Celebrity endorsements are a great way for brands to get more sales. Certain brand-celeb partnerships work brilliantly, bringing carefully thought-out campaigns to life. On the other hand, certain endorsements may or may not get the right results but still manage to grab the viewers’ attention—something that brands also try to accomplish. To get that reaction, a strange yet surefire approach is pairing celebrities with products the audience wouldn’t normally associate with them.
1. The Kardashian family and MasterCard
Nobody really expected the Kardashian sisters to show up on their credit card, but that’s just what happened in 2010. The family collaborated with MasterCard, launching a new financial product called the “Kardashian Kard”. What makes this endorsement strange is that their followers do not expect the Kardashians to advise them about money matters, let alone sell a prepaid card. To worsen the blow, the cards were soon discontinued owing to the insanely high costs. Unsurprisingly, the family does not speak of the failed venture.
2. Brad Pitt and Pringles
Before winning Oscars and becoming an A-list celebrity, Brad Pitt was paying his bills with odd jobs. One of which was a brand endorsement with Pringles. The whole advert is weird, and that is putting things mildly. Here, a shirtless Pitt, along with other beachgoers, had the “fever,” i.e., craving for some Pringles. Even today, it is not quite clear why dancing was necessary. One might just have to watch it to believe it!
3. Justin Beiber and nail polish
The Baby singer became an international music sensation almost overnight. Soon after, he bagged several brand endorsements. Among them was a nail polish line for which the 16-year-old Justin Bieber became a spokesperson. One of the shades in the product line was even called “One Less Lonely Glitter.” Clearly, the brand Nicole by OPI cashed in on the singer’s fame, female fandom, and general celebrity fever back in the day. Despite the unlikely combination, Beiber’s face ended up doing the brand a lot of good in terms of sales.
4. Kim Kardashian and Charmin toilet paper
If the unlikely combination of toilet paper and the businesswoman–sociality–media personality wasn’t enough, Kardashian’s appearance as the brand ambassador made the whole thing weirder. In 2010, she attended a public restroom ribbon-cutting ceremony as the face of Charmin Toilet Paper! If that seems a bit unbelievable, just look up the hundreds of pictures of Kim K posing between two fuzzy bears—mascots for the brand.
5. Method Man and Sour Patch Kids
The rapper Method Man went above and beyond for his brand endorsement deal with Sour Patch Kids. He recorded a full-length rap in a video titled “World Gone Sour (The Lost Kids)” for it. It has the sour-sweet candy kids roaming the rapper’s place and wreaking havoc. The strangest thing about this whole endorsement is not the partnership or the mutant-like sour-patch kids in the video. It is just that his rap is not bad at all. Look it up, and it might just end up being an earworm.
6. Penelope Cruz and Nintendo DS
Back in 2012, the actor starred in a Nintendo DS ad alongside her sister. For the endorsement, she even dressed up as the famous character Mario, with the iconic mustache and everything. That is something no one had on their Bingo Card that year. While the cosplay can be considered slightly awkward, it caught the viewers’ attention, which is what the brand set out to do. It is worth wondering if Cruz still pulls out that costume for Halloween. Now, that would be an unlikely yet fun reboot.
7. Paris Hilton and Carl’s Jr.
Carl’s Jr. banked on the socialite’s reputation to promote its burgers, and it did work to an extent. It is safe to say that its Paris Hilton-led campaign turned many heads and raised many eyebrows. This was back in 2005 when Hilton was spotted in numerous ads for the brand. The social icon was later seen in 2014 returning to reprise her role in similar ads for the brand.
8. The Olsen twins and AquaFresh toothpaste
Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen are known for a lot of things today, but people hardly associate the twins with toothpaste. Back in the day, the two were spotted in print adverts endorsing the AquaFresh BubbleCool toothpaste. The twins are known for their wildly successful ventures in the fields of fashion, video games, and furniture, but in 2003, they wanted to emphasize the importance of oral hygiene and make it fun for their target audience—kids. Here they went with the obvious choice: a minty toothpaste. Although, in hindsight, it looks like an unlikely collaboration, the twins did have the smiles to back up the toothpaste endorsement.
9. Jamie Lee Curtis and Activia
If one thinks about it, there are a few horrors greater than digestive issues. So, it is not entirely weird that the “Scream Queen,” Jamie Lee Curtis, endorsed Activia Yogurt for quite a while, nearly seven years. She started working with the brand in 2007. The brand has since changed its marketing strategies, but at the time these ads gained popularity, the collaboration was considered unlikely.