Celebrities are everywhere, from movie and TV screens to music scenes and football fields. Some are famous for their achievements, while others – especially some reality TV stars – are for nothing. But these two categories of celebrities have one thing in common: they love to lend their names and faces to various products and services.
Celebrities have endorsed many things, from low-fat grills to long-neck lighters. Some are obvious, like a sports personality endorsing a sportswear brand. Others were surprising.
1. Snoop Dogg
Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr, better known by his stage name Snoop Dogg, is one of the most famous rappers still active today. Throughout his career, he consumed three stage names (he was even known as “Snoop Lion” for a while), has released 19 albums (with a 20th on the way), has played in countless movies and TV shows, has made -izzle speak popular, and won a whole bunch of awards. And, of course, he has endorsed countless brands.
Throughout his long and fruitful career, he has supported things like hemp-infused candy, plant-based meat substitutes, Mexican beer, Australian wine, sportswear, video games, lighters, and vapes. There were two, in turn, that turned quite a few heads.
One of them was his work done with Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia. The lifestyle media company publishes everything from the Martha Stewart Living magazine to TV shows, digital content, and a range of lifestyle products.
But one of their shows is “Martha & Snoop’s Potluck Dinner Party”. The show ran for three seasons between 2016 and 2017, airing 40 episodes on VH1. Each episode had celebrity guests, from Seth Rogen and Ice Cube in the pilot to Trey Songz and William Shatner in the series finale.
The other endorsement that made everyone ask “What?!” was a more recent one, which qualifies as a media hack. At first, Snoop announced that he would be “giving up a smoke” for good.
Everyone’s first reaction was shock, considering the rapper’s hard-core weed consumption. As it turns out, he was not giving up smoke but endorsing a smokeless oven. Certainly, this was one of his most surprising endorsements to this day.
2. Jean de Villiers
Jean de Villiers was named a “true ambassador for South Africa”. His career with the Springboks was long and fruitful: he played over 100 games with the South African national rugby union team, scoring 109 points. He was a long-time professional athlete who made clean and fair play part of his personality. It may surprise some that he endorsed a major South African betting brand.
Jean de Villiers became a brand ambassador for Betway, one of the top betting brands and new mobile casinos in South Africa, in the spring of 2022. Read more about them and their competitors at CasinoMobile.co.za.
With South Africa being the top rugby nation in the world, the partnership between de Villiers and Betway was a match made in heaven. After all, countless locals seek out the top rugby betting odds at Betway.
Jean de Villiers is currently the chairperson of the MyPlayers board, representing all the rugby players in South Africa.
3. Bruce Willis
Bruce Willis’s career has taken many people aback in recent years. The star of movies like the “Die Hard” series, “The Fifth Element” and “The Sixth Sense” has recently been cast in some very bad movies – and not even the “it’s so bad it’s good” kind. When it was announced that he suffers from a degenerative disease, though, things started to make more sense. And so did some of the actor’s endorsements in recent years.
Many of the brand endorsements made by the movie star were pretty straightforward, a good fit for his action star persona. He became the spokesperson for the Sobieski vodka brand, even taking an ownership stake in the company.
He promoted a line of wine coolers by Seagram, a Canadian alcoholic beverage company. More recently, he became the face of “Hell”, a Hungarian energy drink brand popular in Central and Eastern Europe. Although this was already a bit of a head-scratcher, his global superstar status was explanation enough for it.
But Willis endorsed several brands that were far outside his normal persona. Among them is Eneos, a Japanese oil and car service company. Celebrity endorsements are very popular in Japan, and so is Willis, so it seemed to be a match made in heaven. But it’s weird to see a world-class superstar promote oil changes and car maintenance half a world away.
4. Paris Hilton
Paris Hilton’s road from the night clubs to the front page of the tabloids was direct and came early – by the time she was 16. Her conservative family tried to make the young socialite less rebellious, sending her to various boarding schools until she turned 18.
But after that, there was no stopping her. Over the years, she tried everything from modeling to DJing, acting, and everything in between. And, of course, she has endorsed countless brands in the process.
Paris Hilton’s brand endorsements are mostly in line with her career. She has endorsed perfumes, fashion accessories, footwear, pet products, and nightclubs. She has even launched her products on several occasions.
But one of her most surprising endorsements was that of cryptocurrency and NFTs. Paris Hilton has expressed enthusiasm for crypto several times, highlighting their importance to the financial sector. Later, she launched her line of NFTs.
5. Ozzy Osbourne
Finally, let’s not forget about one of the most iconic figures of classic rock, the Prince of Darkness himself. With Black Sabbath, he revolutionised heavy metal. After he was fired from the band due to his alcohol and drug abuse, he released over a dozen albums. Later, he became a reality star – the first season of “The Osbournes” was the most-viewed series ever on MTV.
Ozzy is the last person you would expect to endorse an everyday household item like a butter substitute. But this is exactly what he did: in 2006, he was featured in a commercial for “I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter”. Of course, he wasn’t alone: his “real thing” was doubled by Ozzy impersonator Jon Culshaw. Strange endorsement from someone who once bit off the head of a bat on stage…
Celebrities have endorsed strange and uncharacteristic things, from betting sites to Japanese car services. Which one was the most surprising for you?