The rash of endorser deaths recently may have marked the end of an advertising era… the age of the spokesperson.

• Michael Jackson:  Pepsi
• Ed McMahon:  Publishers Clearing House
• Karl Malden:  American Express’s “Don’t Leave Home Without It”
• Farrah Fawcett:  Schick Speed Styler (for those 70′s wings)
• Billy Mays:  OxiClean, Mighty Putty, Hercules Hook, etc.

During the days when it was possible to sell 30 million copies of “Thriller” and 12 million copies of a pinup poster, these celebrity endorsers parlayed their popularity into selling products to massive audiences that only the Super Bowl and (maybe) the Oscars can generate today.

Now, our media markets are fragmented across hundreds of channels and Mr. Mays didn’t use mass-media or fame to sell products, but rather became famous by selling products to thousands of niche cable audiences over the course of a decade.  So much so that the question has become:

Will the next Billy Mays please stand up?  Mr. Mays turned out to be incredibly indispensible, but someone will have to replace him.  Options include:

• Billy Mays:  i.e. his father, Billy Mays, Sr., and his son, Billy Mays III, both of who also appeared in the Discover Channel show “Pitchmen.”
• Anthony Sullivan:  Mr. Mays’ longtime friend, DRTV producer and co-star on Discovery’s “Pitchmen,” but even Mr. Sullivan has conceded that he’s no Billy Mays.
• Vince Offer (a.k.a. Shlomi):  Mr. Offer’s breakthrough success with the ShamWow last year invited comparisons to Mr. Mays.  But, the man who uttered the memorable selling line “You’re gonna love my nuts” in his subsequent Slap Chop ad has a somewhat checkered past (and present… Miami Beach prostitute biting incident, anyone?).
• Pitchman TBD:  The next Billy Mays is most probably out there right now pitching kitchen gadgets at Costco, purse accessories at the flea market, and/or vacuums at the home show near you.  All of the above came from that type of background, which eventually translated to the small screen.

When you go to assign a person/personality to represent your brand, make sure their personality, appearance, and behaviors align with your company goals.