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Article Excerpt: Jackson: Life after death?
By Clare Matheson
Business reporter, BBC News

Timeless?

Mark Roesler, chief executive and founder of CMG Worldwide, which represents the estates of famous people including James Dean and Marilyn Monroe, agrees that maintaining the integrity of a celebrity is key.

“We want to make sure the image we put out will ensure a long and timeless legacy. For example, with our client Ginger Rogers, as per her estate’s request, we would not approve any photos related to alcohol or violence,” he says.

But it is not just after death that brand value needs careful attention.

Celebrities or sportsmen whose careers are coming to an end need to know how to keep their brand alive.
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She cites the example of tennis player David Lloyd – “not a top ranking tennis player nor as good looking as his brother John,” as she puts it.

But he was canny enough to diversify out of tennis and into fitness centres, broadening his brand to sustain its value; a very distinct strategy to that of Bjorn Borg who even put his name to a range of underwear.

“At one time he was a sexy, glamorous, blond tennis player. As he wasn’t preserved in time in that way not a lot of products have been attached to him, I’m afraid his fortune has wound down.”

Meanwhile, Mr Roesler warns celebrities that they should consider their earning potential post mortem – which for many was higher after their death.

“Iconic celebrities should start thinking about building their brand now. Their brand is no different than a Coke, Mickey Mouse or McDonalds. The death of the creators of those brands had very little impact on the ability of the brand to sustain itself,” he says.

“Michael Jackson … may have died one year ago and we are still talking about how much more he is worth today. We can look ahead a couple of generations, and we will continue to have the same discussion about him.”

Click here to read the full article.

On Sunday, June 20, 60 MINUTES will re-run their 2009 season premiere called “A Living for the Dead” featuring CMG CEO Mark Roesler in an exclusive interview by renowned journalist, Steve Kroft. The episode will air at 7 p.m. ET/PT on CBS.

Watch a preview below:

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CMG Chairman and CEO, Mark Roesler, has been featured on a popular show this week on the Brazilian television network, Globo News.

The show called Mundo or World Inc. features innovative and successful people in the corporate world.

In this episode, Roesler and a few members of his staff talk about the business of celebrity representation including estate, marketing and legal matters.

The show is narrated in Portuguese and the interviews are in English with Portuguese subtitles.

Watch the full episode here.

Click here to read the full article.

The Mark and Stacey Roesler Foundation was honored to be a sponsor of Fishers Rotary Club’s after party fundraiser to raise money for 100 wells in Sierra Leone by 2011.

Around 250 people attended “The “VIP After Glow Celebration” on April 17th at CMG’s headquarters located in Indianapolis.

Guests enjoyed a tour of the Legends Museum, music and dining.

All the proceeds from this event supported the “Water Is Life” project to increase the funding necessary to qualify for a large global grant. The fundraiser’s goal, to drill 100 wells in Sierra Leone, will supply over 70,000 men, women, and children with clean water.

To learn how you can contribute to this great cause click here.

By KEN BELSON

The New York Mets

Ike Davis’s major league career has only just begun, but already his name is resonating, in part because it evokes one of the great artifacts of American political history — the “I Like Ike” campaign slogan used on behalf of Dwight D. Eisenhower in the 1950s, when he was twice elected president.
Ike Davis broke a bat on his first hit of Monday’s game.Barton Silverman/The New York Times Ike Davis broke a bat on his first hit of Monday’s game.

During Davis’s major league debut with the Mets on Monday, fans went to Citi Field armed with “I Like Ike” banners. Mets television announcers had fun referring to Adlai Stevenson, the losing candidate in each of Eisenhower’s victories. Playing along, The New York Post ran a back-page headline Tuesday that read, “Ike Takes Office.”

Darryl Strawberry was perhaps the last Mets player with so much marketing appeal in his name. In early 1984, the team gave strawberry sundaes to fans to celebrate Strawberry’s Rookie of the Year award. (Mets fans also pelted him with strawberries when he returned to Shea Stadium in 1991 in a Los Angeles Dodgers uniform.)

