Celeb Endorsements: Jackson Was The First

If it wasn’t for Jackson, there would not have been African American musicians on MTV in the early ‘80s, we wouldn’t have the moonwalk and we wouldn’t know the epic that is “Thriller.” But did you know he’s also responsible for legitimizing celebrity endorsements?

Of all Jackson’s accomplishments, his until-then unprecedented $5 million contract with Pepsi to make commercials for the soda company took the stigma out of the marriage of celebrity and product-pushing, reports The Wall Street Journal.

In 1984, when Jackson signed with Pepsi, a few minor stars were seen in commercials, but for a star of his caliber, it was a brand new bag, and celebrities flocked to do ads for the company (i.e., Madonna, Cindy Crawford, Ray Charles, Britney Spears, to name a few).

In further groundbreaking creativeness, Jackson re-wrote his hit “Billie Jean” with a Pepsi message instead of sing the company’s jingle. Now that’s branding power. WSJ credits Jackson for breaking barriers that have afforded the public with iPod commercials featuring mega-stars Coldplay and car commercials featuring soon-to-be-hit indie rock songs that have yet to break major radio airwaves.

The successful marriage appears to benefit all: consumers, who are exposed to more artists and music; artists, for the same reason; and corporations, who get to tack their message on the faces of the likes of Tiger Woods (Nike), Bill Cosby (Jell-O), Ellen DeGeneres (American Express) and Brooke Shields (Colgate).

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The Wall Street Journal: Jackson Popularized Celebrity Ads