Lady Gaga's instant karma with Polaroid developing

There's a reason Polaroid figures nearly as prominently as Lady Gaga does in the pop singer's latest music video "Telephone": it's in her financial interest to make sure the once iconic brand gets as much camera time as she does.

While Gaga and Polaroid each got a lot of ink in January when she struck an unconventional partnership with the company that made her the brand's "creative director and inventor of specialty products," a source close to the situation told The Post that the 23-year-old pop star has a financial stake in Polaroid that allows her to participate "in the future of the company in a meaningful way."

Lady Gaga music video TELEPHONE.

CHECK OUT THE VIDEO HERE (WARNING, GRAPHIC)

While Polaroid declined to call Gaga's stake an outright equity piece, and refused to discuss the details of her deal, sources said the company's complicated deal with Gaga gives her far more than a cut of any revenue generated by Gaga-branded products.

Polaroid, which had about $400 million in revenue last year, is a joint venture between Gordon Brothers Brands and Hilco Consumer Capital. Polaroid said her product line, which is slated to roll out later this year, could account for as much as 30 percent of its business as the company bets she can revive it as a global brand for digital photography.

In her racy nine-minute video, which is more like a mini-movie, Polaroid is one of at least 10 brands to make an appearance. Some are straightforward product plugs, while others are extensions of existing marketing deals she struck as she began her rapid ascent up the charts.

Gaga's well-heeled feet are following in the footsteps of other celebrities who want a financial stake to endorse a product. In December, "Die Hard" actor Bruce Willis signed a four-year deal with Belvedere that gave him a 3.3 percent stake in the company in exchange for promoting the Sobieski vodka brand.

Similarly, "Sex and the City" actress Sarah Jessica Parker got an equity stake to design a second line for Halston, the fashion house whose investors include filmmaker Harvey Weinstein.

In addition to Polaroid, Gaga's video also features her Heartbeats headphones, a collaboration with hip-hop mogul Dr. Dre, along with Virgin Mobile, the sponsor of her "Monster Ball" tour.

"Brands that step up to the plate and pay -- and with Lady Gaga probably had to pay well -- have a bigger opportunity for people to pay attention," said Steve Yanovsky, a music and emerging media consultant at GroupM's Mindshare media division.

"Telephone," which also features another megastar, Beyoncé, has garnered more than 18 million views on YouTube since it debuted last week.

holly.sanders@nypost.com