The top 5 celebrity brand collabs you need to know about right now

This month: the Super Bowl cooked up a feast of celebrity-driven advertising. Some have said the oversaturation of A-list faces was a negative in this year’s Big Game, but that feedback is not welcome within the walls of Ad Age’s Celebrity Top 5. More celebrities all the time, please and thank you. Of course, an honorable mention is owed to Taylor Swift, who has perhaps acted as the greatest marketing partner for the NFL this season, and may be owed some due in CBS’s record-breaking audience numbers. But you will not find mention of the leader of the Swiftie masses for the remainder of this list. The best and worst Super Bowl ads Ad Age reviews the Big Game commercials Click here 5. Aubrey Plaza x Mtn Dew Agency: Goodby Silverstein & Partners Aubrey Plaza has become somewhat of an ad darling. The actress’s deadpan and zany humor is the perfect foil for typical brand messaging an audience might be skeptical of. For Mtn Dew’s Super Bowl ad for Baja Blast, Plaza left it all on the field, barrelling through quirky situations until reaching utter lunacy. Here, lunacy is Plaza riding a dragon through the skies alongside “Parks and Recreation” co-star Nick Offerman, laughing maniacally. 4. Christopher Walken x BMW Agency: Goodby Silverstein & Partners BMW’s Super Bowl ad is a stroke of genius—it perfectly taps into the very core of what makes Christopher Walken so irresistible (aside from his legacy of superb performances in iconic films). The second Walken opens his mouth, the urge to imitate his eclectic accent. It is hard to imagine any viewer even remotely familiar with the actor catching BMW’s spot during the Big Game and not making their own attempt at a Walken impersonation. Ad Age Creativity Bookmark our section covering the best in brand creativity every day Read more here 3. Cardi B x NYX Cosmetics Agency: McCann In a year in which much of the Super Bowl advertising felt somewhat tame, NYX Cosmetics managed to shake things up. The brand’s spot, which aired in the top 10 regional markets as well as nationally in the Super Bowl’s Spanish-language simulcast, is a hilariously and ridiculously naughty premise. And Cardi B is the element that manages to pull it off, mixing her both joyful and sexy persona. The joke of the ad—that men are applying NYX’s plumping gloss to their nether regions—is funny enough on its own. But the over-the-top innuendos delivered by Cardi B take it to the next level. 2. Beyoncé x Verizon Agency: Ogilvy The great feat of Verizon’s Super Bowl ad featuring Beyoncé is simply the perceived impossibility of making it all come together as seamlessly as it did. Of course, little surprise was left after the company’s heavy-handed teasers, but it was still a spectacle to see the adored performer appear. On top of that, the fan craze caused by the ad’s final line (“Ok, they’re ready, drop the new music”) was a spectacular move by Verizon—Beyoncé dropped two new tracks that same night. And credit to actor Tony Hale, who continues his “Veep” trend of shining as the man behind a powerful woman. 1. Ben Affleck x Dunkin’ Agency: Artists Equity What stands out so wonderfully about Ben Affleck’s partnership with Dunkin’ is the narrative that the two have managed to create between them. Born from memes and Affleck’s genuine affinity for the brand, the series of collaborations have gone down like a heartwarming Madison Avenue love story. However, the donut chain’s sophomore Super Bowl spot is Affleck’s most self-referential and loveable entry yet, with a robust campaign rollout behind it. The multi-hyphenate celebrity leaned fully into the perception that he’s the derpy dude married to Jennifer Lopez, and does it by displaying the most derpy behavior imaginable. Forming a Dunkin’-themed boy band with bff Matt Damon and, bizarrely, NFL legend Tom Brady was unexpected and, surprisingly, has created a rager of a pop song. Dunkin’ has followed the Big Game ad with behind-the-scenes footage and an extended cut (above), and even dropped the song on Spotify (below). This campaign feels like the pinnacle of a celebrity brand partnership. Check out the latest Ad Age events and award programs

The top 5 celebrity brand collabs you need to know about right now

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