Alive or not?

Which way would you go?
Marketers have plenty of options when looking for endorsers or ways to endorse 
their product. The safest way, using either a fictional personality or dead 
celebrity has worked for many companies. "Charlie" the tuna has been the mascot 
for Chicken of the sea and has never once gotten arrested or had an affair. Just 
as well, when people think of Popeye almost immediately spinach comes to mind. 
He would be a perfect candidate for representing the vegetable, even though he 
has a temper and odd lifestyle. 
On the other side, having a concrete and real representative of a product or 
service can be just as good if not better. Even long after the endorsement ends, 
people can still associate the product with the person (This could obviously be 
good or bad!). At the same time, while being the endorser, they could win a 
championship, award or respect of the public. Media outlets have more insight to 
people's personal lives than ever, and that's a dangerous tool against any 
endorser. Any possible endorser has to weigh their options very carefully before 
having anybody sign a contact to represent the product/service/company. Which 
would you pick, the dead or fictional representative  or alive and well? Why? Do

you think an audience can identify well enough with a fictional character?