Martha Stewart

[skywalker]

Bear with me...there is question at the end.

It appears that Martha has been accused of insider trading...selling over $200,000 of ImClone stock just before the Food and Drug Administration denied ImClone's application for a new cancer drug and its value collapsed. She was a good friend of founder and chief executive Samuel Waksal, who some speculate gave her inside info.

Now on ABC News today there was a story about this and there was speculation about how this would affect Stewart's multi-million dollar business. Would people not buy her sheets, books, etc. and not
use her recommended recipes or shop at K-mart because of the insider trading accusation?

Finally, here is the question: Do you buy things based on a "famous?" person's endorsement/brand or buy stuff because it's a good product? Are people unable to make decisions on their own without a celebrity telling them what is good?

Mark

[Ladyzekke]

I buy what I think is good, what are my tastes, never pay a lick of attention to what brand name it is, just the price tag [img]smile.gif[/img]

[John D Harris]

Originally posted by skywalker: Bear with me...there is question at the end. Finally, here is the question: Do you buy things based on a "famous?" person's endorsement/brand or buy stuff because it's a good product? Are people unable to make decisions on their own without a celebrity telling them what is good? Mark

That's what the celebrities,PR firms, Advertising agencies, and the press seem to think. Personally I think celebrities can do much more damage then good ie: Rosie O'donald's comments about guns, while she was a K-Mart spokes person. That pissed a lot of people off, and they quit buying items at K-Mart. I've never bought anything because a celebrity said it was good, but I sure as "water is wet" not bought an item because the celebrity offended my intelligence, morals, sense of honor, or whatever. I feel that any company that spends money on a celebrity endorsement, thinking I'll go out and buy thier product because a celeb said so, are idiots. My experiance has taught me that idiots don't make the best products.
Advertising is my field, it's what I used to do for a living. Now I just draw pretty pictures to be printed on t-shirts.

edit: Good question Skywalker, are you sure you're not a conservative republician in wolf's clothing?

[ 06-14-2002, 07:56 PM: Message edited by: John D Harris ]

[johnny]

that's a good question dude, and the answer is: a whole lot of people are, no matter how stupid that sounds. Some famous people have that effect on humans, it's sad but it's true.

[The Hunter of Jahanna]

First off , I HATE martha Stewart with a burning fury !! I hope they lock her away in some dark dungeon of a jail untill the end times when she will be needed in the Meddigo valley for Armageddon.

As for celebrity endorsement, it doesnt make my buy stuff , but it will make me not buy stuff. I judge the endorsement by the company it keeps. If some go-tard like Britney Spears or Martha Stewart endorses something than it cant be all that good by virtue of the mindless corporate troll trying to sell it to me. On the otherhand , if some gimp genius like Stephen Hawkings was to endorse something , I might be inclined to give it a try simply because it isnt being pushed by some talentless , brainless bimbo.

[skywalker]

Originally posted by John D Harris: edit: Good question Skywalker, are you sure you're not a conservative republician in wolf's clothing?

Well, John. I have never said I was a Democrat and by the same token, I've never said I "wasn't" a Republican. I call myself an Independent because I usually vote for the best person for the job.

I'm not anti anything except maybe Anti-Bush, Anti-Rumsfeld, or Anti-Ashcroft!

Mark

[John D Harris]

Originally posted by skywalker: quote: Originally posted by John D Harris: edit: Good question Skywalker, are you sure you're not a conservative republician in wolf's clothing?

Well, John. I have never said I was a Democrat and by the same token, I've never said I "wasn't" a Republican. I call myself an Independent because I usually vote for the best person for the job.

I'm not anti anything except maybe Anti-Bush, Anti-Rumsfeld, or Anti-Ashcroft!

Mark[/QUOTE]Skywalker don't shatter My illusion of you being a Yankee Democrat, There's so few I can converse with

[/)eathKiller]

In my opinionn slap anyone face on anything and it'l attract millions of celebrety-loving idiots... but the reality is, good products should be able to sell themselves..

Originally posted by skywalker: Bear with me...there is question at the end. It appears that Martha has been accused of insider trading...selling over $200,000 of ImClone stock just before the Food and Drug Administration denied ImClone's application for a new cancer drug and its value collapsed. She was a good friend of founder and chief executive Samuel Waksal, who some speculate gave her inside info. Now on ABC News today there was a story about this and there was speculation about how this would affect Stewart's multi-million dollar business. Would people not buy her sheets, books, etc. and not use her recommended recipes or shop at K-mart because of the insider trading accusation? Finally, here is the question: Do you buy things based on a "famous?" person's endorsement/brand or buy stuff because it's a good product? Are people unable to make decisions on their own without a celebrity telling them what is good? Mark

Hey, if I were her, I would have done the same thing...why let your money slip though your fingers when you know the product you invested in is going to fail. Whether she had inside information makes no difference IMO...she sold...she had every right.

Some people who invest in the stock market and shop at K-Mart will probably have a problem with buying her products in the future (see the humor in that one? ) but I doubt it will affect her overall sales...people buy what someone tells them to or they buy what they like.
Personally I buy what I like and so far haven't tried anything Ms. Stewart has created or endorsed.

I heard K-Mart filed for bankruptcy earlier this year so sometime in the future she'll either be peddling her wares at Big Lots or Wal-Mart anyway.

[ 06-15-2002, 12:17 AM: Message edited by: Moni ]

[skywalker]

Well, I did use martha Stewart as the hook for the question, but it certainly is not just about her products.

I wonder how many kids (and adults) bought Air Jordans because og Micheal Jordan's name. I'm not so sure that a majority of people buy stuff because it's good or because a big star tells them to.

If they don't, it's odd that the media paints us that way.

One of my favorite actors is Harrison Ford. If he sold out(and I do believe endorsing products is selling out)and started hawking Chock Full O' Nuts coffee, I wouldn't just start buying it. I prefer Maxwell House. Now if there was a sale and the price was low, I'd buy a can of CFON coffee. If liked it, I might switch. But not because of Ford. I think the media really thinks we are just a bunch of lemmings! [img]tongue.gif[/img]

Mark