The college admissions scandal has been frightful for many people involved: the offenders, admissions departments for colleges and those in close connection with the offenders. In one famous case involving Lori Loughlin and her daughters, the brands they have worked with were faced with trouble as the scandal was released in the news. Hallmark and Sephora were a few of the brands that cut ties with the famous “Full House” actress and one of her daughters, a social media influencer.
This instance raises the question of when brands should discontinue their partnerships with an influencer or celebrity, as Lori Loughlin is not the first to be in a scandal. In order to avoid last-minute decisions when a celebrity endorsement goes rogue, it’s essential to have a plan prior to signing on said celebrity or influencer for brand partnerships.
To begin with, it is essential that a brand or company pairs with a celebrity or influencer that correctly aligns with their overall message and statement. This reduces the possibility of dropping an endorser in the future. To add to this, doing your research on said endorser can further prevent the need of cutting ties. In the makeup community specifically, influencers have been dropped because of old tweets. Beauty guru Laura Lee was dropped from the company Ulta when old, racist tweets resurfaced. This could have been prevented by doing research on the influencer.
If it is in question about whether or not to cut ties with a celebrity or influencer, it is important to know what criteria to look for. Whether or not the celebrity or influencer scandal goes against one’s brand message or statements, or if their actions go against the views of the brand’s target audience, it may be time to cut ties for brand partnerships.
Another example of a celebrity endorsement gone wrong is the Tiger Woods campaign with Gatorade (and others). Woods was dropped from multiple sponsorships due to the sex scandal he was involved in. Large companies like AT&T, Gillette and Accenture were among those that decided to cut ties with the professional golfer.
A large majority of endorsements gone wrong focus on both the negative actions from a celebrity and also the reaction from the public. Adweek wrote an article about this subject and all eight examples had a large, negative reaction from the public.
In all, protecting your company when it comes to a celebrity scandal is important to follow. Remember to do your research before taking on a celebrity, and to act right away when cutting ties.
Read more about the positives and negatives of celebrity endorsements.