"Artists" who do Commercials and Ads

[Flashy]

is it just me, or does this really bother you as well?

you hear all these musicians and actors/movie stars etc who claim they are "artists", but then do ads for all sorts of companies and products etc...

i have no problem with musicians, actors, movie stars etc. making a fortune for their talent through the means of their art...

such as:

-big salary for a movie/TV show etc.
-musicians doing concerts/selling CD's/merchandise

but when you see all these "artists" actively whoring it out for a big check for a random company, it comes off as really cheesy...

some stars restrict themselves to "voiceovers" like George Clooney in Budweiser,etc

others go all out in campaigns...

and then musicians sell their music for commercials...that might be a little more forgivable, but not much...

but when U2 the band actively advertised for Blackberry and Apple...it just became too much.


what do you guys think?

is this annoying? does it detract from the artists credibility at all?

 

[Bbucko]

There's a reason why it's called "selling out".

 

[Industrialsize]

It's the lure of cash that calls out to the Artists.............did you know that the voice over for the NBC Nightly News is done by Michael Douglas?

I don't think it distracts much from their artistic endeavors. And it must work "Marketing Wise", or there wouldn't be companies willing to throw their money at them. Does Federer being paid by Nike to be their living billboard detract from the artistry he displays on the tennis court?

 

[B_Nick8]

There's a reason why it's called "selling out".

There's also a reason--and, to my mind, even more hypocritically--why so many American ones do it only in overseas markets.

 

[Flashy]

There's a reason why it's called "selling out".

lol..true.

but there are different degrees to it...the true "artist" accepts no money for his art. i believe the original punk rock ethos was similar to that.

but over the years, there have been some bands and actors etc. who had alot of integrity with it.

Zeppelin never allowed their music to be used in ads (until they finally sold out with Cadillac)

i have to admire Russell Crowe for taking issue with the folks like George Clooney though.

Crowe is kind of a dick...but at least he "gets" it.

i mean, Clooney makes 10s of millions for his roles, in salary, back end participation, producing etc...does he really need to do a voiceover for Budweiser? or commercials for Nespresso? Omega, or Martini?

to me, the commercial really "cheapens" movie stardom.

it is hard to imagine the classic old time stars doing commercials which were looked down upon.

 

[Flashy]

There's also a reason--and, to my mind, even more hypocritically--why so many American ones do it only in overseas markets.

yes, Nick, very true...because it "cheapens" a movie star.

which is why it is really lame...when Brad Pitt did a heineken commercial here...and Clooney does budweiser voiceovers here, and Morgan freeman does voiceovers here.

apparently they do not mind being ad whores overseas...it is just here at home where they get embarassed about it

 

[Bbucko]

lol..true.

but there are different degrees to it...the true "artist" accepts no money for his art. i believe the original punk rock ethos was similar to that.

but over the years, there have been some bands and actors etc. who had alot of integrity with it.

Zeppelin never allowed their music to be used in ads (until they finally sold out with Cadillac)

i have to admire Russell Crowe for taking issue with the folks like George Clooney though.

Crowe is kind of a dick...but at least he "gets" it.

i mean, Clooney makes 10s of millions for his roles, in salary, back end participation, producing etc...does he really need to do a voiceover for Budweiser? or commercials for Nespresso? Omega, or Martini?

to me, the commercial really "cheapens" movie stardom.

it is hard to imagine the classic old time stars doing commercials which were looked down upon.

An hour perusing the results of a Google image search will reward you with dozens of stars from the 20s through the 50s doing print ads for "complexion bars" (soap), cigarettes and the like. It's nothing new at all.

Celebrity endorsement must work with some people on some level, but I gotta say it's never worked with me except in the reverse.

 

[Bbucko]

yes, Nick, very true...because it "cheapens" a movie star.

which is why it is really lame...when Brad Pitt did a heineken commercial here...and Clooney does budweiser voiceovers here, and Morgan freeman does voiceovers here.

apparently they do not mind being ad whores overseas...it is just here at home where they get embarassed about it

Japanese media ads are infamous for this.

 

[DiscoBoy]

I couldn't care less. I judge [a] musician(s) solely on their music and nothing else. Sure, it says something about their character and personality, but I don't know nor have any intention of knowing these people personally so it doesn't affect me in the least.

 

[B_Nick8]

Japanese media ads are infamous for this.

I know, right? Here it seems these stars are all about Green, there, they're all about green.

 

[Flashy]

An hour perusing the results of a Google image search will reward you with dozens of stars from the 20s through the 50s doing print ads for "complexion bars" (soap), cigarettes and the like. It's nothing new at all.

