The reality of using celebrities in advertising today

If asked, I’m sure we could all rattle off several ads that include celebrities we love and remember from many Super Bowls or simply over the years. But what impact does the inclusion of celebrities in advertising actually have? And what do consumers think about that today?

As part of our research into the state of creative effectiveness in 2025, we wanted to understand if adding celebrities creates stronger ads. 

Read on for an overview of what we discovered from our study of effectiveness data from over 4,000 US ads, as well as some examples of celebrity advertising done right.

We found that while about 25% of ads contain celebrities, unsurprisingly, the presence of a celebrity is no guarantee of success. 

In fact, on average, ads with celebrities have equal effectiveness (as measured by sales impact) to ads without. 

So why is this? 

Celebrities can help grab people’s attention and help make an emotional connection. Ads ads with celebrities have an average distinctiveness score of 3.5, while ads without a celebrity have an average of 3.3. But distinctiveness alone doesn’t make for an effective ad. 

Celebrities need to be relevant to the story and fit with the brand. The celebrity has to at least enhance the story in some way or play on what they are known for. 

Ultimately, when a celebrity is there just for attention, they can end up overshadowing the brand. And that simply doesn't make for effective advertising. 

While the same as above applies here, it’s worth noting that brands don’t have to limit themselves to the classic celebrity character in their advertising.

While celebrities were the go-to for brand endorsements for decades (Think: Nike and Michael Jordan, Pepsi and Britney Spears or George Clooney and Nespresso), these campaigns banked on star power and mass reach. But over the past five to 10 years, there’s been a big shift. Brands are increasingly turning to influencers, especially micro- and mid-tier influencers, rather than A-list celebrities.

“Brands should consider influencers in place of traditional celebrity endorsements too. Influencers are often closer to the consumer than A-list celebrities and can often have more authentic relationships with brands.”

- VaynerMedia

Influencers are a great option to consider, especially for Millennials and Gen Z audiences who connect more with influencers than traditional celebrities. 

Why? Because the content from these influencers feels real and relatable. 

Millennials look for trusted voices who share useful tips or lifestyle advice (especially on platforms like Instagram and YouTube) and they prefer recommendations that feel like they’re coming from a friend.

And Gen Z gravitates toward creators who reflect their values and sense of humor. They spend much of their time on TikTok and want content that’s entertaining, unfiltered and socially aware. 

For both groups, it’s authenticity that matters, which is why they’re more likely to resonate with “real life” influencers.

Here’s a few examples of brands who did a great job in their celebrity selections to compliment rather than detract from their brand message: 

1. Will Ferrell for PayPal 

Set to a spoof of the classic “Everywhere” by Fleetwood Mac, this ad features Ferrell awkwardly dancing (and singing) through everyday situations while showing how PayPal works seamlessly across retailers. His goofiness keeps things light and fun, but the product functionality is always front and center.

It’s worth noting that financial services ads tend to struggle to connect well with people compared to other categories, meaning they are often less likely to resonate with viewers. 

Despite this, “Everywhere” has a strong Brand Impact (85) and average potential Sales Impact (58) even compared to all US ads, further demonstrating its overall strength and how creativity worked well to make the topic more interesting. 

→ Brand takeaway: PayPal = flexible, widely accepted and unexpectedly delightful.

2. Sabrina Carpenter for Dunkin’

Seamlessly spinning off of Carpenter’s smash summer hit “Espresso,” the brand partnered with the artist for a collaboration made in heaven to promote their limited time “Sabrina’s Brown Sugar Shakin’ Espresso.”

This is a great example of an ad that included a celebrity as a complimentary asset that makes sense for the brand — allowing them to tell a relevant story. The result? An ad that excelled in driving Sales Impact (86) and scored above average in Brand Impact (58) which reflects its long-term brand building potential.

