True love or slick marketing gimmick?

Something magnificent has happened to me and something extraordinary, and I’m so happy I just can’t restrain myself. – Tom Cruise on his whirlwind romance

Six days after the amazing girl I’ve been dating left me breathless by saying "Yes" to be my girlfriend, Hollywood star Tom Cruise on June 17 popped the big question to his girlfriend, actress Katie Holmes, and became engaged atop the Eiffel Tower in the splashiest over-the-top public display of affection (PDA) ever. Hmmm...

I’m not a cynic but that Tom Cruise-Katie Holmes engagement announcement – fully covered by the world media in a press conference – smacks like a slick marketing event and the most well-organized publicity gimmick for their two summer blockbuster movies.

There’s nothing wrong with a guy blabbering non-stop about the woman of his dreams, but Tom Cruise jumping up and down the soft furnishings like a Robin Williams comedy act and excitedly declaring his love for Katie Holmes in Jay Leno‘s and Oprah‘s TV shows – all that seem excessive and too giddy for a 42-year-old guy! I hope Tom Cruise is honest about his latest romance. If his exuberant behavior turns out to be just a cheap publicity stunt, he will devastate the credibility of sincere men worldwide who are in love.

I have nothing against staging a superb marketing gimmick per se. Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes, or their professional managers and handlers, are using their heads when they perfectly timed the announcement with the actor’s Paris trip to promote the French release of the Steven Spielberg film War of the Worlds next month. Holmes was also promoting Batman Begins in Europe. But I hope they don’t misuse or crassly exploit romance purely for business or marketing purposes, and if they do, at least do it well and with more finesse.

A Question Of Credibility

Will the romance angle translate into a smashing global marketing success for both lovers, or will their relationship flounder like that of the much-touted Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez romance that flopped like their lousy movie together? This romantic spin to the lives of Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes can possibly help bolster the multi-million dollar showbiz careers of both, but the question is how positive will the impact be, if any? A recent survey claimed that 60 percent of the respondents thought less of or were annoyed with Tom Cruise with this new phase in his life and the way it is being played out. What went wrong?

Was the negative public perception due to our general disgust with public figures who lie and deceive, and due to suspicions that Tom Cruise and girlfriend might just be pulling our legs on this? Public figures like movie stars are similar to politicians and even business people whose very lifeblood is their credibility – when they are caught lying, it’s a fate worse than death.

If a corporation lies to its customers or cheats the public using legal hocus-pocus, shouldn’t that business and its owners be penalized for breach of public trust and for economic sabotage because they undermine our free enterprise system?

If politicians lie or commit fraud, no amount of rationalizations should excuse their dishonesty from public censure and swift punishment if civilization, true democracy and rule of law are to be upheld as sacrosanct in our society.

The timing for the marriage proposal was perfect due to their two new movie projects. The setting couldn’t be more perfect – a world-famous landmark in the world’s most famous city synonymous with romance. Tom Cruise even said it was his first time to visit Eiffel Tower, incredible for an international celebrity of his stature! He said: "I’ve never been to the Eiffel Tower. It’s Paris, it’s a beautiful city, it’s very romantic."

From the marketing standpoint and due to my own aesthetic sensibilities, my only complaint against the engagement and Tom Cruise is this – how could he replace his ex-wife, the sultry and talented Australian actress Nicole Kidman, and his ex-girlfriend, the sexy Spanish actress Penelope Cruz, for such a plain-looking girl like Katie Holmes who didn’t even sizzle in the wonderful Batman Begins?

Tom Cruise and his handlers, intentionally or not, seem to have done well with another aspect of their marketing blitz – keeping the actual wedding date a suspense in order to heighten public curiosity and create more buzz. Cruise said no date for a wedding has been set: "We haven’t discussed that one." The actor ended the Paris marriage proposal and engagement announcement with an almost perfect quote for the media: "It was early this morning at the Eiffel Tower, so I haven’t slept at all," he said. "Today is a magnificent day for me. I’m engaged to a magnificent woman."

If the Tom Cruise-Katie Holmes romance glitz fails as a grand marketing blitz to boost their movies or careers, it might be due to mass media over-exposure in the wrong way, or from lack of spontaneity and credibility, or maybe the girlfriend isn’t pretty or exciting enough? I assess this Tom-Katie plot is not that fantastic, the cast members seem wrong. But will this real-life script made in Hollywood still end in their living happily ever after and reaping megabucks marketing success out of it all, or not? Whatever happens, I’m reminded that marketing savvy is so important whether in courtship, in the professions, in personal relationships, in politics, or in business. Why all the fuss about Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes, and their marketing ways? There’s really no business like show business.

* * *

Thanks for all your messages. Comments and suggestions are welcome at wilson_lee_flores@yahoo.com, wilson_lee_flores@hotmail.com, wilsonleeflores777@gmail.com or P.O. Box 14277, Ortigas Center, Pasig City.