Brand Talent Deals Can Fail: Here’s A New Playbook

By Keith Gelman

It is easy to spot a brand-talent partnership gone bad at a live event. The crowd is confused, the celebrity is disengaged, and the activation feels like a mismatched marriage between “cool” and “corporate.” The brand spent seven figures, the celebrity posted once, and nothing stuck. Everyone in the sponsorship space has seen it happen. Some of you reading now may have even helped make it. On paper, it looked great. Yet in motion, the message conveyed was ineffective and did not produce the results intended.
The reason? The deal was structured for press release optics — not cultural impact. Even the most recognized talent won’t deliver if the creative and the context are not right for the event.

Brands and agencies love to chase alignment — “This person is into wellness, and we’re a wellness brand.” It makes for a clean strategy deck. But if the talent doesn’t have something to say through the brand — or the brand doesn’t have a meaningful way to express itself through the talent — then the audience won’t feel anything. And in live events, you can’t fake energy. You either earn it or you don’t.

We recently worked with Snoop Dogg on a private activation at an annual dermatology conference. The brand was Neutrogena. When I got the call from Francesca Salcedo at Alison Brod for the event it seemed like an unusual fit. Snoop Dogg and Neutrogena? But we leaned into the unexpected, and the brand built a real experience around him: mixing key brand messaging, nostalgia, humor, and a little bit of edge. After the offer was accepted, we quickly found out that Snoop has used the brand for years. I can only assume this led to him not just being there to smile for a photo; I assume it helped him want to become part of the moment. With this match the crowd could feel the connection and wasn’t just attending — they were participating. That’s why it worked. Neutrogena was able to pack a room, but more importantly showcase the benefits of their products and give the dermatologists something they had never seen before. It was the most anticipated event of the weekend — the stories shared by attendees in press and through social media communicated the brand was fun, relevant and back. The cherry on top was that he posted to his Instagram on his own accord. Talk about unexpected value add! He has over 88M followers on Instagram and the fair market value of that social post (had the brand paid) would have been in the mid-six figures. I believe this post to be the ultimate sign the talent enjoyed the experience.

The best brand-talent partnerships in live environments create a moment people want to experience and share. Although I have a laundry list of ways to make an event pop- off, the most important is to properly communicate with the talent and their team. Your new playbook starts here:

Don’t treat the talent like a billboard, treat them as a collaborator or co-creator. Yes, sometimes talent will just want the paycheck. Others may contribute when asked their opinion on key elements such as set length, what they perform, or the energy they should bring. They can offer input stylistically and what kind of show (if it’s to track or live band) might make the most sense. Other details such as client or consumer interaction are key – is there a ‘meet and greet,’ contest winner, etc? How does the artist make these experiences feel most special for the buyer? All these will also help with post-show dynamics. If negotiated in your deal, you may have approvals on photos, copy and social content for press and social. I challenge you to think beyond the event itself and the opportunities after the lights come down. Your audience needs to believe the moment feels real. When it comes to live, that’s the only outcome that matters. In an ideal world, the talent genuinely loves the brand, the creative is perfect, and the campaign sells itself. But more often than not, success comes from crafting the right idea — not just attaching the biggest name. Sometimes the magic isn’t in who you book, but in how you design the experience around them.

Keith Gelman is the founder of Talent Partnership Advisors (TPA), an entertainment agency specializing in celebrity, music and brand partnerships. He brings over 20 years of leadership experience from top companies including Live Nation, Red Light Management and now TPA. A trusted expert in negotiating and executing high-profile campaigns across food, fashion, tech, and wellness, Keith’s work centers on building authentic, culturally resonant collaborations that drive real impact.
https://www.talentpartnerships.com / keith@talentpartnerships.com