Celebrity Acquisition

The Kardashians and their extended family are some of the most marketable names in today’s entertainment business.  On any given day, it seems like a member of the Kardashian clan or the girls’ significant others are announcing yet another brand partnership.  Though the family has deals ranging from athletic apparel to jewelry, the Kardashian kitchen is the true brand epicenter. 

Tupperware: Reggie Bush, Kim’s boyfriend and New Orleans Saints running back, just inked a deal with the food storage brand. The Super Bowl Champion will take part in a publicity event with the company’s chief executive Rick Goings, where he will learn how to prepare a meal using only food, Tupperware products and a microwave. 

Famous Cupcakes: All three sisters can currently be seen on web advertisements featured on the store’s homepage from the photo shoot that was featured on their popular reality show. The girls also hosted the brand’s store opening in Beverly Hills last October and now Kim even has her own cupcake mix. She made an appearance at the Beverly Hills store on February 19^th to launch her Va-Va-Va-Nilla Cupcake Mix. 

Tropicana Orange Juice: Former gold medalist and stepfather of the girls, Bruce Jenner, is once again endorsing the orange juice brand.  Jenner first partnered with Tropicana after he won his gold medal at the 1976 Olympics and can be seen in the brand’s old commercial.  This time around, Tropicana is offering fans an opportunity to win breakfast and play golf with Bruce.  Beginning tomorrow, consumers can use a Tropicana Juicy Rewards point to enter the contest on the brand’s website. Tropicana will also launch a video short featuring Jenner that same day.

Got Milk?: In addition to his Tupperware deal, Bush is one of the latest stars to appear in a Got Milk? ad. The running back states in the ad, “milk helped me fuel up to play for 60. And it’s got nutrients I need to refuel after the Super Bowl.” He appears in both the print ads and the commercial donning his Saints uniform and a milk mustache with a glass of milk in hand.

Taco Bell & Carl’s Jr.: Khloe’s husband, Los Angeles Lakers player Lamar Odom, appears alongside Charles Barkley in the fast food chain’s Super Bowl commercial promoting the NBA’s Five Buck Box.  He also recently tweeted about enjoying the company’s tacos.   Meanwhile, Kim turns to Carl’s Jr. for her fast food fix. Kim appears in the burger chain’s commercial promoting their Premium Salads (from a bubble bath) and also hosted a live “lunch chat” via the brand’s Facebook page.

QuickTrim: Though the family endorses multiple food products, Kim and Khloe also endorse weight loss supplement QuickTrim. .  Both girls have appeared in commercials and print advertisements, as well as on the brand’s website encouraging visitors to download the Burn & Cleanse Daily Diet & Exercise Program Manual. The brand is also promoting a contest through their VIP List that gives fans the opportunity to meet and party with Kim and Khloe.

In addition to the aforementioned brands, all three sisters endorse Sugar Factory’s Couture Pops, Odom is a spokesperson for PowerBar, and Bush endorses RedBull.  The Kardashian family and the girls’ significant others are sure to rake in even more deals and add to the brands already in their kitchen as the family’s marketability only continues to increase and their empire grows.

With Super Bowl XLIV less than two weeks away, the hype surrounding the athletes is palpable.  Indianapolis Colts QB Peyton Manning is unquestionably one of the most marketable NFL athletes of all time, but will receive even more media attention during the next couple of weeks.  As expected, his current marketing partners (Wheaties, DirecTV, Gatorade, MasterCard and Oreo) will be leveraging the media buzz around Manning and the game in the next two weeks.  Manning’s storyline is even more unique this year, as Peyton’s father Archie was a former New Orleans Saint.  Brand’s such as BankPlus and NFL Ticket have utilized the family’s storyline in previous commercials.  

New Orleans Saints QB, Drew Brees, will also receive much attention in the coming weeks.   If the Saints win, I wouldn’t be surprised to see another brand attached to Brees’ current list of marketing deals that includes Pampers, Spark Energy Drink and fantasy football destination The National Football Post. And the Saints’ Reggie Bush has crossover marketing appeal, as he is also known as pop star Kim Kardashian’s boyfriend.  Check out his current Red Bull endorsement. Carl’s Jr. will be smart to utilize their partnership with Kim Kardashian surrounding the game as well. 

