Celebrity endorsements gone bad.

I think one of the strangest celebrity endorsement-based advertisements was the Charlie Sheen commercial for the Fiat.  The commercial was released very soon after Sheen's highly publicized scandal.  Although Sheen maintained his fame--he was all over the news, television shows (mostly satirical ones), and talk shows--his credibility was totally shattered.  Sheen was portrayed to be a drug addict and totally out of his mind.

The commercial features Sheen, while on house arrest in his mansion, racing his new Fiat around the house.  By showing that the vehicle is able to speed through the house and make very sharp turns, the commercial does highlight some features of the Fiat.  But I think the use of Sheen as a celebrity endorser totally overshadows the features of the vehicle.  It creates a horrible brand image for the Fiat.  And honestly, I don't know anyone that would make such an important purchasing decision based on a celebrity endorsement.  Especially a celebrity endorsement by Charlie Sheen.

The ad seems to target young men who are probably making their first new vehicle purchase.  But I think the young men that would appreciate this endorsement probably wouldn't be able to afford a new car, even though the Fiat is a pretty cheap one.

The campaign also has a commercial featuring Jennifer Lopez, which in my opinion isn't as terrible as the Sheen commercial, but it still doesn't sell the Fiat very effectively.  More importantly, there isn't much of a connection between the two commercials.  Or between those commercials and the other ones that make up the Fiat campaign.

I believe celebrity endorsements can be very effective, but definitely not in this case.  I have probably seen a total of 3 Fiats on the road in the last year.

Here's a Fiat commercial I do really like.  Comparing the Fiat to a sexy foreign woman is definitely a better strategy than comparing it to Sheen or Lopez.  Still doesn't convince me to buy a Fiat.