Back in the day when Britney Spears didn’t wear wigs, the then-fresh young talent and face was apparently a hot property for product endorsements.
Rewind seven years. Britney Spears’s train wreck of a career and life wasn’t yet daily fodder for the gossip press.
A recent trip to a Manhattan thrift store unearthed, for a dollar, a promotional CD the singer made in 2000 when she was a spokeswoman for Clairol’s Herbal Essences shampoo line.
Inexplicably absent from the promo disc was Spears’ song “I’ve Got the Urge to Herbal,” which was featured in 60-second radio spots, the New York Times reported in July 2000.
The CD leads off with a Britney non-hit and a short interview, in which Spears talks about early career highlights and espouses the benefits of Clairol. In between are four tracks from other acts signed to Jive label, none of whom are exactly household names today.
Asked which Clairol Herbal Essences products does she use, Britney enthusiastically responds: “I use the body lotion all the time. It’s so good; it really moisturizes my skin. It’s great. All my friends use it. I think it’s the new thing. I use Herbal Essences all the time at night. It keeps my hair really really healthy. Since I do go on stage every night, it’s really not good to put that much product in your hair all the time. It’s really important to have a good shampoo like that so I don’t damage my hair.”
“We’re going to push her products, and she’s going to push our products, and everyone’s going to be happy,” Larry Lucas, a Clairol senior product manager, told Forbes in March 2000.
That summer Clairol sponsored her 50-city concert tour, during which the brand was promoted during a pre-show video presentation.
At the time, the then-18-year old’s endorsement deals with Clairol, Polaroid and the Got Milk? campaign were worth $6 million, the magazine reported.
Times have changed.
Network
