The other night, as I sat on the couch putting off bedtime like an eight year old, I startled at the sound of John Corbett telling me to eat at Applebee’s. While I do enjoy a good rack of “riblets,” why in the world does the DJ from Northern Exposure want me to slap my hard earned cash down there? I love The United States of Tara and all John, but this is too much.
It got me thinking about all the familiar celebrity voices you hear these days on television commercials. Much like animated features, advertising agencies increasingly turn towards big name talent to facelessly hock their client’s wares. The bonus for these actors is not having to fly to Japan for the quick buck and the future embarrassment of Conan O’Brien pulling your energy drink spot up on YouTube. Voice-overs might just be better than an Oscar!
Lots of big names have taken advantage of these “wear you pajamas to work” gigs. Julie Roberts checks her email with AOL, Kevin Spacey drives Honda, George Clooney sips Budweiser, David Duchovney feeds dogs Pedigree, John Goodman loves him some Dunkin’ Donuts, and Alec Baldwin lends his voice to half a dozen different products. I could go on for days, but here’s some highlights.
One of the ads I see a lot involves the soothing baritone of Gene Hackman in support of Lowe’s Home Improvement stores. His fatherly demeanor is a reassuring presence when deciding where to pick up your next ceiling fan. Not to mention, when the coach from Hoosiers tells you you can do it, you pick up some plywood and build those stairs. One step at a time.
Panasonic buys a lot of air so that Christian Slater can inspire you to scratch your head and think, “what was that guy in again?” I kid C-Slat!! But seriously, his last memorable role was a decade ago, but I guess nobody told Japan. They love them some Kuffs!! Hence, Slater’s poor man’s Nicholson impression is a savvy choice for the electronics giant.
When you go to buy some quality batteries, you’re down to either Energizer or Duracell. Rayovac’s been out of the game for years. Jeff Bridges wants to make sure you choose the coppertop, mainly so our favorite “Dude” can keep cashing checks cause you know, he doesn’t have a super successful film career or anything. (pssst… that was sarcasm)
Bridges hopped the train of a pretty solid company, can’t say the same for Stockard Channing’s sell out maneuver. Rydell High’s oldest looking student hitched her vocal chords to insurance giant AIG. Maybe you’ve heard of them? They had what some P.R. firms would refer to as a “liquidity crisis.”
Arguably one of the biggest campaigns in recent history involves Mastercard reminding us what is “priceless.” It has become a bit of a cultural tent pole with even SNL spoofing the ads and it’s all thanks to one Billy Crudup. Probably best known for his roles in Almost Famous and Watchmen, Crudup is a Tony award winner with a well trained voice perfect for voice-overs and if I hadn’t looked it up, I’d never have guessed it was him.
My favorite might be a little more obscure. Tom Waits pulls his smoker’s throat through a spot for Butcher’s Blend Dog Food. Not sure which is more obscure, Waits or the doggie chow. (Hint: it’s the dog food.)
Interesting trivia includes Kelsey Grammar voicing the original Geico Gecko spots before the company realized a cheesy British accent was funnier. I also find it pretty amusing Queen Latifah VO’d for Pizza Hut before appearing on camera for weight loss giant Jenny Craig. One thing lead to the other, so-to-speak.
So who wins in these deals? Well, the companies get what advertisers call “borrowed equity.” The familiar tones of these celebs encourage the public to buy product X because celebs enjoy product X. If you want the lifestyle of a George Clooney, maybe Bud is your ticket? The downside for these endorsements generally comes from having your product too closely identified to a celeb who, for lack of a better term, screws up. Tiger Woods, anyone? However, with only a voice (anonymous in that they’re not identified), big companies reduce that risk and still gain from the celeb’s popularity. A voice is easier to replace than a 30 second spot with Catherine Zeta-Jones’ skull taking up 80% of my screen.
The stars get an easy paycheck. Who doesn’t love one of those?! So it’s kind of a win-win. The bigger question is do they work? That’s debatable. Like all advertising it depends on the person receiving the message, but it certainly doesn’t hurt to have that message delivered by the lovely Patricia Clarkson telling me I deserve a BMW. Which I totally do.
What do you think? Do you like celebrity endorsement?
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