IN THE AGE OF INTERNET, ENGAGEMENT IS KEY
With commercials not just airing on primetime television, but being shared over and over again on the internet, it's not enough to create a commercial with a celebrity holding your product to some pop music - ads must be clever and engaging. And as they are often seen multiple times throughout streaming on a service like Hulu (many of the same ads cycle after a period of time), it is important to be creative, funny, or sometimes just ridiculous.
Hollywood Branded looks at some of the latest celebrity endorsement ads including Benicio Del Toro, Jim Gaffigan, Zedd, and Aloe Blacc.
Heineken - Benicio Del Toro
Heineken is known for their smooth and suave spokesmen - celebrities like Daniel Craig and Brad Pitt have previously been in their ads.
And Oscar winner Benicio Del Toro is no exception with his smoldering stare plus, as the ad points out, his international appeal. Like Heineken, which is drank in 192 countries, Del Toro is recognized around the world.
He turns to smile for excited tourists... who mistake him for Antonio Banderas. As the spot ends, a subtitle assures the audience, "This is NOT Antonio Banderas."
With their standard charming celeb endorsement with a subtle comedic twist, Heineken wins big with this celeb endorsement.
Kentucky Fried Chicken - Jim Gaffigan
The fact that this food-loving comedian hasn't been tapped for the fried chicken chain's Colonel Sanders before now is a bit shocking to some of us in marketing and advertising...
But that doesn't make it any less funny now.
Gaffigan and KFC team up to complement each other in the latest ad spot from KFC which features Gaffigan as Sanders, having a bad dream about Nashville Hot Chicken no longer being available at the chicken chain.
And when he wakes up to realize the deal is still on, we catch a little of the classic Gaffigan in his sigh of relief. Although faced with a revolving door of comedians trying to play Colonel Sanders, this over the top ad works.
M&M's - Sammy Davis Jr., Aloe Blacc, and Zedd
Tradition takes on a bold modern twist in this ad from M&M's. As the M&M's guys try - and fail - to create a remix of Sammy Davis Jr.'s "The Candyman," they are offered assistance from singer Aloe Blacc and producer Zedd.
As the musical duo do a proper job of remixing the classic, vintage M&M's commercials flick across the screen, reminding us that doing something "new" that appeals to millennials doesn't necessarily mean completely ignoring the original and classic stuff... In fact, it appeals to many.
As they celebrate their 75 year anniversary on February 29, this spot not only celebrates the past but creates a new anthem for the brand moving forward.
Celebrity Endorsement Ads Work!
Research shows that 43% of consumers are influenced to buy something after seeing a celebrity with it.
Check out how a few sports stars make funny ad endorsements work in our blog Celebrity Sport Stars Embrace The Weird
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