E150: Winners Versus Losers: Celebrity Brands in Ecommerce

What separates billion-dollar celebrity brands from total flops?

Sean, Matt, and Katy Mimari (CEO of Caden Lane) break down why some partnerships become massive exits like Rhode and Skims, while others like The Honest Company and Kylie Cosmetics struggle to survive. They dive deep into deal structures, red flags to watch for, and the real math behind putting famous names into your brand.

The crew debates whether fame equals influence (spoiler: it doesn’t), why alcohol brands have an unfair advantage, and how Gordon Ramsay became the blueprint for celebrity integration. Sean shares the inside story of his MKBHD partnership at Ridge — including how they structured the deal, why YouTubers beat traditional celebrities for DTC brands, and whether Guy Fieri might be showing up in a Ridge ad soon.

Chapters

00:00:00 Why Celebrity Brands Fail
00:02:43 The Q4 Survival Report
00:09:25 Bold Predictions for 2026
00:12:24 Katie Goes Omnichannel
00:18:03 Billion Dollar vs Bankrupt
00:22:21 Fame Doesn’t Equal Sales
00:28:44 Why Beauty Brands Dominate
00:33:43 How Deals Actually Work
00:39:50 Finding the Perfect Match
00:45:22 Structuring Celebrity Equity
00:51:52 The MKBHD Blueprint
00:56:32 Old Media vs New Media
01:00:19 Did Marquez Move the Needle

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