“I'm sure Dom Perignon or Krug would be delighted to have their business,” said Frederic Rouzaud, managing director of champagne makers Louis Roderer, when asked by The Economist if the association between the RnB/hip-hop scene and the Cristal brand was proving to be detrimental. Rapper Jay-Z was quick to launch a boycott. Pronouncing the comments as “racist”, the artist showed he had a sense of irony when he promised that his 40/40 Clubs would now stock Dom Perignon and Krug instead. But what can, or should, marketers do if they think their brand is receiving ‘unwelcome’ attention?
The patronage of celebrities can do wonders for sales. Indeed, for some product lines, such as high fashion, it’s fundamental to their marketing. The flip side is that you may get some endorsements you’d rather avoid. While it’s possible to manage the process to some extent, it’s important to remember that you’re dealing with real people and real opinions.
It may indeed be better for Cristal to do without the support of Jay-Z and the RnB/hip-hop community, but I doubt Mr Rouzard sought to achieve this in the midst of negative media coverage and accusations of bigotry. However unintended, his rash comment added fuel to the flames and drew greater attention to the very issue from which he was trying to distance his business. The fact is, if someone of whom you take a dim view favours your brand there’s little or nothing you can do about it – at least not in the short term.
First of all, ask yourself if it really is such a bad thing that a person or group of people has become associated with your brand. When John Lennon had his Rolls Royce Phantom V repainted with a 
psychedelic design it prompted the car maker to make a formal complaint, but with hindsight the brand was never in danger of harm. Sold for more that $2 million in 1985, the car is now in a museum. Such notions of timelessness and desirability are more than likely to be welcome.
If you’re unsure, the best course of action is to do nothing and monitor the situation. If anyone asks how you feel about it, say something like, “Oh, we don’t worry too much about that,” and smile your way through it. The chances are that, like most fads, the unofficial brand association will quickly fade.
If the situation seems to be more enduring, sales are noticeably suffering and the brand really is being damaged, don’t react to the problem by speaking in public. Instead, think about what you can do to reassert your brand values. Luxury fashion label, Burberry, faced a serious problem in the UK when its trademark check became the preferred choice for downmarket ‘chav’ culture (click here for a Wikipedia definition). When tabloids nationwide pictured disgraced former soap star Daniella Westbrook and her baby dressed head to toe in the design, the brand became something of a national joke.
Rather than grumble to the media, Burberry instigated a plan to reduce the significance of the check. Chav signature products, such as the baseball cap, were discontinued. Elsewhere across the product line, the check was either removed or its visibility was reduced. While the connection between Burberry and chavs still exists, the firm’s strategic approach to the problem means it has now diminished by a great deal.
If you own or manage a luxury brand, you could be the next target. If this happens, take time to see how the attention is affecting your brand; it’s better to sustain a little damage while you evaluate what best to do rather than make the situation worse by acting out of haste. It could be that you gain a whole market and it doesn’t necessarily follow that this will alienate existing customers. If you decide that you’d rather do without the association, the best immediate course of action is to do nothing and hope that things change. If they look intractable, then consider very carefully how to regain control. Like Burberry, a long term strategy that deeply affects how you design and market your products may be what's called for, so it's no easy decision. And remember, the best laid plans can easily backfire if you’re seen to be doing something negative.
