Celebrity Brand Ambassadors Can Hurt You...

I realize that this is one of my favorite topics, probably because I used to spend good chunks of my days prospecting, negotiating and in some instances signing agreements for "friends of the brand" or "partners".  And it is particularly ironic that the brand that has in many ways refined the celebrity partner business model down to a seemingly exact science has had such phenomenally bad luck this year.

Yes, once again it is Hublot that I am writing about.  Now there are some cynical (as well as simply pragmatic) people out there who will smile and say and make "if it bleeds it leads" references.  Whether or not that is the case is down to the Hublot brain trust.

So the good (1 or 2), the bad (too many for many other brands' comfort) and the ugly -

1.  Bar Refaeli - recently detained in her native Israel over allegations of tax evasion.  I will defer to the informed folks at Vogue for the info:
http://www.vogue.co.uk/news/2015/12/18/bar-refaeli-detained-israeli-police-tax-evasion-accusation

2.  Floyd Mayweather - Perhaps we've "beaten-up" on him enough...
sorry, couldn't resist.  Mr. Mayweather has yet to get out from under the clouds of accusation regarding domestic violence.

3.  FIFA - Don't get me started ; )
But with the hearings this week, it may finally come to pass that Blatter and his cronies will finally be evicted from the halls of power.  And at that point it might be time to revisit that CNN interview -

http://www.cnn.com/videos/tv/2015/10/16/exp-jean-claude-biver-ceo-of-tag-heuer--chairman-of-hublot-discusses-fifa.cnn


4.  The "Special One", Jose Mourinho - In fairness, I think he is a gifted coach.  By that same token, a wise man knows that it is always best to leave the party while it is still full.  In other words, when things are going badly, never assume that you will be immune to the sack.  Mr. Mourinho was handed his walking papers earlier this week.  As yet no Big Bang "Special Ones" have been spotted on Ebay.  Let's hope he lands on his feet.

5.  The Los Angeles Lakers - in fairness, this might have been simply about timing, or an intern in Nyon not getting the message and failing to update the Hublot website for several days after it was announced that the Lakers were in fact in a newly announced partnership with Tissot.  In the end all was updated, but it did not make for a great impression, particularly as that partnership had only run for about one year.

And the good - probably more than I am giving credit to, but Lang Lang and his support for WildAid is a great ambassador.  Will Hublot make a WildAid watch - you know, "the fusion of charity with branding"?  It remains to be seen.

Hublot, no Tissot the Official Watch of the Los Angeles Lakers

So word broke this week not unlike an unfortunate bout of flatulence rippling across a crowded conference room -

Tissot is, wait for it, now the official partner of the Los Angeles Lakers!

http://www.tissot.ch/news#news_1655

A brief summary courtesy of Tissot-

"Tissot broadened its commitment as Official Timekeeper of the NBA by announcing partnership deals with five NBA teams: the Chicago Bulls, Los Angeles Lakers, Miami Heat, New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs. Tissot marked the occasion by presenting each team with a Tissot Quickster Special Edition featuring the colours and logos of their team."


But wait a minute!

Courtesy of Hublot

Why it was less than a year ago that fashion columnist Adam "I won't return your phone calls or emails" Tschorn reported on the feel-good, love story triumph of the "fusion" of basketball and haute horology -

http://www.latimes.com/fashion/alltherage/la-ar-hublot-launches-lakers-watch-20141201-story.html

Courtesy of Hublot

Clearly my invitation was "lost in the mail" so I can only go by the reportage of others ; )


So maybe things have changed?

Well, not according to the Hublot website as of today  -

            HUBLOT & LOS ANGELES LAKERS


Boasting 16 NBA titles, the Los Angeles Lakers are among the most successful and storied franchises in the NBA, and one of the most popular teams in the world. In the heart of the city, a Lakers game effortlessly fuses basketball with fashion, celebrity, luxury and excitement. The King Power Los Angeles Lakers is Hublot’s first timepiece with the renowned basketball team.

“The King Power Los Angeles Lakers is an exemplary representation of the team and its proud history of being a first-class organization. It is through innovative partnerships with global companies like Hublot that the Lakers will continue to remain at the vanguard of the sports world.” 
Jeanie Buss
LAKERS PRESIDENT/OWNER

And it is here where we are left with just the benefits of assumptions. Let us assume, for the purposes of discussion, that Hublot's partnership with the Los Angeles Lakers was just for one year and is set to/has recently expired.

