Celebrity Controversy Sells Almost Anything

Celebrity exploitation and obsession has taken itself to a new level. Even companies that usually shy away from this form of promotion are hitching their branding on to the bandwagon. The bottom line is – celebrity notoriety sells almost everything and companies can always expect a good return on the publicity.

I can almost imagine the executive conversation that goes on in the marketing boardrooms of some of the nation’s most respected brands:

Louis Vuitton – Maybe we can get Naomi Campbell to throw another hissy fit so she can wear our shoes in public during her court mandated public community service.

or even,

American Apparel – Who hasn’t been drunk in our hoodies? Celebrities love to do it all the time!

This is the level of marketing that companies have stooped down to in order to sell their brand identity. “Even at their worst, hot young actresses can move product, and fashion companies that in the past would have shied away from provocateurs are less reticent to embrace them,” says Eric Wilson of The New York Times.

And what kind of justification have we heard fom companies to make this acceptable?

“We don’t do celebrity branding,” said Mathew Swenson, a spokesman for American Apparel, adding that Lindsey Lohan had to have purchased the sweatshirt herself. This remark comes after the company decided to splash pictures on their website of the popular actress wearing one of their hoodies passed out drunk. It didn’t even stop there, some American Apparel stores ran hoodie sale ads on the front page of their local newspaper along with the pictures.