Celebrity endorsement must work with some people on some level, but I gotta say it's never worked with me except in the reverse.

i agree with you...i know audrey hepburn did some stuff overseas...

but like you said, it really repels me...and the ones who are doing it more and mroe over here, and more blatantly are major turnoffs...lok at Catherine Zeta-Jones for Tmobile...perhaps as no surprise her career has also gone down the tubes since Chicago.

 

[Flashy]

Japanese media ads are infamous for this.

yeah, there is a wacky site called "Japander" (jap - pander) that has all of them

 

[Flashy]

I know, right? Here it seems these stars are all about Green, there, they're all about green.

indeed!

it is funny how most of them blather on about the environment, or "the corporations" but they have no trouble cashing a check from these "evil" companies

it is funny how both George Clooney and Susan Sarandon have no trouble railing against the unfairness faced by people in the 3rd world and their exploitation by the west, but then Clooney cashes a check from "Nespresso" and Sarandon cashes a check from "Stouffers"...both of whom are owned by Nestle...which has an appalling track record in the 3rd world, with everything from child labor to price fixing etc.

 

[Bbucko]

There really are two separate issues here, I think.

Allowing the licensing of one's artistic work to sell something completely unrelated (and probably unappreciated by the artist in question, like Led Zep's Cadillac ads) is just greedy and diminishes the artistic work itself.

Product endorsement ads (like Joan Crawford and Pepsi to pick an obvious one) trade on the celebrity's name to entice others to follow. This isn't as popular as it once was here in the US, but it still happens, because of the obvious manipulation involved. Today people like to make up their own minds, thank you very much.

The area where this is still big business is in clothing. Designers routinely send racks of clothing to big names so that they can be seen wearing them, and not just on the red carpet. Nothing as loathsome as Ed Hardy (and its evil "upscale" twin Christian Audigier) could possibly have become so universal otherwise.

Then there's that whole business of entertainers coming out with ancillary products unrelated to their "art" like perfumes by Jennifer Lopez, Beyonce or Brittney Spears or clothing lines being "designed" by Victoria Beckham or Justin Timberlake.

 

[Flashy]

There really are two separate issues here, I think.

i agree

Allowing the licensing of one's artistic work to sell something completely unrelated (and probably unappreciated by the artist in question, like Led Zep's Cadillac ads) is just greedy and diminishes the artistic work itself.

i agree completely...like the Stones "Start me up" for Microsoft, or the Beatles "Revolution" for Nike etc...

Product endorsement ads (like Joan Crawford and Pepsi to pick an obvious one) trade on the celebrity's name to entice others to follow. This isn't as popular as it once was here in the US, but it still happens, because of the obvious manipulation involved. Today people like to make up their own minds, thank you very much.

i agree...but there is a difference...*intelligent* people like to make up their own minds...but there are still plenty of folks, young and old, who honestly like to believe that these celebrities believe in the product, and they will be better off choosing them because of it.

when you see Julianne Moore, Nicole Kidman and Halle Berry doing Revlon commercials, it is an obvious ploy to tell women that this is how they'll look their best etc...

The area where this is still big business is in clothing. Designers routinely send racks of clothing to big names so that they can be seen wearing them, and not just on the red carpet. Nothing as loathsome as Ed Hardy (and its evil "upscale" twin Christian Audiger) could possibly have become so universal otherwise.

very true....plus, all the big names who do shoots for every print interview, photo spread etc. in vanity fair, vogue, esquire, are also pimping the clothes there as well. (i assume that is what you meant by not just on the red carpet)

Then there's that whole business of entertainers coming out with ancillary products unrelated to their "art" like perfumes by Jennifer Lopez, Beyonce or Brittney Spears or clothing lines being "designed" by Victoria Beckham or Justin Timberlake.

yes...these are the new worst...add to those atrocious lines, Jayz and Diddy's "fashion" lines...diddy's vodka etc...

so annoying.

 

[B_Nick8]

Admit it, Bbucko. You'll buy anything endorsed by the Olsen twins.

 

[Flashy]

i have to say, DiCaprio takes the hypocrisy cake...

he is mr. "green" and mr pro-environment...then does ads for Suzuki SUV's...LOL

what a pile of crap.

 

[Flashy]

Admit it, Bbucko. You'll buy anything endorsed by the Olsen twins.

who wouldn't?!?!?!?!:biggrin1:

 

[Bbucko]

And, of course, Absolut vodka's been recruiting artists for decades to make their potato juice chic and cool.

 

[Sergeant_Torpedo]

I do have a concern (it isn't a problem) of artistes (for that is the correct word) for the assumption these peaople have that they get exceptionally rich because of their art (it is all marketing) and then belive it is because they work harder than us mortals and therefore deserve it. Those the gods wish to destroy make into idols first.