Celebrities really do seem to have it all! They’re rich and famous; their jobs seem to us, little people, like they require no actual work and they get to be pampered and spoiled by everyone. Apparently, they have it all – but do they? Of course not! They are, as they like to call themselves ever so often, normal, just like you and I. Then why do so many brands hire celebrities to sell their products? Why, for example, if you see a curly hairstyle product used by Halle Berry, do we go out and buy it? Why do women sometimes want their makeup like Marilyn Monroe and will search for makeup tutorials and products to achieve that look? Why? It’s simple, really: it’s because we not only want to look like them, we want to be them, we want to be just as successful as they are, we want their lives and we hope to get there by buying something as mundane as the makeup celebrities use. Read our list of celebrity endorsement deals.
That’s what the brands are selling us when they hire a celebrity to promote their product – they’re selling us a promise that if we get that thing they want us to get, we will be a little bit closer to that famous person, we’ll taste a bit of their lifestyle. Is that alright for us to want that? Is that alright for the companies to take advantage of that? Yes and no. Yes, because that how us animals are: we see someone use something and we want it. That’s the way we learn about new things and it’s alright. What is not alright is deceiving the public, forcing products down people’s throat at every corner with posters and messages. There is a fine line between advertising and abusing the target public and you, as a person, draw it.
Let’s take a look at ten of the most famous celebrity endorsement deals and see why the celebrities were hired, how much they were paid and if the campaign was successful.
10 Famous Celebrity Endorsement Deals
10. Benedict Cumberbatch for Jaguar
Benedict Cumberbatch is an actor who rose to face with BBC’s Sherlock series which became an international phenomenon. Once he got out there, he took advantage of his exposure and didn’t stop working – he was Kahn in Star Trek: Into Darkness, Julian Assange in The Fifth Estate, a slave owner in the year’s revelation 12 Years a Slave and he even added his talent and charm to the star studded cast of August: Osage County.
Mr. Cumberbatch was hired by Jaguar to promote their new car, the XKR-S through a series of clips and the result was a complete success. We don’t know how much he was paid for it, but we figure not enough. His voice and British charm is exactly what Jaguar needed to make their car even more awesome. Some have said about the commercial that he has a voice like a jaguar hiding in a cello. Nothing but truth to that comparison.
Product: Set of 4 Jaguar Logo Chrome Tire Valve Stem Caps
Price: $6.69
Where to buy: 
9. Mila Kunis for Dior
This celebrity endorsement deals is not without controversy. Mila Kunis is a beautiful, talented and successful young actress. Dior wanted someone like that for their Miss Dior Bag campaign so they allegedly paid Mila $2 million dollars for some glamorous photos and videos. She performed admirably and the pictures turned out great.
What was the controversy, then? Well, some rumors have emerged that Dior was unhappy with her because she gained some weight and wore frumpy outfits in her private life and that wasn’t a very Miss Dior thing to do. Many didn’t buy into that, but there may be some truth to that rumor because Mila Kunis was replaced by Jennifer Lawrence soon after the rumors started.
If you’d like a nice bag like the one Mila was promoting, but don’t have a couple of thousand dollars waiting to be spend on it, then we suggest this product – it looks very similar and it is but a fraction of the price.
Product: Fineplus Women’s Diamond Texture Lattice Lady Handbags
Price: $70.99 – $237.00
Where to buy:
8. Brad Pitt for Chanel
Brad Pitt doesn’t do much advertising. He’s one of those stars who are simply too successful for trivial things like advertising (his long-time partner, and our number one, Angelina Jolie is the same) and that is why people were shocked when he accepted to be the face of Chanel No 5. Yes, Brad Pitt is the face of a women’s fragrance. The campaign was criticized because of this and we must say the whole Inevitable thing leave us scratching our heads a bit.
The video of it is even more outrageous, it shows the actor on a black and white background simply looking at the camera saying a few lines that seem a bit too rehearsed and cliché. How much was he paid for the photos and 30 second video? $7 million dollars. There is something deeply wrong with our world. The silver lining here is the fact that Brad is a philanthropist and much of that money went to good causes.
Product: Chanel no 5 Eau de parfum
Price: $170.00
Where to buy:
7. Cate Blanchett for SK-II
We’re curious about the makeup celebrities use, because their face is their tool, it’s what they use to act and make money. One of the most successful actresses ever, Cate Blanchett is not one to promote products lightly, that is why when she accepted to be the face of high-end Japanese cosmetic brand SK-II, people were a bit surprised.
This brand is absolutely amazing and it is one of, if not the most, expensive skin-care brands in the world. Their facial treatments and masks really work and professionals in the movie industry have been using their products for years. It’s how Cate gets her face to have that subtle glow all the time.
