Do you shy away from fragrances endorsed by celebrities?

I'd like to know how many people here are turned off from buying a new bottle when they roll up to the counter and the displays and merchandising have a celebrity's image all over them.

Now hear me out here, I know these things are going to have nothing to do with how it actually smells. But think of how obsessed the industry is with packaging. Don't get me wrong i do like interesting packaging, it helps express the fragrance sometimes. But I HATE when I know a company has paid a celebrity a whole bunch of money to be the spokesperson for a certain fragrance, when they could have put that money into making the fragrance or packaging better. The best fragrances don't need a celeb hawking them. Also, choice of spokesperson according to who they want to market the fragrance to sometimes alienates other demographics. And lastly, I tend to think of celeb endorsed fragrances as corny, or not serious.

For example:

A Fragrance that i like, but i feel falls short of what it could be is Life, by Aramis. There are many negative reviews of this fragrance around. It is half decent, but not spectacular.
If Aramis played their cards right maybe they could have had another havana, or JHL. Instead they probably payed Andre Agasi big bucks to endorse it, and skipped on the fragrance. Also it's suggestive marketing, Agasi is a middle aged man, with a certain set of characteristics. People like me don't want to be like Agasi. I don't have anything specific against him, but he has nothing to do with the fragrance other than the target demo they're trying to reach. Plus i just think it's corny to see his face all over it.
It's a novelty to me. Like the fact that hummer makes a fragrance. Sure that kind of marketing impacts some people, but they smell like sh*t.

Of Course with some fragrances it's a tradition, Chanel no. 5 for instance, but i see that as more of a cultural thing. That fragrance was huge long before anyone had to endorse it. If anything it's a statement about the celeb involved, that she gets to be chosen to be the new spokes for No. 5. This i don't really mind.

Either way any thoughts?

LOL

Yeah I was totally expecting most people to feel the same way as me about this.. although I do feel guilty sometimes for instantly having no respect for celeb endorsed products, simply because they are endorsed. I mean I should at least hate them for the smell right? My friend recently purchased instinct by david beckham, and even though it is a decent fragrance, i just find it very cheesy to see the adverts on tv with him, and it's just very hard for me to respect that particular fragrance. As mentioned above, "it means it will be easily obtainable/accepted by the masses"

Ha ha I was hoping you would put your two cents in HB, It's like i say, I don't like it, celebs hawking colognes, but I do feel guilty about not liking the fragrance simply based on that fact. Of course I shouldn't be on my high horse, that stuff makes up like half of whats available to us in our small town. However, In your comparing Celebs to royalty and dukes, sure, back then those fragrances were custom made for dukes and kings and queens, but the common people couldn't afford it thats for sure. You think beckham gets up everyday, walks over to his dresser and gives himself a couple sprays of "instinct"? So it's not like the point of having his face all over it is to convince people "If it's good enough for beckham it's good enough for you"
cause no smart person would be led to believe, "He must wear it all the time"
Hell, the guy prolly wears creed.
But don't get me wrong it's not a bad smell.. fairly elegant..

Very good points all around, I can't say I would never wear something endorsed by a celebrity, or even a celebrity brand, because I have, as JohnCase will tell you, he knows I have a certain fondness for Aramis Life, and I have worn it, and enjoyed it, I just wish it wasn't known as "that smell that agassi promoted". Sean John is a fairly legit clothing line, and i don't see that as being as bad as say, paris hilton, or jlo, those are just sad.

I would say, however, A brand Name is something diffrent, something more respectable even though it's like a kind of celebrity because it's a famous brand name. But the thing that they're famous for is MAKING FRAGRANCES/fashion apparell and not, playing soccer, being in movies, or having a grainy nightvision sex-tape. So to make the point that a brand name is just as much of a commercial ploy is ridiculous, because they have built a name and image for themselves that differenciate them from competitors. It's not like the money grab of giving a hot actress their own frag.