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ReprintsJust how forgiving - or forgetful - are car buyers?
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Hollywood and the NFL are pretty forgiving to people who blow their careers doing stupid things. But are car buyers?
Case in point: Michael Vick.
Hounded from professional football and sent to prison in 2007 for acts of stomach-curdling animal cruelty, Vick is not only back on the field with the Philadelphia Eagles this year, his image is now apparently reformed enough for him to endorse an auto dealership.
Woodbury Nissan, in Woodbury, N.J., just across the river from Philly, has retained Vick to appear in a series of local TV spots. And they're actually pretty funny, showing a nice-and-easy Vick working at the dealership, managing the staff, approving deals and helping salesmen with their game.
OK.
We pay the price for our mistakes in life and we move on. Some people forgive and forget and some don't.
But talent remains talent -- Vick has never looked better on the field. And when it comes to celebrity, the public's memory is awful. The market value of your fame is determined less by what you once did, and more by what you did last night.
In the greater Philadelphia Eagles market these days, at least, Vick has returned as a bankable commodity.
You can reach Lindsay Chappell at lchappell@crain.com.
