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From rock stars peddling insurance to athletes modeling pantyhose, celebrities have lent their fame to some truly bizarre products. Join us as we count down the most head-scratching, questionable, and downright bizarre celebrity endorsements that left fans asking "why?". These partnerships prove that star power doesn't always translate to marketing magic!
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00:00A beauty mist can make my legs look good.
00:02Imagine what they'll do for yours.
00:04Welcome to WatchMojo.
00:06And today we're counting down our picks for brand campaigns
00:09with the most disarmingly strange or ill-fitting star power.
00:12Get your anonymous online quote with low payments
00:14and ride with the general.
00:16Perfect!
00:18Number 20. Swift Cover. Iggy Pop.
00:22I just got the insurance quote from my wheels texted to my phone.
00:25I demanded a quote 60 seconds ago.
00:27You think I'm selling car insurance?
00:29Well, I'm not. I'm selling time.
00:31A rowdy rock star could probably use reliable insurance.
00:34Maybe the wild American Iggy Pop was the right frontman for a 2009 campaign
00:38for the British insurance company Swift Cover.
00:41The Advertising Standards Authority didn't think so.
00:43They banned the ads for misleading consumers
00:45as the Gimme Danger singer wouldn't have been eligible for policy.
00:49The campaign resumed in 2011,
00:51with Iggy being accompanied by a creepy marionette clone called Little Iggy.
00:55Of course, all of the adverts were bizarre in their frantic pacing
00:58to demonstrate Swift Cover's speedy service
01:00and the godfather of punk's own outrageous image.
01:03Accusations of selling out aside,
01:05those lively brands were shown to be incompatible.
01:07I got insurance on my insurance.
01:10When I go hunting for what I need, it's there.
01:12Number 19. Sour Patch Kids.
01:15Method Man.
01:16Coming back out the cracks of sofas and fanny packs.
01:18This ain't a candy wrap, this is where the candy attack.
01:21Wu-Tang Clan's Clifford Method Man Smith can drop sweet rhymes about anything.
01:26That includes Sour Patch Kids, however wincingly.
01:29The rapper worked with a candy brand on the single,
01:31World Gone Sour, The Lost Kids,
01:33whose lyrics suggest the recklessness of disenfranchised youths.
01:36The music video revealed that he really was just talking about mischievous CGI gummies.
01:46Although he's a fan of the treat,
01:47the edgy method publicly admitted to being confused by the invitation
01:50to represent a product aimed at children.
01:53Just in case,
01:53the video opens with a disclaimer that it may be inappropriate for younger viewers.
01:57But despite some bitter symbolism,
01:59World Gone Sour was a relatively wholesome collab that went viral in 2011.
02:03Sour Patch has always been one of my favorite candies, so I jumped at the opportunity.
02:07Number 18.
02:09Nicole by OPI.
02:10Justin Bieber.
02:11While it may have been an unfair trend to bash teen pop sensation Justin Bieber,
02:15this didn't help.
02:17He capitalized on his 2009 hit single,
02:19One Less Lonely Girl,
02:20by partnering with a nail care company,
02:22Nicole by OPI.
02:24If you let me inside of your world,
02:27there'll be one less lonely girl.
02:29His line of gaudy nail polish featured awkward color names,
02:33like me plus blue,
02:34prized possession purple,
02:35and not a gold bigger.
02:37And what does one less lonely glitter even mean?
02:40Next color.
02:41OMB.
02:43As in,
02:44Oh My Bieber.
02:45A red shimmer with some gold hues.
02:48Although Bieber's image was rarely used in the campaign,
02:50the implication that this polish was meant to impress a teenage boy
02:53is wrong on so many levels.
02:55Never mind the jokes that inspired for Bieber's critics.
02:58The joke was on them when the collection sold a million bottles in just two months.
03:01Number 17.
03:03PAO Facial Fitness.
03:05Cristiano Ronaldo.
03:11Legendary footballer Cristiano Ronaldo knows a thing or two about staying in shape.
03:15Apparently, even his iconic good looks need a workout.
03:19It's awkward enough for the Portuguese phenom to even appear in Japanese advertisements for facial fitness PAO.
