Blonde Ads Gone Wrong

Each of these blondes: Paris Hilton for Carl's Jr. hamburgers, Jessica Simpson for Pizza Hut and Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen represent various flaws in celebrity endorsements. Paris Hilton was at the height of her popularity when this infamous Carl's Jr. advertisement was shot. In the highly controversial ad, Paris is donning a revealing bikini, while soaked in suds. While many stopped to watch Paris wash the car in the ad, it is clear that the ad has nothing to do with burgers, except that she bites right into one. While Paris Hilton guaranteed ensured attention, putting Carl's Jr. into the spotlight, this endorsement tactic was more damaging that beneficial. In fact, Carl's Jr. has become the burger brand that flashes nearly naked girls to sell their food. The vampire effect, where the star overshadows the brand, continues with Audrina Patridge of the MTV hit, The Hills, who has become Carl's Jr. next celebrity endorser.

Paris Hilton for Carl's Jr. Hamburger

Audrina Patridge for Carl's Jr.

Multi-brand endorsement also causes the celebrity to lose credibility. At the time, Hilton was also featured in ads for Guess/Marciano and Rich Prosecco Italian wine. She was also the face for her clothing, perfume and jewelry line, her own club and her television shows. This conveys a completely different strategy from A-list stars like Nicole Kidman, Brad Pitt or Harrison Ford, who rarely appear in ads, but when they do are effective. The limited use of celebrity faces within one or a few brands will ensure credibility.

Paris Hilton, GUESS

Secondly, Pizza Hut's choice of Jessica Simpson did not seem right at all. One of the reasons that companies seek to launch celebrity ad campaigns simply because they lack creative ideas. Not only is it highly unlikely that the celebrity consumed pizza from Pizza Hut, but there is nothing about Jessica that would logically link her to the food chain.

Jessica Simpson for Pizza Hut

Lastly, Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen clearly tarnished the effectiveness of the Got Milk? campaign, when Mary Kate was diagnosed with anorexia nervosa. While attempting to promote an image of health and wellness with the regular consumption of calcium, Mary Kate's illness undermined the meaning of the ad campaign. This is one of the liabilities of celebrity endorsements, when the celebrity's reputation is damaged after the ad campaign is launched.

Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen for Got Milk?

Focusing on the Power of Celebrities

When I first started this blog, I expressed my interest in exploring advertising. I began contemplating which aspect of advertising I wanted to look into and I realized that most ads possessed a very powerful common denominator: the celebrity. Think about it: almost everything is sold with the power of the celebrity. The news is sold with the face of Obama. Barnes & Nobles sells it's books with the face of Oprah. Paris Hilton sold us Guess clothing for a time and Katie Holmes gave us Neutrogena. Essentially, almost everything we buy and consume has a famous celebrity plastered all over it!

In this blog, I want to investigate why celebrities--from politicians and athletes to actors and socialites--become such a powerful selling point. Aside from popularity, it is clear that corporations indeed put a great deal of thought into who becomes a part of their brand image. It is through this lens which I will explore the meaning and impact of celebrity endorsements and how it affects consumer behavior.