Beyond Endorsement
Endorsement deals can involve little more than signing a contract and raking in the money, or a celebrity can choose to have a hands on approach.
An Elizabeth Arden fragrance is being promoted using a website that allowed users to craft a special message for their friends using voice samples recorded by a pre-trainwreck Britney Spears. Britney’s people must have managed to get her a very good contract. I expected companies to drop her like she was hot when her personal life went south.
Many people know George Foreman more for his grill than for his boxing. Using celebrity that is based on past performance rather than current relevance allows a spokesperson to focus on the sell.
Diddy is someone who certainly considers himself still relevant to the music world, but he is a very diversified businessman. After years of active oversight of clothing and fragrance lines, he just announced that he is going put a lot of focus on a Vodka that he has agreed to represent.
My impression of Diddy is that he exaggerates his level of involvement and control out of sheer ego. This works out very well for him, until something negative happens. When news of sweatshops and dog fur trim come to light, the celebrity has to do a two step.
“I didn’t know/It won’t happen again”
