You know Michael Phelps - the golden boy who could do no wrong in the pool and a seemingly safe (to the point of boring) bet to endorse dozens of products. And then we find him again barely coming up for air, this time his head buried in a bong at a college party.
It is fascinating when icons (particularly with lucrative endorsement deals) taint their public image. But what is even better is that Phelps' sponsors all stand behind him. No one yet has yanked a deal from him, even though several of those contracts explicitly state that he needs to keep out of trouble. more
It is a common dilemma in advertising when you are looking for that one famous person to stand up and say "Nothing is better than Brand X. I love it." Do you look for a real person that fits, but is human and can screw things up? Or do you go the route of other brands and create a fictional character whose persona is under your complete control, like the King of Burger King?
It seems that there is room for both. The whole Phelps' thing will blow over. After all, most people don't even realize he also has a DUI on his record. Not to condone such repeated stupidity of anyone, let alone one making millions as a role model to kids, but people do like their flawed heroes.
Maybe the King can take a few cues from his real-life spokesperson brethren. CPB, if you're listening, have the King go berserk on the set of his next commercial (or movie?), dropping enough F-bombs to make Christian Bale blush. Or have him get into a fight in the alley over the superiority of democracy over constitutional monarchy as a political theory. Or just release some underground photos of him cavorting with Amy Winehouse for a spell.
We like our stars flawed and flayed. And the stars surely do, too. It keeps them (and the products they endorse) relevant and part of the conversation.
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