Mr. Coffee Sells Celebrity Mugs

Mr. Coffee is using a premium offer to rev its print ad campaign starring pop-culture icons, starting with NASCAR champ Jeff Gordon.

The first ad, running through yearend in People Magazine, shows a coffee mug modeled on Gordon's racing helmet. The copy, headlined "Jeff Gordon likes his coffee steamin' hot and strong to the finish," touts Mr. Coffee appliances that let users personalize their coffee by controlling strength and temperature. (Gordon's own mug—er, face—doesn't appear in the ad.)

The print campaign will show customized mugs for different celebrities (whom Mr. Coffee won't disclose). All mugs shown in the ads will be for sale to consumers at Mrcoffee.com. The site has taken orders for thousands of the $15, 12-oz. Gordon mugs since the print ad broke in October; mugs will start shipping in mid-November. J. Walter Thompson, Detroit, handles the ads.

Mr. Coffee's print ad sparked its premium offer

As part of its deal with Gordon, Mr. Coffee parent Jarden Consumer Solutions donated $15,000 to The Jeff Gordon Foundation, which helps chronically ill kids. This is Mr. Coffee's first tie-in with Gordon. Other high-profile personalities in the campaign likely will come from arts and entertainment as well as sports.