South Africa, Oct. 14 -- That makes him a good choice to punt your product or brand - having a household name enthuse about what you have to offer means you have one foot in the door of consumer persuasion.

On the other hand, celebrity brings with it unique risks - like the person's fame threatening to overwhelm your marketing messaging.

Jamie Oliver and Checkers: A recipe that works

He's been out to South Africa on a few occasions to promote Checkers - and, though it may have cost them an arm and a leg, they're flying in the retail space, so they can clearly afford it.

Using Oliver was a smart move right from the beginning because Checkers is positioning itself as the savings person's alternative to Woolies - plenty of quality but at...