
Every company has its personal brand ambassador for representing and marketing the brand. It’s common for these brand ambassadors to endorse a device in public while not using it in real life. This appears to be the case for Samsung’s brand ambassador in Russia, Ksenia Sobchak.
The reality TV star and politician, Ksenia Sobchak was hired by Samsung to market and use Samsung’s devices on public platform. However, the ambassador failed to stick to the contract and ended up being sued for $1.6 million.
Apparently, Sobchak was using an iPhone X during a television interview, she attempted to hide the Apple smartphone under a piece of paper while the cameras were on. Sobchak is also said to have used the iPhone X during social events in Moscow and other TV appearances, again against the contract’s rules.
The numerous sightings led to Samsung suing Sobchak for a reported 108 million rubles (approximately $1.6 million) for breach of contract. It is unknown how much Sobchak was originally paid by Samsung, but it is likely the suit’s claimed damages are far higher in value, including penalties for breaking the agreement. Neither representatives of Sobchak nor Samsung have publicly commented on the affair.
Android manufacturers facing problems with brand ambassadors
Sobchak finds herself in a company of other high-profile television personalities. In 2014, Maroon 5 singer Adam Levine promoted the launch of Samsung’s Milk Music service, including the suggestion of holding an “iPhone burning,” but one week later he was caught promoting a TV appearance from an iPhone. Levine was also due to perform at the iTunes Festival at that time.
Tennis player David Ferrer sent a tweet to his followers promoting the Galaxy S4 in 2013, but the message was labeled as “via Twitter for iPhone.” In 2015, BlackBerry’s PR team sent a tweet promoting the BlackBerry Classic from an iPhone, mirroring a similar mistake made by one-time creative director Alicia Keys in 2013.
More recently, “Wonder Woman” star Gal Gadot dispatched a tweet to followers in April endorsing the Huawei Mate 10 Pro, with the tweet again revealed to be sent from an iPhone. The tweet was removed and replaced by other marketing messages, with one of the star’s staffers blamed for the mixup.
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