Here at Marque we're still recovering from THAT dress worn by Rihanna to the CFDA Awards, and debating whether she is a fashion icon or a train wreck. But it did get us thinking about the growing power of the celebrity in the fashion world, and just how many houses are engaging stars like RiRi to promote their brand.
Say you've snagged a Kardashian to tote your latest It Bag. She's charging you a fortune, so you want to be sure you get what you're paying for, and avoid disasters along the way.
Some important things to think about including in the contract:
- Not to disparage your brand – she bags you, or lets slip that she's paid to wear your product, and any goodwill you've created is gone.
- Exclusivity – your celebrity shouldn't endorse or be associated with any competitor during the term of your agreement. Think Oprah tweeting her love of the Microsoft tablet from an iPad.
- Morals clause – you don't want your celebrity papped looking like a trashbag sprawled in the street with your product in shot. Define what you find morally reprehensible: your opinion of this may vary from Justin Bieber's. Getting caught taking drugs, being publicly drunk and breaking the law are clear no-nos.
- If she is doing specific media and appearances, agree on the details, including time to be spent. You might expect more than a two minute nightclub cameo.
- Consider requiring sign off for any public statements about your brand. Awful tweets tend to spread quite quickly, apparently.
- And you want the details confidential. We still don't know exactly who Samsung paid for that Oscars selfie which broke Twitter (something about $3m for a kiddies' hospital and puppies).
We can't guarantee your celebrity won't punch a paparazzo, but at least you won't be paying her for the pleasure.
We do not disclaim anything about this article. We're quite proud of it really.
