P. Diddy's I Am King Fragrance Rides Obama's Coattails
Time to cash in, eh, Mr. Diddy?
And that's cool, especially since we all know it was your vote that put him in!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
twitter/prohiphop subscribe: feedblitz |
ProHipHop: Business Hip Hop Press Business Matters Mix Sneakers & Fashion Urban Gossip/Rumors News & Search: World Cypher |
Headlines to Your Site or Blog: Widgetbox ProHipHop Network |
Hip-Hop News Plus Tupac Shakur Info |
Time to cash in, eh, Mr. Diddy?
And that's cool, especially since we all know it was your vote that put him in!
Diddy on Cover of L'Uomo Vogue Music Issue
Diddy stars on the cover of L'Uomo Vogue's Music Issue as himself!
Diddy may play rapper T La Rock in an upcoming movie "written by Antwone Fisher and directed by Denzel Washington - which follows the life of the Def Jam star through 1994, when Keaton suffered a traumatic brain injury while breaking up a fight in The Bronx."
Update:
GrandGood has some excellent background material regarding the movie and T La Rock.
Just as P. Diddy's YouTube rant about having to cut back on trips with his private jet makes the Wall St. Journal's Wealth Report blog, the Palm Beach Post's Joe Lambiet reveals that he doesn't own one!
Records research again outs another liar.
However, Diddy is a fractional owner of a jet via NetJets which is more like a leasing arrangement for a percentage of a jet's time.
On a side note, the whole concept of fractional jet ownership is pretty darn cool.
On a Diddy note, remember when he purchased that YouTube channel?
But what if he really believes these things? What then?
Update:
Diddy comes back with a humorous response and that's good to see. Wonder what Ciroc thinks about his "Ciroc Obama" aka?
I just got a somewhat sp@mmy MP3 blast topped off with an ad for Ciroc Vodka and The Diddy, a drink using Ciroc Vodka that is somebody's attempt to recoup some of the anticipated value of the Diageo deal with Diddy.
As Diddy stated:
"It is not an endorsement deal...This is something that will have my daily attention."
They are getting so totally reamed. I actually feel kind of bad for them cause this seemed like one of those rare no-brainers that would have a real payoff.
Anybody seeing anything in print or on tv for The Diddy or other Ciroc/Diddy combos?
In Sharp Contrast:
ABSOLUT Vodka must be feeling pretty darn good about Campaign Kanye from sponsoring the Glow In The Dark Tour to letting Kanye Be KANYE.
I Want to Work For Diddy Promo
"I Want to Work For Diddy" premiers August 4th on VH1 starring P. Diddy and some folks who believe they should be his assistant.
Wow, those contestants look pretty solid and grounded for people about to be humiliated on national television!
Related ProHipHop Coverage:
Diddy's Oprah Announcement Sends F-You Message to Bloggers
You Can Be Diddy's Personal Assistant! [Updated][& Again]
iRant: Puffy is Poison
I thought this video featuring Maronzio Vance would be funny but I didn't realize it would be a litany of vanished artists that came in contact with Diddy, i.e., tragicomedy.
Not that this kind of thing could ever stop young artists from wishing so hard that Puffy would just listen to their mixtape! Then they'd make it!!!
For that matter, there are people who would sign with Suge Knight, this very minute, on the inside of a matchbook cover and go record everything they've ever made in a hotel closet studio, hand it all over to Suge and feel like they're in the game.
Via Che Sing The Cool.
Diddy in Drive Safe Commercial
E! and Ciroc are the sponsors of this Drive Safe commercial featuring Diddy with a bit of a fantasy theme as some random white guy's designated driver.
Not a bad commercial and a bit more fitting than the Burger King commercial I saw recently with Diddy saying, "tell them Diddy says BK is open late". It's one of those "slap Diddy on it and it well sell" commercials that goes somewhat meta to remind us that Diddy and Burger King have absolutely no organic connection.
MediaWeek has more:
As part of the Comcast network's Drive Safe initiative, a roster of celebrities like Sean "Diddy" Combs, Eva Longoria, Gabrielle Union and the stars of E!'s The Girls Next Door will appear in 30-second PSAs urging viewers to stay off the road if they've been drinking.
