At what point is it considered that a celebrity sells out when it comes to endorsements and advertising? Do we expect more of a celebrity that they shouldn't advertise things or do we expect them to use thier fame to do so anyway and try and sell things for more cash?
Are there any celebrities you wish hadn't done any advertising because it changes what their supposed image might be and have any celebrities managed to enhance their reputation through advertising.
I'm curious because of two pieces of advertising that have come up. One is Iggy Pop selling car insurance and the second is Lemmy from Motorhead about to sell Kronenbourg using the Ace of Spades song. More on that here.
So what do you think?
Comments
I guess to me, if Iggy is a sell out then so is Alice Cooper and Ozzy. They weren't leaders of movements, they were just musicians that cultivated an other than normal look and attitude to play to their fans that also fit with their drug and alcohol intake. If John Lennon was alive and pushing the products I would consider it selling out. David Crosby, Pete Seeger or even Sinead O'Connor could sell out. Iggy Pop? Still don't see it.
The Alice Cooper one I saw for an airline was amusing because it played off the lack of makeup and how normal looking he is otherwise.
I am interested in the Motorhead one if only because a blues version of Ace of Spades is probably going to be really good.
I don't personally believe in selling out as an artist. As a person, if something goes against your stated values, yes, but if someone is just going along with creative activities and trying to make money at them I don't really buy into the concept of selling out. We all need to be paid.
I'm not sure if I agree with the whole concept of "selling out", and even if I did, I probably wouldn't include older celebrities on the downslope of fame doing stuff to stay in the public consciousness. I don't think it's quite the same thing.
I do agree there's a big difference between that sort of thing and selling a song that had a specific meaning for something that's utterly at odds with its origins.