• Ad Age, Wednesday, December 21, 2005 12:16 PM

All marketers know the potential dangers of using celebrities in their advertising. They also know the benefits. Virgin Mobile is no exception, and now the marketer is taking a chance on scandal-ridden supermodel Kate Moss. Virgin is bound to garner more than its share of attention from using Moss, but whether it will benefit the company remains to be seen. Moss recently emerged from a 30-day rehab program in Arizona not long after a British tabloid ran photos of her taking cocaine in a London recording studio. In the Virgin spot, Moss pokes fun at the contretemps. It shows her relaxing at home and making tea when she receives a phone call from her American agent, Kyle. Kyle tells her that he has found the perfect contract for her, although he is guarded about the details because, he says, "there are spies everywhere." "Just trust me" he continues, "this is what we've been looking for. We're back on top, hon. Don't call it a comeback". By the end of the ad the viewer learns that Kyle is in fact in a Virgin Mobile store, and the contract that they have been looking for all this time is a new monthly contract with Virgin Mobile. Moss is a longtime friend of Virgin Group Chief Executive Richard Branson and was reportedly paid $2.1 million to star in the spot.

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