Related ProHipHop Coverage:
Diddy's First Ciroc Vodka Commercial
Diddy In Portrait Of Sean Combs, The New Burger King, Press Play
P. Diddy's Walk of Fame Ceremony
Congratulations!
In the wake of Jay-Z's Cristal champagne "boycott" of June 2006, which quickly became an opportunity for other companies to court rappers and for people who couldn't afford Cristal to express their outrage, I suggested that the tactically limited boycott might not have a seriously negative effect on Cristal champagne or on Champagne Louis Roederer, the French makers of Cristal. In fact, I believed that it might actually be a positive move for Roederer to disconnect from overt associations with hip hop.
This view was taken as rather preposterous by other hip hop bloggers, all apparently with little direct knowledge of the luxury market, who just couldn't wrap their heads around the idea that an association with hip hop might be bad for a luxury brand.
Soon thereafter my suggestions found support from experts including industry researchers such as Richard Woodard:
"Richard Woodard, contributor to industry bible www.just-drinks.com, is researching a major report on the premium champagne market. He says: 'Cristal has almost got to the point where it has a downmarket image. It gets looked down upon because of all that gangsta rap stuff. Frankly, a lot of wealthy people don't want to identify themselves with that culture.'"
And in a widely quoted piece from Advertising Age it was suggested that other brands might benefit though Cristal was unlikedly to suffer:
"Rapper and Def Jam Records President Jay-Z's much-hyped boycott of Cristal isn't likely to cost the vintage champagne brand any dead presidents, according to beverage industry experts."
According to documents available from the Luxury Institute, in late 2006 Cristal champagne was rated the number 2 brand after Dom Perignon, a position it held again in early 2008.
Though the Luxury Institute did not have a 2005 survey for comparison, no mention is made of the hip hop boycott nor is there a suggestion that the boycott affected rich people's judgment.
A variety of signs suggest that Roederer's larger operations felt no sting.
From the fall of 2006 through today, Roederer has continued to expand with the acquisition of wine properties worldwide, the ongoing consideration of new acquisitions in such seemingly unlikely locations as England and long-term investments in their U.S. facilities.
Though I'm still working on accessing actual sales figures with the help of J. Jesus Ruiz and hope to find out more specifically if Cristal saw any negative effects at all, I do find it significant that P. Diddy has left the boycott behind.
In preparation for the recent Super Bowl festivities:
"Nearly every last bottle of Cristal in the state of Arizona has been snatched up on behalf of music mogul P. Diddy, who is hosting a blowout bash tonight at Club Axis/Radius, organizers say. 'He's hoarding all of it,' the distributor for the AZ Wine Co. told The Post. 'Cristal is hard to get anyway, but with the Super Bowl in town, it's impossible.'
Club organizers say they hope the 100 bottles now on hand are enough. 'I have been stockpiling all year for the Super Bowl, and especially for the P. Diddy block party,' said Jeff O'Neil, general manager of Axis/Radius.
VIPs at the event will be able to buy Diddy's stash of Cristal at $800 a popped cork."
So Diddy's back with Cristal, whether they like it or not, and Jay-Z is now associated with a lesser product, Armand de Brignac champagne, via product placements in the videos for Show Me What You Got and Blue Magic plus a 40/40 Club photo opp with Beyonce.
You may recall that Armand de Brignac is a champagne that was introduced in a fraudulent manner to the American market for which it was designed. Apparently they're trying again, though the champagne is not getting good reviews and I was informed in December by a Wikipedia editor that someone who appeared to be an associate of the U.S. distributors was attempting to game Wikipedia in 2007 as they had in 2006.
Though this may seem like ancient history to some, it's another great example of how easy it is to pierce the veils of hip hop business fantasy by simply paying attention to the details, not being swayed by widely held assumptions without supporting evidence and checking back at a later date. Think what could happen if full-time business journalists took hip hop seriously enough to regularly follow through with their superior resources.
But that vision takes us back to the realms of fantasy where rappers and hip hop "businessmen" would be held accountable for their boastful claims of realness and success. Till then, enjoy the Emperor's New Streetwear!
