It’s often a thrill for consumers who see a favorite celebrity pop up in an ad break or on social media. But celebrity ambassadorship can be tricky: Some celebrities feel out of place in the ad world, while others are comfortable collaborating with brands to capture the essence of what fans love about them—and do so over and over again. 

This year saw viral campaigns featuring seasoned spokespeople as well as breakout ad stars.

Also read: 6 celebs who jumped into advertising in 2023

Here, Ad Age ranks the most in-demand celebrity brand partners of 2023:

5. Snoop Dogg

Snoop Dogg seems to have become advertising’s favorite star. Between his own brands as well as those marketed by others, it seems difficult to miss the rapper cracking a weed joke in an ad. This year alone, Snoop Dogg appeared in an ad for Solo Stove’s smokeless fire pit, preceded by a viral post in which he alleged to be giving up smoke; a Grubhub musical number; a hard seltzer campaign and a celebrity Jack in the Box meal partnership (which itself references a past Corona ad starring Snoop Dogg).

Snoop Dogg has become such a prolific brand spokesperson that he doesn’t even need to appear in the campaign for his star power to rub off—see his ice cream line fronted by the rapper’s Bored Ape Yacht Club NFT or his 19 Crimes wine ads starring Lil Snoop, a Snoop Dogg action figure.

Read more: Inside Solo Stove’s Snoop Dogg partnership

4. Ben Affleck

Ben Affleck’s partnership with Dunkin’ throughout 2023 is the epitome of authentic, considering the star’s consistently viral paparazzi shots featuring the chain’s menu items over the years. The actor dove deep into the brand to participate in numerous ads, starting with Dunkin’s Super Bowl spot featuring a cameo with his wife Jennifer Lopez. Affleck returned in an April Dunkin’ ad, and again in September, bringing along rapper Ice Spice. Affleck directed all three spots.

3. Paris Hilton

Paris Hilton’s renaissance continued this year. The purveyor of all things “hot” and “sliving” continued to partner with brands and made strides with her own marketing ventures. Hilton began the year strong with her viral 10-minute TikTok for the Hilton hotel chain. The queen of ’00s nostalgia headlined campaigns for Crocs and the 2024 Paris Olympics, but has also devoted her star power to helping other brands’ marketing through her media company 11:11 Media. Hilton and 11:11 Media launched a new Roblox world called “Slivingland” with an open invite for marketers to join, and partnered with brands including Klarna and Taco Bell.

Hilton also announced she and 11:11 Media would partner with X to produce original content in the social media platform's efforts to expand its scale as a digital video streamer, but Hilton called off the deal alongside numerous brands after X owner Elon Musk retweeted an antisemitic conspiracy theory.

More from Ad Age: The year’s biggest brand fails

2. Travis Kelce

Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce is no stranger to appearing in ads, but his budding romance with pop star Taylor Swift this year launched the footballer into full-on celebritydom. Kelce has appeared in spots for DirecTV, Pfizer and Experian, but the mere presence of the Kelce-Swift duo has boosted the businesses of brands surrounding them. Swift’s appearances at games to watch Kelce play became a phenomenon of fans tuning into broadcasts to catch a glimpse of her, often accompanied by Kelce’s parents—so much so that Jake from State Farm took his own trip to the stadium with Kelce’s mother. Sales of Kelce’s jersey are said to have spiked 400% since the rumors of a relationship first began circulating.

Also read: NFL CMO talks Swift hype

Plus: Read more about Taylor Swift’s epic year 

1. Ariana Madix

Perhaps the year’s biggest breakout ad star was Ariana Madix. The decade-long cast member of Bravo’s “Real Housewives” spinoff “Vanderpump Rules” quickly became a household name in early 2023 with the shocking advent of “Scandoval”—the fan-given name for the affair Madix’s longtime boyfriend was having with a costar. And Madix didn’t let her moment go to waste.

In addition to a guest role on “Love Island USA” and competing in the 32nd season of “Dancing with the Stars,” Madix took on numerous brand partnerships. She and “Vanderpump Rules” costars Scheana Shay and Lala Kent starred in a musical Uber One spot, and Madix appeared solo in campaigns for Duracell and Red Robin, as well as Bloomingdale’s, Lay’s, SoFi, Bic razors and more.