Sunday’s NY Times piece about Sharon Stone’s recent comments on the earthquake that hit China made me remember a very high-powered, ultra-nervous CEO we worked with who vowed to never, ever under any circumstances use celebrities for fear of what their (mis)actions might do to his brand.

Sharon Stone, best known for her role in Basic Instinct (certainly sexy and risqué), has made some very controversial comments.  She reinforces the need for brands to be strategic and targeted when working with celebrities, as well as cognizant of the risks.

All too often, our firm will receive a call from a celebrity agent on behalf of an A-list celebrity who wants an endorsement deal from a client we represent because “he or she is looking to get into the space.” However, if we inquire about price, it’s the same as the usual going rate.  I always caution clients: don’t get excited when you get a similar call.  More often than not, it’s an agent making a cold call trying to get a check.

There’s plenty of upside in choosing the right celebrity endorser for consumer brands, but the decision needs to be strategic and focused –  not just after a star on Hollywood Boulevard.

Ronn Torossian

5WPR

The Olympics is clearly a brand that needs to play close attention to its PR and take a few major steps in order to counter the current negative protests thriving in the media.

Thoughts:
· The Olympic Committee leadership should immediately come out front and center, separating itself from the tainted “China” brand. This needs to be seen as the worldwide Olympics, not the China Olympics.

· Despite politicized calls to the contrary, the Olympics won’t be moved, and I for one don’t believe countries will boycott the Olympics. The bottom line is that there are always contentious issues which exist. These protesters have just been very creative and are doing a good job of making their issues heard and noticed.

· Sponsors don’t spend millions of dollars for additional headaches (human rights in China, Free Tibet, etc.). They all have their own problems. Do you think Visa, or one of the other high profile sponsors, would have wanted their logo on the torch which had police surrounding it?

Quick action needs to be taken to protect the Olympics brand. The longer its leadership waits to address the issue, the more difficult it will become to uphold its reputation.