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Best & Worst Celebrity Endorsements: Our Guide to Musicians Who Sell Stuff
- Posted by Dave Morris
Our guide looks at 10 celebrity endorsements to see if the musicians' seal of approval is worth its weight in corporate gold.
The Rolling Stones
Microsoft Windows '95
They're one of the biggest rock bands in history and will shill for anything -- if you meet their price. How can a marketer lose? Rice Krispies and Microsoft discovered you can lose by having the band overshadow the product. Folks still talk about the Stones' kitschy cereal advert from 1964 and the reported $8 million the band reaped for letting 'Start Me Up' be used for Windows '95 ads, but when you hear Keith Richards break out that stinging opening riff, do you really dream about upgrading your operating system?
Star Power: 2/5
Rules of Endorsement: Choose an artist who needs the attention almost as much as your product does.
Watch the Rolling Stones' Windows 95 Ad
Star Power: 2/5
Rules of Endorsement: Choose an artist who needs the attention almost as much as your product does.
Gwen Stefani
HP Photosmart R607 Harajuku Lovers Camera
In 2005, Gwen Stefani was smoking hot in every sense of the word. So when HP announced Stefani had endorsed a limited-edition digital camera emblazoned with iconography from her 'Love Angel Music Baby' album, it seemed savvy. Until we saw the 'Harajuku Lovers' camera, which looked designed by an 8-year-old with a handful of stickers and a raging sugar high as an apparent call-out to the Hollaback Girl's Japanese dancers/muses. We wonder if HP sold all 3,000 cameras -- and if the Harajuku Girls used one to document their captivity.
Star Power: 2/5
Rules of Endorsement: No endorsement can save a lousy product.
Watch Gwen Stefani's HP Ad
Star Power: 2/5
Rules of Endorsement: No endorsement can save a lousy product.
Sammy Hagar
Cabo Wabo Tequila
Fair or not, Van Halen made better music when David Lee Roth was swinging the mic cord, and though Sammy Hagar's kept a fan base for his solo material and Chickenfoot project, most associate the Red Rocker with Van Halen's declining fortunes. That's why the success of the Hagar-endorsed Cabo Wabo tequila is perfect: Hard liquor makes bad ideas (more shots; replacing one of rock's most charismatic frontmen) seem like good ones. When you wake with a skull-splitting hangover and/or the treacly melody from 'Right Now' in your head, just remember: Hagar's laughing all the way to the bank.
Star Power: 3/5
Rules of Endorsement: Always match the endorser with a product that reflects what he does well.
Watch Sammy Hagar Talk Cabo Wabo Tequila on 'Cribs'
Star Power: 3/5
Rules of Endorsement: Always match the endorser with a product that reflects what he does well.
Kiss
Kiss Kasket
Kiss' merchandising genius is well-documented, but it's worth pointing out once again that they've constantly found new, innovative ways to get those four letters in front of your face. But who's going to shell out for big-ticket (and utterly tasteless) items like the Kiss coffin in 2011? In the '80s, the band clearly decided merch was more important than music, and their fan base has been slowly dwindling ever since. Oh, how the mighty (crass) have fallen.
Star Power: 3/5
Rules of Endorsement: Nobody wants to deal with artists who are too precious about associating their music with commerce, but beware those who are too eager.
Watch Kiss' Action Figure Ad
Star Power: 3/5
Rules of Endorsement: Nobody wants to deal with artists who are too precious about associating their music with commerce, but beware those who are too eager.
John Lydon aka Johnny Rotten
Country Life Butter
Johnny Rotten shilling for butter? Sounds absurd but also like a totally plausible extension of the Sex Pistols' rock 'n' roll swindle shtick. His proclaiming the superiority of a brand of butter on the grounds that it's British, however -- this from a man who titled his autobiography 'Rotten: No Blacks, No Irish, No Dogs' -- is a truly unexpected development. John Lydon has described the ad as a simple cash grab to fund last year's Public Image Ltd. reunion tour, but it was also a wry jab at punk's latter-day self-seriousness. We hear the butter was all right, too.
