—Randall Hull, The Br@nd Ranch® Charlie Sheen, aka “F-18”, “Warlock”, “Torpedo of Truth” — oh please — is instructive to anyone pondering the vicissitudes of brands, particularly celebrities as brands. Unless you have been off planet Earth for the last year, you have surely watched the not-so-slow train wreck called Charlie Sheen. Once a $1.8… Continue Reading
Tag Archives: Celebrity Endorsements
Charlie Sheen: Coming to a Product Endorsement Near You?
Posted in Branding, Goodwill, Guest Bloggers, Marketing—David Mitchel, Chief Marketing Officer, Norton Mitchel Marketing The ongoing saga of Charlie Sheen has been quite odd. He demanded a pay raise and made inflammatory comments about his boss, Two and a Half Men Executive Producer Chuck Lorre, which led to Two and a Half Men shutting down production for the rest of the… Continue Reading
Often Imitated, Never Duplicated: The Quizzical Case of Celebrity Look Alikes
Posted in AdvertisingWhile I was perusing ESPN.com shortly after the Masters, I came across an interesting article about a Tiger Woods lookalike. The article was a bit dated, and was probably recycled because of Tiger’s upcoming Master’s appearance, but it sparked interest nonetheless. My first question was, “How big of a market exists for the celebrity lookalike biz?” While… Continue Reading
Permission to Exploit Jennifer Aniston’s Right of Publicity?
Posted in Advertising, Agreements, Contracts, MarketingIt is probably safe to assume that Channel 45 obtained permission to use Jennifer Aniston’s likeness and exploit her right of publicity in promoting viewership of syndicated Friends television programs. That’s a deal where everyone appears to win, Channel 45, viewers, advertisers, Aniston, and the other Friends cast members who share in the syndication royalties along with Ms. Aniston…. Continue Reading
The Roar of Tiger Woods in Branding
Posted in Advertising, Agreements, Branding, Contracts, Guest Bloggers, MarketingThe impact of the Tiger Woods scandal in branding can be viewed from two different perspectives. The first perspective comes from the point of view of the companies that paid Woods to endorse their products. The second perspective is how the personal brand of Tiger Woods will be impacted as the smoke clears from this… Continue Reading
Don’t Expect This to Have Tiger by the Tail…
Posted in Advertising, Agreements, Branding, Contracts, Guest Bloggers, MarketingTiger Woods’ scandal proves once again that celebrity gossip mongering is a blood sport. The bigger the celebrity, the more the blood will flow. In Tiger’s case, he can open up a blood bank. Though it’s unlikely to reach the insanity that was unleashed when Michael Jackson died last summer, it will take the… Continue Reading
Let’s Play “Truth or Consequences”: The New FTC Guides for Endorsements & Testimonials Bring Truth a Little Bit Closer
Posted in Guest BloggersWe all would agree that “As Seen on TV” is one of the great brands of all time. The brilliant marketeers behind it recognized the extraordinary power of television – people believe as true what they see on TV. Why that is I’m sure has been the subject of enumerable studies; after all it defines who… Continue Reading
Affiliate Marketing
Posted in Advertising, Domain Names, Food, Guest Bloggers, Infringement, Law Suits, Marketing, TrademarksTrademark Infringement is a sticky subject online. Our first blog talked about Twitter and trademark infringement and today I want to address trademark infringement in relation to affiliate marketing. Affiliate Marketing is a process that rewards a blog or website for every customer that is brought to the company (the affiliate) that blog or website… Continue Reading
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Duets Blog Authors
Steve Baird
Just so you know, I'm all about brands and the law, both professionally and personally. I regularly annoy family and friends in retail stores by focusing on product labels—not to buy the product, but to read the fine print and ask, "Who owns these brands" and "Did they really register those marks?" More...
Dan Kelly
You can call me a “non-traditional” attorney, which is a polite way of saying that I did not attend law school straight out of college. I spent five of my first six years after college as a junior high school teacher. The other year I worked as an engineer for a large corporation. More...
Sharon Armstrong
Voted most likely to become an actress while in pre-school, I don’t think I surprised anyone by becoming a lawyer, the steadiest professional gig open to those with a flair for the dramatic. More...
Brent Lorentz
Although I wish I could say my path to the law was the result of a lifelong dream or calling, it was more the result mere curiosity and an affinity for leather-bound books. More...
Tiffany Blofield
Although my initial career path was to be one of the Supremes (not the musically talented ones with platform shoes and sequins, but rather, the nine wearing sensible shoes and pressed black robes in DC), I will likely stay in Minnesota as I have never lived anywhere else. More...
Brad Walz
My law career started on the ice…as a defensive hockey player (we’re not talking professionally…and if I were, I probably wouldn’t have gotten into law). More...
Susan Perera
Born into the world with an aptitude for science and an affinity for art I found my career path quickly chosen for me. More...
Joy S. Newborg
When I took a personality/career test in high school to determine which path in life I should follow, I was told I should either be in broadcast journalism or law. So after I went to undergraduate school for broadcast journalism and film/television, I went on to obtain my law degree from the University of Minnesota. More...
Laura Gutierrez
An attorney I am not. Though told to become one, I don't possess those qualities needed to be an effective one (I lack confrontation skills, and although I can write a great argumentative essay, I can’t argue outside a sheet of paper). More...