profile events, and to be seemingly 'endorsed' by well-liked entities online.
'It's possible this is the strategy behind Cruise's promotion of his new movie with an institution as popular and well-recognised as the Royal Family.
Chatting: At the star-studded premiere, Tom was seen mingling with his co-stars Miles Teller and Jennifer Connolly
'This is a common practice in celebrity positioning.'
Another PR boss, Jennifer Hodgson, told MailOnline: 'In terms of the royal stamp of approval, this doesn't just count for the film industry.
'Having this is pivotal for everything from campaigns to brands and everything in between. We see this in terms of fashion every day: The Duchess of Cambridge wears a dress - it sells out the same day.
'Brands then in turn use this as a selling tool for further press and marketing opportunities and to enhance both brand credibility and consumer trust.
'Leveraging high profile authoritative figures to increase awareness is an already existing tactic in PR which he has very successfully done by having the royals in attendance.'
All together now: The Top Gun: Maverick cast posed for a magnificent group photo in front of a fighter plane
It's also not the first time the A-lister film star has been in hot water over
