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So following an interview with Blu UK’s CEO Jacob Fuller, freelance journalist Andrew Cave wrote an article that got a fair amount of coverage and then — according to Blu’s PR department — turned out to be false. The article was a scope claiming that Blu was working with Lady Gaga to place its products in a video for international exposure.

The news inspired a good deal of drama as opponents of electronic cigarettes like to slam any celebrity endorsement as intentionally targeting kids. It doesn’t matter that teens don’t know who Stephen Dorff, Courtney Love, or Jenny McCarthy are. It only matters that these people are celebrities and could appeal to kids — even if the individuals these names would matter to most happen to be in their 30’s. Still Lady Gaga is far more recognizable than those three.

After the news broke though, Blu damage control went into high gear reassuring everyone that Lady Gaga was not on Blu’s marketing plan at all. According to communications from the company — both UK and US divisions — Fuller was mistaken and misinformed. However, the quotes from Cave which he claims to have recorded and notated appear to pretty clearly state that the company intended to do a video with Gaga at some point.

You can read the full account from Cave himself right here.

So what happened? My money is on plans for a Gaga campaign getting scrapped following the rather nasty beating Blu’s US-based CEO took at the hands of a Senate committee not to long ago. It seems the company wouldn’t want to give even more ammunition to those likely to go so far as to attempt to fine or sue the company for tactics they might argue target teens.

It is possible that Fuller was mistaken, but it’s also rather unlikely giving the clarity of the statement. According to Cave, Fuller said specifically, “In the US, Blu is working with Lady Gaga on a video with Blu in it.” If Fuller is a remotely capable CEO, this is not the kind of statement he would make lightly. Perhaps his information was simply outdated or it was a way to safely test the news and see how people would take a Blu and Lady Gaga deal. Perhaps Gaga herself torpedoed the idea.

Either way, the Blu PR engine did exactly what it should in that sort of situation — say that it’s not the case and shut-up about the whole situation. Speaking as a reporter though, Fuller at least owes Cave a phone call.