Celebrity Fatigue Cited as Reason for Zeta-Jones T-Mobile Firing
Posted on October 6, 2006
Catherine Zeta-Jones fans are furious that the star's contract with T-Mobile will not be renewed when it ends this month. The reason? Studies show that consumers are sick to death of celebrity spokespeople.
Major firms such as Louis Vuitton are also dumping the celebrity spokesmodel idea and going back to models for their upcoming ads. Angelina Jolie's ads for St. John Knits have not helped sales of the troubled line and the Sarah Jessica Parker ads for the Gap were widely rated in focus groups as "annoying."
We think the problems that St. John and the Gap are having are a direct result of the hideous clothes both companies have produced in the last couple of years, not as a result of the face of the models in the campaigns. But the reality is that people didn't use to buy Gap clothes because of the spokesperson, they bought clothes at the Gap because the Gap sold cute clothes. They don't any more. And that Audrey Hepburn commercial is nothing less than a travesty.
As for St. John, if they don't get Marie Gray back on board full time, the line is dead as a doornail. St. John knits are worn by wealthy businesswomen, politicians, and socialites -- especially those who travel. Shying away from the core designs has nearly destroyed the company. Let's hope they can pull it back together fast. And we think Angelina Jolie looks absolutely lovely in the ads.
T-Mobile then returned with a new ad featuring Zeta-Jones in 2009.