Celebrities Don't Work

Celebrities have always been associated with alcohol, generally in a way most of them would like to forget, need I mention any names here. However, there has been a big trend over the past several years for celebrities to slap their names all over alcohol products, such as Trump Vodka, Snoop Dog Vodka, Jimi Hendrix (Electric) Vodka, Jay-Z Armadale vodka (marketing relationship), I even think Diddy (as he likes to call himself currently) had a vodka, but can't find much on it. There are also several other brands coming out with celebrity or clothing brand assocation (i.e. Tommy Bahama). You may of noticed all these products coming out are vodkas or rums, which are booming markets now. Using celebrities to front a product can work and does work well for the cosmetic industry (i.e. Face of Revlon), though when using the celebrities name as the brand name failure is very common (i.e. Jessica Simpson Jeans).



Now I say, good on someone for trying to make a quick buck, but the funny thing is that most of these celebrity branded alcohol products come from the same distillery, even bottled in the same bottle with just a different label on it, not all of them, but similarities can be found between them. If I get time in the weekend, I will try to put together where their similarities are. The other thing in common is that most of these alcohol products have had terrible sales even after considerable marketing and branding under a celebrity's name.

What I have found is that, these celebrity branded alcohol products are not accepted as consumers want, the best product produced by the most prestigious company steeped in history and renowned for making that product or being the first. We all know that celebrities don’t make the product nor do they care how it is made, especially a clothing company trying to make a rum, it is just another non-core business activity they are trying to make some quick money off.

There’s a good reason why prestigious alcohol companies products sell- because consumers can see the value in the craftsmanship and the dedication to quality. Consumers like to buy brands they know are the best in their specific industry, irregardless of what celebrirites name is on it- such as companies that focus on their core business and don’t digress laterally for a quick buck. All to often lateral expansion or cross-branding, whatever you like to call it, makes a company lose focus and commitment to its core product. We like brand names such as Gucci, Rolls Royce and I will be so bold enough to include Mendis in there also, because they do what they do best and stick to just that, they know their core business like the back of their hand and want to produce the best of its kind, without some celebrity's name tacked onto its product. This sort of commitment can not be replicated by fly-by-night brands or quick buck profiteers under the guise of a well-known name. Quality comes from the heart and dedication from years committed to the brands development, this cannot be taken away from prestigious companies and why, as consumers, we love and stick to the brands we know and trust.