Reality TV sure has been good to Kim Kardashian. Her reality show, Keeping up with the Kardashians, is going on it's 4th season and aside from racking up multiple endorsement deals and appearances fees, she's managed to bring the whole family along for the ride. And, by all accounts, is about to put the 'ol ball and chain on NFL Star Reggie Bush.
Her newest venture is "Kim Kardashian" fragrance a perfume that will hit department store shelves mothers day 2010. Industry insiders project the fragrance will do up to 50 Milllion dollars in sales a year. With her 2.5 Million Twitter followers the brand is banking on using Kim's popularity to make the new scent a hit and a long term success. In fact Kim is repordedly already completed a second fragrance that could launch in 2011...Watch out Beyonce!
Trend setting Tee Shirt designer Ed Hardy, announced a relationship with Dwight (Aka Superman Junior) Howard.
"Dwight embodies the Ed Hardy® brand in its entirety; he's an
original, dedicated to his sport, ambitious and self confident,
everything that the Ed Hardy® line stands for", said Hardy reps.
Dwight
spent a day at The Ed Hardy corporate offices in January shooting the first of
his ad campaigns, and got a chance to see the newest additions to the
line. "I'm a fan of the designs, and I feel blessed to be provided this
opportunity," says Dwight.
Howard's Ed Hardy campaign will launch during NBA All Star Weekend in Dallas and will rollout across the county in the spring.
Howard
was selected by the Orlando Magic with the first overall pick of
the 2004 draft and continues to play for the Orlando Magic. Howard was also
a member of the Olympic Basketball Team winning the Gold in 2008.
In early 2010 Howard a former McDonalds All American also recently renewed a multi-year agreement with McDonalds, extending a relationship that dates back to 2008.
Other endorsment to date include T-Mobile and Gatorade G2
Before becoming a charter member of the NBA Bad Boys club Charles Barkley was known as the round mound of rebound as a
star power forward at Auburn University. Taco Bells' new campaign features a rotund Barkley rapping like Dr. Seuss through a series of Neverland like scenes.
The fact that the Clown Prince of the NBA on TNT represents 2 of the NBA's major corporate sponsors speaks to his incredible popularity.
Big Chuck has the rare quality of being as much a magnet for endorsement deals as he does for controversey. The hall of fame forward has landed several deals post retirement including the very popular T-Mobile series with Dewayne Wade.
Since he's been talking publicy for the last few years about wanting to loose 20 pounds I expected him to be repping Nutrasystem not rapping about cheesy gorditas but one thing that works for Chuck is he always keeps it real about who he is... What you see is what you get...
Tiger Woods should have taken a lesson from Sir Charles on that one.
Grammy Award-winning artist Nelly will see his brand new customized
2009 Ford Flex for the first time today when the vehicle is unveiled on
the Ford stand at the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA)
show in Las Vegas.
The 34-year-old rapper, singer and actor says Ford’s newest crossover caught his eye for the first time in July when it was on display at a Ford-sponsored event in Atlanta.
“When I saw it, I said ‘Yo, that’s hot! How can I get one of those?’” he recalled. “I thought it was a real unique vehicle.”
Later that night, Nelly shared his excitement about the car with his
good friend, hip hop DJ Funkmaster Flex, who has a customized Flex of
his own. That’s when the metaphorical wheels started turning.
"I've been partnering with Ford on some amazing vehicles since 2005," said Funkmaster Flex. When
Nelly reached out on wanting a custom Flex of his own, I knew it was
going to be 'on and poppin.' From our initial meeting with him at my
warehouse in the Bronx to follow-up conversations that we had about
this vehicle, there was no doubt that we could deliver something that
would ultimately be true to Nelly and his own style".
"When it comes to a vehicle looking sweet, this crossover is
beyond sweet," said Flex of the crossover. "This vehicle is one where
you can be hot coming off the dealership lot—which is a plus,
After smashing the Grammys® this year, breaking the record
for most Grammy® Awards won by a female artist in a single year and bringing her Grammy® total up to 16, Beyonce is bringing it even hotter this year with the launch of her first ever fragrance,Heat by Beyonce.
