Meat + Poultry - June 2004 - 32

Celebrity

By George
In the late 1980s, former Miss
America-turned network news
anchor and CBS sports analysts Phyllis George developed
a line of poultry products for the
retail case, known as Chicken By
George. The company sprouted
out of George's kitchen in her
home in Kentucky. The products were some of the first lines
of boneless, skinless, marinated
ready-to-cook breast filets. Chicken by George is now a division of
Hormel Foods, which purchased
the brand in the late 1990s.

Bayou appeal
This past February, Motown legend Smokey Robinson launched a
line of gumbo products under the
banner of Smokey Robinson's
Foods. Soul is in the Bowl Gumbo was initially sold in several Albertson's-owned supermarkets
and was also made available in
Safeway stores this past month.
The frozen gumbo comes in a in a
microwaveable bowl and contains
chicken sausage and seafood.

Winging it
This past October, former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Troy Aikman was hired as the national
spokesman for Garland, Texasbased Wingstop Restaurants, Inc.
With more than 133 restaurants already open, the chicken wing chain
enlisted Aikman as part of its plan
to double its presence in the Dallas-Ft. Worth region in the next two
years. Chief Executive Jim Flynn
said at the time, "Because we are
a (Dallas-area) company expanding nationally, Troy makes the perfect brand partner in that he is a
hometown hero with national, even
global appeal."

MEAT&POULTRY

was on his breakfast table growing up and one he still enjoys today," says Englander.
The deal was made official this past January and already the Aikman affiliation has paid
some huge dividends. Tom Thumb, Carnival, Sack and Save, and Brookshires are all Texasbased grocery chains that are new Potter's customers. The
decision of these companies to come on board, says
Englander, "is directly attributable to walking in with
a marketing program featuring Troy Aikman as the
spokesman."
Using Aikman's voice in radio ads and his likeness on point-of-sale ads, products, billboards and
delivery trucks, Potter's executives plan to double
their current, 5-percent market share in the Dallas
area within five years.
Englander says, "People assume, 'Troy Aikman is
a football legend.' He's not going to lend his name to
something unless it's a high-quality, reputable product."
Former Houston Oilers coach, O.A. "Bum" Phillips knows
something about working as a pitchman for meat products too.
The 80-year-old Phillips is a legend in the Houston region for his coaching
prowess and has served as the spokesman for Blue Ribbon Bacon and Sausage for more than
16 years. Atlantic Premium Brands officials saw the value of Phillips' affiliation with the meat company and kept him on board when it acquired Blue Ribbon about 10 years ago.
Today, Phillips' unmistakable image graces the packages of the brand's 50-plus products. Englander says Phillips' reputation and following are as solid as oak. Through countless personal appearances, production of print and radio ad campaigns and his willingness to occasionally call on
key customers, "Bum does tremendous things for Blue Ribbon."
Falling stars
Unfortunately, not all endorsement deals are squeaky clean. Corporations run a risk that something public might happen in their spokesperson's private life that can result in corporate black
eyes for everyone involved. In the case of celebrity endorsements image is indeed everything.
"Celebrity endorsers are truly a double-edge sword," says John Landsberg, principal at Bottom
Line Communications, a Leawood, Kan.-based marketing communications firm. "When you bring
them on board, you bring along their brand image, but you also get their baggage."
Companies using a celeb's positive image as a hook are navigating a slippery slope. "If their
perception is altered due to scandal or an affiliation that opposes your target audience, that can
instantly affect the consumers' view of your product - and sales," Landsberg says.
Consultants like Landsberg preach the importance of doing some homework about prospective
spokespeople including their affiliations before writing them a hefty check. "A vegetarian movie
star endorsing your meat product might not be a wise move," he says. "It can create a major disconnect in the mind of the public."
He also recommends that his clients consider how effective an endorser would be at representing the company in front of customers or speaking to a room full of its salespeople. "This is
particularly true of many athletes, who exude both skill and charisma on the field, but sound like
punch-drunk boxers in real life."
Only one category of celebrities is guaranteed to maintain a near-perfect public image, Landsberg says. "It sounds a bit silly, but using cartoon characters to promote your product can be very
beneficial. After all, Shrek isn't going to get into a bar fight, beat his wife or be linked to a sordid
sex scandal. Once you get the rights to the character, you are pretty much home free."
Sara Lee Corp. officials likely assumed they were home free when they recently decided to
cut loose one of the meat industry's best-known spokesmen. The company announced earlier
this year that it would no longer use Jimmy Dean as its pitchman for the sausage company
he started in 1969 and later sold to Sara Lee in 1984. The firm retained the rights to Dean's
name and image, but opted to not renew his contract. "The company told me they were trying to attract the younger housewife, and they didn't think I was the one to do that," Dean said
in a statement.
Dean's contract with the company expired this past year and Sara Lee's spokesperson, Julie
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