03:24Never mind the creepy visual of him and other dancing actors holding the device in their teeth while it flutters about.
03:30This earns the product the dubious designation of a shake weight for your face.
03:34PAO customers did see results in facial muscle toning,
03:37albeit more subtly than the commercial suggests.
03:40Certainly,
03:40Ronaldo brought a global attention with a viral video that was its own facial workout to watch.
03:45Number 16.
03:47Carl's Jr.
03:48Slash Hardee's.
03:49Paris Hilton.
03:50I love Paris in the fall.
03:54Besides her many enterprises,
03:56Paris Hilton has always been a beauty icon.
03:59That's not usually achieved by scarfing down fast food.
04:02And yet,
04:02the world was stunned by a commercial featuring Hilton hand-washing a luxury car while wearing a swimsuit and high heels.
04:09Only toward the end,
04:10she produced an oversized hamburger from the CKE restaurants chains Carl's Jr. and Hardee's.
04:16It may not seem like anyone would be looking at the food,
04:19but this 2005 campaign was a rousing success.
04:22The company would later become infamous for its risque ads,
04:25with Hilton coming back for seconds in 2014.
04:27CKE has walked back the trend as it grew controversial and stale,
04:31though it turned heads when Hilton started it.
04:33You missed a spot.
04:35Everyone wants a taste of Texas.
04:39Introducing the Texas Barbecue Thick Burger.
04:42Number 15.
04:43Psychic Friends Network.
04:45Dionne Warwick.
04:46Welcome to the new edition of Psychic Friends Network with host Dionne Warwick.
04:50Most importantly, we give you, the viewer, a chance to call a professional psychic.
04:54Contacting an icon of soul proved lucrative for a business aimed at contacting spirits.
04:58In the 1990s, Dionne Warwick starred in an extensive series of infomercials
05:03by the telephone parapsychology service Psychic Friends Network.
05:07All it takes is a telephone and an open mind.
05:10And that's so true.
05:11So we're going to come into the audience,
05:12we're going to hand out some phones,
05:14and you can find out for yourselves.
05:15How about that?
05:16Right.
05:16The singer seemed to lend genuine credibility
05:18when she hosted talk show-style demonstrations.
05:21But in 2020, Warwick told The Guardian that she took the gig due to a professional rut
05:26and doubted the legitimacy of PFN.
05:28She was not the only former employee to publicly denounce their service and business model.
05:32Nonetheless, the excessive infomercials helped PFN rake in loads of customers.
05:38As for the critics,
05:39it probably didn't need to be clairvoyant to figure that Warwick wasn't a true believer.
05:43Number 14.
05:44Decon Roach Traps.
05:46Muhammad Ali.
05:47I told you I don't want you living with roaches.
05:50Now I'm going to show you how to kill roaches where you don't want to spray,
05:53like around food and dishes.
05:54He could float like a butterfly,
05:56sting like a bee,
05:57and slay roaches.
05:58Muhammad Ali sure knocked fans for a loop as the face of Decon Roach Traps.
06:03He admitted to needing some help with fighting pests,
06:05albeit with his signature wit and humor.
06:07The TV ads were all the more surreal,
06:09for the credibly self-proclaimed greatest boxer of all time,
06:13flirting with his own image on the product's box.
06:15It was pretty on brand for him,
06:16but a black athlete's endorsement of a non-sports product was novel at the time.
06:20I can whip anything on two legs,
06:23but even me,
06:24the greatest,
06:24needs help beating things with six legs.
06:26This successful experiment started a trend in both advertising
06:29and Ali's own career as a spokesperson.
06:32And yet,
06:33his Decon ads still pack a punch with viral nostalgia.
06:37Number 13.
06:38Pizza Hut.
06:39Mikhail Gorbachev.
06:40Pizza Hut is a beloved American chain,
06:48so who in his or her right mind
06:50thought that the former leader of the Soviet Union
06:53was an appropriate pick for this?
06:54Sure, Mikhail Gorbachev and his granddaughter
06:56made for an admittedly charming pair
06:58when they appeared in this 1997 television ad,
07:00But what exactly was the marketing team thinking when they pitched this?
