PR Week Echo Columns

Analysis and commentary by Echo Research. This article and further information is at: www.echoResearch.com

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Headlines were personal last week, as TV presenter, celebrity and Soduku ace Carol Voderman came under pressure to drop her advertising contract with FirstPlus, the loan consolidation company. "Sorry Carol, these loans just don't add up", said the Guardian (6/5), while the Daily Record simply stated, "Not much credit for TV Carol" (5/5).

Celebrity product endorsement may be routine but there are rules to the game. The issue with Ms Voderman's appearance on FirstPlus advertisements, was that "Her profile is a problem", (SkyNews, 4/5). Martin Lewis, "money saving guru" (creditcards-gb.co.uk, 7/5), and originator of the petition urging Ms Voderman, "to drop TV loan ads" (Reuters, 5/5), said: "The use of a trusted maths genius to sell a product many people don't fully understand is an extremely powerful concept" (Guardian, 5/5).

FirstPlus, "a reputable secured-loans company" (CV's Manager, Ananova, 5/5), inadvertently supported the opposition stating, "lending more equity than people had in their property was part of its service" (Which.co.uk, 4/5). Ms Voderman, however, "declined to comment" (bbc.co.uk, 5/5).

The Independent meanwhile hoped "Vorderman does the right thing" requesting Carol to prove that "the numbers on the cheque she receives from FirstPlus are not the most important figures of all" (Independent, 6/5).