James Brown to get the Boots?

In a world where the power of the celebrity endorsement continues to grow, there aren’t many large high-street retailers who don’t have a piece of this lucrative pie. Lily Allen, Kate Moss and Daisy Lowe are just a few examples of celebrities who have been commissioned to design their own fashion ranges for major chains. Well-known models and hairdressers are also in on the act with many launching self-branded make-up and hair care products.  

The journey onto the shelves is not a short one – retailers think long and hard about choosing the right people to both appeal to their existing audiences and bring in new custom, all while giving the brand kudos. But what should they do if their chosen celeb suddenly falls from grace?      

Celebrity hairdresser, James Brown, has raised this issue once again. Brown ‘outed’ himself, making a public apology to a TV presenter he admitted he had racially abused. Shortly after, Boots, which stocks his hair care range, was said to be in emergency talks about potentially pulling his product line. This comes only months after designer John Galliano was spectacularly fired from Dior after allegedly making anti-Semitic comments.

So, while big brands cash in when their celebrity’s stock is riding high, the moment they are caught in a compromising situation, most are dropped. And why shouldn’t this be the case?  After all, celebrities cannot expect to continue like nothing has happened, especially if they are being marketed on an image they are then found to contradict, or if they break the law.   

Brands obviously do their homework before signing up a celebrity, but what should they consider? If they’re bringing someone on board who is known for their excesses and hedonism for example, then there may well be pitfalls that come with this. If one of the reasons they hired someone was for their ‘edginess’, then they should be prepared to take some of the rough with the smooth.

Most of us were not hugely shocked when Kate Moss was caught with drugs some years ago, probably because of how we envisage the supermodel world to be. H&M subsequently dropped Moss from their campaigns but others including Rimmel and Dior continued to use her during this time, stating that what she did away from work was her business. However, in the eyes of the public and media, racist outbursts are seen as more serious than a drug scandal.

It will be interesting to see whether Boots does choose to stick by Brown. What the company should be considering is whether, having carefully, (we assume) selected him as someone aligned with its brand values, it’s worth the risk of being considered guilty by association.