Comments to: clyde(at)prohiphop(dot)com
Previously at ProHipHop:
ProHipHop Coverage & Analysis of Jay-Z's Cristal Boycott
ProHipHop Coverage of Armand de Brignac Champagne
Trailer for Raisin In The Sun
Via Real Talk NY.
Ciroc Vodka - "The Official Vodka of New Year's Eve"
I'm posting this because it's supposed to be the or one of the new Diddy Ciroc vodka commercials but I almost didn't because of this grey space now looming in my post.
I didn't think they could come up with something as relatively annoying as preroll ads to get to me cut back on their use. Seriously, if this is the new deal at YouTube, I will be reducing use of their videos dramatically.
Via Corporate Takeover.
Update:
YouTube's back to whatever normal means these days. Thank goodness for good enough.
Related ProHipHop Coverage:
Sean Combs "Behind the Scenes" at Ciroc Vodka Shoot
Sean "Ciroc" Combs: Let The Diddy Deluge Begin
Diddy Goes 50/50 With Diageo for Ciroc Vodka
Diddy at the Ciroc Vodka Shoot
The Sean Diddy Combs/Ciroc Vodka combo swing into action.
Related ProHipHop Coverage:
Diddy's First Ciroc Vodka Commercial
Sean "Ciroc" Combs: Let The Diddy Deluge Begin
Diddy Goes 50/50 With Diageo for Ciroc Vodka
Sean Diddy Combs for CNBC
Sean Diddy Combs is part of CNBC's I Am American Business campaign.
Video via WoooHah.com.
In related Sean Diddy Combs news, peep the trailer for Raisin in the Sun.
ProHipHop Style Guide Claims First!!!:
ProHipHop has decided to remove the quote marks typically surrounding Diddy in Sean "Diddy" Combs. For all practical purposes, mainstream coverage now treats Diddy as Sean Combs' middle name, so it's time for the final step and the shift to Sean Diddy Combs without the quote marks.
Another ProHipHop EXCLUSIVE, WORLDWIDE, FIRST OF IT'S KIND, uh, Step Forward for Mankind Hip Hop!!!
So Diddy posts some amateur hour YouTube requests for a personal assistant over at DiddyTV and we all help Diddy spread the word, embedding wackily amusing videos left and right and even directing wayward applicants back to the correct source where they, of course, always found incomplete information.
But Diddy gets on Oprah to announce the end of the tale and its embedding disabled, "bloggers go f*ck yourself" time over at YouTube. Not even a silly moment at Diddy "i'm more a party promoter than an artist" TV.
Thanks Diddy. That's a very clear message and some of us got it!
PS:
When you go to DiddyTV, if a little login/password box pops up, just hit cancel and you'll be fine. Apparently Diddy's amateur hour online production aesthetic extends to his technical support.
Clarification:
I'm not referring to any Diddy music videos from whatever label he's on regarding embedding.
DiddyTV videos are all off-the-cuff and every one's been embeddable that I've wanted to use from day one. That's why his stupid little channel got so much attention at the jumpoff. Diddy could have had a different assistant videotape a quick backstage moment with his new assistant and waited to drop it till after Oprah got the exclusive announcement on tv but he didn't.
Announcing the Ciroc Deal on DiddyTV
Beyond the initial press release, here are some Diddy quotes from the AP regarding his 50/50 Ciroc vodka brand management deal with Diageo:
"It is not an endorsement deal...This is something that will have my daily attention."
"I'm not just a celebrity endorser, I'm a brand builder. I'm a luxury brand builder."
Diddy says he will "focus on attracting 'movers and shakers' to the line":
"They're looking for something that tastes like their lifestyle..It's that trendsetter, that hipster, someone who's looking for luxury and looking for something better"
"I can't overhype someone into loving vodka," he said. But once consumers actually taste Ciroc, "I think we can convert a lot of people."
So how do you convert people on taste with a liquor that's known for it's lack thereof?
You call Diddy!
Actually folks in the know say there's quite a clear difference if you drink it straight up. Here's what an informal taste testing group had to say about Ciroc Vodka's distinctive taste:
The hoity-toity accent circumflex reveals Cîroc's nationality, and a smartly tapered purplish bottle hints at the spirit's source—grapes grown in the Gaillac and Cognac regions of southwest France. Grape-based vodkas are something of a novelty, and Cîroc, which was introduced in 2002, has positioned itself as a clear alternative to its wheat-based competitors, running clever advertisements that urged drinkers to "go against the grain."
