A little over a week ago, the
golf tournament popularly known as “The Masters” was won by Aussie golfer, Adam
Scott. Not only did he dash Tiger Woods’ dream of earning his 15th
Masters title, but he walked away with a whooping $ 8,000,000 (Eight Million
Dollar) in prize money and the much coveted green jacket, which according to my
research signifies a winner’s entry into an exclusive club of… well… winners.
Rolex, apparently the newest champion’s sponsor and groupie put out an ad
boldly splashing the caption, “ Rolex and Adam Scott, united by the quest for
perfection.” I am not sure if this ad existed before he won the tournament, but
it is the perfect illustration of the saying, “Everybody loves a winner.” I wonder
if he would still have been celebrated if he finished off at the bottom of the
tournament.
Their gesture was quite
reminiscent of the sports brand Nike, who declared “Winning takes care of
everything,’ with their star athlete Tiger Woods smug at being back as the
world’s No.1 after a frustrating couple of years at the bottom of the golfing
food chain with infidelity scandals and injury. Many thought it was in poor
taste, with a cheeky message to the world, that no matter what you may have
done, winning makes it all better.
Mega brands are ultimately
success and fame whores who love you when you are at the top, but drop you in
the midst of any controversy which may allude to failure. The perfect example
is Rick Ross, whose bearded behind was given the boot last week by Reebok with
his seemingly pro-date rape lyrics from his U.O.E.N.O (I'm sorry but I don’t
have a care in the world as to what this stands for). He allegedly tweeted an
“apology,” before finally releasing a proper apology which was longer than his
earlier seven worded one. The damage
unfortunately has been done with Reebok back in the market for someone else to
promote their brand.
But no one knows better the hall
of shame and the pain of being dumped by a big brand, better than John
Galliano, former fashion industry darling. As the head designer of legendary
fashion houses; Givenchy and Christian Dior, he was touted as outrageous and
brilliant, with the rich and famous as not just his clients, but friends. Fast
forward to 2011, when he was suspended by the House of Dior for an arrest
stemming from anti-Semitic comments. He was subsequently dismissed by the house
and became a fashion industry pariah, probably paying people to wear his
clothes. He is slowly staging a comeback, having received some absolution from
the Anti-Defamation League and worked with Oscar De Larenta on his 2013 ready
to wear collection. The road to recovery is however still a long one for him,
having recently been banned from dressing an Isreali Eurovision contestant, a
fall out of his past mistakes.
While success is to be celebrated
and enjoyed, it is to be remembered that it can be fleeting. In the words of
Bill Gates, 'Success is a lousy teacher. It seduces smart people into thinking
they can't lose.'
