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He isn't the first, and he sure as hell won't be the last. But the news that Scots troubadour Paolo Nutini is about to appear in worldwide ads for Puma sportswear includes several disturbing details that suggest the tousle-haired Glaswegian may live to regret this "brand partnership" engineered by his label, Warners.

Nutini will apparently not only be "featured" in Puma stores, but will also make a documentary for them and personal appearances in stores. He will also sing his song "New Shoes" (geddit?) in Puma ads for TV, mobiles, and images projected onto the Pyramids for all we know.

Warner Europe MD John Reid enthused about the "many joint promotional opportunities" the arrangement throws up. He doesn't mention the opportunity for the artist to abandon what remains of his soapy grip on that brand value known as "credibility," meaning he may struggle for the rest of his recording career to get his songs regarded as anything better than jingles to sell sweat bands by.

Because although we like to think we judge a musician purely on the sounds they make, we very rarely do. Ever since Elvis's first hip-shake we've bought into the whole package of an artist, and while some people involved in this deal would like us to imagine casual sportswear every time we hear a Paolo Nutini song, I don't think it's going to do him any favours.

Leaving aside all those quaint, old-fashioned concerns regarding "selling out," let's lay down some basic guidelines for musicians thinking of taking the ad-man's greenbacks. If they're just going to use your music to soundtrack an ad, then you should survive relatively unscathed, aside from a few grumbles on fan messageboards. If Moby can have every single song from Play licensed for commercials, and Feist can launch a career from her songs appearing in them, then the odd one might even do you some good.

Actually appearing in an ad is more risky. Feist got away with it because she was advertising music rather than clothes or phones, and it looks like the iPod nano just happens to be playing a video of her song. But non-music related ads are a planet of shame. Is it a coincidence that Missy Elliot has faded from view since that appalling Gap jeans ad with Madonna? And that's despite the fact that hip-hop artists can usually get away with a limitless amount of commercial endorsements, thanks to that genre's tradition of namechecking your favorite consumables in song.

If Paolo Nutini continues this beautiful relationship with Puma, all we can say is UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES, EVER, EVER, CHANGE YOUR LYRICS TO SUIT THEM. If Shed Seven were worried about their place in history as the runts of the Britpop litter, their re-recording of their hit "Speakeasy" as "At The Link It's Easy" for the British telecoms retailer, sealed their fate. Fans outside the US have mercifully been spared the sight of Devo's appearance in an ad for a carpet cleaner Swiffer, in which they change the lyrics to "Whip It" to "You Need Swiffer." Mark Mothersbaugh actually appears in the ad, and whether he did it "ironically" or not, it is an embarrassment of Britney-at-the-MTV-video-awards proportions.

That said, if you're established enough, and your cool is never questioned, you might live it down. After all, no one remembers New Order's re-working of Blue Monday with the immortal lines ‘"When you're drinking in the sunshine, Sunkist is the one." Do they?

Nutini is in a much more precarious position in terms of credibility, since he clearly would like to be a singer-songwriter appreciated by, say, MOJO readers, yet his success owes as much to Morning TV as it does to MTV. If he's happy being the housewives' choice, then he has nothing to fear. He could sing a McDonald's jingle, dressed as a dancing cheeseburger, and they'd still love him. But surely he hasn't given up on the idea of appealing to a more committed and discerning fan base? If so, he needs to tread very carefully, however firm the grip on his new Pumas might be.