SmartBrief editor Jesse Stanchak recently attended the SXSW Interactive Festival in Austin, Texas, where he had a chance to speak with Adly CEO and founder Sean Rad. Rad spoke about the nuances of connecting a brand with a celebrity as well as what it was like to work with and represent Charlie Sheen.
Adly helps brands connect with more than 1,000 celebrities, using various social media platforms to power the celebrity endorsements. According to Rad, it’s about a good connection between celebrity and brand, which starts with a selection process that allows celebrities to choose their brands, and vice versa. By giving the celebrities and the brands the power to make their own selections, it “ensures that the right brands are being chosen for someone,” Rad said.
Adly recently made headlines when it helped Charlie Sheen get his Twitter account verified in just 24 hours — a tall order considering Twitter no longer actively verifies celebrity accounts. “There’s a lot of people that follow him [Sheen] evidently on Twitter and in the real world, and they want to hear from him. It’s attractive to work with him because all eyes are on Charlie Sheen,” Rad said.
For more of Rad’s interview, view the video below:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=889kJn3sKBI[/embed]