2 posts tagged “nascar”
As a loyal fan of the Waltons, I knew every character well. As the series limped through its final season or two, a new character was introduced. He was a wounded and shy suitor for cousin Rose. I silently cheered him on as he struggled to work through past hurts and win Rose’s heart.
So imagine my disappointment when I next saw Rose’s suitor on t.v. It was an ad and this time he was a wise, trustworthy, gentle medical professional telling me to shop at his pharmacy. And try as I might, I could not get beyond the fact that he was simply an actor. It was then that I decided I would never buy a product just because an actor told me to. Celebrity endorsements would mean nothing to me. As a matter of principle, I would avoid a product if a celebrity endorsed it. And I would not endorse a celebrity if they started hawking products. Period.
The next time I checked, I was a middle-aged mother and a passionate lover of Nascar. The engine-throbbing, tire-squealing sport was the only one Checkered and I had in common. And within a short-time, each of our kids had a favorite driver, too.
And that’s where the problem first emerged. Our daughter loves the driver, Dale Earnhardt, Jr. The problem? His major sponsor has been a beer, Budweiser. To be blunt: no one in this family is going to endorse any alcoholic beverage. Trying to find Dale Junior apparel without the Bud reference was an almost insurmountable task.
But things got better: this year he is driving for a new team and his new sponsors include Pepsi (Amp) and the National Guard. Now when we look for Dale Jr. clothing, if it is covered with references to his sponsors, we have no ethical trouble with. So much for my promise of seperating a celebrity from his/her endorsements.
Problem over? Of course not.
Checkered and I share a driver, Kasey Kahne. We like his blue eyes and curly hair his driving skills. It didn’t hurt either that he drove for a corporate sponsor near and dear to our pocketbook.
So we have Kasey Kahne hats, clothing, stickers, et cetera, all with reference to our favorite corporate sponsor. The new problem? Kahne’s sponsor changed this year.
You guessed it. He is now sponsored by Budweiser.
Oh, Kasey! Forgive us, but your sponsorship change may force us to find a new driver or at least stop buying your stuff. *sniff* *sob*
I am a sucker for advertising. Put an ad on at 9 p.m. for carry-out, and guess what my family gets for dinner the next night?
Ads work in this house.
The problem I do have is with celebrity endorsements. Why would a musician or actor be a better judge of our country’s economic/social or international needs than anyone else? For that matter, why would a senator be a better president than a successful CEO?
Sorry, back to the point: I am a natural researcher. Give me a topic, and I will gladly lose multiple hours learning about it and evaluating it. Maybe that’s the reason I get frustrated when someone buys a product because a paid celebrity says he/she should.
But if I’m honest, my troubles with celebrity endorsements stem from my adolescent years. The Waltons never knew how much I loved them. I mean, I really, really loved them. I knew each character with his/her foibles. I knew their strengths, their temptations, their struggles.
I never did like John Boy with his self-professed moral and cognitive superiority.
The Walton I pined away for was Jason, who struggled in John Boy’s shadow. Jason, who had the real talent. Jason, who was forced to live with jug ears. After Michael (NOT Micky) from the Monkees, Jason was my second biggest “celebrity” crush.
The Walton girl I admired the most was Mary Ellen. She had nerve which outpaced her self-discipline and got her into lots of trouble. But the Walton girl I wanted in a friend was Erin. With her sweet, acquiescent spirit, she would have been the greatest friend I could ever have hoped for.
And where is this rhapsody over the Waltons taking us? Why straight to Nascar, of course. So fasten your seat-belt, strap on the helmet and join me for a quick lap tomorrow as we see how the Waltons could ever be tied to Caution’s perspective of Nascar.
