Good Grape Wine Company

December 3 2008

Selling the Mythology of Mondavi

You have probably all heard or seen the “Marilyn” wine.  The surprisingly good wine line-up adorned with various Marilyn Monroe pictures on the label.  What you may not know is that her image and likeness is licensed from CMG Worldwide, a company based in my backyard in Indianapolis, IN.

CMG operates in a little known niche that represents the families and the estates of, mostly, dead personalities, sports stars and entertainers.

It’s a veritable who’s who – besides Marilyn Monroe, CMG represents the images and likenesses of Babe Ruth, Malcolm X, Vince Lombardi, James Dean, Jack Kerouac and dozens and dozens of other household name celebrities, all long deceased.

While I am not in tune with the day-to-day workings of their business, I am sure that their time is divided between sending out cease and desist letters for illegal use of client images while at the same time doing business with appropriate licensing of images and likenesses.

Therefore, they probably squash the Marilyn Monroe calendar maker that did not get permission to use the photos and is not paying a royalty while at the same time legally licensing the photos to others and earning a subsequent royalty stream.

This management and prudence ensures that Frank Sinatra’s name, music, and image is not used to sell frozen meatballs in 2008, essentially – or whatever is deemed to not fit within “brand” standards: incongruent items that somebody thinks is a good idea, but really doesn’t fit within our collective consciousness. 

Monies from correct licensing, I presume, after management fees, are then paid to the estate.

I have heard estimates that icons like Elvis and Marilyn Monroe earn their estates $10 – 15 million a year in licensing fees.

This is all a preamble to my point – as I have seen Woodbridge by Mondavi advertisements in the second half of this year along with Robert Mondavi Solaire wine, at lower price points, and Robert Mondavi Riedel glasses.  I hope beyond hope that in the sale of the winery to Constellation that language did not slip through that gave Constellation ownership of the name and likeness “Robert Mondavi” for perpetuity.

It is relatively easy to think that in the legalese of a sale document, undoubtedly an inch thick, with wines and a winery branded by name and an already iconic image/logo in place, that Constellation now owns the rights to Robert Mondavi lock, stock and barrel.

Without question, in the coming years, the mythology of Mondavi will continue to grow; living legends that pass do not seem to recess into our collective subconscious, their imprint, instead, grows ever larger.

Frankly, it is not a stretch to say Mondavi is the wine industry’s equivalent of a Marilyn Monroe, either.  We already give significant credit to Mondavi for building the California wine industry into what it is today and that burnished image is likely to grow in Paul Bunyon-esque fashion in our minds eye in the years ahead, as well.

In the book chronicling the sale of Mondavi to Constellation, The House of Mondavi, a re-occurring theme was Michael Mondavi’s desire to grow the brand, primarily at the lower end of the price spectrum, while Tim Mondavi wanted to maintain quality at the higher end of the spectrum.  The greatest tragedy in a chapter yet to be written is if neither son has an opportunity to control the licensing and selling of their father’s image or likeness in the coming years, particularly as his legend grows.

At the least, if Constellation does own his likeness and all permutations thereof, let us hope that Constellation acts as a humane and responsible steward of a man who will only continue to grow in mythological status.  In my mind, that means high quality and integrity – assets associated with a legend, not $5 wine and certainly not frozen meatballs.

*Update*

After doing some sleuthing of my own and a comment from a reader, I learned that Marilyn Monroe’s image and likeness are owned by or managed by both CMG and Legends, for what it is worth.  I also learned that these license management firms do a little ambulance chasing as well.

*Update #2*

I was factually incorrect when referencing Mondavi and Riedel—Waterford is actually the manufacturer.

Also, I messaged with Mia Malm from Icon (div. of Constellation) and she sent a very thoughtful email about the responsibility they feel to the Mondavi brand (see the below in response to my post):

Hi Jeff, it was good to meet you at the Wine Bloggers Conf.  Hope all is well with you and you had a good Thanksgiving.  Just wanted to touch base with you re: your post about Robert Mondavi. 

Mia Malm, DWS
Director of Public Relations
Icon Estates

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