News
Stars Broaden Roles as Corporate Pitchmen
By Robert Marich
June 28, 2010 – A Wall Street Journal article says Hollywood stars like Ashton Kutcher are increasingly endorsing products in deals that give them some equity and executive control. The article cites Popchips—a potato snack—that hired Kutcher to “oversee” social marketing efforts but without the 32-year-old actor appearing in ads—the usually celebrity tie-in avenue.
Kutcher “bought a minority stake” in the San Francisco food outfit and takes the title of “president of pop culture,” says the article.
“Beyond simply taking fees to endorse products and star in ads, celebrities increasingly are looking for broader agreements that offer a bigger piece of the action,” says the WSJ article by Suzanne Vranica. The article cites other examples as Lady Gaga being named chief creative officer of consumer products mini-conglomerate Polaroid, actress Sarah Jessica Parker is creative creative officer of fashion outfit Halston, and Ellen DeGeneres got a 15% stake in pet food Halo Purely for Pets for doing work behind the camera for the company.
It’s a valid mini-trend, but presumably none of these companies are really entrusting their creative or marketing responsibilities to mercurial Hollywood talent. If something goes awry in those crucial areas, the companies better have a steady hand in place and not some celebrity far away pursuing their own career.
Marketing to Moviegoers: Second Edition notes that American audiences tend view in-commercial film stars was sell-outs, though overseas such exposure is actually respected by moviegoers—because of different cultural values.
Kutcher is a not-yet-in-the-big-time celebrity. He ran up an impressive following in Twitter, yet that didn’t catapult him to stardom (yet anyway). His action movie satire Killers was a box office bomb earlier this month. Lady Gaga has acted outrageously at New York baseball games, in what gets local publicity but doesn't make her a role model for anyone.
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