Star Power: 3/5
Rules of Endorsement: Never underestimate the power of irony.
Watch Johnny Rotten's Butter Ad
Star Power: 3/5
Rules of Endorsement: Never underestimate the power of irony.
Feist
Apple iPod
Ads for the iPod did such wonders for the Black Eyed Peas, Jet and others that it was assumed any band who landed an Apple commercial would be propelled to stardom. But the Fratellis proved to be no Feist. Their album 'Costello Music' underperfored while Feist's 'The Reminder' offered more than '1,2,3,4,' so when it started climbing the charts, cash registers in both electronics retailers and record stores started ringing in sweet, sweet harmony.
Star Power: 4/5
Rules of Endorsement: Brands looking to grow should align themselves with artists that have similar upside potential, and vice versa.
Watch Feist's iPod Ad
Star Power: 4/5
Rules of Endorsement: Brands looking to grow should align themselves with artists that have similar upside potential, and vice versa.
Grateful Dead/Phish
Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream
It used to be about the music, maaaan. The hippy-dippy jam band scene is now all about the endless and highly lucrative touring while hawking a small nation's GDP worth of merch. To be fair, you won't hear the Grateful Dead or Phish in Exxon commercials, but both did allow equally groovy ice cream-maker Ben & Jerry's to concoct flavours in their images, namely Cherry Garcia and Phish Food. Fans aren't likely to object, though. The only thing that'll harsh a Deadhead's mellow quicker than an accusation of "sellout" is a case of the munchies.
Star Power: 4/5
Rules of Endorsement: So long as the endorsement seems genuine, most ethical concerns can be easily dismissed.
Watch the Grateful Dead's Ben & Jerry's Ad
Star Power: 4/5
Rules of Endorsement: So long as the endorsement seems genuine, most ethical concerns can be easily dismissed.
Diddy
Biggie Smalls, Sean Jean Clothing, Cologne, etc
Before claiming you've never bought a single thing because the erstwhile Puff Daddy endorsed it, think about the Notorious B.I.G.. When Biggie was just starting, Diddy used his record business cred to pimp his star signing. Then Diddy drizzled his own voice all over B.I.G.'s hit singles, ensuring everyone knew who discovered him. This game of bait-and-switch has made Diddy a household name despite having no discernible artistic talent; first he endorses a product (Sean John clothing, Hitmen beats for Jay-Z and Rick Ross, it's all the same to Diddy), then uses its success as proof of his kingmaking power and to draw attention to the next product. And so on. As Diddy rapped, "Don't worry if I write rhymes/I write checks."
Star Power: 4/5
Rules of Endorsement: The only real lesson here is that Diddy is a genius at being Diddy. The rest of us can only watch in amazement.
Watch Diddy's Sean Jean Unforgivable Fragrance Ad
Star Power: 4/5
Rules of Endorsement: The only real lesson here is that Diddy is a genius at being Diddy. The rest of us can only watch in amazement.
Lady Gaga
Polaroid Grey Label
Last year, it was her line of trapezoidal earbuds, which looked unlike any headphones that had come before; this year, it's a line of Polaroid products, which will undoubtedly be as weird as everything else she lays her hands on. Gaga brings an X factor to every aspect of her persona. That's why instead of diluting her brand the way the industry did to T-Pain by cloning his signature Auto-Tune sound for everything from TV news to Wendy's ads, corporate America has no choice but to line up to work with her. Considering how choosy she's been so far, they'll have to take a number.
Star Power: 4.5
Rules of Endorsement: People don't identify with logos or gimmicks. They identify with personalities.
Watch Lady Gaga's Android au Ad
Star Power: 4.5
Rules of Endorsement: People don't identify with logos or gimmicks. They identify with personalities.
