Business Chief US+CAN Magazine February 2018 | Page 13

“ Humphrey Bogart was someone who looked like , sounded like and came across like an average guy made good … he would not have been the guy to put his name on a $ 100 bottle of liquor , so that ’ s not what we

want to do either ”

– Robbert de Klerk , CEO , Humphrey Bogart Estate
to his fans . We do this by associating Bogart ’ s image with products that he used , that he loved , and that he would ’ ve promoted .” It ’ s why Bogie fans can purchase an official Bogart Trench Coat from Aquascutum ( which is where Bogie bought his famous trench coats ), play a Casablanca slot machine developed with Everi and Warner Bros , and join Stephen Bogart each October in Key Largo – named for one of Bogie ’ s best loved films and home to the real African Queen boat – to celebrate all things Bogart at the annual Humphrey Bogart Film Festival .
Partnership Unlike most of the estate ’ s other commercial deals , however – which often license the Bogart name for a set amount of time – its recent foray into the liquor business is a partnership . Why ?
“[ Alcohol ] is so strongly associated with Humphrey Bogart and such a core part of his identity that we did not want to enter into a short-term licensing agreement ,” explains de Klerk . “ If we had said to a big alcohol company , ‘ sure , put out a limitededition Humphrey Bogart scotch ’,
13