I love Wayne Gretzky. Even though he moved south of the border long ago, I appreciate how he has remained connected to the Great White North, and that he continues to be a driving force in the development of Canada’s national sport. Others love Gretzky too – which is probably why he’s the spokesperson of choice for so many big-name brands in this country, like Ford and McDonald’s.

Still, while he has surely gone down in history as one of the prettiest stick-handlers in the game, his acting skills leave much to be desired – and that’s clear in the advertising.

Unfortunately, the problem goes deeper than the fact that Gretzky sounds like he’s reading a script. It’s just that I can’t see him driving a Ford, or chowing down a Big Mac, for that matter. His dad, Walter, on the other hand, who has appeared in ads for both marketers alongside his son, looks like a regular guy who would. And maybe that’s why they brought him into the fold. Then again, you’d think Wayne would have bought good ol’ dad a Caddy along the way.

There is a better way to present celebs in advertising, as ‘The fame game’ (see story, p. 1) points out, especially in light of the Kobe Bryant controversy. Kobe, who denies a recent sexual assault charge but has admitted to cheating on his wife, seemed squeaky clean – or so the NBA would have had us believe. What this suggests is that you never know how a star will act in his private life, no matter how safe the choice initially appears. It isn’t just the likes of basketball stars Latrell Sprewell or Allan Iverson that mess up. It’s Kobe and Martha Stewart too.

The key is to ensure that your brand, not the celebrity, remains the star of your marketing efforts. This will not only minimize the potential damage to your brand if your spokesperson pulls a Kobe, it will also be a more effective message. Let’s face it: how many people believe Tiger Woods would choose a Buick, or that Michael Jordan wears Hanes underwear? Well, maybe he does, but he looks more like the Calvin Klein type.

The best way to take advantage of star power is to use celebrities in a natural setting – doing what they do best. Nike, for one, has been exceptional at this. The company’s year-old advertising campaign, starring Toronto Raptors star Vince Carter, is an example. Unless you were a fan of the Raps, you might not have even recognized VC in the gritty Rucker Park TV spots. Of course, the target likely would have, but they would have thought the ads cool nonetheless; VC was one of many players in a re-creation of a match held in the Harlem venue back in the seventies.

Unfortunately, soon after the commercials hit the airwaves, Carter was sidelined with his annoying on-and-off-again knee injury, and while the Raps saw ticket sales drop, I doubt there was any negative impact on the performance of the ad – or sales for that matter. Nike also used Jordan effectively throughout the years by showing him at his game and that association paid off big time.

Still, pitchman Don Cherry has supposedly helped quick-service-restaurant chain Quiznos record double-digit sales increases over the last year – or has he? According to this issue’s Sandwich Wars (see p. 2), Quiznos is trying to sell upscale subs for prices that range between five and 10 bucks – not exactly the amount a blue-collar worker would dish out for a sandwich. And a scripted message from Grapes, although loved by many hockey-crazed Canadians, would likely resonate most with blue-collar workers, not the white-collar crowd that would likely be willing to pay that much for a quick bite.

I’d bet my lunch money that Cherry has had little to do with Quiznos’ performance in this country so far, and that the company’s success boils down to the quality of its product and the fancy names for its sandwiches, like the Tuscan Chicken. (Cherry always seemed more like a meat-and-potatoes guy.)

And Cherry’s acting skills are as bad as Gretzky’s, in fact worse, because in the advertising he attempts to convey the same passion that he possesses on Coach’s Corner. Problem is, on Coach’s Corner, that passion is both entertaining and real. In the spots for Quiznos, it’s just irritating.

Lisa D’Innocenzo

Associate Editor