But What Does S. Epatha Merkerson Think?

Celebrity endorsements are dumb, but they must work... ad execs certainly wouldn't throw money at actors, athletes and assorted a-holes if they didn't somehow raise the sales of whatever good or product is being endorsed. I don't understand how or why, but such are the mysteries of life.



I would assume, perhaps incorrectly, that endorsements work best when the celebrity has some association with what's being endorsed... like star quarterback and insurance maven Aaron Rodgers and State Farm (which is actually a pretty funny commercial) or noted photographer and ridiculously obnoxious gadabout Ashton Kutcher and Nikon cameras. Oh... wait...

But Coricidin HPB, a heart-friendly cold medicine, apparently decided to actually find a celebrity with a tenuous connection to their product. They found that celebrity in real life high blood pressure sufferer S. Epatha Merkerson. I imagine Coricidin sales have skyrocketed since harnessing the megawatt power of the lady who's been on "Law & Order" pretty much forever.

I think S. Epatha Merkerson is a fine actress. She's perfectly respectable, and would make a fine spokesperson for any product... What I find amusing about the Coricidin campaign is that make a special note that S. Epatha Merkerson is their spokesperson. Her name pops up on the TV ad, like her name carries a lot of cachet in the heart-friendly-cold-medicine world. It reminds me of the Art Linklater endorsing The Game of Life days, like Coricidin hit the jackpot when they finally got the S. Epatha seal of approval...

I like to imagine that there's a huge demographic out there that make their pharmacological buying decisions based on the recommendations of S. Epatha Merkerson... "Man, I've got a sore freaking tooth... I should really get some Anbesol. Wait! Hold on! Before I get this... I'd better figure out what S. Epatha Merkerson thinks."