Kerry Katona to be dropped from Iceland advertising

by Jennifer Whitehead, Brand Republic 08-Jan-08, 09:05

LONDON - Kerry Katona, the former popstar now better known for her lifestyle excesses, has lost her contract as the spokeswoman for supermarket chain Iceland, which will not be renewed when it comes to an end in March.

The Daily Mirror reports that the former Atomic Kitten singer is being dropped because of repeated controversies and because the ads have been so widely criticised.

The Iceland campaign is built around the slogan: "That's why mums go to Iceland". Katona, a one-time "mother of the year" was seen as an ideal representative for the brand following her success when she won "I'm a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here" in 2004.

However, Katona has been criticised for smoking and drinking while she is pregnant, and has also been forced to deny claims that she takes class-A drugs. Tabloids recently ran stories about her fighting with her mother-in-law, and she made headlines following an interview on GMTV in which she seemed somewhat worse for wear.

The Iceland campaigns are made by Salford-based Tom Reddy Advertising. Other celebrities to have been roped in to join Katona in campaigns are Jason Donovan, who won "I'm a Celebrity" in 2006, and TV host Coleen Nolan.

Iceland's 'I'm a Celebrity' idents were named turkey of the week by Campaign magazine and the whole campaign made the magazine's list of worst celebrity advertising.

Although the campaigns have been widely panned, research by Marketing magazine has shown that the ads have incredibly high recall.

One spot, where Katona promoted roasting joints that could be cooked from frozen, had the second-highest recall of any ad shown during a yearlong period.

Iceland marketing director Nick Canning told the Mirror: "It is clear we have been hiring different staff including Jason Donovan and Coleen Nolan over Christmas. I'm not sure what contract we will be able to offer."

Comments

Mike Blunt - 08/01/2008

Agree with Tommy, but I actually think these ads were one of the few cases where the celeb used was actually quite appropriate to the target market. Unlike the scraping together of celeb leftovers that Morrison's put together for no apparent reason other than all advertising seems to have to have a celeb in it somewhere these days to get even made.

WALTER DENNY - 08/01/2008

I agree and she comes across very well in the ads and lets face it mums are not all squeaky clean these days themselves and people are much more broad minded. If the format works buck the trend and have the courage to keep it going. You never know consumers might just appreciate a brand that reflects the realities of life.

christian james - 08/01/2008

there are so many personality fits between Katona and Iceland that it is going to be a hard act to walk away from particularly when she delivers recall like that. But when your spokesperson is associated with being dishonest or with behaviour we are all supposed to abhore, perhaps it's time to move on. i would imagine it's not great for staff at Iceland either to see their brand sullied in the press whenever she hits the headlines. And as any retailer knows only too well, if your staff aren't on side, you may as well pack up. www.ifagency.co.uk

christian james - 08/01/2008

SEAN RUTTLEDGE - 08/01/2008

Bad move ! Icelandics are the biggest drinkers I know

Angie Tiller - 09/01/2008

Maybe Iceland need this to evaluate their image in the market place, and consider their potential market they have been neglecting. Surely they need to reach anyone with a freezer and a limited food budget, not just mums?