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Star Power: Internet Celebrity: Successful Advertising, Marketing, and Promoting to the Entertainment Industry on the Internet

Celebrity and Power: Fame in Contemporary Culture

Celebrity Scarves

Why advertise a product with an unknown model when you can put a celebrity's name and face on it and sell more? Many advertisers have learned the trick to raising consumer awareness of certain products is to use their favorite actor or actress as a spokesperson. So just who are some of the most noticeable celebs and companies to join forces in what has now become a very profitable proposition for both actors and advertisers alike?

•Jennifer Lopez for Louis Vuitton
The new model for Louis Vuitton's fall line is none other than J. Lo. The ads feature her scantily clad in leather, while holding a Louis Vuitton purse, and climbing on top of shirtless men. Apparently, this sells. Bringing Jennifer Lopez into this ad campaign has proved very beneficial, allowing a different group of people (hip hop fans) to become acquainted with the label.

•Christina Aguilera for Versace
Well, it seems that someone is finally paying Miss Aguilera to actually put clothes on. We'll see how long that lasts. Apparently, the new line was inspired by the singer, including some of her trademark styles, like sporting underwear as outerwear. But I must say she isn't looking too "hot" in the ads. In fact, she makes heroin chic look good.

•Catherine Zeta-Jones for Liz Arden
The beautiful and talented Catherine Zeta-Jones is not only the spokeswoman for T-Mobile, but also for Elizabeth Arden, starring in their new ad campaign called "Open for Beauty." If Elizabeth Arden products can make me look just a third as good as Zeta-Jones, I'm in!

• The RadioShack Team
RadioShack has the right idea ... don't hire one celebrity to endorse your product. Hire many. Vanessa Williams, Teri Hatcher, Howie Long, and Daisy Fuentes all do television commercials for this company. Sure, the commercials are terribly annoying, but you'll remember them. That's the point.

•Cover Girl Crew
Cover Girl changes its main spokeswoman quite often, but it always seems to know who to target next. Such spokes models include Brandy, Faith Hill, Queen Latifah, and Molly Sims. Note: Cover Girl makeup probably won't make you look as flawless as any of these women, but then again, that's why they use soft lighting and airbrushing.

• Hair Color Hi Jinx
Let's see, hair color ads. The list of spokes models is endless. Currently, Sarah Jessica Parker endorses Garnier, Beyonce Knowles and Natalie Imbruglia speak for L'Oreal, while actresses like Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Debra Messing have done ads for Clairol.

Written by Laurie Mascia

Does seeing a celebrity associated with a product make you want to purchase it more readily? Or could you care less? E-mail us!

Celebs aren't the most reliable group of people. They tend to get into a lot of trouble. And when this happens, they lose their endorsements.

•Ever since the accusations against Kobe Bryant began, his endorsement deals have been up in the air. With his new tainted image, most companies don't want his name on their products.

•After Madonna's Like a Virgin video was released, Pepsi shied away from their offer to endorse the singer.

•Dell quietly let spokesman Benjamin Curtis's contract expire after he was arrested for allegedly trying to buy marijuana.

•Sears and Federal Express yanked their sponsorships of Politically Incorrect after host Bill Maher called Americans "cowards" for "lobbing cruise missiles from 2,000 miles away" after September 11.

•After Magic Johnson went public with his HIV diagnosis, his ads were pulled and his endorsement contracts were not renewed.