Although Beyonce has been the face of a few fragrances ranging from Tommy Hilfiger’s "True Star" to Giorgio Armani’s "Diamonds, Heat is her first brand partnership in the fragrance category. The licensing deal, developed through leading cosmetics and beauty company Coty, gives Beyonce creative input in all aspects of packaging, marketing and promoting the Heat brand.
Industry sources estimated that Coty will spend $20 million on marketing Heat in 2010 and estimated that the brand could do $100 Millon in global sales in year one, about half coming from the U.S.
Experts also speculate that a collection of Beyonce branded fragrances could represent a $300 million market opportunity within a few years. Throw in a hot sex tape or some other celebrity scandal and who knows what might happen, Beyonce Heat might go platinum!
Beyonce is know for being one of the hottest performers to play any arena, Heat is not only an appropriate name for a Beyonce inspired fragrance, it's a great opportunity for Coty to develop a strong contemporary brand and help to re-energize the celebrity fragrance category.
Sean “Diddy” Combs earned his rep in
the music industry as a master mixer and super producer. Since his partnership
with spirits company, Diageo, he's become the producer of remarkable
sales results for Cîroc, helping to make it the fastest growing major Vodka in
the U.S.
As a marketer Combs is a force of
nature, although he has been labeled a shameless self-promoter, “Diddy” is also known for his tireless
work ethic and take no prisoners attitude. These qualities along with his well-documented
reputation to host world-class parties from the Hamptons to Ibiza as well as a successful
track record in music and fashion give him tremendous credibility as a
tastemaker.
“Diddy” has an extremely strong brand
identity and is obviously a great partner for brands looking to build with an
aspirational audience.
Chris "Ludacris" Bridges is expanding his
portfolio to include Conjure, his own brand of Cognac. The deal was done
in collaboration with famed cognac house Birkedal Hartmann.
The Conjure/Luda partnership has the potential to be a great alliance Aside
from his reputation as a platinum selling, Grammy Award winning
artist and actor, please note that African Americans comprise between 60%-80%
of the Cognac market in the U.S.
To put this all in perspective; between
2007-2008 The U.S imported over 50 million bottles into the country. That
would mean that between 30-45 Million bottles of Cognac were consumed by the African
American market sector alone! "Luda" has the credibility within the African American and urban lifestyle sector to be a great ambassador for the brand.
The company plans to market Conjure
as a lifestyle brand-marketing director Gail Brooks explains, “When we talk
urban,” she explains, “we’re talking about a lifestyle, not necessarily
relegated to strictly big cities. It’s highly driven by young adults, with the
core ages being 21-24.”
Although Cognac has traditionally been
known as a connoisseurs
spirit, the Cognac category has been moving towards mixable
and flavored Cognac's that broaden it's appeal and make it more approachable to
a younger urban audience.
Ludacris has a chance to build a great entrepreneurial
legacy outside of entertainment. Conjure allows Luda to be true to his image,
while building the Conjure brand. As long as he maintains his image and credibility
as a performer and the company effectively positions Conjure as an aspirational
brand they stand to get a nice share of the 50 Million bottles of Cognac sold
in the U.S.
It should be no surprise that an appearance on "Dancing with the Stars” can be good for a "Sellebrity" career especially for athletes. Warren "twinkle toes" Sapp parlayed his Dancing notoriety into a National Car rental endosement deal.
Data by leading market research firm Marketing Evaluations, Inc.,
The Q Scores Company, finds that the "Dancing with the Stars" phenomenon has
given an impressive boost in popularity to athletes who appear on the show with sports fans, and ultimately, with the general public.
Football players in general have had a harder time crossing over to a more mainstream audience. Aside from the glamour positions where mega star quarterbacks, flashy wide-recievers and hard driving running backs can leverage their ability to get the ball in the end zone, the other positions on the field don't get much love.
Just For Men rolled out a new ad campaign featuring Emmitt Smith after his successful run on the show and a second place finish on season 7 of "Dancing with the Stars" helped retired Tampa Bay Bucaneer, Defensive Tackle,
Warren Sapp boost his recognition.