Or, perhaps this is one of those "multi-level" partnerships where like Ferrari there are a few different "flavors" of watch partners/licensees.  

Or maybe someone just dropped the (basket)ball.

If nothing else, it underscores the challenges and pitfalls of partnerships.  Not unlike that blossoming romance, there is no guarantee that the object of your affections won't borrow your car while you're out of town, drive it to meet an ex-boyfriend visiting from Italy, take it to a cliff-side view of the ocean, and leave the parking brake off ; )

I have no doubt that everything is on the "up and up" but it begs the question, was it worth it for Hublot?

Myself?  Although I am a BIG fan of the Zen Master, I'm a Clipper's fan.

Enjoy your watches, no matter what team they are the official partner of ; )

And some Feedback from a Reader

As we believe in fair and equal time, this comment came in this morning.  The grammar's a bit hinky and it reads as if it came from Tag Heur (or someone working there) but anyway, in the interest of an
exchange of ideas, here it is -

TH doesn't not sign Mr. Lin due to Linsanity but for the toughness Mr. Lin displays when dealing with some many basketball irrelevant stuffs that other big names don't have. "Don't crack under pressure" is the message TH tries to deliver but not "basketball superstar".


I'm not exactly sure what "many basketball irrelevant stuffs" means exactly, but if we're talking about not "cracking under pressure" then I'm afraid the PR team at Tag Heuer are about a few years late.  As I said in my earlier post, the time when Mr. Lin was NOT cracking under pressure was when he was with the Knicks, and for a heartbeat with the Rockets.  On an extremely inept Los Angeles Lakers team he is average.  I am sorry if that seems mean, but put in another context - he is NOT the basketball equivalent of Ronaldo.  And given his own coaches opinion, I do not get the sense that Mr. Lin is the stuff that typical Tag Heuer marketing plans are made of.  Sorry to sound mean, but I'm calling bullshit.  Mr. Lin started to "crack" as soon as he was let go by the Knicks.  

Or to put it another way - Ball Don't Lie.

Tag Heuer and Mission Creep

First and foremost I want to state clearly -
I have NOTHING against Jeremy Lin.  I was swept away with "Linsanity" along with everyone else.
But with the selection of Mr. Lin as Tag Heuer's latest athlete-ambassador I was left scratching my head.







Okay, for many this is not "new" news.

On the plus side - Mr. Lin is "squeaky-clean".  It is highly unlikely that he will be found hung over and semi-unconscious with a dead hooker in his hotel room.  That's good.

On the not-so-plus side - half of the kids in Los Angeles could take him on the baseline.  He was an exciting player for a brief moment in time, and had the Knicks come to their senses and kept him, I think he could have and would have done great things.  The chemistry was there.  But like doors that open, once they close things change.

And on another note, and please bear in mind that I went to a "land grant" university so perhaps I have a built-in mistrust for Ivy Leaguers and anyone who went to Stanford (even Summer school),  he is more than a bit "wooden" in pretty much every instance he is called upon to speak, as the YouTube video bears out.

And now he is just down the road from me in Los Angeles where he has been unable to nail down a starting spot - and this is a Lakers Team that is so bad it has Jack Nicholson questioning whether or not he should keep his season tickets.  Strictly going on the current season, Mr. Lin is playing like an average NBA player.

I suspect you might be able to guess where I'm going with this, but hear me out -
If the goal was to sign an impressive basketball player - sign someone who is actually, I don't know, impressive.  Like James Harden.  Mr. Harden is a man of faith,  so like Mr. Lin he would probably NOT be an embarrassment.  And he has a HUGE following.  Which begs the question - why was Mr. Lin really signed?

Insert your own answer here.

But my feeling is - Tag Heuer is suffering from Mission Creep.  To quote my favorite resource, the Ubran Dictionary -

mission creep

The tendency for some project or operation to exceed its original boundaries and purpose, usually putting its participants into difficult or unforeseen circumstances. These may cause the original purpose to change, or to become unachievable.

And this is where the uncomfortable question has to be asked - does Tag Heuer even know what Tag Heuer is anymore?  And the full truth be told, I do not think that there is consensus in Tag Heuer Land.  I do not think that anyone is feeling "comfortable".  

But as always, time will tell.