Diddy: Clever Or Stupid?

Spinal Tap lead singer David St. Hubbins once said, "It's such a fine line between clever and stupid". Was Diddy clever or stupid when he agreed to appear in a new commercial for the super premium Ciroc vodka with a soundtrack using...wait for it...Kanye West's "Flashing Lights"?


DHMBIB's answer: CLEVER.

And, STUPID.

The clever: Diddy had $100 million reasons to agree to someone else's soundtrack choice for his new commercial. And if that someone likes Kanye better than Diddy, well, money talks.

Or maybe the ad director simply can't tell one black hip-hopper from another???

[DHMBIB would never suggest that an ad director or marketing manager for a British liquor company would confuse one ultra-mega-maniacal hip-hopper with a different ultra-mega-maniacal hip-hopper -- Ed.]

As this "Behind The Scenes" video proves, Diddy knew they were using "Flashing Lights" at least to get the models grooving and moving:



Anyways, if you're too lazy to click the link above, Diddy has signed an agreement with Diageo PLC to...well...it's just so rich that we think the "brand's" MySpace blog says it best:

NEW YORK - Just five years ago, Sean "Diddy" Combs asked Busta Rhymes to "pass the Courvoisier." These days, it's all about the vodka.

The 37-year-old hip-hop mogul has inked a multiyear deal to develop the Ciroc vodka brand — one of Diageo PLC's superpremium lines — for a 50-50 share in the profits.

It's the latest agreement in which a celebrity is going beyond the typical endorser role to share in a brand's rise and fall, such as Jay-Z with Budweiser and 50 Cent with Vitamin Water.

Diageo said the agreement could be worth more than $100 million for Combs over the course of the deal, depending on how well the brand performs.

"It is not an endorsement deal," Combs told The Associated Press on Tuesday night. "This is something that will have my daily attention."

Combs said he wanted to work with Diageo because the company understood that "I'm not just a celebrity endorser, I'm a brand builder. I'm a luxury brand builder."

Combs said he will be responsible for everything from marketing the brand to deciding where to sell it, and will focus on attracting "movers and shakers" to the line.

"They're looking for something that tastes like their lifestyle," he said. "It's that trendsetter, that hipster, someone who's looking for luxury and looking for something better."

Combs already has his own perfume and clothing line, and serves as chief executive of record company Bad Boy Worldwide Entertainment.

"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."

I love this: "'It is not an endorsement deal...This is something that will have my daily attention.'" "Combs said he will be responsible for everything from marketing the brand to deciding where to sell it, and will focus on attracting 'movers and shakers' to the line."

I love the thought of the following made-up conversation between Diddy and whichever member of Danity Kane he may be sleeping working with these days:

Diddy: [sigh]
Aubrey: What's wrong, Puffy?
Diddy: Diddy. My name is "Diddy".
Aubrey: Sorry. "Diddy". What's wrong?
Diddy: Oh, that liquor store at the corner of 3d and Park won't get rid of Vox for Ciroc.
Aubrey: ZOMG!!!
Diddy: I know, right??? And if that weren't enough, they insist on playing that Jay-Z album all the time, which of course sends the wrong subliminal message to shoppers.
Aubrey: ZOMG!!!

The stupid: Odd that he didn't insist his own music be used to promote the brand. Remember, "Combs said he will be responsible for everything from marketing the brand to deciding where to sell it."

I guess Diddy thinks Kanye can "sell" Diddy's vodka better than Diddy can.