Question

Topic: Branding

Have A Very Good Idea Involves Celeb And Brand

Posted by Anonymous on 2/25/2010 at 8:30 PM ET 250 Points
Ok, so a lot of people think they have good ideas but i know this is a good one. It involves bringing a celebrity together with a brand to market their product. The celebrity is an artist (musician). This musician has a song and image that is perfect for this brands new product. How can i get this idea out there without it being stolen, or atleast getting credit for it? Is this even possible? There is a company i was going to contact about this idea named translation llc however whats to keep them from taking the idea and giving me the finger, or better yet just ignoring my proposition to discuss this branding idea? I already have this video uploaded to youtube on private because of copyright issues but I wanted to make sure i documented this in some way. Can ANYONE provide any helpful insight as to what to do? Should I contact my copyright lawyer to set a meeting up first or am I just wasting my time because either no one will meet with me or they will steal the idea? Once again any help is much appreciated.
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RESPONSES

  • Posted on 2/25/2010 at 8:42 PM Accepted
    What country?

    In the US, your chances are slim ... but not totally impossible. It kind of depends on the target company. Some are ethical about stuff like this, and others are not.

    Also, many companies won't want to hear your idea at all because if they've already thought of it, they don't want to have to defend themselves against your charges that they "stole" your idea. More trouble and expense than it's worth (to them).

    Your best bet might be going to the celebrity and seeing if there's any interest on his/her part. If the celebrity isn't interested, then you have nothing anyway.

    As excited as you are about this, remember that great ideas are abundant, and most large companies are used to excited inventors and wanna-be marketers. They will discount your enthusiasm immediately, regardless of how good the idea is.
  • Posted on 2/25/2010 at 8:50 PM Author
    100 percent completely understood, I wouldn't mind posting my idea on youtube as long as the company would acknowledge me but at the same time since their is copyrighted music in the video and its to promote the product I don't want to receive backlash from both the artist and the company (even though i placed in the description this is not a video by company xyz) I'm considering just forgetting about the whole thing, the company and this celeb make complete sense although I doubt they have thought about this combination. I've had other company's contact me complimenting my video's but I don't know if this one is worth it.
  • Posted on 2/25/2010 at 10:09 PM Author
    Hi, obviously endorsement deals are nothing new however this new product from this company coupled with this celebrity has not been done and it is the perfect match. The song coupled with the exact product would be VERY beneficial to both parties however neither is aware of this. Over the years my voice on the net has been heard from this company as i have pushed for them to release certain products and they have acknowledged that. Recently I decided to apply for a position with them but in the mean time I just happened to hear this song the other day and it would be the perfect campaign to bring them to a level they haven't seen in years and to a market that is very complex to market to. Without divulging the information it doesn't sound like anything new but the idea and campaign is new as the product is new (the general public doesn't know about it yet) Anyhow the main reason was to possibly sell this idea without it being stolen but apparently I don't see this happening.
  • Posted by Jay Hamilton-Roth on 2/26/2010 at 9:20 AM Accepted
    Is the product's company interested in (and willing to pay for) an endorsement deal? Is the company likely to be interested tying their name to this celeb (given their history)? Likewise, has the celeb done endorsement deals in the past? How effective has it been? How well does their music/style match the company's? Lastly, why should each of these parties trust you?

    Unless you have the connections and have done a lot of research, your best bet bet is probably to use your idea in your final round of interviews to show you're a creative person and can help the company's bottom line.
  • Posted on 2/26/2010 at 9:46 AM Moderator
    Consider also that your celebrity music "endorsement" could steal attention from the product's positioning and thus compromise communication of the key benefit message the company wants to seed for its new product.

    That's one of the biggest risks in using celebrities in advertising. They certainly attract attention, but often they overshadow the product they are promoting, and the advertising does more to promote the celebrity than it does the sponsor.

    Not sure if this applies to your situation or not, but it will certainly be on the mind of your target company.

    And you might also want to check out the believability, credibility and likability of your celebrity. There are norms and carefully-researched metrics for this sort of thing. Just because YOU think the celebrity is perfect for the brand doesn't make it so for the entire target audience for the product. (Need more info? Check out Q-Scores at www.QScores.com )
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