Tom Hardy is one of my favourite actors, I follow his life closely and whether it’s his jujutsu based charity for veterans and first responders, his bed time story reading for children on the gram, his wildlife documentary narrations or his legendary craft of acting. He almost never has been seen in a commercial. I was pleasantly surprised when Jo Malone London collaborated with him for Cypress and Grapevine Intense Cologne. What is fascinating about this collaboration is Tom agreed because both Jo Malone and he share this joy of giving back and his charity was involved here deeply. The film created - London at Play, also based on Toms love for riding / driving the streets of London at night, Tom then picks his father Chip Hardy to create this. The end result is remarkable.
Dior stood with Johnny Depp throughout the infamous lawsuit and Johnny paid back in absolute kind by featuring in Suavage, Sharukh Khan has always said he feels like he is Hyundai’s oldest employee, imagine standing by the same ambassador with renewed contracts, highs and lows of his career and backing him through thick and thin. There is a certain romance about lifetime contracts for endorsements that score above all. I remember clearly as a massive fan of David Beckham his 2003/4 Adidas contract for over $160Mn which included a royalty across all Adidas products for life. Michael Jordan and Nike arguably have the best celebrity endorsement in history. The basketball legend's association with the brand didn't just sell shoes; it inspired a generation of athletes and sneaker lovers.
HAMMERHEAD GLOBAL PAGE 2 There was a time an endorsement was art, the choice of an ambassador was not based on one great hit film, or the most goals scored in one tournament. The coming together of an ambassador with a brand was like a sculpture created by an artist; the creation would take years to forge but both the artiste and the art work became one for a lifetime. The sculpture would be available for generations of fans to touch and feel, but what the fan would take home was a piece of the intimate romance between the ambassador and the brand.
My home ground for work, the UAE & GCC have changed the game when it comes to ambassadors endorsing popular culture in the region. Earlier this year when Ryan Reynolds was signed as the chief island officer it was fresh to see the way it was crafted, we saw the dark humour king Ryan drop in on the island trying to speak out his resume of successes but the F1 cars at the Marina circuit drown his vocals with the energy of the island. Jason Momoa and Kevin Hart before him were spectacular. Here is a version of Chief Island Officers changing intermittently because a tourism based narrative requires the change. Penelope Cruz, Jennifer Anniston and Chris Hemsworth for Emirates, Nicole Kidman for Etihad, Deepika Padukone for Qatar, Sofia Vergara for VIA Riyadh. I have said it before that ground breaking celebrity based narratives as ambassadors will be led by this region for the world which is truer than ever.
While the region crafts and curates the worlds best celeb talent led initiatives it will be interesting to see if more home grown brands catch the trend and watch it grow, as it is imminent that the fans in the region and worldwide expect nothing but the best in this space.
At Hammerhead Global we are blessed with briefs that deal with scripting the right celebrity with the right brand and creating a compelling narrative that binds the fan and the ambassador.
by Swaroop Banerjee
Co-Founder & GCD.
