Beckham will bend it for Motorola now

The Daily Herald writes that Motorola (MOT) "has hired soccer star David Beckham as its "brand ambassador," or spokesman, to promote its products in Asia. Beckham will make personal appearances, do advertising spots and provide his image for exclusive screen savers and video clips for Motorola mobile phones. He'll also be seen carrying Motorola products while playing for England's national team during the World Cup and could pop up in other countries as well."

The article notes Motorola has been starstruck recently signing up a number of brand ambassadors, either overseas or in the United States."

Carmi Levy at Info-Tech Research Group commented that "what's hot in mobile phones often depends more on how sleek and sexy the product is rather than its features." He said, "This is prompting wireless handset vendors like Motorola to shift their marketing and branding efforts. The messaging is now more like other image-conscious consumer products, and less like the tech-heavy ads of the past."

Levy noted "companies will continue to shell out big bucks for big stars because they will help to sell the product." Levy said, "I would expect Motorola to assess the results of its campaign in India before embarking on any significant changes to its North American marketing and branding strategy."