Rachael Ray, Dunkin' Donuts and Terrorism

The positive and the negative with celebrity endorsers is that your brand becomes intertwined with their fate. Life is grand when actress Lindsay Lohan, star of Disney's Herbie: Fully Loaded, is the fresh face on your cereal box. Until she checks in to rehab.

You've probably read that Dunkin' Donuts this week pulled an ad featuring cooking cutie Rachael Ray. Seems that, in an ad, she was wearing a scarf that Fox News commentator Michelle Melkin claimed was a keffiyeh, adornment preferred by Muslim terrorists. Seeing a storm brewin' like a Dunk's extra large decaf, the company pulled the TV spot.

We aren't taking sides here, although we believe most firmly that Ms. Ray is probably not a terrorist sympathizer. (My BNET colleague Dan Mitchell is taking sides; read his critique of Dunkins' "cave in.") However, we take advantage of the news cycle to draw your attention to a recent HBS Working Knowledge article, Marketing Maria: Managing the Athlete Endorsement, on the power and pitfalls of sports endorsements.

Here are some BNET resources to draw upon before you decide to sign up that high Q Score personality to be the face of your product.

Celebrity Endorsements Reach for the Stars
Top 7 Ways to Get Your Product in the Hands of Celebrities
Celebrity Branding: Not as Glamorous as it Looks
Sell-Lebrity: Products Get the Star Treatment
In addition, BNET Industries bloggers, Dan Mitchel (Food & Bev) and Jake Swearingen (Advertising) have their own divergent takes.

So, if you could pick any personality to rep your product, who would it be?