For the 30 years of her brother whose passion she tirelessly mocks for the Olympique de Marseille (OM), since he is just as Parisian as her, Maroussia has scored a point. It was Djibril Cissé himself who wished his younger brother a happy birthday. “For dessert, we watched the video of the footballer and we had a good laugh. My brother asked me: “But how did you get this?” “, recalls the 34-year-old marketing manager with a victorious smile. So for the parents’ wedding anniversary, four months later, Jean-Pierre Foucault was summoned. “Very diligent, he spoke of answer A, answer B, he even ended up with ‘And this is my last word’, as in ‘Who wants to win millions?’. We watched the show as a family, at the time… ”
Marriage ? Birthday ? Encouragement? It’s 50 euros the ex-OM striker, 150 euros the TV host with a childhood taste, on Big Up, one of the new French platforms for personalized video signings – with Vidoleo and Dediz. Buying is child’s play: a gallery of celebrities, under a photo and a short presentation, display a price they have set themselves. We order, for personal or business use (much more expensive); the first name of the future beneficiary, the festive occasion and the moving anecdote which will allow the video to be personalized; we take out the bank card… And presto! In twenty-four hours (if the “Fast Delivery” option appears) or at most seven days, a video of the admired arrives by e-mail. Flickering images captured with one hand from the living room sofa or with your back to the cedar hedge in the garden, whatever! A star speaks to us.
Exceptional product
Little wonder it may sound, celebrity e-commerce is American inspired. Launched in 2017, the Cameo platform, which “Spread[s] love virtually “ (“Virtually spreading love”), knows across the Atlantic a fate as glorious as that of its 40,000 “celebrities” in the catalog. The videos shipped (1.3 million) generated 89 million euros in revenue in 2020, of which the company took a quarter – a business model taken up by all platforms. On and off, even rapper Snoop Dogg is in stores. “My brother will never forget a personal message from a living legend. I wasn’t sure he had time, but Snoop did ”, an American customer raves.
“Hi Bastia, this is Chuck Norris! “
The bestseller? Brian Baumgartner (aka Kevin Malone in series The Office), at 200 euros for individuals, ten times more for marketing use. The fictional accountant was able to credit his personal balance sheet with more than $ 1 million (around 900,000 euros), thanks to services for individuals and companies. But some customers are leaning towards the exceptional product: a “Cameo” of the ex-athlete turned TV woman Caitlyn Jenner, the price of which peaks at 2,200 euros.
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