FRAMINGHAM, Mass. -- Cumberland Farms has launched its new summer iced coffee campaign starring David Hasselhoff. The campaign includes a television commercial that began airing on May 21, as well as point-of-sale (POS) signage. The outdoor sign campaign began this month.
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As part of the campaign, the convenience stores are sporting lifesize photo cutouts of the campy actor and pop culture icon. About 550 of the cutouts have been pilfered from outside the convenience stores in recent weeks, reported the Associated Press.
Only about 20 remain for the roughly 570 stores in New England and Florida, Kate Ngo, who works on brand strategy for the Framingham, Mass.-based chain, told the news agency.
Cumberland Farms is not particularly upset about the thievery, said the report.
"We want everyone to enjoy the Hoff," Ngo told AP. "We're flattered by the attention."
She added, "We certainly don't encourage theft at our stores."
Theft is common at retail stores, Ngo said, but "this particular campaign is probably a higher rate of theft than anything we've ever seen."
Ngo said the chain will keep sending signs to stores that need them until the campaign ends in August. She would not share how much they have spent on replacements.
The company will use its Facebook page to ask people to stop taking the signs. It also has a request for anyone who already has one.
"We want to know at least the Hasselhoff is safe and he's being taken care of," Ngo said.
Hasselhoff is a star of TV (Knight Rider, Baywatch, Dancing With the Stars, America's Got Talent), stage (Hook) and screen (The Spongebob Squarepants Movie).
Framingham, Mass.-based Cumberland Farms operates a network of convenience stores across 11 states.
Watch the embedded ABC News video.
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