07:04His policies have largely been credited with bringing democracy,
07:07capitalism,
07:08and, depending on who you ask,
07:10economic ruin to the former USSR.
07:12So maybe him working alongside a capitalist mega-franchise
07:16actually makes sense.
07:17With such a divisive legacy,
07:27Mr. Gorbachev feels way too controversial a figure
07:29for this to feel like a good PR move.
07:32Number 12.
07:34Trump Steaks.
07:35Donald Trump.
07:36We have Trump steaks,
07:37and by the way,
07:38if you want to take one,
07:39we'll charge you about, what,
07:4150 bucks a steak now,
07:42we'll...
07:42Speaking of world leaders and food,
07:44before making a splash in governmental affairs,
07:47America's loudest businessman
07:48tried his hand at the high-end steak market.
07:51We shouldn't have been surprised.
07:52Trump will experiment with anything in the name of profit.
07:55But this one was just weird.
07:57Even for him.
07:57Trump steaks are five-star gourmet,
08:00quality that belong in a very, very select category of restaurant.
08:04First off, why steak?
08:06Secondly,
08:07why sell them exclusively through the sharper image,
08:10a brand that describes itself as a purveyor of home electronics,
08:13high-tech lifestyle gadgets,
08:15and innovative gifts?
08:17Where the heck does steak fit into this picture?
08:19While Trump maintains that his steak business was strong,
08:22others cite it as one of his financial blunders.
08:24If you like your steak,
08:25you'll absolutely love Trump steaks.
08:28Treat yourself to the very, very best life has to offer.
08:32Number 11.
08:33Sophia Mini.
08:34Francis Ford Coppola.
08:36This isn't your typical wine named after a member of the Coppola family.
08:39Our diamond collection, Chardonnay, is sunshine in a glass.
08:43This particular product is a can of wine.
08:46Yes.
08:47Francis has named a reserve after himself,
08:49a lovely red after his wife, Eleanor,
08:51and encouraged his granddaughter to produce an entire line of Gia by Gia Coppola wines for the family biz.
08:57But the mini version of Sophia's Blanc de Blancs somehow wound up in a tin can.
09:01Sure, you can get some of the other wines from her line in bottled format,
09:04but you can't help but assume that this dazzling pink packaging is a bit off.
09:08After all,
09:09Sophia Coppola is an incredibly talented, serious filmmaker.
09:13We're one of the first wineries out there to put sparkling wine in a can.
09:18Number 10.
09:19Pasta Mania.
09:21Hulk Hogan.
09:22WCW's own world heavyweight champion Hulk Hogan.
09:24He's got pasta mania in the Mall of America.
09:27I want to try to get a word with him.
09:28Ah, the glamorous world of celebrity restaurants.
09:32Chris Noth's cutting room,
09:33Justin Timberlake's Southern Hospitality Barbecue,
09:35and Robert De Niro's legendary Tribeca Grill.
09:38The late Terry Jean Bollea,
09:40aka Hollywood Hulk Hogan,
09:42among many more names in the ring,
09:44was never one to miss out on a celebrity cliche.
09:46Big Bubba, you better tighten up that waistline, brother,
09:50because the Hulkster's slim and trim.
09:52I've been eating my pasta mania,
09:54and what you gonna do in the Mall of America, brother?
09:57So, in 1995,
09:59he opened his own celebrity restaurant,
10:01Pasta Mania.
10:02It was described as a quick-serve pasta restaurant,
10:05reportedly featuring the Hulkster's favorite international pasta dishes.
10:09It lasted less than one year.
10:10Maybe that had something to do with the quality of the pasta.
10:14Number 9.
10:15Signature Cup Coffee.
10:16David Lynch.
10:17Experimental filmmaker to coffee roaster doesn't seem like the most natural transition,
10:26but when you consider the attention paid to a good cup of coffee in his series Twin Peaks,
10:30this particular product becomes easier to swallow.
10:33You know,
10:34this is,
10:35excuse me,
10:36a damn fine cup of coffee.
10:38I've had,
10:39I can't tell you how many cups of coffee in my life,
10:41and this,
10:41this is one of the best.
