London, Jan 27 (ANI): British alternative rock band Blur’s manager has warned pop and rock stars to think carefully before appearing in TV adverts for big brands.

Chris Morrison cited two examples, one that featured Welsh singer Duffy, and another that featured singer Robbie Williams.

“I think Duffy’s Coca-Cola ad was abysmal and I think Robbie Williams on T Mobile was terrible,” the BBC quoted him as saying.

“I don’t think either of those two things did any favours to the artists’ careers or the way they’re perceived.

“I think you have to be very, very careful about how you associate with brands,” Morrison added.

His comments came at the Midem music conference in Cannes, where US hip-hop star Pharrell Williams had advised new acts to approach ad agencies, ahead of record labels, to help launch their careers.

Morrison said ads that featured a star’s music but not the star themselves were “less troublesome”.

Blur themselves have allowed their tracks to be used in commercials, with their 1997 hit ‘Song 2′ making the band 20 times as much money through use in ads, TV shows and film soundtracks than record sales.

But they also refused one request from an American defence contractor.

“Northrop Grumann, which is an American defence contractor, got in touch with us and asked if they could use the song for their trade shows to promote the next generation of stealth fighters,” Morrison said.

“We thought that was probably inappropriate. The money was great but we turned it down,” he added. (ANI)