Benz, Brands and Beyonce: A Talk With ICM’s Chief

Take a heaping helping of Hollywood stars and A-list behind-the-camera creative types, add in brands hungering for glamorous clutter-busting cachet, mix well and bake until fabulously successful.

If only it were that simple.

Carol Goll, a marketing veteran from Mercedes-Benz who recently took over as head of global branded entertainment at powerhouse talent agency International Creative Management, knows there’s an advantage to having a stable that includes brand-friendly stars like Ellen DeGeneres, Chris Brown, Sharon Stone, Samuel L. Jackson and Kim Cattrall. In fact, she and her team of six executives have linked those and other celebrities with such blue chip marketers as American Express, Dior, Cadillac, DirecTV and Virgin Media.

But the deals are increasingly complex these days as stars try to hone their own personal brands