STARS IN THEIR EYES.

Marketing Week, December, 2004

Advertising frequently employs celebrities to sell brands. But a handful of those involved in the advertising process have themselves plunged into the worlds of literature, film and music, in some cases becoming celebrities in their own right.

Actor Hugh Grant, for instance, used to be a copywriter at Arc Advertising: he is said to have not only written but also 'starred' in a Red Stripe lager radio campaign. Before he was arrested by the Los Angeles vice squad, he was a member of a four-strong group of performers called 'Jockey of Norfolk', who wrote and acted in ads.

Another famous performer and former adman is Justin Hawkins, lead singer of rock group The Darkness. He reportedly began his advertising career with a radio jingle for the Church of...