10:42Despite the fact that David Lynch's coffee was first released in 2006,
10:46it wasn't until 2012,
10:47but any sort of official commercial was filmed.
10:50During that time, however,
10:51a whole slew of fan-made Lynch-inspired commercials began to pop up.
10:55An official 2015 commercial for this mysterious brew,
10:58directed by Lynch's very own daughter, Jennifer,
11:01shows that eccentric filmmaking runs in the family.
11:12Number 8.
11:13New Super Mario Bros. 2.
11:15Penelope Cruz.
11:16When you see commercials for video games,
11:25the actors involved are typically unknowns.
11:27Back in 1991,
11:29a commercial for the Super Nintendo featured a pre-fame Paul Rudd.
11:33Sure,
11:33massive mobile games like Game of War Fire Age got Kate Upton,
11:36but those are more the exception than the rule.
11:39Seeing an A-list celebrity casually playing Mario on a Nintendo 3DS
11:43already feels like a bit of a Twilight Zone type of viewing experience.
11:46But when we see prestige actress and beauty icon Penelope Cruz,
11:50dressed up as the titular plumber, mustache and all,
11:52we officially level up in terms of weird.
11:55Add Cruz's striking similar-looking sister Monica to the mix,
11:58and you have a celebrity endorsement for the ages.
12:01Number 7.
12:02Durex.
12:03JLS.
12:04Now everyone's favorite boy band JLS can add a charity
12:08and their own range of condoms to their growing list of achievements.
12:12Teaming up with Durex to release a line of condoms,
12:14the R&B group Jack the Lad Swing used their initials to spell
12:18Just Love Safe.
12:19The boxes even feature headshots of each band member.
12:22You know,
12:23just in case you'd rather stare at one of them as opposed to your actual partner.
12:26JLS have been the butt of a number of jokes since,
12:29but we suppose we can't fault them too much for trying to help promote safe sex.
12:32I think we have a message of, you know, no glove, no love, right?
12:35That's right.
12:36Number 6.
12:37Pop Chips.
12:38Ashton Kutcher.
12:39I can also, without even looking,
12:41tell you whether you have an innie or an outie belly button.
12:44So my whole life is detail.
12:46Higher.
12:47Lower.
12:48The slacker persona of actor Ashton Kutcher
12:50seemed appropriate for a potato chip brand,
12:53but in his other role as a marketing consultant for this Pop Chips campaign,
12:57he tried other, much less appropriate personas.
12:59Kutcher's commercials featured him as several comical stereotypes in mock dating videos.
13:04The bachelors included American biker Swordfish,
13:07English hippie Nigel,
13:09and the enigmatic Darl.
13:10Then there was Bollywood producer Raj,
13:12complete with brown face makeup.
13:14This sparked major backlash from the public and Indian American public figures.
13:18I'm Raj.
13:19I'm a Bollywood producer.
13:20I'm looking for the most delicious thing on the planet.
13:23Pop Chips promptly and apologetically pulled the campaign,
13:26but Kutcher has never responded to the controversy,
13:28nor has he explained his reasoning behind the other cringy skits
13:32about what they have to do with the seldom-seen product.
13:35Number 5.
13:36I can't believe it's not butter.
13:38Ozzy Osbourne.
13:39Trying to understand the late Prince of Darkness Ozzy Osbourne
13:42often feels like a hopeless endeavor.
13:44What the f*** are we doing?
13:47I'm stuck on the weather channel.
13:49Although Ozzy's onstage antics did calm with age,
13:53he confused the world with his choices,
13:55keeping us on our toes as he careened through life.
13:58The hit reality show, The Osbournes,
14:00opened the door for mainstream promotional gigs
14:02with World of Warcraft and Guitar Hero.
14:04In 2006, likely inspired by the idea of domestic Ozzy,
14:09as popularized by his reality show,
14:11I Can't Believe It's Not Butter chose him to star in a commercial.
14:13It was odd and honestly a little embarrassing,
14:20but hey, Ozzy has definitely done more disturbing things.
14:23Number 4.
14:24Charmin.
14:25Kim Kardashian.
