Advertising And Celebrity

It used to be taboo for movie stars to do advertising for products in the United States. We never used to see our favorite movie star in commercials for Frosted Flakes. Catherine Zeta Jones recently broke this unspoken rule by appearing in a series of T-Mobile advertisements. While it is anyone prerogative on how they want to make money, I can understand why movie stars try to avoid getting involved in advertising for products or services. Charity advertising is one thing. Many movie stars do commercials and public service announcements for charities. However, hawking products for Madison Avenue might not be a good idea for movie stars. It can be difficult to play a serious cop role in your newest movie when you are known as the peanut butter guy from television. In short, movie stars and advertising just do not mix.

Occasionally, a celebritys success with selling products does depend on the product. George Foreman is now just as well known for his grills as he is as a boxer. I guess the question is did the grill make Foreman successful or did Foreman make the grill successful? George Foreman was a boxer professionally but he had done a series of advertising for...