But is Cîroc's taste distinctive enough to win us over? As it happens, the panel did pick up on this vodka's "viney, stemmy aftertaste," as well as "hints of orange and anise." And most of us agreed that the shots "went down smoothly" with "very little burn" and "a clean, crisp finish." In the end, though, we concluded that Cîroc was too distinct for its own good—that it was "a grappa, or eau de vie, trying to pass itself off as a vodka."
No word on how that translates into a mixed drink but it sounds like folks would notice the difference in taste in a drink made with a vodka-like "grappa, or eau de vie" than the same drink made with a less noticeable vodka.
That could be a good thing if folks encounter Ciroc in the context of the Diddy deluge, i.e., they'll be expecting something distinctive rather than wondering why their drink tastes funny.
Related ProHipHop Coverage:
Diddy's First Ciroc Vodka Commercial
Sean Combs "Behind the Scenes" at Ciroc Vodka Shoot
Diddy Goes 50/50 With Diageo for Ciroc Vodka
Diddy offers the possibility of webcam nuttiness in support of the release of Unforgivable Woman from Sean John Fragrances:
Unforgivable is the first fragrance to host a launch party to be broadcast live on the internet, allowing millions of viewers to have unlimited VIP access to the red carpet arrivals and even go inside this celebrity packed event. Located inside a $35 million mansion in one of New York's most exclusive neighborhoods...
Guest celebrity hosts will guide viewers through the party. They will be your connection to the happenings at the hottest party of the year. Via instant message, hosts will ask user-generated questions to Diddy and the other celebrities strolling down the red carpet. And, it will all happen LIVE.
They will next take viewers inside the party to see the elaborate decorations and watch the Unforgivable models acting out scenarios to the entertainment of guests while they hear the music pump from DJ Soul's table.
So get your "user-generated questions" ready and "log on to the live webcast at www.myspace.com/diddy on September 19th from 10pm-12am EST."
Related ProHipHop Coverage:
MTV Bans Extended Unforgivable by Sean John Ad for Cute Undies Not Self-Indulgence
Unforgivable For Women by Sean John [Cinematic Mix]
According to Blogger A this Unforgivable For Women by Sean John commercial was "too racy" for MTV. Be that as it may, I concur with Blogger A, it's a long commercial.
Related ProHipHop Coverage:
Sex & Race: Sean John's Unforgivable Ad Campaign
Updated Version of Diddy's Video Explanation
Yes, Diddy is looking for a personal assistant and you can apply via uploading a video at YouTube, 2 to 3 minutes long, presenting why you are the worker bee for the job.
Interestingly enough, Diddy says he really is looking for professionals and that this isn't exactly a contest, though it's staged like one. He has a need and he turns it into an opportunity to create content. Diddy is so with the times.
On the down side, Diddy clarifies the dynamic by stating that this is the job for you if "you would like me to personally yell at you on a daily basis."
Yeah, it's a truthful joke and the sad thing is, that really will be part of the draw for many folks. The desire for high level obedience to high level authority is one of the deep sicknesses of mankind. But at least his upfront nature makes it a consensual relationship of sorts.
Sounds like a great job!
Even better than being an Editorial Gerbil.
T.POPPS - DIDDY'S PERSONAL ASSISTANT
Hey, I thought this would be a real hazing and it became a good time with Diddy. Maybe I should audition. It looks like fun!
The video directs you to youtube.com/group/diddyassistant but it appears to be youtube.com/group/diddysassistant for video uploads and badboyonline.com for resumes.
So go work on your video, Mr. or Ms. "I look good and can move the world while paying attention to details and being yelled at by Diddy, the greatest human I have ever hoped to serve."
Update:
It looks like it is youtube.com/group/diddysassistant after all.
The above video is also updated and now includes the following mailing address:
att: Marilyn Van Alstyne
Human Resources
Bad Boy Entertainment
1710 Broadway
New York, NY 10019
Good luck!
New Video Update:
Diddy Assistant Update
I'm all for off-the-cuff approaches but this is some haphazard, "figure it out as you go" stuff right here.
