The problem with celebrities and brand association

I wrote a blog post a while back on what happens when celebrities jump ship and become the face of a new brand. Kate Moss did this when she appeared in a TV ad for Dior lipsticks after becoming known as the face of Rimmel.

Now it’s the turn of Myleene Klass. We became used to seeing her in the line up of models and celebs used by M&S in their TV ads. When I saw her on my TV screen the other night in a fashion ad I assumed it was for the same retailer. Then towards the end something jarred. Would M&S really talk about interest free credit? As the ad came to an end the Littlewoods name appeared and it sort of made sense.

Image taken from Sky living

OK, Myleene might not have represented M&S for a couple of years, but I’d be ready to bet that most consumers would still name her together with Twiggy as being linked to the brand and its ad campaigns.

The retailers, while clearly different, are still close enough to make me feel uncomfortable when I see them using the same celebrity. Does this tarnish M&S in hindsight? Does it give Littlewoods a slight uplift. And what does it say about the lovely Myleene?