Celebrity Endorsements Get Weird
By Andrew Wallenstein
Are we getting to the inevitable point where celebrity endorsements made online are strange enough that they actually backfire? We're either there or pretty damn close judging from a new pair of promotional spots issued for Hillary Clinton from Jack Nicholson and a second installment in support of Barack Obama from Black Eyed Peas front man Will.i.am (see below).
This pro-Clinton spot splices together clips of various Nicholson movies from "Batman" to a "A Few Good Men," interspersed with text touting the candidate. It's topped off by a few seconds from Nicholson himself. That Clinton utilized an aging celeb on YouTube is a strange choice to highlight for a campaign that could use younger voters on her side. Plus the clips aren't all that clever; they beg for parody that will only make it look silly.
That said, you would have to add up all the B-list celebs in the Will.i.am spot to get the Hollywood wattage Nicholson delivers alone. Hist first video for Obama was brilliant, but as Advertising Age points out, this one veers uncomfortable close to the tone of a "Hitler rally."