New resume contact but you'll have to do a video for this particular job:
Marilyn Van Alstin
resumes@badboy.com
212-381-1561
Diddy TV at the 2007 FiFi Awards
Everybody's talking about Unforgivable by Sean John winning Fragrance of the Year in the Men's Luxe category at the 2007 FiFi Awards held May 31st in New York. Actually, Terre d’Hermès by Hermès tied with Unforgivable for this honor.
FiFi has photos from the event: here and here.
As previously announced, Unforgivable was the top selling fragrance debut of 2006.
In somewhat belated hip hop news, earlier this month, market research firm the NPD Group reported on 2006 fragrance sales and announced that Diddy's Unforgivable men's fragrance was the top debut of the year.
Iconic Maxell Guy (PRNewsFoto/Maxell Corporation of America)
Sometimes I feel like TALKING IN ALL CAPS when I'm discussing Diddy, the man, the icon, the MAXELL GUY!
As you've probably heard, as part of the revitalization of the iconic Maxell Guy pictured above, Diddy has leveraged the icon, the image, the CHECK FROM MAXELL in the following video.
Diddy f/Christina Aguilera - Tell Me
With 50 Cent in waiting and Nas in check, it looks like it's Jay-Z Vs. Diddy for New York's fight of the season. The beauty of their battle is that it's totally unacknowledged and no direct engagement is necessary, they just build on the fact that any public move they make is a media event.
Unless people really hate Jay-Z's album (I think he'll get a pass), my money's on Hov.
Diddy may seem omnipresent but has he hit the P2P circuit like Jay-Z?
I think not.
But that's tongue in cheek. Bottom line is that Jay-Z's coming off a world tour and has no need to establish his artistic credibility. There seems to be some question regarding Diddy's.
But they're both putting in work in a way that should remind up-and-comers that it doesn't get easier and that being a success basically means there's more work and more distractions than ever before.
In related Jay-Z news, Hov has a tv deal with ESPN to executive produce (along with Def Jam) a boxing series called Hit Men. Sounds like a winner to me.
Saul Hansell of the NY Times examines the move towards companies marketing in social networks and guess who's looming at the viewer in the article's illustration?
President Diddy, of course!
We're all so overwhelmed with the onslaught of Press Play Diddy madness that I can't even list all the promotional activities announced in this press release, Rizoh's asking Diddy to just press stop and AllHipHop's simply posting pictures.
You have to wonder if Diddy does have some kind of $pecial relation$hip with YouTube beyond just having DiddyTV there. Right now, if you go to YouTube and click on an individual video, you'll see a small column to the far right titled Director's Videos. Up until seeing one of Diddy's promo videos in that column over the last couple of days, I've only seen the more traditional YouTube star and oddball creativity type videos. So this may actually be a paid or opportunistic placement of some sort.
For those of you following advertising developments on YouTube, I also recently saw an interesting maneuver for a film (or some other monetizable cultural product), in which the marketers were running ads on YouTube that linked directly to a promo video on YouTube. Since that meant that the video got additional views, I saw it showing up in the top spot of the Most Viewed (Today) page for at least a couple of days in a row.
I'm sure such maneuvers aren't totally new but I'm also sure that there's much more to come, especially as YouTube and Google have to grow some profits while negotiating with major labels to include their intellectual property in citizen uploads.
Related ProHipHop Coverage:
Diddy Gets Flack From YouTubers But It Don't Matter
Diddy In Portrait Of Sean Combs, The New Burger King, Press Play
BET Promo: Diddy On The Power Of Music [& Ego]
According to an unidentified writer for NME, Diddy is said to be experiencing backlash from the good citizens of YouTube for his BK episode and hookup on DiddyTV. But what may have at first seemed like a problem for Diddy really isn't, from what I can see.
Basically you've got lots of people who hate Diddy, always have, always will, with a great opportunity to make fun of what would have been an easy video to make fun of anyway. Considering the amount of rude comments that absolute nobodies get on YouTube, then, of course, Diddy is going to be a lightning rod for abuse.
