Iceland quest for customer PR role

Iceland has launched a PR drive to recruit a new ambassador for the brand and has chosen to ditch its celebrity-focused campaigns in favour of using an unknown member of the public to front the high-street supermarket chain.

The company has set up a microsite, newfaceoficeland.co.uk, inviting members of the public to enter a competition to become the next new face of Iceland. Applicants will be invited to attend an audition at one of a number of venues across the country, leading to a shortlist of the best five candidates.

The selection team will then post the details of the final five on the Iceland website and will give the public final say by allowing them to vote for their favourite candidate.

The move follows hot on the heels of the news that the current face of Iceland, Coleen Nolan, had announced her decision to give up the role, and just months after the company severed ties with troubled TV personality Kerry Katona.

The decision to recruit an unknown has been seen by the PR community as a way of wiping the slate clean after a succession of tabloid stories about Katona's private life and erratic on-screen behaviour.

Nevertheless, many in the industry have applauded Iceland's continued strategy of using a real mother figure, thereby allowing the frozen-food chain to maintain a consistent and successful brand message.