
Twelve years and $16 million dollars later, Jennifer Hawkins will step down as ambassador for Myer in November, reports The Sydney Morning Herald.
The Australian golden girl will be replaced by former The Block contestant Elyse Knowles, who announced herself as an ambassador for Myer on her blog on July 29, alongside 34-year-old AFL footballer Josh Gibson.
“You don’t know whether you should laugh or cry, sit or stand or run around like a crazy kid! That’s me at the moment, smiling from ear to ear & jumping out of my skin,” Knowles wrote as she announced the news.
“In the last 6 months especially, my love & respect for the iconic brand has grown & grown!” she added.
According to the Sydney Morning Herald, Myer were unable to negotiate a deal with Hawkins at the price she wanted. This is unsurprising, given that Hawkins was being paid $1.3 million per annum throughout her deal with Myer, while 25-year-old Knowles will be paid only $150,000, approximately an eighth of the cost.
The publication also confirmed that Hawkins will walk in the annual Sydney spring-summer on August 23, alongside the newly appointed ambassador Elyse Knowles. The Sydney Morning Herald added that the tipping point resulting in the model and entrepreneur’s leaving Myer was the alleged “planting”of stories last week which introduced Knowles and Gibson as ambassadors for the brand.
Top Comments
Well Myer has been in financial trouble for a long time. Maybe by spending less, they can save other people’s jobs better
Are we just going to ignore the fact jennifer is in her mid 30s, while Elise is in her mid 20s. It's got to be a major factor. I wonder how long the $150,000 salary is locked down for. Hopefully there is room to negotiate because the gig is worth more than that as her profile grows. For now, it is a coup for Elise, but in a few years it's more likely to be in their favour that she's an ambassador.
Her ability to negotiate is contingent on her ability to grow her profile beyond being famous on reality TV and Instagram. I'm sure she's very nice, but I don't see her having much longevity - particularly as she ages, given that she needs to be more than just her looks in that context.