Dr. Dre
Monster 'Beats by Dre' Headphones
If anyone knows headphones and speakers it's a studio guru like Dre, and he's no snob insisting his music can only be experienced on some absurdly expensive audiophile setup. Dre knows that for a couple hundred bucks, you can take your listening experience to another level, and in exchange for a piece of the action, he'll show you exactly how he would do it. Doesn't hurt that both the Beats by Dre phones and the HP Envy laptop aren't corny looking.
But ultimately, the real power of the endorsement lies in the fact that, like Air Jordan shoes or Les Paul guitars, you know the personalities lending their name to the product not only use it but also know what they're talking about. So until the good Doctor comes out with a signature line of rolling papers, Beats by Dre products are as close as you can get to D.R.E.
Star Power: 5/5
Rules of Endorsement: The most effective endorsements are the ones that feel the most natural.
Watch Dr. Dre's HP Ad
But ultimately, the real power of the endorsement lies in the fact that, like Air Jordan shoes or Les Paul guitars, you know the personalities lending their name to the product not only use it but also know what they're talking about. So until the good Doctor comes out with a signature line of rolling papers, Beats by Dre products are as close as you can get to D.R.E.
Star Power: 5/5
Rules of Endorsement: The most effective endorsements are the ones that feel the most natural.
- Filed under: The Hit List
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Add a Comment
flik
These advertisements are not all endorsements from the artists. The record companies own rights to offer 3rd parties license of use of the music. In most cases, use of music is out of the artists hands, When you have the actual artist appear in the advert is an entirely different matter though. The recent ads with punk legends lydon and iggy pop, are just about everything against what punk is about. Even worse for iggy pop, the worst type of advertising...insurance...what a big sell out.
'any performer that sells a product on television, is from now and all eternity removed from the artistic world' Bill Hicks
nick
the beckhams who would buy anything they promote no wonder they are worth $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
March 19 2011 at 6:23 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply
James
I avoid buying anything that a greedy entertainer has promoted,I don't value their opinions about anything outside their trade. Add in it's so tacky and often patronising.
March 19 2011 at 5:56 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply
Jodimags
Personally I don't care which celebrity advertises a product. It doesn't sell the item to me just because it's a famous person endorsing it's use.
However I do think these icons should be getting paid NOTHING/ ZILCH/ ZERO for the commercials as it's their way of giving something back to the very people that give them a wage.. SAME GOES FOR CHRITY APPEARANCES. It should be compulsory for every single celebrity to perform at least 3 charity functions per year. Afterall the Queen had to work for her keep so why shouldn't they.
Bye the way I am not a geek or religious freak either, I just like the rich to cough up every now and again for what luxury us Joe Public have given them.
henry
1 reply to henry's comment
Why can't people spell correctly and use proper punctuation when they comment of something, right Kel.
March 06 2011 at 5:37 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply
henry
like me....sorry meant to say "when they comment ON something, right Kel"
March 06 2011 at 5:41 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply
kelvin
why would any one in there right mind by and product endorsed by an over paid,under talented celebrity.by buying any product they endorse you are just putting more money in there pocket and that's all they need is more money
March 05 2011 at 9:49 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply
Tom
I think Beiber and Ms. Love-Hewit were wearing zits that were fake, applied by a make up artist. Proactive BS
March 05 2011 at 9:26 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply
clarmar@hotmail.com
1 reply to clarmar@hotmail.com's comment
Justin Bieber for Proactive Solution = 5/5
March 05 2011 at 11:41 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply
yxyou
Our guide looks at 10 celebrity endorsements to see if the musicians' seal of approval is worth its weight in corporate gold.btw,I'm a doctor,30 ,rich but still single.It's hard to get a girlfriend in my town ,most of them like my money more than like me.I just want to find my true love.so i uploaded my hot photos on millionairesocial .c om under the name of hotlove2.u dont have to be a millionaire,but u can meet one there. ..if you girls see this comment,i hope you will check my photos out there.maybe you are the one whom i'm looking for!!!
10 Comments