By 2006, Cristal was already losing its status as the signifier of luxury, but ­figure 5.1 indicates that in the wake of the scandal, two of hip hop’s biggest moguls capitalized on the opportunity. Sean Combs, whose many monikers include “Puff Daddy” and “Diddy” and who consistently tops Forbes’s list of “Hip-Hop’s Wealthiest Artists,” partnered with multinational alcoholic beverage corporation Diageo in 2007 to take over the brand management of the vodka Cîroc in exchange for a 50/50 revenue split. Through lyrical mentions in songs and product placement in videos across his Bad Boy roster and label (owned by Warner Music Group), along with television commercials he starred in, Combs raised sales of the brand from fifty thousand cases a year to nearly two million.

QUESTION: Did Combs's distribution deal and influence cause the sales surge, or did other market factors contribute? Worth checking the causality claims here.

Andrew deWaard, Derivative Media, loc. 338