For those who want an ad-free YouTube for free plus those who simply don't want to be overwhelmed by ads, Diddy also becomes the symbol of that commercialization. Considering that's what Diddy's all about, I don't see how that's so bad for him either. One day he'll be boasting about it in interviews.
I can see Al Gore and Diddy on CurrentTV now:
"You know, Sean, I invented the Internet."
"Thanks, Al. That's what gave me the opportunity to invent YouTube."
In any case, it's not like the above concerns will mean a rat's ass to Diddy's fanbase anyway.
Initial link via the Eskay News Network.
Promo For A Portrait Of Sean Combs on BET
Diddy will appear in A Portrait of Sean Combs on BET later this month.
In more substantial news, Diddy and Burger King are getting into bed together for a number of years (that's a long time) with a relationship that includes support for DiddyTV on YouTube. In the press release and the DiddyTV announcement below it's made to seem almost as if they're launching the channel together though Diddy's been doing this for a while already.
What is quite interesting about the deal is that Diddy just started his own channel on YouTube and has now gotten a major corporate sponsor. Wonder what YouTube gets out of this besides traffic?
But, wait, there's more!
Diddy Announces Burger King Relationship On DiddyTV
From the press release:
In his new role with the worldwide fast food restaurant company, Diddy -- Bad Boy Records founder, CEO and recording artist -- will help beef up Burger King Corporation's profile in the music and entertainment industry, consulting on relevant entertainment and marketing talent, as he himself is set to star in an upcoming BURGER KING ad campaign...
Burger King Corporation is also an official sponsor of Diddy's fall 2006 cross-country CD tour [for Press Play]. BURGER KING will be represented at all local market events, including consumer listening parties and special appearances by Diddy at high schools in select cities. The promotional tour will wrap up on Oct. 16 with Diddy's return to his home base of New York City.
Diddy Promotes Upcoming Release Press Play On DiddyTV
Update:
YouTube star LisaNova parodies Diddy's BK announcement on DiddyTV:
LisaNova Does P. Diddy
I haven't heard anything else about Diddy's relationship with Rhapsody, Sandisk, and Best Buy but he hosted a press conference today where announcements were made regarding "Rhapsody 4.0, the Sandisk Sansa Rhapsody e200R (3GB, 4GB, 6GB), and a new, 4.0-powered version of Best Buy's Rhapsody clone."
Diddy started the Proactive trend!
I saw this clip at YouTube but didn't check it out, though the Proactive connection should have caught my attention. Fortunately, via SOHH, I returned to discover that there are worse things than promoting a pseudo-ban. You could have Diddy promoting your product in personal settings beyond your control!
I think Diddy's just biting Sharon Stone's steez.
Celebrity news and gossip bloggers are taking Sean Combs to task for sleeping through one of his promo parties for Unforgivable.
I think they mean this party:
Sean 'Diddy' Combs arriving at his White Party in St. Tropez celebrating the #1 success of his fragrance Unforgivable in the US and UK.
However, in Puffy's defense, he was busy at a photo shoot the day before:
Sean 'Diddy' Combs stops traffic in front of the Monte Carlo casino in Monaco while shooting a new campaign for Sean John Fragrances.
Followed by an afterparty:
Sean 'Diddy' Combs' DJ-ing at his after-party at VIPs in St. Tropez following his dinner for the "50 Most Unforgivable" celebrating the #1 success of his fragrance Unforgivable in the US and UK.
Photo Credits:
(PRNewsFoto/Sean John Fragrances Estee Lauder Stuart Morton/Wireimage.com)
Previous Coverage With Photos:
Sex & Race: Sean John's Unforgivable Ad Campaign
Brand Diddy just got a sweet boost from P. Diddy's inclusion in Time magazine's 100 most influential people.
Back when the ad for Sean John Unforgivable cologne/perfume was being banned in some department stores, I didn't write about it, though it was a good topic. But I did find that most accounts that I read described the picture inaccurately and dodged the race angle, though I bet some bloggers had a perspective similar to mine.
When I heard this image described as implying that the threesome may have just had sex, I wondered what kind of sex do people have that's sweat-free and doesn't affect their hair? With that in mind, it makes me wonder if somebody experienced performance anxiety cause nobody looks satisfied and nobody looks like they have had sex prior to taking this photo.