Sapp landed a National Car rental commercial but subsequently landed in jail on one charge of misdemeanor domestic battery. Sapp was relased on $1,500.00 bond.
No stranger to controversy, Warren Sapp has that unique Charles Barkley like charisma to be as "off-the hook" as he wants to be and still garner adoration by fans and media. National Car rental might have been able to deal with off the hook but i'm not sure they were prepared for a right hook when they signed Sapp to be their spokesman.
Sapp who is also a spokesman on the NFL Network and Showtime's "Inside the NFL,
has been suspended from his on air gigs until an investigation on the assault allegations is completed.
Thanks to strategic marketing, Miami Heat All-Star Dwyane Wade has transended the hardwood. After getting off to a relativley fast start in his career three years after being drafted 5th overall in the 2003 draft Wade led the Heat in a spectacular playoff run. Flanked by Shaq, Wade averaged over 34 points per game in the finals and was crowned MVP.
Wades on court accomplishments, and closeness to the very popular Shaquille O'Neil made him a media magnet had a NBA championship and People Magazine came calling. After the team's decline and an a few seasons compromised by injury, Wade has risen again.
Back in the 1980s, when
families across America gathered together to watch the #1 prime-time TV
hit, "The Cosby Show," Bill Cosby himself enjoyed another #1 hit; the
top spot on the Q Scores list, which measures among other things, the
familiarity and appeal of personalities. New data from leading market
research company Marketing Evaluations, Inc., The Q Scores Company,
reveals that since Cosby`s peak Q Score of 71 out of 100 in 1986, there
has been no one before or since to reach that level of appeal across
America. Tom Hanks is the only personality to come close with a peak Q
Score of 61. Since 2001, when Hanks grabbed the torch for the top spot,
no other personality has been able to close in on his level of
popularity ever since.
"What we witnessed in the 80s with `The Cosby Show` is the perfect
storm of great TV writing, a real likeable star in Bill Cosby, and wide
audience appeal - the likes of which we probably will not see again,"
said Steve Levitt, president of Marketing Evaluations, Inc., The Q
Scores Company. He adds, "We haven`t seen anybody in prime-time TV that
has the potential to reach Cosby`s level. And with all the media
options available today, it is nearly impossible to come close to the
record-breaking performances of the past."
Stars on the Horizon
There is a group of celebrities currently near the top of the Q
Scores list, coincidentally all movie actors; more consumers are
familiar with film personalities than with prime-time TV personalities.
Actors such as Adam Sandler, Will Smith, Johnny Depp, George Clooney,
and Denzel Washington are all vying for Hanks` position.
Levitt says, "These actors are all well-liked, but not nearly in the
same category as Tom Hanks, and none have the potential to reach
Cosby`s 1986 level."
Performer Q score studies are fielded every six months in January and
July. Each study measures over 1,700 personalities, whose names and
descriptions are submitted by full-study subscribing clients. Each
personality is rated by a nationally representative sample of 1,800
children, teens and adults. Data are available from earlier studies,
dating back to 1964.
Reality TV sure has been good to Kim Kardashian. Her reality show, Keeping up with the Kardashians, is going on it's 4th season and aside from racking up multiple endorsement deals and appearances fees, she's managed to bring the whole family along for the ride. And, by all accounts, is about to put the 'ol ball and chain on NFL Star Reggie Bush.
Before becoming a charter member of the NBA Bad Boys club Charles Barkley was known as the round mound of rebound as a
star power forward at Auburn University. Taco Bells' new campaign features a rotund Barkley rapping like Dr. Seuss through a series of Neverland like scenes.
Thanks to strategic marketing, Miami Heat All-Star Dwyane Wade has transended the hardwood. After getting off to a relativley fast start in his career three years after being drafted 5th overall in the 2003 draft Wade led the Heat in a spectacular playoff run. Flanked by Shaq, Wade averaged over 34 points per game in the finals and was crowned MVP.
Back in the 1980s, when
families across America gathered together to watch the #1 prime-time TV
hit, "The Cosby Show," Bill Cosby himself enjoyed another #1 hit; the
top spot on the Q Scores list, which measures among other things, the
familiarity and appeal of personalities. New data from leading market
research company 
