4 Successful Celebrity & Brand Partnerships

When company owners think of ways to get the word out to the public about their products, they may consider hiring commercial actors to wax eloquent about their tasty barbecue sauce, comfortable clothing or delightful perfume. Or they can reach out to any number of celebrities to see if they might be interested in appearing in print and television commercials to help endorse their products.

Over the years, a number of celebrity and brand partnerships have been especially successful; to the point where some athletes, actors and singers are essentially thought of whenever consumers think of or shop for a product. For instance, the following four celeb/product pair-ups are definitely well known:

Michael Jordan and Nike

Believe it or not, Michael Jordan, who is arguably the greatest basketball player of all time, initially wanted to sign with the Adidas shoe company. But as Forbes notes, his agent came up with the phrase Air Jordan and also happened to have close ties with Nike. Nike offered a five-year deal with the base pay of a half-million dollars per year, and the rest is history. Today, when people shop for Jordan Retro 1 shoes or any other Jordan shoes or gear, they undoubtedly know about the ongoing partnership between Jordan and Nike — which has earned him an estimated $1.3 billion dollars over the years.

Sofia Vergara and Head & Shoulders

When she is not busy working on shows like “Modern Family,” Sofia Vergara does a number of celebrity endorsements, including plenty of commercials for Head & Shoulders dandruff shampoo. The ads featured her son along with other family members who all claim that they had unsightly dandruff, until the shampoo came along to help. In some commercials, Vergara herself told others that she too suffered from itchy and flaky scalp, which has to resonate with many viewers who are not used to seeing highly successful and well-paid actresses admit to having such a common skin condition.

Jennifer Garner and Capital One

If you have ever seen a commercial for Capital One starring Jennifer Garner, it is hard not to smile at her earnest approval for the credit cards. And if you use one to pay for something at the store, it’s also difficult not to hear her perky voice in your head asking “What’s in your wallet?” According to Celebrity Networth, Garner is worth about $80 million, due in part to her celebrity endorsement of Capital One. Other actors have appeared in the commercials too, but there is just something about Garner’s intense interest in earning airline miles through the credit card — all while acting as a lawyer and/or bridesmaid — that makes her name synonymous with the brand.

Justin Bieber and Calvin Klein

One thing that major clothing companies like Calvin Klein have at their disposal is a huge marketing budget, which can allow them to entice singers like Justin Bieber to appear in his Calvins in ads. While the company has worked with a number of A-list celebs over the years, the campaign that featured Bieber along with his wife, Hailey, is perhaps the most well-known and successful. To this day, people who buy Calvin Klein underwear can probably see Bieber — either alone or with Hailey snuggled up beside them — showing the world their undies and enjoying a lucrative celeb partnership.

A great commercial actor or actress can do a great job selling a product, but there is a lot to be said for using someone we all feel like we already know and like. From people who want to “be like Mike” when they buy shoes to applying for a credit card because a vivacious actress seems to approve of it, celebrity/brand partnerships are an effective way to get the word out about a product.