E V ERY BODY 'S TA L K I N'
APRIL 2016 BCBusiness 69
As the aphorism tells: If you lie down with
dogs, you will wake up with eas. But in
business it's not quite so simple. You may
form a business relationship that seems
like a great idea until one day you wake
up scratching. Recent victims include
the world's most successful submarine
manufacturer and a Vancouver real estate
developer.
In 2000 the Subway sandwich chain
hired Jared Fogle as a spokesman after
it was revealed he had lost a substantial
amount of weight on a diet of Subway food.
The subsequent ad campaigns did wonders
for the chain, positioning it as a healthier
fast food alternative. Subway could hardly
be expected to know that their regular-
guy representative was hiding a secret
that would eventually see him sentenced
to more than 15 years in jail last year for
receiving child porn and travelling to
engage in sex with a minor.
The Vancouver †asco was perhaps
somewhat more predictable. Vancouver's
Holborn Group is building a large tower
at 1151 West Georgia. It is to be called
the Trump Tower. And while having an
orange-haired clown as a mascot worked
very well for McDonald's, it's not proving as
successful so far for Holborn. The local
Trump
Cards
W
ILLustRAtIon: KEnnY PARK
W a t e r c o o l e r
The ip side of
celebrity? Notoriety.
How hitching your
business to a star
can backre
by Steve Burgess
INSIDE
Spotting a "unicorn" ... Shopping for a fancy new watch ... Rocking out with Jamie Garratt + more
A P R I L 2 0 1 6
"It creatively allows me to do
something completely different
than what I do nine-to-five...
It honestly feels like I'm in a
totally different world" –p.75
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