Were you as amused as I was recently to see that Mikhail Gorbachev was chosen as the new "face" of Louis Vuitton, the uber luxury brand? Apparently Gorbachev joins other international stars like Catherine Deneuve and the husband and wife tennis team of Steffi Graf and Andre Agassi as celebs who just ooze Vuitton brand personality. Did they get rid of Scary Scarlett already? Too bad. Johansson’s aura of cold untouchability fit Vuitton to a "V."

I can see Deneuve, and to some extent Graf and Agassi. But Mikhail? Mr. Glasnost from the era of "tear down that wall, Mr. Gorbachev"? The fact is/was that Mikhail was no style maven, nor much of a democrat, either. He was just practical, which was probably what the world needed at the time. Heck, the current president of Russia was a former KGB officer. Maybe Mr. Putin will be Gucci’s lead model when he is out of office next year (assuming, of course, he doesn’t just change the Russian constitution and install himself as supreme leader for a few more terms, a real possibility).

The branding possibilities of Gorbachev and Vuitton intrigue me. What are they really trying to say with this endorsement? That Vuitton is a serious brand? Or that it doesn’t take itself too seriously? You can bet that Vuitton sells a lot of product in oil rich Russia these days. The oil Oligarchs and their gals need serious bling (printed leather bling included) to make the international scene, and Vuitton fills the bill nicely. Also, Gorbachev was probably a lot cheaper than Anna Kournikova, the incredibly hot Russian tennis "star" who has never actually won a major event. But, that does not stop plenty of brand marketers from throwing lucrative endorsement deals at her.

With Gorbachev and Vuitton as our muse, let’s imagine some other similarly inspired branding endorsements:

• Karl Rove for Juicy Couture — Rove would look great in Juicy’s signature pink. What about those tight little sweats with Juicy stitched on the seat? Go for it, Karl. The Juicy team could use your strategic abilities and name brand recognition. Running yet another campaign in a Brooks Brother’s suit just can’t be that much fun for a big time trend setter like you. 
• Al Gore for Tesla Motors — Mr. Global Warming (sorry, Climate Change) would be the perfect pitchman for Tesla, the maker of the all electric roadster that goes 0 to 60 in 4.5 seconds. Take that Prius!
• Paul Wolfowitz for Vaseline — Did you see the famously icky scene in "Fahrenheit 9/11" where Wolfie licked his comb to style up his very greasy looking head of hair prior to a TV interview? Wolfowitz knows from greasy and slimy. This is a match made in brand heaven. I predict double digit sales increases for the Vaseline brand after just a few months of inking the Wolfie deal.
• Tony Blair for Purina Beggin’ Strips Dog Treats — The former "lap-dog" prime minister would be the perfect brand ambassador for Purina. Dog food makers need all the good PR they can get these days after the recall earlier this year. With his prodigious powers of spin, Tony will be able to make even Purina dog food taste like caviar
• Dennis Hastert for Nutrisystem — The former House Speaker just announced his retirement from Congress and he will be looking for gainful employment (I can’t see him exactly being hot on the speech circuit after the Mark Foley mess of last year). Now, Dennis could use to lose a few pounds, and Nutrisystem is increasingly using celebrities these days. Dennis, dude, give me a jingle. I know the head of marketing for Nutrisystem and I’m sure he’d take a meeting with you.
• Rudy Giuliani for Hair Club For Men and Bill Clinton for Just For Men Hair Color — Two guy’s-guy former politicos who have real, but very different, hair treatment needs. And, at least one of them will be searching for a new gig next year (my prediction: The Rudester). Wouldn’t it be clever if Rudy did a reprise of the beloved Remington Shaver commercials of years ago when Victor Kiam announced that he liked the product so much that he "bought the company"? Rudy could do the same thing with Hair Club. I am sure he has the dough. The guy made a ton of money cashing in on his "America’s Mayor" status. And former President Clinton would be a far stronger endorsement choice than Just for Men’s current duo of Walt Frazier and Keith Hernandez. If there is a cheesier commercial out there today, show me. (Actually there is. The new "Viva Viagra" spot takes the galactic award for seemingly unironic, unapologetic cheese. Are middle age men THAT desperate that they’d fall for the "Viva Viagra" pitch! Heaven help us!)

Whoever said branding wasn’t fun. Louis Vuitton showed us how it’s done with its new signature Gorbachev campaign. Now go out there and develop your own endorsement deals. Don’t forget, George W. Bush will be available in early ‘08. And he’s going to have a lot of time on his hands! Sure, he has a library to build. But, W never was much of a reader.

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