Wednesday, 19 January 2011

The right man for the job?

Undoubtedly one of the biggest news stories of the week, Ricky Gervais’ performance as host of the Golden Globes drew a mix of scathing reviews and high praise from commentators worldwide. Some described his cracks at celebrities such as Tom Cruise and Robert Downey Jr as ‘tasteless’ and ‘unacceptable’. Others relished in Gervais’ controversial performance, and commended him for ‘not holding back’.

But what about the Hollywood Foreign Press Association that hired Gervais in the first place? Initial reports suggested they were not impressed. But they later released a statement saying they were happy with his performance – “We loved the show. It was a lot of fun and obviously has a lot of people talking.”

The HFPA must have had a lot to think about after the awards. On the one hand, early numbers showed the 2011 Globes reaching its biggest audience—just under 17 million viewers, up 5% from last year. The Gervais factor had certainly got people watching.

On the other, some very big Hollywood players were nursing some very bruised egos after the event. Including the HFPA president himself, who was also the subject of one of Gervais’ on air jibes.

It demonstrates perfectly the gambles a brand takes when they employ a notorious risk-taker like Gervais to publicly front their cause. The HFPA must have known what they were getting themselves in for, but ultimately had no control over what was to take place on the night.

 Gervais’ performance however, was right on brand for him. His ‘screw Hollywood’ attitude is now firmly entrenched – and this is obviously the way he wants people to think of him.

It’s a warning to marketers everywhere that when you get personality endorsement, you are essentially getting one brand (a personal brand with its own values, tone and attributes) to support your brand. Get the mix wrong and the results can be explosive.  

If you’d like to talk to us about your brand and communication challenges, we’d be delighted to hear from you, why not give us a call.