Despite the controversy surrounding Depp’s years-long lawsuit with his ex-wife Amber Heard, Dior maintained its partnership with the actor. When things finally settled, it was clear that Dior had made a wise move by standing by the actor.

Since May 2015, Dior has signed a three-year partnership with Johnny Depp for the men’s fragrance Dior Sauvage. According to a report from Mail Online, the deal is worth up to $20 million. By September 2023, Depp will be paid nearly $20 million when he renews his contract with Dior, according to Variety .

At the time, Depp was the first actor to receive the largest men’s fragrance deal ever. Variety revealed that actor Robert Pattinson ‘s Dior Homme deal was worth about half as much as Depp’s, while Brad Pitt ‘s Chanel No. 5 deal was worth about $7 million.

As of 2023, Depp is the first actor to receive the largest men’s fragrance contract ever.

Source: Dior

Dior did not abandon Depp even when the wave of criticism rose

Typically, prestigious global brands try to stay away from controversies that could negatively impact them, so the case of Dior and actor Depp is considered a rare exception.

In the period 2016-2019, that is the time when Depp received heavy criticism after Heard accused her of being abused and assaulted. Not only that, at that time, it was also the period of #MeToo (women’s movement against gender discrimination) and the boycott culture (cancel culture) exploded across the United States. Most of the public at that time turned their backs on Depp and supported actress Heard. Therefore, the criticism that Depp had to endure at that time was really terrible. Some major film studios such as Disney and Warner Brothers quickly removed Depp from famous film brands such as Fantastic Beasts 3, Pirates of the Caribbean … when the scandal happened.

Dior always stands by Depp, even at the most sensitive times.

Source: Instagram

However, contrary to the predictions of many marketing and PR experts, Dior is a luxury brand that did not terminate its contract with the actor. Besides Dior, the only other business that sided with Depp is Universal Pictures. At this time, Dior faces a huge risk that they may fall into a media crisis due to the rising wave of boycott culture. The story became more and more serious when Depp lost the lawsuit with Johnny Depp suing News Group Newspapers (NGN), the parent company of The Sun website. Judge Andrew Nicol declared that the allegations against Depp from The Sun were true.

Right when everything was unfavorable for Depp, Dior not only did not cut the contract, but also released a new advertisement with the tagline “Fearless yet human” for the Sauvage perfume line in April 2022. With this advertisement, Depp Appears with the image of a masculine, wild and seductive man in a desert setting, elements that fit the criteria of the Sauvage perfume line.

Dior “reaps sweet fruit” by always standing by Depp

Fortunately, according to many figures, Dior was right not to rush to terminate the contract with Depp. After the situation turned around and the public gradually turned to support Depp, Dior’s persistence paid off. The actor’s large fan base quickly called for support for Dior because it did not turn its back on their idol.

According to Bernard Arnault – CEO @ LVMH (the group that holds control of Dior) presenting the group’s 2022 financial report in January 2023, Dior Sauvage has achieved significant success thanks to the actor’s image. member Johnny Depp. Not only that, The Wall Street Journal said, Dior Sauvage’s sales increased sharply during the lawsuit period in 2022. Dior Sauvage was on the list of best-selling perfumes in 2022. Previously, in September In May 2021, according to Marie Claire , every three seconds a bottle of Dior Sauvage perfume was sold. At a price of 160 USD/bottle, it is estimated that Dior earns more than 4.5 million USD/day.

Through this, it can be seen that Dior has “reaped the sweet fruit” when making the risky decision to always support Depp. In fact, there are many reasons why Dior bet on Depp. First, before the scandal with Heard broke out, Depp was already a leading actor with many memorable films and a huge loyal fan base. That is clearly shown through the fact that during the time when the public almost turned their backs on Depp, the actor’s loyal fans always found ways to speak up to protect their idol. On Twitter, Depp’s fans used the hashtags #JusticeForJohnnyDepp and #DiorSauvage to call for support from the public. According to statistics from Wired , as of May 2022, the hashtag #JusticeForJohnnyDepp had more than 10 billion views on TikTok.

Johnny Depp always receives support from a large and loyal fan base.

Source: Arthur Mola/Invision/AP/Shutterstock

In 2020, a Twitter poll on whether Dior should continue to work with Depp saw nearly 97% of respondents vote “yes” and just under 3% vote “no.” Furthermore, since the actor lost his lawsuit against The Sun and lost his role in Fantastic Beasts 3 , online searches for Dior Sauvage have increased by about 23% compared to before, according to statistics from Cosmetify.

In addition, according to Axios , the lawsuit between Depp and Heard was the social event that attracted the most public attention and discussion at that time. Posts supporting Depp from some influential people and famous news sites also quickly became trends on social networks. Therefore, the public gradually “turned around” to support Depp, instead of Heard.

According to Axios , the lawsuit between Depp and Heard was the social event that attracted the most public attention and discussion at that time.

Source: Axios

What do experts say about Dior’s bold decision?

Until now, the cases of Dior and Depp are still considered exceptions, as evidenced by the fact that famous people involved in scandals have had their contracts terminated. Because it is a safe move to help the brand fall into a communication crisis. Obviously, not every brand is willing to stand by an artist who is facing controversy. However, according to experts, Dior’s scale and Depp’s influence are among the factors that have caused public opinion to reverse.

According to Mark Bokowski , a British public relations expert, a global brand like Dior cannot focus on just one market, because each country’s response to an issue will be different. , for example, audiences in the UK will have different views than those in Eastern Europe. Not only that, with the characteristics of the fashion industry, big names almost always live in a world where controversy always exists.

Meanwhile, in the opinion of Lauren Sherman – Chief Correspondent @ Business of Fashion, despite the rise of boycott culture, big names like Dior always have a long-term vision and raise brand awareness. The effect is evaluated as positive. Over time, the public may forget the connection between the brand’s perfume line and Johnny Depp, but it is not easy to forget the name Dior Sauvage.