Brand expert: Anna Nicole Smith's death may sink TrimSpa company
UPI News Service, 02/09/2007
Goen Technologies' TrimSpa weight-loss Web site homepage Friday was a stark black-and-white memorial to U.S. model-spokeswoman Anna Nicole Smith.
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Promotion of TrimSpa's controversial X32 appetite-suppression supplements was replaced with a letter from TrimSpa founder Alex Goen saying he hoped Smith would be "granted the peace that eluded her more recent days on earth."
Smith's death at 39 in Florida Thursday, coupled with growing doubts about TrimSpa products, may prove too much for Goen, a brand consultant told CNN.
"Given the double whammy of who their spokesperson was and the other tangential difficulties, I don't think they're going to come back," Robert Passikoff said.
The former Playboy Playmate and reality TV star became TrimSpa's spokeswoman in 2003 after losing a reported 60 to 70 pounds.
The U.S. Federal Trade Commission fined TrimSpa's marketer $1.5 million for false advertising, saying its weight-control claims were not supported by scientific evidence.
Goen has also been sued by New Jersey and California for false claims.
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