Yeah, We Said It: What Chad Ochocinco and Evelyn Lozada Are Doing Right

The soon-to-be Mr. and Mrs. Ochocinco are using their combined star power to cash more checks — you can’t knock their hustle.
It’s easy to hate on Evelyn Lozada and Chad Ochocinco. They’re both easy on the eyes. He’s got talent on the field. She’s played the field…and always scores. Most important, they lead a life many dream of. You know, days filled hitting the mall — sans the average man’s penny pinching — and nights filled with red carpet appearances. They jet set. They shop and coordinate purchases. They’re even bold enough to toss it in our faces. The thing is, they’re doing everything right.
Ochocinco and Lozada have obviously been doing more than getting it in during their trysts: They’ve done some calculated planning. They understand that star power, and the resulting cash flow, isn’t simply based on talent. It’s also based on the ability to have the masses buy into your brand. It’s about achieving the delicate balance between envy and adoration. It’s about giving the people enough to want more, but not enough to turn their stomachs. Watching this urban dynamic duo pull off the ultimate hustle proves the spoils of Hollywood aren’t simple for the blonde haired, the blue-eyed or the trust fund babies. We all have a chance.
The couple’s climb to success may have seemed comical at times — think matching Gucci kicks — but it worked. We see OchoLo at the footballer’s favorite eatery and we know they’re dating. The buzz starts. We catch a glimpse of them walking in the city. Now we know they’re likely a couple. We watch them make their official debut on the red carpet, garbed in Nordstrom’s finest ready-to-wear items and we’re hooked. Are they having sex? Are they getting married? How many other women did the hot-tempered Lozada beat back for this coup? But it doesn’t end there. The couple strategically releases photos of their new life together and announces their plans to wed.
Logically, we know two dynamos are better than one and we’re willing to pay to see what happens next — and they’re going to charge. Not us, per se, but VH1 and any other long moneyed brand who understands the power Lozada’s wanton, Nuyorican-accented mean girl tirades holds on the masses. Or that women may be giving her “the side eye” but taking notes on her wardrobe. The same goes for bald baller. While his on field antics made him a problem child, the label holds little weight with female viewers vicariously living their “date a pro-athlete” fantasy through the boob tube and blogs.
In the end, few believe that this pair will make it down the aisle. Still, they deserve major kudos for dissecting the modern day formula of reality show based stardom and going for the W. Most important, it’s working. Lozada’s new contract with VH1 means that she’ll earn more money in a month than most will in year. There’s little doubt that more projects — think Living with Ochocinco — are in the works. All that moolah and fame doesn’t make donning matching outfits look so high school after all, huh?

 

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