Buzz
Being a celebrity doesn't automatically guarantee financial success. To earn money, you either need to focus on your craft (which can be challenging) or capitalize on your fame to promote products to the masses (which is the easier route). Brands are well aware of the value that a celebrity endorsement brings, and the amount of money offered can be irresistible.
Unfortunately, there are instances where celebrities should have turned down the offer. Here are ten of the most questionable commercials starring well-known figures.
10. Bob Dylan’s Lingerie Ad
Bob Dylan, the iconic voice of a generation and poet of the 1960s counterculture, once quipped that he would only sell out for 'ladies’ garments.' In 2004, he did just that, appearing in a Victoria’s Secret ad. In ‘Angels in Venice,’ the aging rock legend gazes mysteriously at lingerie models clad only in their underwear and angel wings, while his gravelly voice plays in the background.
The advert leaves it to the audience’s imagination to decide what’s really going on. Is Dylan the model’s lover, father, or just the curious neighbor? We'll never know. After his Victoria’s Secret stint, Dylan has appeared in ads for cars, Apple, and Pepsi. Some fans speculate that his appearances in these American commercials are part of a larger art project, questioning what it means to be American. But, let’s face it, the paycheck probably didn’t hurt either.
9. Jessie J’s Chocolate Anthem
Jessie J, a British pop sensation, gained global fame with hits like 'Price Tag' and 'Domino.' But sometimes, musical stardom isn’t enough. While judging on the Australian version of ‘The Voice,’ Jessie was chosen as the face of Cadbury’s chocolate. In a series of ads, she plays the piano, singing playful jingles about the different chocolate varieties. Lines like 'When I’m feeling mellow, I want the caramello' and the lyrical masterpiece 'Snack! A little bit of this. A little bit of that' became part of her Cadbury campaign.
Jessie J has a history of quirky ad appearances, including a colorful and eccentric campaign for TUC biscuits in the UK, where she danced and sang. She also took part in a promotional stunt, riding an open-top bus through London to advertise McDonald's.
8. Jennifer Aniston’s Dancing Babies
What makes an advert go viral? If advertisers knew the secret, they'd all be incredibly wealthy. So when Jennifer Aniston joked in a Smartwater ad that she 'Had to make a video that is also a virus,' she was likely aiming for viral success. Unfortunately, it mostly made people cringe – but in the end, whether you're trending for the right or wrong reasons, the views still count.
The ad shows Aniston chatting with a lip-syncing child, snuggling with puppies, and watching unnerving animated babies groove to the beat. Things take a turn when the babies start doing some questionable 'dirty dancing.' Aniston then kicks a man in the groin and spills fluid down her chin. It must be tough when you’re only pulling in $20 million a year in royalties from Friends.
7. Mariah Carey ‘Takes a Bite’ of a Crisp
Crisps (or chips, as they're called in America) are a huge business in the UK, with flavors like Salt and Vinegar and Prawn Cocktail flying off the shelves. When Walkers wanted to create a memorable Christmas ad, they turned to the queen of Christmas herself – Mariah Carey. Her hit 'All I Want for Christmas' is a holiday staple. The resulting ad shows Carey fighting an elf for the last bag of crisps.
Unfortunately, Carey wins the battle and gets to enjoy her prize – or at least, that's what the ad suggests. But from the way she hesitantly nibbles at the edge of the crisp, it seems like Carey might not be very familiar with them. Maybe by take 19, she had already had enough.
6. Tom Hiddleston’s Vitamin Ad
Many people have probably fantasized about waking up to Tom Hiddleston. However, in an advert aimed at the Chinese market, this dream quickly turns unsettling. From the perspective of a woman waking up and descending the stairs, we find Hiddleston in our kitchen, making a brightly colored breakfast. Too startled to say anything to the intruding actor, we are forced to sit quietly as he ominously explains his presence. He places pills in front of us with unnerving determination.
Before he leaves, he ominously tells us that we might not see him for a few weeks. Are we locked in the house until then? Will Hiddleston ever release us from our silent confinement? All we know is that he thinks we look good and insists we keep taking the pills.
