Sure, ads are cool. But an ad with a celebrity is cooler. Not one who just pops in and then you never see them in an ad again, but one who appears over and over again, creating their own marketing universe of brand partnerships.
While you wait for the next “Rick and Morty” ad, here’s this year’s most sought-after brand spokes-folk—be they people, puppets or cartoon characters.
A surprise marketing superstar emerged in 2021. Emily Zugay was merely trying to make the world a more beautiful place when she decided to showcase her graphic design skills on TikTok, redesigning brand logos that she didn’t feel were representative of the brand. Soon, those brands took notice and Zugay was reimagining logos from Starbucks to Apple to Gym Shark. This month, Panera Bread tapped the influencer to design its line of reusable holiday cups. They’re ugly.
In the year of crypto and meta, esports has emerged as a coveted category in brand marketing. At the top? FaZe Clan. In addition to a massive public holdings deal, the brand teamed up with DC comics for Batman Month and led a campaign with McDonald’s featuring custom gear and live gaming streams.
Read more: FaZe Clan's Matt 'BK' Augustin on the growth of gaming
Putting LeBron James on a list of the year’s most sought-after spokespeople is a bit redundant—you don’t have to look far to find him. James repped Calm, Tonal and Mtn Dew. His bald spot inspired a Reese’s ad. Oh, and his film, “Space Jam: A New Legacy,” was the biggest marketing event of the summer, spawning more than 200 brand collaborations.
Read: What it's like to work with LeBron James, marketing master
Read more: 'Space Jam' is the hottest movie marketing event of the summer
Who would have guessed that a dimension-hopping grandfather/grandson duo would become one of the hottest faces in marketing? The titular stars of Adult Swim’s “Rick and Morty” have appeared in video games, branded ads, custom food products, store pop-ups and clothing lines—racking up considerable fan engagement for their collaborations with Wendy’s.
Read more: The 'Rick and Morty' marketing multiverse: a definitive guide
Ryan Reynolds has done enough ad work to create his own feature-length ad movie. Despite his company MNTN’s own internal research, his face pops up on our screens constantly—albeit for his own brands. If you’re reading this, Ryan, just wanted you to know we’re watching.
Read more: Why you should stop paying Ryan Reynolds to appear in your ads
This year, the beloved children’s puppets, featuring Elmo, Big Bird and Cookie Monster, expanded their partnership efforts and took a leading role in pandemic-era education beyond the ABCs. In addition to their partnership with DoorDash, including a Super Bowl spot, the creatures took a stance on public health with a controversial tweet and an Ad Council collaboration for vaccine awareness.
Read more: 4 ads that starred the Muppets in 2021
The legendary quarterback has tackled quite the spectrum of projects this year. In addition to appearing in a mysteriously cancelled T-Mobile Super Bowl commercial, the athlete penned a deal with crypto platform FTX and ate a very large sandwich for Subway.
Read more: T-Mobile claims its ad was banned from the Super Bowl
