The power of celebrities has been used by brands for years to sell their goods, no matter how expensive they may be. The tactic of selling goods to celebrities is often a huge success, but every now and again, brands fail.
This list includes ads that are extremely sensitive and tasteless, as well as luxury watch endorsements that go wrong. Many of these celebrities deeply regret giving their star to companies with badly thought-out commercial campaigns.
10 Popchips with Ashton Kutcher
Popchips’ shockingly insensitive advertisement, in which Ashton Kutcher portrays a variety of characters, has not been forgotten by many. It also depicts a stereotypically stereotyped Indian man. The massive public outrage against the racist commercial led to the commercial being taken down almost immediately.
Kutcher managed to escape injury, his career not being affected by the decision to wear brown makeup to mock an Indian accent in the advertisement. Famous Indian-American actors and public figures continue to make fun of the offensive skit.
9 Gordon Ramsay, Cass Beer
The Hell’s Kitchen TV celebrity is known for having high standards when it comes to food and drinks. Or at least that’s what he claims for himself. Many saw Ramsay advertise for Cass Korean beer. It has a reputation as a “bottom shelf beer.”
One Twitter user offered a bounty worth 20,000 Korean won ($18), for anyone who could prove Ramsay drank the beer prior to being hired to promote it. Gordon Ramsay addressed the media to calm the critics and said that it was a “beer that’s for everyone” and would pair well with Korean food.