Jive Turkey
Unconfirmed Member
They deserved it iirc.
I'd love to hear this one.
They deserved it iirc.
Kevin Butler... who else? I mean, if it happens all the time, then you must have a long list.
Whether or not that matters will depend on how the contract between Sony and Wildcat Creek is worded.Well if the ad aired on September 3rd and the agreement ended on August 31st, he surely filmed the ad before it ended.
I refuse to believe Nintendo didn't have anything to do with this.
I mean, out of all the companies to promote your game system (and a dying, about to be replaced one at that), you pick BRIDGESTONE TIRES? It doesn't make any sense, until you see who has been appearing in their ads.
My theory? Nintendo saw that Lambert had been appearing with Bridgestone now, and decided to work out a deal specifically as a jab at Sony. It wouldn't cost them anything (considering Wii production costs must now be at like 70-80 a system) and turns things around on Sony with consumers being confused why their vice president now is promoting Nintendo.
lmao the tinfoil hats are out in force here
I refuse to believe Nintendo didn't have anything to do with this.
I mean, out of all the companies to promote your game system (and a dying, about to be replaced one at that), you pick BRIDGESTONE TIRES? It doesn't make any sense, until you see who has been appearing in their ads.
My theory? Nintendo saw that Lambert had been appearing with Bridgestone now, and decided to work out a deal specifically as a jab at Sony. It wouldn't cost them anything (considering Wii production costs must now be at like 70-80 a system) and turns things around on Sony with consumers being confused why their vice president now is promoting Nintendo.
You do know actors play more than one role, right? You do know that Nintendo has been running Wii promotions this entire generation with a ton of different companies, right?Excuse me for not believing in coincidences when it comes to business.
I refuse to believe Nintendo didn't have anything to do with this.
I mean, out of all the companies to promote your game system (and a dying, about to be replaced one at that), you pick BRIDGESTONE TIRES? It doesn't make any sense, until you see who has been appearing in their ads.
My theory? Nintendo saw that Lambert had been appearing with Bridgestone now, and decided to work out a deal specifically as a jab at Sony. It wouldn't cost them anything (considering Wii production costs must now be at like 70-80 a system) and turns things around on Sony with consumers being confused why their vice president now is promoting Nintendo.
OMG HE'S AN ACTOR
I refuse to believe Nintendo didn't have anything to do with this.
I mean, out of all the companies to promote your game system (and a dying, about to be replaced one at that), you pick BRIDGESTONE TIRES? It doesn't make any sense, until you see who has been appearing in their ads.
My theory? Nintendo saw that Lambert had been appearing with Bridgestone now, and decided to work out a deal specifically as a jab at Sony. It wouldn't cost them anything (considering Wii production costs must now be at like 70-80 a system) and turns things around on Sony with consumers being confused why their vice president now is promoting Nintendo.
I refuse to believe Nintendo didn't have anything to do with this.
I mean, out of all the companies to promote your game system (and a dying, about to be replaced one at that), you pick BRIDGESTONE TIRES? It doesn't make any sense, until you see who has been appearing in their ads.
My theory? Nintendo saw that Lambert had been appearing with Bridgestone now, and decided to work out a deal specifically as a jab at Sony. It wouldn't cost them anything (considering Wii production costs must now be at like 70-80 a system) and turns things around on Sony with consumers being confused why their vice president now is promoting Nintendo.
As far as I know this hasn't been posted on this thread, maybe it could be added to the OP.
Bridgestone's first comment on the lawsuit:
"Mr. Lambert is one of the actors who appeared in the commercial as a Bridgestone engineer. Bridgestone denies that 'Kevin Butler' appears in the Bridgestone commercial discussed herein and thus denies that he speaks or does anything whatsoever in the commercial." - Bridgestone statement
source: The Hollywood Reporter - The article is worth a read imo for anyone interested in seeing how the entertainment industry views this case. It also offers a concise and well-written overview, as well as some new details such as this one:
"But on September 3, just three days after the expiration of an agreement between Sony and Lambert's loan-out company Wildcat Creek, the actor appeared in ads for Bridgestone that promised consumers a Nintendo Wii upon the purchase of four tires."
And as most of us suspected:
"According to a complaint filed in California federal court, the contract between Sony and Wild Creek was entered into on August 7, 2009 and contained an "exclusivity clause" that prevented Lambert from providing his services or his likeness to competing gaming system manufacturers like Nintendo."
Looks like the Hollywood Reporter paid to get access to more complete records of the suit.
According to the settlement, Lambert acknowledged that his contract with Sony precluded him from promoting or endorsing competing game systems. Lambert also acknowledged that at the very least, confusion was created in the minds of some consumers who believed he was portraying the Kevin Butler character in both the PlayStation and Bridgestone commercials.
Under the terms of the settlement, Lambert agreed not to appear in any ad or promotion that features or even mentions “any other video game or computer entertainment system or video game company” for a period of two years.
So... two years later, Microsoft will use him?
So... two years later, Microsoft will use him?
At the end of the day Sony just let one of their best marketing strategies slip through their fingers.
Lambert should have had a contract straight through to PS4 including "Butler" being used in place of the regular talking heads on their E3 stage presentations.
I guess this signals the end of Kevin Butler ? I am sad.
No where does it says that Lambert is done with Sony. Those 2 years, he could be promoting PS4.
http://youtu.be/aqIAjxyri80
He's wearing a suit and says the word "games" it MUST be Kevin Butler...
Seriously, this whole this has been stupid...
At the end of the day Sony just let one of their best marketing strategies slip through their fingers.
Lambert should have had a contract straight through to PS4 including "Butler" being used in place of the regular talking heads on their E3 stage presentations.
Just like they let Insomni...... ohh nevermind.
Under the terms of the settlement, Lambert agreed not to appear in any ad or promotion that features or even mentions “any other video game or computer entertainment system or video game company” for a period of two years.
Welcome to usa, the only place on earth where you can sue mc'donald because you are fat
I still can't believe they stopped making the KB ads for a bit and tried to use that Marcus character instead. So bad.
Kind of makes me wonder how a clause similar to this wasn't part of a previous contract between Lambert and Sony. Maybe they really did just make up the whole campaign as they went along, or maybe they never expected it to last so long.
Either way, I find it strange that these kind of legal issues still come up. Is there no standard contractual documentation available when hiring an actor to represent your brand for an undetermined amount of time?
Seems like really basic stuff in this field.
I think I'll continue to believe someone at Sony's legal department screwed up, and Lambert didn't ask any questions.
Sony alleged that it had information leading it to believe that Richards and Bridgestone began working with Kevin Butler actor Jerry Lambert on the ad starting in February 2012. Sony also alleged that the two defendants were aware at the time Lambert had a contract with Sony that barred him from working with any competing game system marketers such as Nintendo.
Sony is definetly feisty this year.