Are celebrities the key to TV advertising

A.� Celebrity endorsement on television is becoming more popular. The public, it seems, are happy to fall for the idea that Jamie Oliver shops in Sainsbury's and footballer David Beckham uses Brylcream.

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Q.� What are some of the most successful TV campaigns

A.� The Gary Lineker campaign for Walkers crisps is one of the most successful, according to the industry. They key, according to Abbott Mead Vickers, the company which handles the Walkers account, is making sure the celebrity is relevant to the brand. In this case, Walkers crisps are made in Leicester and Lineker hails from Leicester. The campaign has been consistently based on the fact that the crisps are so irrestible that the most reasonable people will do bad things to get their hands on them.

Tennis star Anna Kournikova attracted huge media coverage when she apeared on a poster for Berlei sports bras. The campaign cost around �500,000, but the coverage was worth millions.

Tesco has consistently won plaudits for its campaign starring Prunella Scales and Jane Horrocks.

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Q.� What about ads that don't make it

A.� Celebrity endorsement can bring problems too. Pepsi had just sponsored Michael Jackson to the tune of $20 million when he became embroiled in child abuse allegations. Another Pepsi drinker, boxer Mike Tyson, was swiftly dropped after reports he had punched his then wife, Robin Givens.

Sometimes the celebrity can be so overpowering, viewers overlook the product. The BT campaign starring Maureen Lipman as the overbearing Beattie was very popular, but the services BT was trying to sell were overshadowed, according the industry.

Barclaycard suffered a similar fate with its TV campaign starring Rowan Atkinson as a hapless spy. The point of the ads - that buying with Barclaycard is safe because your purchases are insured - were overlooked by the popularity of the character. In adland, these are known as 'vampire videos' because they suck the blood out of the brand.

For the celebrity it can be a high price too. Caprice and Sophie Anderton can be grateful for their campaigns, but Bob Hoskins immortalised the slogan, "It's good to tawk,", and Clement Freud is forever linked with Chunky Minced Morsels.

Soccer hardman Vinne Jones is about to appear in a new TV campaign worth �12 million for Bacardi. The James Bond-style skit features Jones as the action hero rewarded by a glass of Bacardi, and is set to the sound of thumping dance music.

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Q.� What is the point of the Heineken new ad

A.� The ad, a veritable list of celebrities, shows the likes of Tamara Beckwith, Jimmy Savile and Paul Daniels standing around a piano performing an off-key rendition of Burt Bacharach's Close To You before being eaten by lions. "How refreshing, how heineken" is the sign-off.

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By Katharine MacColl