Satin and a Bologna Sandwich

 "Mystery guest, will you sign in, please?" Those of you who are of a certain age may remember as I do, glamorous Arlene Francis wearing an evening gown and a black eye mask on the long-running game show What's My Line?

What you may not know is that in 1961, Ms. Francis was another pioneer of branded content. As author of "No Time to Cook," she gave readers a backstage glimpse of her New York apartment as she extolled the convenience of cold cuts for the Schweigert meat companyToday's organically minded families would be aghast by her introduction: "We're the luckiest cooks in world history. Many of our goods are so miraculously processed, pre-prepared and packaged that miracle is the only word to use for them."

Consider the recipe for "Party Babs." It begins: "On four skewers arrange folded slices of pork luncheon meat and salami with maraschino cherries, dried apricots and pineapple chunks."

Impeccably coiffed New York actress promotes bologna? An odd partnership, you might say. For 21st century content marketers in search of a celebrity spokesperson, I'd suggest a more disciplined approach to matchmaking. Make sure your brand and your star look good in the same picture.