But Davis, whose given name is Isaac, is a gold mine for fans and headline writers, said Mark Roesler, the chief executive of CMG Worldwide, which licenses the names and images of athletes and stars. Ike rhymes with like and many other words, is a single syllable, is easy to pronounce and has positive associations with a popular president and World War II military leader.

“It’s better than having a name like Millard or Woodrow,” said Nick Ragone, a public relations executive at Ketchum and an author of several books on presidential history.

No trademarks are registered for the phrase “I Like Ike,” a bonus for the Mets if they decide to hold an I Like Ike (Davis) bobblehead day. The slogan was originally used by the Republican National Committee during Eisenhower’s campaigns, but “there is no indication they claim ownership of it,” Roesler said.

History buffs may know that Peter G. Peterson, the investment banker who once worked for President Richard M. Nixon, is credited with creating the “I Like Ike” slogan in 1952. Peterson spoke to voters, who said they trusted and liked Eisenhower, who was battling Robert A. Taft for the Republican nomination. Thus a slogan was born (along with “We Like Ike” variations).

And now the slogan has been reborn, because of a young first baseman who is likely to stick around for a while.

To read the original article in The New York Times click here.

Tonight, millions of viewers will tune into the third week of “Dancing With the Stars,” and there’s no doubt Pamela Anderson will again ‘wow’ the crowd with her tantalizing dance moves and stunning bombshell looks.

The vivacious actress, model, mother, entrepreneur, philanthropist and activist, is partnered with professional dancer, Damian Whitewood on ABC’s tenth season of the hit show.

Just last week she eloquently channeled the legendary Marilyn Monroe, while dancing the foxtrot to Monroe’s song, “I want to be loved by you.” After her performance, Judge Len Goodman described it as ‘titivating’ while Bruno Tonioli said she exuded ‘waves of sensuality.’

You can watch Pam twist and twirl her way into a spitting image of the iconic Marilyn Monroe below.

Pam deserves to make it to the end, but she can’t do it alone. In order to keep watching the sexy and sassy steps of this buxom blonde, you’ll need to vote for her.

You can cast your vote for Pam in various ways:

1. Phone 800-VOTE4-11 (800-868-3411) (Phone lines will open at the top of each performance and will stay open for 30 minutes after the end of the show).
2. Text (AT&T customers only) the word “vote” to 3411 (Text lines will open at the top of each show and will stay open for 30 minutes after the end of the show).
3. Go online to vote at: http://cdn.abc.go.com/shows/dancing-with-the-stars/vote (Online voting will remain open until 11am (Eastern Time) the next day).

Now, it’s up to you. Please help Pam make it into the finals!

EXCERPT FROM ABC NEWS ARTICLE Madonna to Debut New Collection of Sunglasses, Teen Fashion

Hot Trend

Madonna is tapping into a hot trend: celebrity product branding. It’s different from endorsements, in which a star simply agrees to act as a spokesperson for a certain company. Celebrities who launch their own lines often come up with ideas for products themselves, help with the design and own a stake in the venture.

Not surprisingly, celebrities and business don’t always mix, says Mark Roesler, CEO of the branding agency CMG Worldwide.

“Celebrities often think they have more power in the marketplace than they do, and they often get involved in projects that aren’t well thought out,” says Roesler. “It’s a difficult business world out there and many products fail.”

Sometimes stars stray too far from their base, branching into product lines that don’t reflect their own tastes and don’t appeal to their fans, says Roesler. Or they cash out too cheaply, putting their name on flimsy, overpriced merchandise.

Read full article by Dalia Fahmy here.

THE INDIANAPOLIS STAR

Bettie Page, the celebrated 1950s pinup girl with the shapely gams who died two years ago, lives again in the federal court in Indianapolis.

A Fishers celebrity-marketing firm that represents the model’s estate is trying to stop an unauthorized Web site, Stockingirl.com, from using Page’s name to sell intimate women’s apparel.

CMG Worldwide, the marketing firm, has filed suit in U.S. District Court, one of a growing number of suits designed to stop unlicensed use of clients’ names, voices, gestures, mannerisms and images.

“There is a lot of litigation now. We’ve never had so much,” said Mark A. Roesler, chairman of CMG, agent for about 300 celebrities. “We have about 50 suits in one stage or another.”

Read the full article by Bruce C. Smith here.