YMI Proceeds With Miss USA Sponsorship
Executives at Los Angeles–based YMI Jeans Inc. are not afraid of a little negative publicity. In fact, they sometimes welcome it as they did following the fiasco involving company endorsers Miss USA Tara Conner and Miss Teen USA Katie Blair last December.
The blonde duo made the tabloids after they reportedly were seen kissing each other and drinking it up in New York bars around Christmas. The partying landed Conner on the brink of hearing a “You’re fired” edict from pageant producer/owner Donald Trump, but Conner ended up gaining a reprieve from Trump during a tearful press conference seen on the evening news and tabloid programs such as “Access Hollywood.” The event also kicked off a now-famous feud between Trump and “The View” co-host Rosie O’Donnell, who opposed Trump’s decision.
Blair, in the meantime, was castigated by MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving) for her alleged underage-drinking episode. The organization dropped the Miss Teen USA winner from a public-service campaign.
The seemingly negative publicity could have had YMI president David Vered in a state of high anxiety, but as Marketing Director Dina de Fazio said, “He loved every minute of it.”
Vered did not approve of the alleged drug use but stood by Trump for giving Conner a second chance after Conner pleaded to keep her job and agreed to seek help for substance abuse.
The Conner-Blair situation was out-of-the ordinary for the usually wholesome Miss USA and Miss Teen USA pageants, but a good message came out of it, said de Fazio.
“Donald Trump was seen as forthright and honest. He’s a father, and people understood his desire to give someone a second chance.”
Conner was also lauded for entering rehab and admitting making mistakes.
YMI received nary any negative feedback. “If anything, it’s been more positive,” said de Fazio.
As a result, YMI is proceeding to sponsor not only the Miss Universe and Miss Teen USA pageants but will also sponsor the Miss USA pageant, which takes place March 23 at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood. The growing brand is known as the official jeanswear of the pageants, which means the product is featured on the contestants as well as during a 10-second spot promoting YMI. Pageant winners become the focal point of YMI advertising for the year to come and get a YMI wardrobe.
The company has not distanced itself from Conner or Blair. Conner is currently featured on a billboard in Sunset Plaza promoting the upcoming Miss USA event as well as a YMI contest. Other billboards feature Blair on a bed of roses in Times Square, the Los Angeles Fashion District and other key sites across the country.
Negative or positive, the image of Miss Teen USA in YMI’s curve-hugging jeans has driven consumers into YMI accounts, including Nordstrom, Dillard’s and Macy’s department stores. By sponsoring all three pageants, YMI is hitting its customer base covering juniors, contemporary and misses.
“We’re a young, captivating and trenddriven brand,” said de Fazio.
Other celebrity endorsement deals did not turn out so well. San Francisco–based Blue Marlin Clothing last fall ended a short-lived campaign with aspiring rapper Kevin Federline for its Five Star Vintage division. Federline came off as a bumbling wanna-be who even parodied his situation during a commercial for Nationwide Insurance during the Super Bowl. —Robert McAllister
