It's not difficult to think Cristiano Ronaldo is perfect. Well, maybe almost perfect, after seeing his latest endorsement gig.
Made by Shun Hing Life & Beauty, Facial Fitness PAO is a device that looks very much like a propeller. To use it, one bites down on the mouthpiece and bobs their head up and down to flap the ends of the device. Facial Fitness PAO is designed to tone and tighten facial muscles. If that's the case, it's perfect to get Ronaldo to endorse the product because the man's got a face anyone would want.
Reaction to the endorsement, however, seems to be an equal mix of shock and amusement. That might not exactly be what Shun Hing Life & Beauty is going for but it's definitely creating buzz for its product, and at the end of the day that's what a company needs. Marketing lecturer Dr. Jasmina Llicic, from the University of Adelaide business school, stated that while the Facial Fitness PAO is a unique product, there is a natural fit between it and Ronaldo.
"They do promote it as a fitness related product and he's a sports related celebrity. It also seems to be beauty-related and he is an attractive male," she said.
Ronaldo is indeed a hot commodity with an image further enhanced by a supermodel girlfriend and 25 million Twitter followers. In fact, British magazine SportsPro has listed him as the fourth most marketable athlete for 2014.
It's not actually that farfetched for Ronaldo to endorse Facial Fitness PAO because it was made by the same company who produced ReFa Active, a product that he already endorses. Just a little problem: Ronaldo hasn't actually been seen using the Facial Fitness PAO. He does have a testimonial about it though: "In my everyday training sessions there is one area of my body that I hadn't been exercising: my facial muscles. That is, until I discovered PAO. PAO facial fitness is a fun way for building up your facial muscles and shaping up your smile," he says on the product site.
Aside from Facial Fitness PAO and ReFa Active, Ronaldo also endorses Clear Shampoo, Toyota, Samsung, Konami, Herbalife Nutritional Supplements, Banco Espirito Santo, Emporio Armani underwear and jeans, TAG Heuer watches, Castrol Edge motor oil, CR7 underwear and fashion line, Soccerade, KFC, Emirates and Nike. Nike pays him close to $10 million each year to wear the brand's apparel and cleats.
