Giovanni Salvatore stepped out of the black sedan, adjusting his briefcase as he walked into the Armani flagship store on Rodeo Drive. He acknowledged the greeting of the attentive store assistant with a nod and bypassed the ground floor entirely. Moving to the left, he ascended the staircase to the third floor, designated for bespoke clients. Once there, he navigated through a long corridor, entering an office at the very end.
Just last week, Giovanni had returned from Madrid, feeling somewhat disheartened. David Beckham, one of the candidates under consideration, was struggling at Real Madrid. Fellow Italian, Fabio Capello, didn't favor Beckham, relegating him to the bench on the star-studded team. Giovanni had even met Capello, who clearly harbored a significant distaste for Beckham, foreshadowing a challenging season ahead with limited playing time and an inevitable decline in Beckham's influence.
Giovanni placed his briefcase down and sank into the executive chair behind his desk, reflecting on his observations in Madrid. Beckham's primary value remained tied to his performance on the field. Given Capello's secure position and notorious stubbornness, Beckham's playing time seemed bound to diminish in the coming season, leading to an inevitable dip in his influence.
Of course, even with reduced playing time, Beckham remained a commercial giant.
Giovanni understood this well—David Beckham had transcended being just a football star long ago.
Moreover, Beckham had a unique advantage that few others possessed: a savvy wife. If Armani were to sign both Beckham and Victoria as their male and female underwear ambassadors, the combined effect of their joint appearances in advertisements could potentially create a synergistic impact greater than the sum of their individual parts.
The pressing concern, however, was to what extent Beckham's reduced presence on the field would diminish his influence.
Victoria had successfully rebranded Beckham into a superstar beyond the pitch, but this transformation was still fundamentally rooted in football.
When choosing a spokesperson, Armani not only sought someone whose image and aura matched the brand but also someone capable of sustaining significant public attention over an extended period. They were offering a long-term contract, and the spokesperson needed to have lasting influence.
Beckham was over thirty now, and footballers in their thirties…
Giovanni had his reservations. If this were the Manchester United era Beckham, Armani wouldn't need to consider anyone else—they would have signed him without hesitation.
But after the infamous boot incident with Sir Alex Ferguson, Beckham moved to Real Madrid...
On Giovanni's desk lay another dossier besides Beckham's. He opened it to reveal a large photo of a current Hollywood A-lister.
Matthew Horner was incredibly hot right now. Even though Giovanni had spent most of his time in Italy, he was well aware that Matthew was one of the most buzzed-about stars in Hollywood.
Initially, Armani hadn't considered Matthew. A few years ago, his agent had reached out to Armani, but Matthew's then-wild screen persona and lower profile didn't quite align with Armani's image. At the time, Armani chose an older male model instead.
This year, however, that model's contract had expired, and Matthew's agent had approached Armani again.
This time, the situation was entirely different. Matthew had ascended to the ranks of Hollywood's top stars, his influence and appeal undeniable. As he matured, his rugged looks were complemented by a sophisticated demeanor, exuding a potent male allure.
Armani had thus added him to the shortlist, making him the second choice after Beckham.
Choosing between David Beckham and Matthew Horner was proving challenging for Giovanni Salvatore, who had the final say.
Both had their advantages.
The office door suddenly swung open, and Giovanni frowned, ready to reprimand the intruder, only to see his old friend and Armani's Los Angeles head, Donadoni, entering with several newspapers and magazines.
"Why the rush?" Giovanni asked.
Donadoni placed an open issue of The Hollywood Reporter on Giovanni's desk and said, "This is the latest news. It's relevant to your work."
Giovanni picked up the newspaper, immediately spotting the large bold headlines featuring Tom Cruise and David Beckham. Quickly skimming through the article, his frown deepened.
The Hollywood Reporter had recently interviewed Tom Cruise's former agent, Pat Kingsley, who was fired by Cruise years ago. In the interview, she alleged that Cruise and Beckham had an unusually close relationship and that Cruise was persistently trying to recruit Beckham into the Church of Scientology.
