Even in the paparazzi gym-and-swimwear shots, Princess Diana never appeared quite like this: playing the cello clad only in bra and underpants (and regal tiara).
“Feel the romance of British royalty — Diana underwear,” reads the poster from China’s splendidly named Jealousy International brand. Inspect it closely and the woman is, of course, a lookalike.
The ad prompted censure in the UK, but it caused hardly a ripple in China, where improbable celebrity “endorsements” have a long, if not distinguished, pedigree.
Jeremy Goldkorn, who runs the Beijing-based media Web site danwei.org (a partner of the Guardian) says using images of stars on products without their knowledge has been popular since 2003, when several real estate developers claimed former US president Bill Clinton as a spokesman.
US President Barack Obama has proved no less commercially minded, apparently taking a break from governing to plug the “Blockberry Whirlwind” smartphone (not, of course, to be confused with the BlackBerry Storm).
Obama then joined forces with Bill Gates and Warren Buffett to promote the Ivy Garden apartment block in Shaanxi. Developers plastered giant images of the three across billboards around the site, until killjoy officials ordered their removal. Apparently, they were the teensiest bit suspicious that Buffett’s quote — “This is the most important investment of my life” — did not originally refer to the complex.
Entertainers are also popular choices; Kelly Brook and Mena Suvari discovered their images had been plastered across the front of Chinese condom packets.
Some may find it hard to sympathize with highly paid celebrities who miss out on a few thousand extra yuan, but the ads can hit their image — and pride — as well as their bank balances. It’s one thing to be exploited to flog apartments; another to be recruited as the face of erectile dysfunction. Sean Connery was forced to threaten legal action after learning that he was “starring” in ads for an anti-impotence drug alongside David Beckham — who was similarly furious.
The badly dubbed ads for USA Selikon featured Goldenballs and his wife with “Beckham” announcing in Chinese that the medicine was “the secret weapon with which I can satisfy Victoria.”
“I don’t think Chinese people really trust celebrity endorsements anyway — but they can make a product stand out from the crowd. That’s why companies continue to do it,” Goldkorn said.
When Chinese star Muzimei shot to fame for her graphic sex blog, entrepreneurs were swift to use her name for products without her permission. The condoms and underwear might have been predictable, but few would relish lending their name to a rat poison.
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Tropical Storm Koto killed three people and left another missing as it approached Vietnam, authorities said yesterday, as strong winds and high seas buffeted vessels off the country’s flood-hit central coast. Heavy rains have lashed Vietnam’s middle belt in recent weeks, flooding historic sites and popular holiday destinations, and causing hundreds of millions of dollars in damage. Authorities ordered boats to shore and diverted dozens of flights as Koto whipped up huge waves and dangerous winds, state media reported. Two vessels sank in the rough seas, a fishing boat in Khanh Hoa province and a smaller raft in Lam Dong, according to the
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