The replacement photo, which looks pretty darn sexual to me, does remove the scene from the bedroom. However, in some versions you can also see a couch (or whatever fancy name rich folks have for one of those things) supporting them. Believe me, when half naked folks are hanging out on the couch, it can get pretty darn sexual.
But looking back at these photos and checking out the Sean John Fragrances site reminded me of what may have been the real concern, seeing a rich black man in bed with a woman who looks white or close to it and a woman who looks Asian. Check out the photo section of the site that kicks things off with P. Diddy and what looks like a white woman with their tongues wrapped together.
I can understand why a lot of people would want to ignore this aspect of the campaign. They either don't want to discuss such issues publicly, saving it for their own group however defined, or they want to imagine that we really do live in a world where department stores are flooded with management, employees and customers who inhabit a multiracial utopia of consumption.
Honestly, I think more ad images of folks of all types mixed together as well as images of particular groups done with intelligence can help move us along to a better place than any of us currently reside.
But I am fascinated by the fact that every photo associated with Sean John's Unforgivable that I've seen to date, including the above photo, features P. Diddy in a world without other visibly black people.
Update: On the other hand, I should make it clear that I dig this whole campaign. I dig the images, the website, the corporate angle. It's a strong statement and, I think, a positive one overall however self indulgent it may appear.
Related ProHipHop Coverage:
MTV Bans Extended Unforgivable by Sean John Ad for Cute Undies Not Self-Indulgence
Diddy is one of the executive producers of the Celebrity Cooking Showdown which will be some sort of coproduction of Reveille and Bad Boy Entertainment to appear on NBC in April.
The show might interest folks for a variety of reasons from the educational value of celebrity chefs teaching celebrities their tricks to the sheer invigoration of competitive celebrity cooking. The actual identity of the celebrities will certainly make a difference and they'll be announced soon.
Though it's a bit more complex than the Iron Chef, let's hope Celebrity Cooking Showdown is more interesting than Iron Chef America which was a big disappointment after seeing the original series.
Since I've heard good things about Duets: The Final Chapter, built on raps by the Notorious B.I.G., I can accept that the project includes some element of respect and is not simply a money making endeavor.
But I'm conflicted over whether or not ringtones based on the album are a legitimate way to extend the content or simply a crass form of business as usual. I'm probably just being a little overreactive but I shudder to think what Diddy will say in ads promoting such ringtones.
Though P. Diddy may be changing his name again, apparently he's moving away from branding clothes with highly visible logos and monikers. A recent meeting with Sean John designers was described in the NY Times:
"There will be only three 'Sean John' T-shirts in the coming collection," he said. A few designers let out wispy sighs at such a seemingly self-destructive edict; after all, clothes with the Sean John name, initials or crest make up a big slice of his company's sales. "I'm putting you on rations," he said, laughing. "From now on, I want people to read the name without seeing the name. You get me?"
He also stated regarding the new Jack Johnson collection, named after the great African-American boxer:
"I don't want you to bring me clothes with the name 'Jack Johnson' on them. We got to get away from that. And I don't want some kind of retro stuff, like clothes from 1906. I want contemporary. If somebody's wearing one of my track suits, I want it to say 'champion' from two blocks away."
That's interesting but what I can't figure out is, are they talking about the fall collection? Wouldn't that already be designed and was this just a show for the reporter? I don't know. I'm just wondering.
The article as a whole presents Sean John as a company coming off a two year plateau that's being revitalized by new management. Robert J. Wichser, the former chief executive of the Joseph Abboud Apparel Corporation, was hired in May and supposedly only took the job if he also took P. Diddy's title as chief executive of Sean John. Bringing in Wichser is part of an overall move to solidify the company's infrastructure. The next step is to find "better factories to make the goods."
P. Diddy also formed some kind of partnership with 25 year old designer Zac Posen who has yet to be fully integrated into the company but is described as a "quiet consultant" for the new women's line. Additional emphasis is also being put on licensed goods manufactured by other companies and sold as Sean John items, though "Sean John makes 70 percent of its own clothes; [while] most celebrity-branded gear is made under license by other companies." A fragrance developed with Estee Lauder is also in the works.
