Dive Brief:
- Ashton Kutcher is a man of many titles—actor, producer, co-founder of Katalyst Media, angel investor—and now, he adds yet another as the new project engineer for Lenovo.
- Lenovo CMO David Roman says Kutcher was brought on because he is a "super user" who understands technology through his own experience and through startups he has been involved in. Roman also admits that Kutcher's celebrity will help the brand's marketing.
- Kutcher will help Lenovo develop the Yoga tablet, which is part of an overall strategy for the brand to reach younger consumers.
Dive Insight:
Bringing on a celebrity like Kutcher in a consultant type of role, rather than just an endorsement deal, is a growing trend. Other examples include Blackberry hiring Alisha Keys as global creative director, Intel bringing on will.i.am as director of creative innovation and Polaroid naming Lady Gage its creative director. What the Lenovo CMO has clarified is that these celebrities can bring both a consulting element to the company as well as giving the brand another marketing angle.