Harry Shearer’s just-released video mocking aging stars for their endorsement choices is generating buzz, but I question the “aging” part of it. Celebs endorse products for different reasons at different points in their careers.
After all, Nicki Minaj is anything but old – and her music is super hot right now. So why would she have Bud Light (Have a drink, clink, found the Bud Light) and Patron take a starring lyrical role in her current Starships hit? Because they want to make money – or make more money – for various reasons. Music labels aren’t funding many of the highly produced ($$$$$) videos you see on YouTube; that’s where product endorsements can come in. A few hundred thousand from one brand, half a mil from another, and suddenly you’ve got an elaborate mini-movie for millions of fans to drink in while they sing your song.
In the end, do we mind at all that celebs – whether at the pinnacle of popularity or the very tail end – hawk products? Unless it’s someone whose brand has been based on not selling out, I think the basic answer is “no.”
~ @AdvertGirl
