Marisa Miller is a household name to readers of the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue.  For those not in the know, she graced the cover earlier this year.  Now, a consumer products company hopes to use her image to boost sales of … any guesses?

How about men’s shavers?
    
Remington is best known in the advertising world for its commercials featuring Victor Kiam, who liked Remington’s shavers so much he bought the company.  He passed away in 2001.

Now, Remington is owned by Spectrum Brands, which is going after the young men who search for Marisa Miller’s photos online to boost sales.

According to Spectrum, the Victoria’s Secret model is the No. 1 Internet search celebrity for men 18 to 34.  Again, for those who haven’t seen her work before, here she is at a Victoria’s Secret event earlier this year.

“That individual happens to be a huge draw for young men, who are our target customers for Remington shaving and grooming products,” Chief Executive Kent Hussey said on a conference call late on Tuesday after the company posted a hefty quarterly loss.

Remington’s sales rose 3 percent during Spectrum’s fiscal fourth quarter, driven by hair care products, which are promoted by Cindy Crawford.  Shaving and grooming product sales fell 6 percent as the company is moving over to new rotary shaving models.  Now, Spectrum wants to regain some of the share it has lost in the shaving business.

Hussey said Spectrum is moving away from national media, such as TV advertising, and trying to use the Internet to target specific customers.

Besides appearing in the Victoria’s Secret catalog, Miller already does advertising for Harley Davidson, True Religion, Andrew Marc and Michael Stars.

Oh, and her favorite beauty product?  It’s not something Spectrum makes.  It’s sunscreen, according to her web site.

(Reuters photo)