When it comes to music, Jennifer Lopez is rarely referred to by her full name, it’s usually JLo and/or Jenny from the Block. Jenny began to make her mark in music after her Fly Girl days. Soon after she turn up the glam and went Hollywood but whenever necessary, as in, when she tries to revive her music career, Jennifer pulls JLo back on the scene.
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In a her recent Kohl’s commercials, Jennifer is seen reciting her song, Jenny From The Block, to the security guy hoping he will remember her song and allow her to pass without her ID badge. A purposeful plug? Of course. Jennifer and Kohls are hoping to reconnect with her audience to purchase her/their clothing. It’s a certainly a smart business move.
But another argument can be made for Jennifer’s new deal with Fiat. Jennifer received some bad press when a Fiat 500 landed in JLo’s ‘Papi’ video. It’s one thing to endorse a product and complete an ad featuring you, but a blatant product placement is a whole other beast. As if Fiat and Jennifer didn’t get the message, they decided to integrate the Fiat on stage at the American Music Awards!! This time JLo was catching flack from her peers, like John Legend and others.
Next up is Jennifer’s Fiat 500 commercial. Jenny from the Block reemerges and from first glance it appears Jennifer is really driving her Fiat through her old stomping ground in the Bronx. In the commercial Jennifer states her neighborhood made her tougher, sharper and think faster. But it’s not really Jenny from the Block, it’s Hollywood. The Smoking Gun revealed that Jennifer actually filmed her portion in Los Angeles and never stepped foot in the Bronx, only her body double. Yikes! Chrysler, Fiat’s parent company defended the decision,
“The commercial tells the story of how the simple elements of our upbringing can help explain who we are, where we’re going and serve as a source of inspiration to achieve our goals in life. One does not need to be in a specific location to be inspired or continue to be inspired.”
Many people don’t believe Jennifer’s Kohl’s collection takes up even 1/3 of her closet nor do many believe that Fiat is her car of choice while driving through LA. But the commercial combined with the AMAs and the Papi music video all come across as a forced tactic that falls flat and insults the consumer. We know JLo, Jenny from the Block and Jennifer Lopez are about maximizing her brand power….but hopefully next time she can do it with a little more tact.