Stars Behind Bars
AdAge editor Scott Donaton's current editorial describes how marketing executives are reacting to the latest celebrity crime wave: rushing to sign the perpetrators to long-term endorsement deals. He quotes an unnamed agent as saying, "Just imagine! News reports saying that the suspect, whose new film opens Friday in theaters everywhere, fled the scene of the crime and eluded the cops wearing Nike's newest running shoe. Sales would skyrocket!" Apparently, such talk has been prompted by the surge in sales of Allen Iverson gear following the eponymous star's recent felony arrest. So now when celebrities are arrested, inquiring minds seeking an explanation will have to ask, "Nature? Nurture? Branding?" (And look for police departments to cut deals with wanna-be bad boys, offering an arrest before cameras in exchange for profit points.)
