Celebrity Endorsements: Good or Bad?

It's that time of year again. Thanksgiving, moving quickly into Christmas, and all the cheesy goodness that comes along with those jewelry commercials everyone moans and groans about but secretly enjoy watching.

But sometimes there is more than a superficial couple handing each other necklaces and watches that can turn a stoic person to mush. For me, it's the commercials for different national charities. St. Jude's Children's Hospital ads specifically. Recently, while I was enjoying some reality TV, an image of Jennifer Aniston and a young child with cancer appeared on the screen. It was a short commercial, only about thirty seconds, but it had an effect one me, as I'm sure it did to many others as well.

But was it the image of the little girl, or the power of a celebrity that made us pay attention?

It's not rare to see celebrities endorsing different causes. In fact, it kind of comes with the territory. It is a very powerful Public Relations tool and I think it's a fabulous way to draw attention to a cause. Sometimes I question though, whether the celebrity actually feels a connection to what they're endorsing, or if it's just a ploy to better their public image.

In the case of Jennifer Aniston though and this commercial, I felt as though it was real. You could tell that she cared about what she was talking about...even though she is an actor, you can't fake real caring and real passion.

Celebrity endorsements, if done right, are a good thing.

But what are your thoughts? Watch the video below, and judge for yourself.

Kim Kardashian and PR...why not?

Celebrities and Public Relations. I don't know about you, but I don't necessarily think of those two going together. The term "crisis management" seems more relevant. It's far too often that we see these young celebrity's lives being turned into a media circus with a head shaving (sorry Ms. Spears), a nasty divorce battle (yes, you Jon and Kate Gosselin), or just by being a plain old mess (Lindsay Lohan, you know I'm talking about you).

Yet the words celebrity and public relations can very much go together, or at least that's what Kim Kardashian claims. Yes, I know, I can't even take myself seriously after typing that sentence. But still, as much as we may hate to admit it, Kim Kardashian has made a lot of...well pretty much nothing. And to add to her list of accomplishments, she's going to be producing a show focusing on the world of PR. Specifically, celebrities and the world of PR.

The show will focus on Jonathan Cheber and Simon Huck of Command Public Relations, a firm with branches in Los Angeles, Miami and New York.

Kardashian herself is a big believer in the duo, stating to People.com that "...they focus on corporate PR and building brands; they don't represent any individuals so they see the bigger picture. They see how to make a celebrity into a brand."

While I'm impressed with her wording, only time will tell if this show is going to legitimately demonstrate PR tactics...or just be a thirty minute segment of schmoozing with celebs. I'll try to watch with an open mind...don't disappoint me Kim!

While not much is known about the debut of the show, People. com is reporting that it should air sometime in 2010, but the cable channel that picked it up is unknown at this time.