Are Mariah and Justin Too Big to Sell Stuff on TV?

I see Mariah Carey hawking her wares on HSN. I can see why B- or D-list celebs do that, but a megastar like her? --Freddie Ball, via Facebook

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Mega-star, eh? Sweetie, just because Mariah has secured a limo for her dog and speaks like Gloria Swanson doesn't mean she's a mega-star.

She's a star, sure, and more than accomplished when it comes to selling records that both dogs and humans can hear. But she's perfect for HSN, in the same way that Justin Bieber was a great fit for QVC earlier this year. Here's why:

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Even though both performers are very famous, they don't have images that are particularly serious. In fact, Carey's penchant for Hello-Kitty-themed decorating alone makes her perfect for the viewers of Home Shopping Network, where Carey recently appeared to sell her branded fragrance.

"It's corny," Stepp Up Marketing founder Ariel Stepp--who arranges celebrity appearances and endorsements--says of HSN. "It's got a corny thing to it."

Meanwhile, Carey has her own sparkly pink image that's a perfect fit: "She does Christmas albums that are cheesy but wonderful, that's why."

Besides, Carey has good incentive to show up on shopping networks.

"I have not seen one celebrity do this where they were not making a percentage off the sales," Stepp explains.

Plus, Carey also probably charged a fee for her appearance on the shopping network. Add all that up, and, for Carey, we're probably talking "tens of thousands of dollars."

And in this economy? That's a sweet, sweet fantasy, baby, even for a "mega-star."

As for Bieber, it could be argued that, at the moment, he's an even bigger star than Carey is. And yet, he recently went on QVC to sell CDs. And it was actually a genius move.

"Even more genius than I thought," Stepp explains. "Because he was selling CDs, and the older generation--the QVC audience--is the perfect target that really will buy a CD, versus steal music online.

"It was the perfect way for him to increase trackable album sales in mass numbers in one fell swoop."

As for his image--well, he's a teenager. He has plenty of time to upgrade himself into the next Justin Timberlake.

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