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The Risks of Celebrity Marketing

Kanye and Adidas, Johnny Depp and Dior: celebrity marketing can be a minefield as well as a goldmine — and social media has raised the stakes.
Market Pulse
Market Pulse (Getty)
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Kanye West’s fall from grace is going to cost Adidas $250 million this year alone. “Lipstick King” Austin Li left brands in the lurch during a crucial selling period in China before making a miraculous reappearance on Alibaba’s Taobao in September, attracting 50 million viewers. Johnny Depp’s defamation case drove a spike in publicity as well as soaring sales of the Dior Sauvage fragrance he fronts. Brand associations with larger-than-life personalities can be a rollercoaster of highs and lows, and social media has only raised the stakes.

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