In related news, other celebrity designers may be blazing new trails that will eventually interest Mr. Combs. While Brad Pitt's getting into architecture, Lenny Kravitz has formed a design company, Kravitz Design, a "firm focusing on commercial, residential and product design." Plans include hotel projects in L.A. and Vegas as well as other activities that will expand on his earlier experiments buying, redesigning and reselling residences.
P. Diddy is getting widespread media attention for his plan to produce custom rims called Sean John Wheels for "sports trucks, luxury SUVs and high-end American- and German-made automobiles." The rims are a 50-50 joint venture between Bad Boy Worldwide Entertainment Group and Weld Wheel Industries of Kansas City, MO. Weld Wheel founder and CEO Greg Weld "was a little overwhelmed at the attention attracted by his new partner, marveling at his ability to work a crowd and 'build his brand.'"
Though P. Diddy has yet to partner with Ashton Kutcher, it now seems inevitable, and that may be one reason Puffy's "friends" were getting paranoid about Ashton and Puffy becoming pals. Kutcher says that negative reaction was one motivation for the movie Guess Who, a comic remake of the classic Guess Who's Coming to Dinner?. Though Guess Who is unlikely to take a similar place in history, its first weekend box office take of $21 million is serious business.
I realize now that my negative assessment of P. Diddy's prospects inspired by my reaction to his appearance at CTIA Wireless, his difficulties at Blue Flame Marketing + Advertising and a variety of other problems, including a lawsuit in the fall for alleged assault, didn't mean the guy's career was over. I guess I'll just have to forgive him for pretending he can dance and inflicting Mase on the world and accept that this cat's got legs.
Not only have Diddy and MTV announced an executive producer position for P. Diddy and a first-look production agreement with Bad Boy Entertainment, he says to expect a wireless announcement soon, because "everything is creating a content empire."
Already Diddy's exec activity has resulted in signing Rev. Run for an MTV reality show titled Run's House. Plus, in addition to producing Making The Band 3 and Borrow My Crew, he's developing a special called The Show about the upcoming launch of his women's fashion line.
Furthermore, rumors are circulating that a signing may be in the works for American Idol escapee Mario Vazquez who would have been committed to RCA Records if he'd gone on to win. Other rumors suggest that he's bringing in Common and Talib Kweli to write lyrics and Kanye West to produce tracks for what may be his last solo album, so he may be "retiring" like Jay-Z.
In closing, last month a film deal with Paramount Pictures and MTV Films to develop a heist action-comedy was announced. He did just keynote at CTIA and his Superbowl ad was a winner for Diet Pepsi. And, although he may not like the valuation, his partnership with Warner Music Group is a big deal. And there's some other good news but I think I've made my new point.
So, even though he's now being sued by Columbia Pictures and a coat that Diddy supposedly had custom made but didn't pick up didn't sell on Ebay, I obviously focused on the wrong trees and missed the forest. Honestly, I just let my personal feelings undermine my analysis. What can I say? It's P. Diddy's world. I'm just blogging in it.
MocoNews.net has a rough transcript of P. Diddy's address at the CTIA Wireless gathering in New Orleans as well as a link to the audio. One of the weird things about the transcript is that it totally changes tone when Diddy name checks Marshall McLuhan. If I was a gambling man, I'd be willing to bet that he switches to a ghost written section there. That's not a bad thing, just an interesting choice. Somehow it's hard for me to actually imagine P. Diddy reading a book. Maybe he just read the executive summary or listened to it on audiotape. Expect the remix delivered via a P. Diddy branded cellphone next Christmas.
Rafat Ali briefly describes the presentation as including some "brave swaggering" which is about all P. Diddy can do since he hasn't been involved with any major wireless initiatives and his content is currently extremely weak. But I guess it's better than hearing Russell Simmons say f*ck as if it was rad for the millionth time or having Damon Dash hawk his Roc Box as if it was a viable consumer item.
However, there's apparently a Fashion in Motion show at CTIA that includes Sean John wear though it isn't geared to mobile products, as far as I know, except for having pockets. But I've already condemned such hip hop fashions. I guess they just needed a celelbrity and I bet P. Diddy's relatively cheap since nothing except guest appearances are going his way at the present time.
Recent Comments