'Housewives' Is a Big Hit on Madison Ave., Too
By STUART ELLIOTT
Published: August 24, 2005
MADISON AVENUE seems to believe that desperate housewives can sell disparate housewares.
Advertisers and agencies seeking endorsers for campaigns are making belles of the ball of the
actresses appearing on the hit ABC series "Desperate Housewives," which is to
return for a second season on Sept. 25. Almost every cast member is in an ad, some for more
than one marketer, in a rush reminiscent of the ardor to use the actors from other popular shows
like "Friends" and "Sex and the City."
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Ricardo Antonio Chavira, left, and James Denton, of "Desperate Housewives," in an
ad campaign.
Eva Longoria, who portrays the sultry Gabrielle Solis on "Desperate Housewives," is
a voiceover announcer in commercials for Sirius Satellite Radio and the star of a campaign for the
Vive line of hair care products sold by the L'Oréal Paris brand division of L'Oréal USA.
"The fact she's in more than 20 million households each week is not a bad thing to have,"
Carol Hamilton, president for the L'Oréal Paris division in New York, said, laughing.
Teri Hatcher, who plays the clumsy Susan Mayer, appears in ads for the trade publication Variety,
owned by Reed Elsevier. She wears the magazine, a startled look - and nothing else. Nicollette
Sheridan, who portrays the vixenish Edie Britt, is featured in magazine ads for Di Modolo, a brand
of luxury jewelry.
The newest arrival to the ranks of ad fans of "Desperate Housewives" is the Cadbury
Schweppes Americas Beverages division of Cadbury Schweppes, which has signed Ms. Sheridan
and Marcia Cross, who plays the tightly wound Bree Van De Kamp, to appear in commercials for
the 7Up Plus line of flavored soft drinks. The humorous spots, created by the San Francisco office
of Young & Rubicam, part of the WPP Group, are to start running Monday.
"We went through a litany of potential candidates," said Randy Gier, chief marketing
officer for Cadbury Schweppes Americas Beverages in Plano, Tex. "Obviously, it doesn't
hurt that they're on the No. 1 show on television."
Hiring celebrities to endorse brands is one of the most time-honored tactics in consumer marketing.
The silent-film star Pearl White appeared on calendars for Coca-Cola, for instance, and, after she
was first lady, Eleanor Roosevelt, even appeared in a commercial for Good Luck margarine (her fee
was donated to charity). Today, when increasing clutter makes the ability of a famous face to stand
out more valuable, they are being used heavily.
"When you use celebrities, their personalities make that instant connection with the consumer,"
said Mr. Gier, who has also used two cast members from "Sex and the City," Kristin Davis
and Cynthia Nixon, in the 7Up Plus campaign along with Regis Philbin and Kelly Ripa from "Live
With Regis and Kelly."
"If you spend the 30 seconds explaining the personality," he added, "then you can't
spend the time talking about the product."
In this instance, Mr. Gier said, Ms. Cross's and Ms. Sheridan's playing "strong women" on
"Desperate Housewives" was a reason to cast them for the new commercials, which promote
the inclusion of calcium in 7Up Plus.
The fervor among marketers to bask in the reflected glow of the program has become so intense, even
some of the actors who play the desperate househusbands and boyfriends are getting their 15 minutes
in the advertising spotlight.
A print campaign to support the National Denim Day fund-raiser for the Susan G. Komen Breast
Cancer Foundation, sponsored by the Lee jeans brand sold by the VF Corporation, features Ricardo
Antonio Chavira, who portrays Gabrielle's roguish husband, Carlos, and James Denton, who plays
Susan's mysterious beau, Mike Delfino.
"When you've got a man next to a pink ribbon, it has stopping power," said Kathy Collins,
a spokeswoman for Lee in Shawnee Mission, Kan.
Mr. Chavira and Mr. Denton made a "powerful pair" for the pro bono campaign, because
both their mothers died of breast cancer. "Neither one knew about the other until we contacted
them" for the ads, Ms. Collins said. The campaign was created by Design Ranch, an agency in
Kansas City, Mo.
The use of the cast members in public service campaigns as well as product pitches is a sign their appeal
is deemed broad enough, and potentially long-lasting enough, to help draw support for causes.
"They're at the top of everyone's list," said Lisa Paulsen, president and chief executive of the
Entertainment Industry Foundation in Los Angeles. Ms. Cross and Felicity Huffman, who portrays the
put-upon Lynette Scavo, are the featured faces for the foundation's 2005 fund-raiser, a "Shoes
on Sale" show on the QVC shopping network scheduled for Oct. 26.
"The more noise we can create, the more money we raise," Ms. Paulsen said during the
program, which is supported by the Fashion Footwear Association of New York. The proceeds are
to be donated to benefit breast cancer research and education programs, she added, and the goal is to
sell 100,000 pairs of shoes for more than $3 million.
One big risk of using the cast members of a hit series in ads is that the show's appeal will fade, rendering
the campaign as hot as what the lyricist Dorothy Fields called yesterday's mashed potatoes.
Ms. Hamilton of L'Oréal agreed that marketers want to avoid "falling into the trap of the 'flavor
of the month' club," adding that her company's ideal was to affiliate with stars like Ms. Longoria
who have "such broad awareness and presence" that their appeal continues into "very
long-term relationships." For example, Heather Locklear, the star of the once-popular series
"Melrose Place," has been a spokeswoman for L'Oréal Paris for eight years, Ms. Hamilton said.
There are also those seeking to ride the "Desperate Housewives" bandwagon without
paying the fare. "Delighted housewives use Bosch appliances," declared an ad on the TV
listings page of USA Today. An ad from MGM Home Entertainment to promote the DVD release of
the film "The Graduate" said that Mrs. Robinson was "the original desperate
housewife." HX, a magazine for gay men published in New York, ran a cover article about
"Desperate Houseboys." And a campaign to promote reruns of a British series,
"Footballers' Wives," on the BBC America cable network carried this theme: "If
you're desperate this summer, here is a whole new set of housewives."
The Walt Disney Company, which owns ABC, is certainly not going to let everyone else get into the
act without some peddling of its own.
There is "Desperate Housewives" licensed merchandise like a calendar, T-shirts, a board
game and a book, and the first season's episodes are to be released on DVD on Sept. 20 by the
Buena Vista Home Entertainment division of Disney. "Hungry for more 'Desperate Housewives?,'"
a headline asks on DVD ads featuring a game, "Which desperate housewife are you?," that can
be played online (video.com/desperatehousewives).
"We're hoping the awareness" generated by the cast's ad appearances "will always drive
people back to the series," said Bruce Gersh, senior vice president for business development at ABC
Entertainment in Los Angeles. "We look to 'Desperate Housewives' as a franchise, and look for longevity."
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