When Simon Cowell first approached Max for help in raising his profile, he was a successful but relatively unknown 37 year old BMG A&R man. Cowell already had success firmly in the bag, but was by no means the global super star and household name he is today. He knew that his eye for the ladies left him in danger of being perfect Kiss and tell fodder. Clifford’s unique combination of protection and publicity helped control his image and cement his place as one of the world’s most successful music moguls.
Having had great success with ‘Pop Idol,’ Cowell went on to take the winning formula to the US with ‘America Idol,’ and Simon quickly became the hugely popular TV star International audiences love to hate.
Today Cowell has become a celebrity in his own right, serving as a judge on both the UK and US versions of the ‘Pop Idol’ shows, and creating Syco TV, which co-produced the ratings hit ‘X Factor.’ There is no question that Simon’s incredible rise to the pinnacle of the entertainment industry in just five years, has much to do with the Clifford PR strategy driving his profile throughout the media. Indeed when Simon won a prestigious TV award in 2004 for X Factor he tellingly thanked only two people in his acceptance speech, his Mum and Max.
