Why Reddy Kilowatt is no longer current

A rumination by Seattle P-I columnist Bill Virgin wondering why companies make so little use of fictional characters to promote themselves nowadays:

Here is one of those cultural reference points that will have half the readership saying, ‘Oh, yeah, I remember him,’ and the other half saying, ‘Who?’ Whatever became of Reddy Kilowatt?

The short answer: Rather than fictional characters, celebrities are now the most popular face of corporate America.