5. Kevin Bacon and Britney Spears' Wardrobe Mishap
It’s not only the far east where celebrities find themselves starring in cringeworthy adverts. Sometimes, it’s just a short hop to Britain. There was a time when only the jet-set crowd would witness an actor in an awkward commercial abroad, but now, with the internet, there’s no escape. The EE phone network decided it needed Kevin Bacon’s star power to promote its services, including a deal offering free music from Apple Music. To emphasize the musical aspect, they brought in Britney Spears to join him in the ad.
In a painfully awkward moment, Bacon is seen wearing a form-fitting red plastic jumpsuit as he dances to one of Britney Spears’ most famous hits. To make sure she gets her money’s worth from the ad, a perplexed-looking Britney suggests he listen to one of her more recent 'hits.' When it comes to marketing, let’s just say she’s ‘not that innocent.’
4. Nick Cage Sings for Us
Pachinko, a Japanese gambling craze, generates billions of dollars annually. These arcade machines let players gamble with ball bearings, similar to slot machines. Since gambling for money is illegal, the winners can’t directly exchange ball bearings for cash but must instead trade them for a token, which can be taken to another shop to be converted into money.
Pachinko machines are loud, flashy, and over the top, so who better to advertise them than the always-extravagant Nicolas Cage? In a bizarre series of ads for Pachinko, Cage is shown singing at a piano about some of his favorite things, like 'a cup of tea and a good book,' and 'a dance with a reindeer.' Perhaps he says 'a dance in the rain, dear,' but honestly, either interpretation—or any other—is plausible. The most exciting ad has a cowboy Cage facing off against aliens (?), engaging in an epic dance battle in the middle of the road.
3. Kendall Jenner and Pepsi End Conflict
How do you address the social issues plaguing a world torn by poverty, racism, and social unrest? With the refreshing taste of Pepsi, of course! In 2017, the United States was in the midst of an intense spotlight on allegations of inequality, police brutality, and the murders of racial minorities. The Black Lives Matter movement was fueling debates both in America and worldwide. These were deep, complex issues requiring careful handling. Enter Kendall Jenner.
In a Pepsi commercial, an orderly protest featuring people of various races comes together to voice their opposition to... something. The ad doesn’t specify what they are protesting. Soon, they are confronted by a quasi-police force. Seeing the tension, Jenner abandons a photoshoot to join the protesters and diffuses the situation by offering one of the officers a Pepsi. Apparently, pleased with the taste, all of America’s social issues are miraculously resolved!
Some viewers criticized the ad for being tone-deaf, while others found it outright offensive that Pepsi would try to profit from the serious social problems plaguing the nation. The ad was quickly pulled, but not before it received widespread mockery. The daughter of Martin Luther King Jr. tweeted a photo of her father’s arrest with the caption, 'If only Daddy had known about the power of #Pepsi.' Indeed.
2. Ashton Kutcher’s Racist Popchips Stunt
In an attempt to prove that not all publicity is good publicity, Popchips once thought it was a good idea to have Ashton Kutcher impersonate an Indian man – complete with brown makeup and a stereotypical accent. Somehow, people took offense, feeling that the character of Raj was an offensive stereotype.
A fundamental rule of advertising is to ensure that your brand name is repeated frequently so that it sticks in people’s minds. Unfortunately for Popchips, Kutcher doesn’t mention the brand at all in the commercial. Faced with increasing criticism from those who felt the use of blackface (or brownface) in 2012 was outdated, Popchips swiftly apologized and removed the Raj character from the campaign, though Kutcher’s other roles remained untouched.
1. Brad Pitt’s Poetic Moment
Chanel No. 5 stands as one of the most renowned fragrances worldwide. And who better to represent it than one of the world’s most famous actors? Brad Pitt’s 2012 ad showed him in black and white, looking a bit scruffy while solemnly delivering a cryptic message. Is it poetry? A ransom note? A menacing proclamation? 'It’s not a journey. Every journey ends, but we go on. The world turns and we turn with it. Plans disappear, dreams take over. But wherever I go, there you are. My luck, my fate, my fortune. Chanel No. 5. Inevitable.' As Thanos learned, not everything inevitable is eternal.
Johnny Depp’s Sauvage ads for Dior were similarly filled with lofty pretensions. In the UK, some clever vandals altered the print posters to humorously rename the fragrance 'Sausage' instead.
