"Johnson No Longer Holds the Magic for Advertisers"

Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1991. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.

"Johnson No Longer Holds the Magic for Advertisers"

United Press International (12/28/91)

Abstract: Los Angeles--Advertisers have quietly shied away from Magic Johnson since his announcement seven weeks ago that he is HIV-positive. David Burns, president of Burns Sports Celebrity Service, a Chicago consulting firm, said, "You don't put a sick person in an ad, particularly a fatally ill one. It's a fundamental rule of advertising." Since Johnson's Nov. 7 disclosure, only Converse Inc. and Spalding Sports Worldwide have kept plans to include Johnson in future product advertisements. Other advertisers Johnson has worked with, such as Target Stores, Kentucky Fried Chicken, and Nestle, are either dropping him or reassessing ad campaigns. One sports marketing analyst projects that Johnson's lost endorsement fees could cost him more than $25 million. Linda Gavlick, a Nestle spokeswoman, said the company is "exploring" support of AIDS education, but it has not run any ads featuring Johnson since he signed to Nestle three months ago. Target Stores and Kentucky Fried Chicken say they do not expect to use Johnson in 1992, but they maintain that the decision has no relation to his infection.

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