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She's beautiful, talented and sensible too
(Western Mail Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge)From The Darling Buds of May to the darling of advertising, Catherine Zeta-Jones has become the number one choice for companies looking for a big celebrity endorsement. The Swansea-born actress scooped a $US20m (pounds 11.2m) contract with communications giant T-Mobile, putting her top of a list of celebrity advert payments compiled by American magazine, Adweek.
This figure was reached without factoring in further lucrative deals with the likes of Elizabeth Arden cosmetics. Zeta-Jones was the only Briton in the list, beating Hollywood A-listers Angelina Jolie and Nicole Kidman to the top spot. Jolie's print advertisements for St John clothing earned her more than $12m (pounds 6.6m) and Kidman's contract with Chanel No 5 perfume also earned her the same amount.
Zeta-Jones signed her first two-year contract with T-Mobile in 2002, replacing Jamie Lee Curtis as the face of the company. She is now into her second two-year contract after it was extended in 2005 and it is still considered to be one of the most lucrative endorsement deals ever made.
Zeta-Jones's appeal is her stardom and glamour rating, according to experts.
Martin Evans, head of Marketing and Strategy at the Cardiff Business School, said, 'It depends on the particular brand. Companies will do their research encapsulating which personality traits they want to project.'
Robert Lloyd Griffiths, director of marketing business development at Leo Abse and Cohen Solicitors in Cardiff, said, 'It's all part of stardom. That's what they want to buy into.
'Catherine Zeta-Jones is an independent woman, she is talented, very attractive and she is a huge, huge success - all the attributes that companies want to link their brand with are epitomised in her.
'She is also sexy and forthright and she knows her own mind. She is a must-see celebrity.'
But her wholesome, mother- of-two image is also hugely attractive to advertisers according to Mr Lloyd Griffiths. He said, 'She is a clean-cut, family woman. She is sensible and she doesn't do the wrong thing. There is no negative background to her.'
Mr Evans added, 'Catherine Zeta-Jones is attractive physically but her domestic circumstances will appeal to some brands.'
And with Jolie and Kidman also being high-profile celebrity mothers, it seems the wholesome matriarchal image is a major lure for advertisers.
But Zeta-Jones's deal with T-Mobile is just the tip of the iceberg. On top of her millions made in acting, her four-year advertising contract with Elizabeth Arden cosmetics was said to be worth pounds 600,000 and deals with Alfa Romeo and Lux Shampoo all add to a tidy sum.
Adweek even said she could quit her day job and still live the celebrity lifestyle with the millions she makes from commercials.
But the T-Mobile campaign has only been used in America, sparking questions over her popularity in Britain.
Mr Lloyd Griffiths said, 'We probably couldn't afford her but she would be hugely popular over here too. I think it is only a matter of time before someone in the UK snaps her up.
'Take Sharon Osbourne - she was snapped up by Asda to do an advertising campaign.
'Companies want someone with international influence and Catherine Zeta-Jones has got that in spades.'
But simply being female is a bonus for advertisers. The Adweek list features only one male with Brad Pitt sitting at number eight for promoting Heineken beer.
Mr Lloyd Griffiths said, 'It's about the glamour. The majority of men don't wear make-up so that is the reality of it.
'It is a fickle business but someone like Catherine Zeta-Jones has got it all I think - she is an all-rounder, an advertiser's dream.'
He said even if she lost her looks, Zeta-Jones would still have appeal.
'She is beyond an actress, she is a personality. I don't think looks necessarily matter because her star quality will last as long as she remains a personality.': Who sells what, for whom, and for how much:1. Catherine Zeta-Jones, T-Mobile: $20m 2. Angelina Jolie, St John: $12m-plus 3. Nicole Kidman, Chanel No 5: $12m 4. Jessica Simpson, Guthy-Renker: $7.5m 5. Gwyneth Paltrow, Estee Lauder: $6m-plus 6. Charlize Theron, Dior: $6m 7. Julia Roberts, Gianfranco Ferre: $5m 8. Brad Pitt, Heineken: $4m 9. Scarlett Johansson, L'Oreal: $4m 10. Penelope Cruz, L'Oreal: $4m.
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