10 Celebrity Endorsements That Totally Backfired

Top 10 Celebrity Endorsements That Backfired

Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the Top 10 Celebrity Endorsements That Backfired.

For this list, we’ll be looking at the most infamous celebrity endorsements and the controversies that followed.

What do you make of these partnerships? Let us know in the comments below!

#10: David Beckham

Brylcreem

David Beckham is one of the most popular soccer players in history and a national British icon. Brylcreem is one of the most popular hair styling products in Britain. It makes sense that they would pair together. But, you’d think that a celebrity promoting a hair cream would, you know, have hair. Beckham famously shaved his head about halfway through his four year contract with Brylcreem. While the company did release a public statement defending Beckham and his new ‘do, we can’t imagine they were too pleased about their lost revenue, as Beckham’s shaved head reportedly lost Brylcreem quite a bit of business.

#9: Cybill Shepherd

The Beef Industry Council

Cybill Shepherd was one of the biggest stars of the ‘70s and ‘80s, starring in the likes of “Taxi Driver” and “Moonlighting.” The beef industry knew a star when they saw one and wanted her for their mission. The Beef Industry Council (or BIC) approached Shepherd and asked her to promote the business, even spending $30 million on an ad campaign titled “Beef: Real Food For Real People.” But, shortly after the partnership began, Shepherd gave an interview to Family Circle magazine and was cited saying that she was “trying to stay away from red meat.” Oops. Shepherd claimed that she was misquoted, and the spokesman for the BIC stated that their relationship would not be affected. However, Shepherd’s contract was not renewed.

#8: Howard Stern

Snapple

Howard Stern is probably the last person you’d want to tick off. He was known as the morning shock jock for New York’s WXRK in the ‘80s, ‘90s, and early aughts, with his show being syndicated, and listened to by millions. He had a reputation for saying whatever he wanted, especially back then, and this was something Snapple found out the hard way. Stern had a good thing going with the company, but it was bought out by Quaker Oats in 1994. They wanted to present a more family-friendly image and dropped the controversial Stern as a spokesperson. Stern then trash-talked the beverage on his show and referred to it as “Crapple.” It resulted in some bad press, and Quaker Oats sold the company to Triarc just three years later.

#7: LeBron James

Samsung

The South Korean tech company got a huge star in LeBron James. Arguably the most popular basketball player of the modern era, James has been closely allied with Samsung since its introduction of the Galaxy Note II back in 2012. In March of 2014, James suffered a malfunction with his Samsung device and tweeted “My phone just erased everything it had in it and rebooted. One of the sickest feelings I’ve ever had in my life!!!” The tweet reached millions of people, and we just know Samsung must have called him minutes later. That, or James realized his blunder on his own because he quickly deleted the tweet. Unfortunately, the damage had already been done. Despite James’ attempts at rectifying the situation, Samsung surely had a small PR nightmare on its hands.

#6: Charles Barkley

Weight Watchers

LeBron James is the basketball star of our time, and Charles Barkley was the star of the ‘90s. He is an eleven-time All-Star and won the Most Valuable Player award in 1993 during his turn with the Phoenix Suns. Barkley then became a prominent TV analyst, and continued his brand endorsements. One was with the diet company Weight Watchers. During a game between the Atlanta Hawks and Miami Heat, however, Barkley called Weight Watchers a scam. Many people believe that he wasn’t calling the program a scam, but the idea that he gets paid truck loads of money to simply promote a product. Still, it’s not exactly a great look, and the statement could have done with some careful wording!

#5: Ashton Kutcher

Popchips

Ashton Kutcher did a lot for Popchips. He invested in the company early on, and was the first celebrity to endorse their product through both social media and commercials. Unfortunately, one particular ad got him and the company in some very hot water. Kutcher appeared in a commercial that parodied dating ads. He played multiple characters, including an Indian man named Raj. Kutcher appeared in brown-face and stereotypical Indian garb, and put on an offensive accent. The commercial received tons of backlash, inciting Popchips to pull the Raj character from their marketing campaign. How this even aired is beyond us.

#4: Chris Brown

Got Milk?

Created by the ad agency Goodby Silverstein & Partners, Got Milk? is an enormously popular campaign that encourages people to drink milk. Many celebrities endorsed the campaign, including R&B singer Chris Brown. In 2009, however, Brown came under fire for assaulting Rihanna, leading to widespread condemnation and troubled business relationships. His music was pulled from radio stations, and many businesses ended their associations with the singer. One of them was Got Milk?, who had partnered with Brown for a Milk Mustache campaign at the time. The ads were pulled, and all ties with Brown were immediately severed.

#3: Sharon Stone

Dior

Founded in 1946, Dior has become one of the biggest names in luxury fashion. In 2005, the French company partnered with screen legend Sharon Stone, who promoted one of their skincare lines. But everything crumbled just three years into their relationship. When Stone was asked about the Sichuan earthquake at the Cannes Film Festival, she insinuated that it was karma for the country’s human rights tensions. The comment resulted in a huge financial fallout in China. UME Cineplex banned all of her movies, and Dior pulled all of their ads featuring Stone. Dior China even apologized on Stone’s behalf, but the movie star told the New York Times she took issue with this. Still, Stone would later apologize in her own words.

#2: Madonna

Pepsi

Poor Pepsi has had some crummy judgment throughout the years. There’s the infamous Kendall Jenner ad, which shamelessly trivialized the Black Lives Matter movement to sell soda. They also had a run-in with Madonna in 1989. Pepsi had paid the popstar $5 million to appear in a commercial with her hit song “Like a Prayer.” Just one day after the commercial aired, the song’s music video premiered on MTV. And the reception was not welcoming. The music video featured a number of problematic visuals, including burning crosses and sexual assault. People called for a widespread ban of the video, and Pepsi came under a lot of fire for associating with the song. Bowing to the outrage, they canceled the marketing campaign and lost out big time.

#1: O. J. Simpson

Hertz

Today, we all know O.J. Simpson for his infamous homicide trial. But, back in the day, Simpson was the biggest name in sports. He was a highly successful running back for the Buffalo Bills and set numerous football records. This led to an endorsement deal with the Hertz Corporation, which deals in rental cars. The famous commercials saw Simpson running through an airport and dodging various obstacles while fans cheered him on. The campaign was unbelievably successful, earning more popularity for Simpson and driving Hertz’s profits and brand awareness through the roof. Of course, this prosperous business relationship collapsed in 1994, when Simpson was charged with killing both his ex-wife Nicole Brown and her friend, Ron Goldman.