Celebs sue advertisers for using lookalikes – Are firms guilty of hiring Interim “lookalikes”?

Earlier this year Kim Kardashian (never heard of her) sued a firm for $20m for using a lookalike in one of their advertising campaigns. This made me think about the increasing use of “lookalike” interims for assignments by firms seeking a lower cost solution. Of course nobody will sue and there is only circumstantial evidence about this activity, however the TMT sector is a frequent user of SME (subject matter experts) as opposed to career interims. There are however extenuating circumstances. The speed of technological development and the types of businesses which are involved in it creates a need for SMEs. Take mobile money and NFC, an activity estimated to grow to £5bn within a few years. It combines financial services, mobile telecoms and technology. Now imagine a Venn diagram and try and populate the overlap with experienced interims (or even permanent candidates). Whilst this newly emerging sector needs the generic skill set that interims will bring you can be sure clients will still demand the impossible and expect interims with experience of this yet to be established sector.

Steve Blake is Head of TMT at Interim Partners.

2 Responses to “Celebs sue advertisers for using lookalikes – Are firms guilty of hiring Interim “lookalikes”?”

1. Martin Ince Says:
   October 21st, 2011 at 8:07 am

   Yes within limits! The issue perhaps is that interim-ness is not yet an established profession and that there are plenty of people who wander in and out of it as opportunities come and go. Hard to blame them for that.

   Likewise, the employers don’t necessarily have a clear idea of what they stand to gain by having a proper interim on the case rather than an expert who is employed on a fixed term.

   This is nobody’s fault, but it suggests that interim management not yet got to a mature stage from the point of view of the participants or (especially) the employers. Of course, anyone reading this is probably much more sophisticated in their understanding of all this than the average.

2. Phil Stubbington Says:
   October 28th, 2011 at 8:20 am

   I’m not clear what the point is you’re trying to make? A client has a need for someone with specific expertise (e.g. NFC). They find someone with that expertise, and hire them. The label for that person is irrelevant. Similarly, expecting clients to not demand the impossible is unrealistic – and that’s not just restricted to conversations with interim managers. If you want to persue opportunities in a new area and can’t get the gig without it, then invest in it (pro-bono work, training courses, reduced day rate whilst you learn more about).

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