FORT WORTH, Texas, March 11 (UPI) -- "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy" designer Thom Filicia is featured in a new ad campaign for U.S. home furnishings retailer Pier 1 Imports.
Selecting Filicia as the new face of Pier 1 is an effort to reverse the retail chain's sales decline during the past fiscal year, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported Thursday, a dip that may stem from a staid, 3-year-old ad campaign with actress Kirstie Alley.
"After three years of the same campaign and the same spokeswoman, it was just becoming too redundant," said Phil Schneider, executive vice president of marketing for the Fort Worth-based company.
Filicia's energetic and lighthearted ads began airing Thursday on major network morning shows, afternoon soap operas, nighttime network programs such as "CSI," "Survivor" and "Will & Grace" and cable channels including A&E, Bravo and HGTV.
Print ads in Better Homes and Gardens, Southern Living and Budget Living will begin in June issues.
