Spokesperson fiasco #19: Whoopi Goldberg and Slim-Fast
Posted by: in Marketing and AdvertisingFiled under: Marketing and advertising, Unilever ADR (UL)
This post is part of a series on celebrity spokespeople who ended up doing serious harm to the brands they were hired to promote, or vice versa. See how we rank the 20 top spokesperson fiascos.
I have to wonder what Slim-Fast (Unilever ADR, NYSE:UL) was thinking when they hired Whoopi Goldberg. Many of their earlier spokespersons, including Ann Jillian and Kathy Lee Gifford, exuded a sort of “if you don’t love me, I’ll die,” desperation. On the other hand, Whoopi’s self-confidence and pride are as much a part of her persona as her granny glasses and trademark braided hair. Although she has never shied away from the spotlight, a great deal of Whoopi’s strength lies in her low-key energy and undeniable power. In retrospect, this might have made her a less than best choice to shill for the brand, which thrives on insecurity.
Regardless, in late 2003, Slim-Fast talked Whoopi into hawking their shakes; presumably, there was a very massive check involved. Things progressed relatively well until July 2004, when she decided to appear at a gala fundraiser for Democratic Presidential candidate John Kerry. Carrying a bottle of wine onstage, Goldberg pretended to read from the label: “When Bush comes to shove, don’t whine. Vote Kerry.” She proceeded to launch into a series of bush-themed double entendres.
Nearly immediately, Bush supporters began calling and writing Slim-Fast, threatening to boycott the company’s products if it continued to employ Goldberg. Slim-Fast swiftly caved, stating that it was disappointed in Whoopi and would no longer air her commercials. She responded that, “While I can appreciate what the Slim-Fast people need to do in order to protect their business, I must also do what I need to do as an artist, as a writer, and as an American — not to mention as a comic […] I only wish that the Republican re-election committee would spend as much time working on the economy as they seem to be spending trying to harm my pocketbook.”
Goldberg proceeded to reprise the routine at other venues; she later found a place on The View. In the meantime, Slim-Fast went on to hire Rachel Hunter, whose conventional good looks and palpable insecurity are far more fitting for their marketing demographic. Recently, however, the company has demonstrated an amazing inability to learn from the mistakes of the past. In January 2008, they approached rapper Eminem with an endorsement offer; one can’t help but wonder if his misogynistic, violent lyrics might not alienate Slim Fast’s target market!
A lot of people, including me, thought that actor James Garner gave up the ghost some time ago. Doing the “Rockford Files” Television series must have taken a lot out of him. Then there were all those times he was shot playing Western gambler “Maverick.” He was so good at it, he even got a role in the motion picture version.
The prestigious 2008 No Kidding! Award For Obviousness in Financial Journalism goes to the Associated Press for this headline: 
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