Last week, St. Jude’s launched their sixth annual Thanks and Giving campaign with the help of both longtime celebrity friends and first time celebrity supporters.  Musicians Carrie Underwood and Darius Rucker have recorded special campaign radio messages that will be heard on more than 200 stations nationwide. And Grammy Award-nominated singer Luis Fonsi will serve as the face of the Hispanic campaign, appearing in broadcast and print ads in Spanish-language markets around the US and Puerto Rico. 

Longtime supporters Jennifer Aniston, Robin Williams, Antonio Banderas and Reggie Bush will return in national TV spots during the holiday season.  And tween pop stars The Jonas Brothers will lead the campaign’s social media drive through a special video that encourages Facebook and Twitter users to post messages about their support for the cause.

Jennifer Aniston show her support for St. Jude's "Thanks and Giving" campaign.

St. Jude has always done a great job leveraging their celebrity friends across the board and this campaign is no different.  They engage supporters through a variety of platforms (TV, radio, print, social media) and use a celebrity’s strongest features to connect with the audience.  For instance, you can hear musicians on the radio, see actors on TV and interact with the Jonas Brothers via social media (an area where they are particularly strong with almost 2 million Facebook fans and 1 million Twitter followers).

To learn more about the Thanks and Giving campaign, visit St. Jude’s website.

Identical twins Tiki and Ronde Barber, whose mother Geraldine is a breast cancer survivor, are promoting Cancer Hope Network, an online social network for cancer patients.  

Jacksonville Jaguars running back Maurice Jones-Drew is telling people to check out the Celebrity Beach Bowl on behalf of Direct TV. Celebrity participants include Eli Manning, Matt Forte, Steve Young, Warren Moon, Eddie George, Phil Simms, Jamal Andersen, Merrill Hodge, Kim Kardashian, Kevin Dillon and Brody Jenner.  Fans can watch for free in-person or can watch it live on Direct TV. 

New Orleans Saints Reggie Bush launched a partnership with Red Bull.

After starring in their ads last year, Wes Welker is furthering the message of the Milk Processor Education Program and their “Body by Milk” campaign.  He is being replaced in this year’s ads by current Super Bowl quarterbacks Ben Roethlisberger and Kurt Warner.  

New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees is joining Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes to renovate local youth football fields around the country. He attended the dedication of Lincoln Gardens Park football field, the first of 50 youth athletic fields Kellogg’s will rehabilitate this year, in Tampa.

Cleveland Brown’s Brady Quinn is promoting Pedigree dog food by highlighting their first-ever Super Bowl ad.  He is also the voice of the Pedigree Adoption Drive, which is supported by an integrated online contest; for every ad you watch, Pedigree donates one bowl of animal food. 

Denver Broncos’ Jay Cutler has teamed up with pharma giant Eli Lilly for their latest diabetes education and awareness program.  Cutler, who discovered that he had diabetes last year, is directing people to their website to learn more.

Former Washington Redskin Joe Theismann and Los Angeles Raider Marcus Allen are attending an event on behalf of MasterCard to celebrate the 25^th anniversary of their memorable 1984 Super Bowl game in Tampa Bay. 

Former Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Vinny Testaverde will be a guest coach for the Donruss Pop Warner Classic youth football games at Jefferson High School this weekend alongside fellow Bucs alumni, to help promote youth football in the Tampa Bay area.  Testaverde is also in the works to open up a sports training center for young and up and coming athletes.

NFL’s winningest coach Don Shula is promoting the Tampa location of his Shula’s Steak House chain.  His growing foodie empire includes seventeen steakhouses and thirty-three restaurants total.

Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb is continuing to send people to the Novartis -sponsored website to learn more about managing high blood pressure.  Both of McNabb’s parents have dealt with the condition, which is more common among African American populations, and are also promoting the cause.

David Schwab's advice on how to best use a Super Bowl spokesperson in PR Week.

NFL running back, Reggie Bush has certainly done his part to connect with the community he now calls home. As a member of the New Orleans Saints, he realizes first hand the devastation that has racked the city since Hurricane Katrina. That’s why he has partnered with the World Food Program to appear in print ads and PSAs employing the tagline “Not everyone can live off football” (featuring music by the Rolling Stones). In addition to his work with the WFP, he has already donated $50,000 to a New Orleans Catholic school for students with learning disabilities, donates a quarter of his jersey profits to a former teammate’s charity, which benefits Katrina victims in Mississippi, and is involved with the Yard By Yard program, where every yard he gains during the season brings a donation from his sponsor to help rebuild New Orleans. Check out the clever WFP spot here.