There was a time not so long ago that Louis Vuitton and Britney Spears could have been connected at the hip. But, it’s no longer 2001, and Spears is a drastically different person (or at least portrayed differently in the media) than she was back then.

That’s why LV filed a lawsuit, which they won, against Sony BMG (Spears’ record label) when the pop star used the LV logo in a recent video without the designer’s permission.

Check out the video here.

Sure, free exposure for any company is usually a good thing, but when that exposure comes from someone who as recently as last week was told by courts that should was no longer allowed to drive her children, it’s probably wise to rethink the free advertising.

Maybe this is just about using the logo without permission or compensation for the company… but I don’t think so.

Sponsorship deals are lost all the time when endorsers are caught in uncompromising positions or behind bars and licensing out your logo to someone who, at least these days, is constantly embattled is like the Betty Ford Clinic using Pete Doherty as a spokesman… not smart business sense.

Even if the legal hurdles had been explored, Sony BMG probably would have been denied use of the logo in the video simply because of the artist in question. The negative connotation would do more harm than good.

Can you blame Louis Vuitton? I certainly can not.

Filed under: Miscellaneous, Music Marketing