When it comes to endorsements, celebrities are always vying for contracts and the almighty dollar. Their voices and faces become the centerpiece of ad campaigns that make or break many products and services. In the recent past, social media reshaped the entire landscape of celebrity endorsements, helping companies reach consumers in high volumes via sites such as Facebook and Twitter. With so many people constantly accessing social media, these ad campaigns enjoy enormous success. Here are just a few of the most popular celebrity endorsers on the web today.
Lindsay Lohan
In 2011, Lindsay Lohan became one of the first of many Twitter users to leverage the platform to promote a product. The online website CampusLIVE, which allows college students to enter random contests in order to win prizes, paid Lohan $3,500 to plug them in a tweet. The tweet reached over two million viewers and was highly successful in click-through rates, making it one of the first large-scale campaigns. Many users were unaware that it was an advertisement, however, so its success hinged on the organic nature of its appearance. In 2013, new laws pertaining to endorsed tweets came out, requiring companies to make it clear whether a tweet serves as an ad.
Kim Kardashian
Kim Kardashian’s Twitter shadow grows larger every day. The iconic celebrity has over 20 million followers on Twitter. With such popularity, she’s the perfect candidate for advertising. Recently, she plugged the cosmetics company Eos to promote a lip balm product. The company paid her handsomely — $13,000 per tweet, making it one of the highest price tags ever for Twitter.
Justin Bieber
The famous singer is one of the most recognized figures worldwide. To cash in on this success, Bieber took to Twitter advertisements. In 2013, he informed his loyal followers via Twitter of the shop at whih he bought his Mother’s Day flowers, encouraging others to do the same. With over 50 million followers, the campaign was a success, even if only a small percentage followed his lead.
Sofia Vergara
The “Modern Family” star is a huge star thanks to a successful television run and her natural beauty. Recently, she conducted a Twitter ad campaign for Diet Pepsi. She posed during a photo shoot with the famous cola, causing Twitter to erupt in a frenzy. While it’s not yet proven, many Twitter followers seem to think that Diet Pepsi is the key to beauty, and Vergara was there to cash in on her followers.
David Beckham
While soccer still lags behind in terms of popularity in the United States, David Beckham remains a highly recognizable figure, thanks in part to his marriage to former Spice Girl Victoria. This past year, the star took to Twitter to promote Haig Club, a grain whiskey that looks like a perfume bottle. While it might not work for many whiskey drinkers, others want to obtain the same level of cool as Beckham, so the endorsement may just work after all.
As social media continues to grow, more companies gravitate toward it as an advertising outlet. Whether it’s here to stay or just a fad is unknown, but for now, it looks as though companies are more than willing to shell out the money.