Worst Brand Partnership in the History of Time

Did anyone else know that Will Smith was a Scientologist? I just found out. My immediate reaction was disbelief. Will Smith is one cool cat. He was funny on Fresh Prince, awesome in Bad Boys (I and II) and proved himself as a legit actor/producer with The Pursuit of Happiness.

Before I knew about him being a Scientologist, I thought he was cool. Someone who was able to parlay a less-than-serious music persona into a full blown Hollywood career. Now I think he’s just a crazy person. I mean, a public association with a brand ridiculed as a cult that worships aliens has got to mess up your brand equity. I know it certainly has for my perception of Will Smith.

Now what I predict in the coming hours will be an intense internal battle in my mind of trying to justify it. Does Will Smith’s coolness outweigh the craziness factor of Scientology? Hey, maybe if Will Smith thinks Scientology is legit … maybe I should give it another shot! After all, he’s not an outwardly crazy person like Tom Cruise. Now, this pattern of thought parallels what occurs in every consumer’s mind when they see a brand they like associate with one that they find sketchy. The question is, will your brand be strong enough to survive a shifty marketing partnership?

The brand partnership of Will Smith and Scientology is kind of like Labatt partnering with General Motors. Some dumb consumers might think that it’s cool, but the rest of us are saying “What the fuck?”

- Christian