Marketers Are Turning to Dead Icons As Modern Spokespeople

With all the unfortunate happenings lately with celebrities like Michael Phelps and Chris Brown, marketers are considering recruiting deceased iconic brand ambassadors instead of mega stars who may turn on them without notice.

“You’re not going to catch Elvis in a sex scandal, or Albert Einstein’s not going to hit his girlfriend.”

Then again, do we really know for sure that Elvis is dead?

It was discovered that only seven percent of the ads that aired during the 2009 celeb-filled Grammy Awards featured any celebrities. Using a celebrity is risky for an advertising agency, but celebs also bring in a lot of profit. They just have to decide if it is worth the risk.