Endorsement deals are a great way for celebrities to make extra money. Increasingly they also seem to be getting the endorsers in trouble because deals usually come with a certain level of brand loyalty. The latest in the hot seat is P. Diddy who has a deal with Ciroc vodka. Several sources have reported that Diddy has been seen drinking the
pricey 1800 tequila which my colleague Jared Paul Stern mentioned the other day. Usually this wouldn't be a huge issue but P. Diddy has received $100 million to be the brand builder for Ciroc.
Eurweb reports that he has issued a press release saying that he's given up "champagne and tequila" and that his PR folks say that the reports of his tequila swilling are false. The
NY Post reported just a couple of weeks ago that he was seen drinking Malibu rum and pineapple cocktails, which he also denied.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Valerie May 25th 2008 7:45AM
Malibu rum and pineapple cocktails,yum,my fav.If they can pay that much,their not losing any thing in my opinion.I think products go way overbroad on telling people what they can and cannot drink or wear.
Dave May 26th 2008 11:27AM
I saw Diddy drinking water the other day, I wonder if he'll deny that too. If I am going to continue buying Ciroc based on Diddy's recommendation he'd better be drinking it morning noon and night.
Paul May 27th 2008 11:33AM
First off, it seems odd that exclusivity would be expected to extend beyond the specific class of spirits. Is it assumed that David Beckham doesn't wear dress shoes because of his contract with Adidas? (Or worse, is he expected to wear Rockport since Adidas and Reebok merged?)
Also, 1800 is not a pricey tequila (as pricey tequilas go). Yes, if you get the new silver decanter it's priced ridiculously high, but if you get the same "Silver Select" in the glass bottle, it'll set you back a whopping $35, less than most premium tequila, and significantly less than ultra premiums like Cabo Uno or Gran Patron Platinum.
1800 is actually a Cuervo product, but they took Cuervo off the name because nobody took it seriously, and most tequila connoisseurs still don't.