Product: SK II Facial Treatment Essence 30ml
Price: $170.00
Where to buy:
6. Jennifer Aniston for Smartwater
Some celebrities will endorse just about anything. This is the case for Jennifer Aniston who said yes when asked to be the face of Smartwater. What’s that, you ask? It’s a brand under the Coca Cola Company that makes water – well, it’s a bit more complex than that: it’s vapor distilled water with electrolytes. It sounds fancy because it is. And that’s alright, because some people like that.
We don’t know how much she’s been paid for endorsing Smartwater, but we’re guesstimating that it’s around $4 million which makes it one of the most lucrative celebrity endorsement deals.
Product: Glaceau Smartwater Electrolytes Enhanced – 1 Liter (34oz) Case of 12
Price: $28.00
Where to buy:
5. Justin Timberlake for McDonald’s
Many think that Justin sold his soul to the devil by accepting to be a part of MacDonald’s I’m Loving It 2003 campaign. The slogan was a massive success is still used today. We don’t know Justin’s salary for this campaign and to be honest, we don’t want to know. Many celebrities have reacted to this campaign by saying I’m Hating It.
What do you think? Should we judge Justin for promoting something junk food? Is it bad that what he did with this campaign was make bad food cool? What would you have done in his position?
Product: McDonald’s: Behind The Arches
Price: $14.19 (paperback)
Where to buy:
4. Jennifer Lopez for L’Oreal
Did you know that Jennifer Lopez was the first Latin person ever to be signed by L’Oreal? This happened back in the 90’s and ever since Jenny from the block has been coming back to them. She’s promoted hair color, lipstick, foundation and most recently shampoo.
We love what she does for L’Oreal, because we love L’Oreal, but we highly doubt that this is makeup celebrities use, especially someone as luxury oriented as Lopez. Maybe if we were to search her makeup bag really well, we’d find some L’Oreal mascara in there… maybe!
Product: L’Oreal Total Repair 5 Restoring Shampoo
Price: $8.79
Where to buy:
3. Natalie Portman for Dior
Natalie Portman is the perfect person for Christian Dior makeup and fragrance. She’s extremely beautiful and intelligent and her addition to this campaign, I’m sure, made Dior buckets of money. The makeup celebrities use seem to sell like hot bread. Besides, Christian Dior loves her to death, that’s why when the John Galliano controversy exploded they chose to side with her.
John Galliano made some anti-Semitic and pro-Hitler (the sentence I love Hitler got uttered) remarks during a private dinner, that got recorded and eventually got in the hands of the press. Portman is Jewish and she condemned the designer saying that she was disgusted with his comments. The House of Dior reacted promptly and declared that it has zero tolerance regarding anti-Semitism and racism. We’re pretty sure that even if Natalie Portman wasn’t on board with them, they still would have reacted the same way.
Product: Christian Dior Miss Dior Eau de Parfum Spray for Women
Price: $8.79
Where to buy:
2. Beyoncé for Pepsi
Beyoncé signed a promotional deal with Pepsi for $50 million. She promotes sugar water for 50 million dollars – only a megastar like Beyoncé can pull that off. Again, today’s society is a bit messed up if you judge by this fact alone. But Pepsi does more than sell soda, apparently. After Beyoncé was criticized for accepting to promote Pepsi, she responded with a frank statement saying that “the company respects musicians and artistry. I wouldn’t encourage any person, especially a child, to live life without balance.” This attack came after Beyoncé was a big part of Michelle Obama’s fitness campaign, Let’s Move which encourages adults to raise a healthier generation of children and whose aim is to end childhood obesity in the USA.
But is she right? Is moderation really the key when it comes to soda? Should we not teach our children what is good and what is bad for their health, instead of just teaching them moderation? Isn’t moderation a compromise made for the industry’s sake, rather than our own?
Instead of downing a can of Pepsi, why not try this diversion hidden safe can?
Product: Pepsi Cola Diversion Hidden Safe Can
Price: $7.30
Where to buy:
1. Angelina Jolie for Louis Vuitton – The best celebrity endorsement deals
Out of all the celebrity endorsement deals this one is the most peculiar and that is why we put at the top of our list. First of all, it’s only one image – that’s it, the one you see below with Angelina on a boat in Cambodia with a Louis Vuitton bag. Second of all, she was paid $10 million for that one picture. Is that insane, or what?! Just so you feel a little better about the whole situation, know that she donated much of the money to charity.
The Vuitton campaign she endorsed was called Core Values and was meant to promote values such as craftsmanship and integrity. Basically it was meant to wash the snobbism and away from the brand, to make it less flashy and what person embodies all that? Angelina Jolie!
Product: Louis Vuitton: Art, Fashion and Architecture
Price: $60.94 (hardcover)
Where to buy:
What do you think about these celebrity endorsement deals? Do you buy into them? Did you ever find yourself buying something just because a celebrity is using that product? For example the makeup celebrities use? Tell us your thoughts below.