→ Brand takeaway: Dunkin’ = relatable, culturally plugged-in and playful.  3. Ryan Reynolds for Mint Mobile

Reynolds often appears in low-budget, tongue-in-cheek ads (and films) that make fun of things. His humor builds brand awareness while reinforcing Mint’s identity as scrappy and affordable.

Mint Mobile’s ad was extremely effective when we explored its performance within the telco vertical. It's funny, sticks to the brand's usual format, and has strong distinctive brand assets (plus, people are prepared to buy anything Ryan Reynolds sells!).

The result? The ad scored in the top 10% of all US telco ads in both Sales Impact (96) and Brand Impact (93).

→ Brand takeaway: Mint = clever, consumer-first and no-frills.

4. Famous female athletes for Nike 

What about a spot that features more than one celebrity? Nike’s “So win” ad that aired during Super Bowl LIX starred several female athletes, including Jordan Chiles, Caitlin Clark, A'ja Wilson, JuJu Watkins, Sabrina Ionescu, Alexia Putellas, Aryna Sabalenka, Sha'Carri Richardson and Sophia Smith. 

In typical Nike fashion, the ad depicted each athlete embodying strength, resilience and excellence as they're seen making epic shots, plays or times, as the narrator voices over all the things a woman “can’t be” and how they should do it anyway.

The result? An ad resonated exceptionally well with a younger audience (people under 35) with a sales impact score of 86 and a brand impact score of 98 — landing it in the top 2% of all ads for this demographic.

→ Brand takeaway: Nike = performance, empowerment and legacy.

5. Multiple celebrities for Maybelline

Another brand who successfully included not one, but three celebrities in their advertising was Maybelline New York for their “Only Icons” ad, which featured the likes of Naomi Campbell, Gigi Hahid and RuPaul — a great example of a brand selecting celebrities that appeals to their target audience (women specifically) just like their product!

And viewers agreed, with “Only Icon’s” driving strong Sales Impact (95) and Brand Impact (73) among women overall. This was even more pronounced among a more targeted younger audience of women under 45 where potential for sales (Sales Impact 99) and equity (Brand Impact 95) landed in the top 5% of all US ads!

This spot truly demonstrates how, when done correctly, portraying diversity and celebrities in a relevant and authentic way can benefit the brand. Maybelline approaches this in a smart way, causing viewers to spontaneously call out how much they liked the diversity of the cast, different skin tones and chosen celebrity appearances, all without detracting from the brand itself.

→ Brand takeaway: Maybelline = iconic, diverse and beautiful.

So what can you do to make sure you’re effectively including celebrities in your ads? Here are three things to keep in mind:

To start, it’s key to make sure your brand shines through along with the celebrity.

Celebrities aren’t the same as brand mascots like Tony the Tiger or Kevin the Carrot. They don’t cue the brand in the same way, and celebrities can often advertise more than one brand, so that can lead to brand confusion if not handled carefully. 

You should also choose your celebrity partnerships intentionally. Make sure the narrative of the ad gives a relevant role to both your brand and the celebrity and that the inclusion of the celebrity makes sense and adds to the story. 

And of course, remember that a celebrity partnership can help your brand in other ways, like enhancing the talkability of the ad and promoting the ad or brand on social media. So there are other benefits for celebrity endorsements beyond creative effectiveness.

But remember, celebrities can never be considered a shortcut to creative effectiveness.

While celebrities or influencers can positively impact your advertising when done right, they aren’t the answer to a successful ad. 

For more on how to create ads that win with consumers, download our report for a deeper dive into our findings, including: 

• How creative effectiveness varies among different ages and genders 

• The impact of various advertising characteristics on effectiveness, like the use of celebrities, music, AI, etc.

• Strengths and weaknesses of different categories including CPG food, QSR, alcoholic beverages, financial services, telecommunications and more

• Helpful tips and examples to help you develop your most effective creative — including guidance from our partners at VaynerMedia, an integrated strategy, creative and media agency