14:27Socialite and entrepreneur Kim Kardashian
14:29entered the 2010 synonymous with luxurious lifestyle.
14:32Some probably felt that went down the drain
14:34when Charmin hired her to open a public restroom facility
14:37in New York's Times Square.
14:39It was the toilet paper company's fifth year
14:41of providing this service during the holiday season.
14:43Some speculate this endorsement
14:45was the New York newcomer's way
14:47of establishing her image with her neighbors.
14:49In any case, the public was dumbfounded
14:51by the image of this glamour icon
14:53standing between two giant stuffed bears
14:55and handing out toilet paper.
14:57Whether Kardashian was right in her efforts
14:59to de-stigmatize the subject,
15:01the internet is still keeping up with that awkward moment.
15:04Number 3.
15:05Victoria's Secret.
15:06Bob Dylan.
15:07Bob Dylan is many things.
15:09A poet, an incredibly talented songwriter,
15:12and a renowned ladies' man,
15:14but the folk legend seems like the least appropriate person
15:16to be selling women's lingerie.
15:24It's an undeniably odd pairing,
15:26but what makes this endorsement even stranger
15:28is still his reputation for being reclusive
15:30and generally shunning fame.
15:32This is a man who told the Nobel Prize Committee
15:35they would not be attending the ceremony.
15:37So how Victoria's Secret ever convinced him
15:39to participate in this ad is beyond most fans.
15:42True to form, Mr. Dylan has never explained himself.
15:44I'd give anything to be with you.
15:50Number 2.
15:51The General Insurance.
15:52Shaquille O'Neal.
15:54We tend to be wary of car insurance companies
15:56that promote generous policies for high-risk cases
15:58through clunky animated mascots.
16:01Use your smartphone and get an anonymous online quote right now.
16:04The truth is that The General is generally considered
16:07a solid budget provider,
16:08so they stretch their clearly limited advertising budget
16:11to sign lovable basketball icon Shaquille O'Neal.
16:14Get your anonymous online quote with low payments
16:16and ride with The General.
16:18Perfect.
16:20Now let's do the free throws.
16:22That didn't exactly make his crummy CGI scene partner
16:25less awkward.
16:26Comedian Craig Robinson even joined the campaign for an ad,
16:29which assured viewers that Shaq hadn't lost his mind.
16:31Remember you telling us to check out The General
16:33for car insurance?
16:34We all thought you were losing it,
16:35so we left you deep in the woods.
16:38Turns out you were right about The General.
16:40I just misjudged them based on their commercials.
16:42Sure enough, he boosted The General's business
16:44on both viral infamy and positive word of mouth.
16:47This was reflected in their commercials'
16:48improved production values over time.
16:51Of course, scoring Shaq's brand
16:52seemed like a long shot for a long time.
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17:08Number 1.
17:11Hanes Beauty Mist Pantyhose.
17:13Joe Namath.
17:14Everything looks better through Beauty Mist.
17:17Especially your legs.
17:19What's weirder?
17:20Bob Dylan and lingerie?
17:22Or an NFL Hall of Famer teaming up with Hanes
17:24to hawk pantyhose?
17:26In the end,
17:27Joe Namath took home the win,
17:29edging out his competition
17:30by actually putting the women's clothing on himself.
17:33Athletes frequently endorse apparel and footwear,
17:35but their presence is usually used
17:37to convey strength and high performance.
17:39Beauty Mist can make my legs look good.
17:42Imagine what they'll do for yours.
17:44In this case, however,
17:46Namath's masculinity was used
17:47to showcase the transformative power
17:49of Hanes' stockings.
17:50Even his legs looked good in them.
17:52The ad caused quite the controversy in 1974,
17:55making many fans uncomfortable.
17:57But Namath should be commended
17:58for being unafraid to embrace his feminine side
18:00in a field where such a thing
18:01was unthinkable at the time.
18:04What are some other promos
18:05that caught your attention with a celebrity?
18:07And maybe not in the right way.
18:08Give us your endorsement in the comments.
18:09You had that hot buttery crust.
18:12I need your hot buttery crust.
18:14Ah!
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