Spokespeople Wanted

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Rise-N-Shine to Anderson Cooper: Lose the Gray and We'll Pay!

BY Lizette Chapman Thu Aug 19, 2010

Paying celebrities to pimp your product is nothing new. From Gillette courting ZZ Top front men to shave (they declined), to Weight Watchers convincing Sarah Ferguson to endorse their slim-down system (she did), marketing gurus have long used star power to shine some light on their own products.

The newest target: CNN anchor Anderson Cooper and his gray hair.

New Jersey-based Rise-N-Shine has reportedly offered the newsman $1 million to take their "Go Away Gray" pills for 60 days and use Twitter and Facebook to share his experience. That's about one-third the price for a 30-second Super Bowl ad, but with even more impact.

Unlike Super Bowl ads, which you can fast forward, Anderson's head of closely cropped gray hair cannot be skipped. Or even ignored. Every time viewers watch him during those 60 days they'll be watching his hair and whether it's turning brown. Think of the video montage possibilities.

Damn interesting proposition and the economics (at least for the four-year-old company) make sense. Sold 60 pills at a time on Amazon, or a two-month supply for $24.99, the pills have nine customer reviews and just two stars.

Rise-N-Shine also sells "RoyalFlush" laxative pills, "MenoPause Chill Pills," and others to help people wake up, fall asleep, lose weight, and remember things.

No word on whether Rise-N-Shine is seeking spokespeople for those.