On the surface, the term "unusually close" might seem innocuous—Matt Damon and Ben Affleck were also famously close.
But Giovanni knew this statement would spark much speculation, especially given that it came from someone as significant as Cruise's former agent.
"Pat Kingsley has publicly discussed Cruise's unusual behavior and beliefs before," Donadoni commented, mentioning the PR agency they frequently collaborated with. "Each of her claims has been confirmed. This latest ambiguous remark is bound to cause trouble."
Giovanni didn't respond immediately. Instead, he took the other newspapers from Donadoni. Most were tabloids, which were far less restrained than The Hollywood Reporter, spinning wild speculations.
"Pat Kingsley is a shrewd woman," Giovanni said, noting his company's public relations stance. "She knows how to stir trouble for her former employer without stepping into legal pitfalls."
He looked at Donadoni, "Beckham and Cruise…"
Donadoni wisely refrained from making direct comments, "There have been rumors about them, but you know how Hollywood works—rumors abound, and it's hard to distinguish fact from fiction. However, there's one thing you should be particularly mindful of."
"What's that?" Giovanni inquired, intrigued.
"Tom Cruise is a prominent Scientologist and has been actively recruiting other celebrities. Both Matthew Horner and Beckham have been approached by him. After visiting the Church of Scientology once, Matthew distanced himself from Cruise. Beckham, on the other hand, still frequently visits the Church's Celebrity Centre in Hollywood and recently bought a mansion in Beverly Hills, right next to Cruise's house."
Giovanni rubbed his chin, deep in thought.
Donadoni added, "Although Scientology is legal in North America, most European countries have banned it, and many governments worldwide classify it as a cult."
Giovanni was startled. If Beckham joined Scientology, it would certainly have negative repercussions...
Beckham's close association with Cruise had been well-documented. Given their frequent interactions, it wasn't implausible.
Taking a step back, if David Beckham indeed had such a close relationship with Tom Cruise...
Giovanni exhaled deeply. He wasn't personally against homosexuality—many senior executives at Armani were openly gay. Even Giovanni himself, after tiring of female models, had occasionally sought the novelty of male models.
However, having a potential gay spokesperson for men's underwear was a risky move. If such a relationship were exposed, it could have a severe negative impact on the brand.
Armani's underwear was a luxury product, primarily targeting mature male customers. Market research conducted by Armani's team indicated a very low percentage of homosexuals among their primary consumer base. Most subtly or overtly harbored an aversion to homosexuality.
While many at the company's higher levels were gay, they were pragmatic enough to know that market preferences wouldn't change based on the fashion industry's sexual orientation.
This wasn't about other types of clothing but men's underwear, where Armani needed to project a sense of steadiness and masculinity.
Donadoni refrained from saying more. As an old friend, he knew Giovanni Salvatore well enough to understand that pushing too hard would be counterproductive.
He had already said enough.
After contemplating for a while, Giovanni pressed the intercom button and called his assistant into the office. He pointed to the newspapers on his desk and instructed, "Make copies of all the articles mentioning Tom Cruise and David Beckham... and also, gather information on Scientology and fax everything to the Milan headquarters."
Recalling the past tabloid stories about Tom Cruise's odd behavior, Giovanni realized that while homosexuality might cause some negative fallout, any scandal involving the spokesperson's religious beliefs could be even more damaging.
Armani, with its roots in Italy and a global market presence, especially in the rapidly growing Eastern markets, had a consumer base that was extremely sensitive to issues of faith.
Compared to the ambiguous and unverifiable rumors of homosexuality, Scientology was a much more concerning issue.
Giovanni stood up and suggested to Donadoni, "Let's go out for a walk. I'd like to see how Hollywood differs from the entertainment industry back in Italy."
Donadoni smiled and agreed, "Sure, I'll show you around Hollywood and Burbank."
Los Angeles was as vibrant as ever, and Hollywood hadn't changed much. However, many billboards and advertisements in shopping malls and along the streets had recently been updated. The latest ads featured a muscular hero clad in red, with a red cape and red briefs...
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