When did it become okay for celebrities to do commercials

[Riv86672]

This is off the top of my head, so I’ve done no Googling. If I’m way off on this, my bad.

I remember years and years ago seeing articles online about famous actors being embarrassed by commercials they’d done overseas (Japan and France were mentioned) surfacing in the States.

Nowadays celebrities are ALL OVER commercials for pretty much everything.

When/why did the stigma go away?

[krazijoe]

This is off the top of my head, so I’ve done no Googling. If I’m way off on this, my bad.

I remember years and years ago seeing articles online about famous actors being embarrassed by commercials they’d done overseas (Japan and France were mentioned) surfacing in the States.

Nowadays celebrities are ALL OVER commercials for pretty much everything.

When/why did the stigma go away?

When the actors saw the $$$

[ChrisIII]

Think Pepsi did it first quite a bit in the 80s and 90s, although mostly with popular music acts like Jackson, Bowie, Turner, Ray Charles etc. and of course Britney.


Funny thing is some celebs that are big today like Jack Black, Bryan Cranston pretty much got their start in 80s commercials before they were famous. And of course there's the Burger King 1982 christmas commercial featuring Lea Thompson, Elisabeth Shue AND Sarah Michelle Gellar before they were big stars.

[Riv86672]

Thanks guys.

I was thinking more along the lines of when American celebrities only did commercials like this…



…as opposed to nowadays where they are happily all over our televisions.

[DrNewGod]

It always has been, with some qualifiers.

At one time in the US, once a celebrity reached a level (usually, leading cinema star or successful TV series lead), ads were deemed unseemly. However, they would often quietly do ads in foreign markets, where the US hoi poloi was unlikely to see them. That was the whole raison d'être behind Bill Murray's character in Lost In Translation. Lesser celebrities were almost expected to hawk wares (YouTube "rich Corinthian leather").

Big Celebs have faced two pressures as time has passed. Royalties for past work decrease over time, and they're not able to command the kind of $ they once could for new work. Yet they still have mansions, divorces and elite college tuitions to pay. As a result, they take the cash and run.

As for younger celebs, their managers tell them they've got to squeeze the fruit as hard as they can whilst it's fresh, because the public is fickle. Further, anything that keeps their brand elevated in today's informational hurricane can't be bad.

[Riv86672]

It always has been, with some qualifiers.

At one time in the US, once a celebrity reached a level (usually, leading cinema star or successful TV series lead), ads were deemed unseemly. However, they would often quietly do ads in foreign markets, where the US hoi poloi was unlikely to see them. That was the whole raison d'être behind Bill Murray's character in Lost In Translation. Lesser celebrities were almost expected to hawk wares (YouTube "rich Corinthian leather").

Big Celebs have faced two pressures as time has passed. Royalties for past work decrease over time, and they're not able to command the kind of $ they once could for new work. Yet they still have mansions, divorces and elite college tuitions to pay. As a result, they take the cash and run.

As for younger celebs, their managers tell them they've got to squeeze the fruit as hard as they can whilst it's fresh, because the public is fickle. Further, anything that keeps their brand elevated in today's informational hurricane can't be bad.

^^^All RIGHT!
Now that’s what I was trying to get a handle on, thank VERY much!

[Kirby101]

Celebs have been doing ads ever since there have been celebrities

[ed2962]

Celebs have been doing ads ever since there have been celebrities

This was my take. There's some who take the attitude of they won't do them because they think of themselves as serious artists, and others it depends on what the product is, but there's enough that will do whatever if you meet their rate.

[j9ac9k]

Celebs have been doing ads ever since there have been celebrities

While literally true, the OP was asking about a specific time and attitude that did exist where it was seen as "beneath" A-Listers to hawk a product in an ad. (and not just make an appearance in some artsy way, I mean being a salesperson pushing a product) And that attitude has become a lot more lax to the point where it doesn't really exist anymore. (I can't really offer an answer or timeline about how that attitude shifted though)

Can anyone think of a scenario with a big name pushing a product that would surprise anyone at this point? Similarly, can anyone remember a time they saw an A-Lister in an ad and being surprised?

[Nods]

Well it's always been okay but after Napster was when the floodgates opened. The big thing wasn't actors/actresses but it's when bands started licensing music is when the game really changed. The last actors to have their careers basically ended by hocking goods was Sarah Michelle Geller and Catharine Zeta Jones when they ran there national campaigns.

[Riv86672]

While literally true, the OP was asking about a specific time and attitude that did exist where it was seen as "beneath" A-Listers to hawk a product in an ad. (and not just make an appearance in some artsy way, I mean being a salesperson pushing a product) And that attitude has become a lot more lax to the point where it doesn't really exist anymore. (I can't really offer an answer or timeline about how that attitude shifted though)

Can anyone think of a scenario with a big name pushing a product that would surprise anyone at this point? Similarly, can anyone remember a time they saw an A-Lister in an ad and being surprised?

^^^Thats what I was asking, yeah.
Next time I’ll have you proofread my OP and avoid confusion!

[Gaastra]

Vincent price was doing ads for decades before he passed away.

TV shows in the 50s and 60s had the cast of that show doing ads during the shows break! Even superman ate corn flakes.

Cartoons like bugs bunny who were huge in the golden age were used in kool-aid and tang ads.

Then many big stars in their prime were in magazine and newspaper ads and radio ads before tv.



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[Kirby101]

While literally true, the OP was asking about a specific time and attitude that did exist where it was seen as "beneath" A-Listers to hawk a product in an ad.

When was that?

[Kirby101]

And let's go back farther.

[Kirby101]

And farther back still




If I look more, I would probably find an ad with Richard Burbage.