Ye + Adidas: The Hidden Cost of Celebrity Deals

Retail Unwrapped - from The Robin Report

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Here’s a conundrum: Should bad behavior be tolerated when profits are soaring? The Ye and Adidas relationship is a cautionary tale about the temptation to trade erratic behavior for crazy revenues. During a near decade-long partnership between Kanye West and Adidas, the Yeezy brand brought in Adidas a billion dollars a year and made Ye a billionaire. But at what cost?
Join Robin and Shelley as they dissect the business risk of doing business with controversial celebrities.
Why did Adidas put up with inappropriate, off-the-rails behavior?
And why was Adidas hostage to Ye’s downward spiral of hate speech? Motivated by pure profit?
And then there’s the anti-Ye, everyone’s role model: Michael Jordan and Nike. Listen to this fascinating conversation about complex business decision-making that pits profits against ethics.

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1. Adidas and Kanye West (00:00:00)

2. The Pitfalls of Celebrity Endorsements (00:17:45)

3. Adidas Partnership With West and Insights (00:28:04)