Paying a celebrity to tell people to buy a product is the most straightforward method for any company to garner sales through advertising, only second to making your product addictive. The automotive industry certainly has considered itself above this tried and true practice. Plenty of movie stars and musicians have endorsed new cars on television to hundreds of millions of potential customers, but the ads tend to be hit-or-miss affairs. We want to know which ones are your favorites.
I wouldn’t say that Matthew McConaughey’s series of ads with Lincoln are my favorite, but they are certainly the most memorable. The spots the Academy Award winner did to promote the brand’s vehicles intended to evoke the aesthetic of a prestige film, but the result arguably whiffed entirely. The moody ads barely conveyed any information about the new Lincoln models, including what they were like to drive.
The best celebrity car commercials feature the star either recounting how they forged a personal connection with the automaker or fell in love with the model being promoted. In one particular Lincoln ad, McConaughey comes close. He says, “If I’ve been driving a Lincoln long before anyone paid me to drive one. I didn’t do it to be cool. I didn’t do it to make a statement. I just liked it.”
The recent collaborations between Ford and actress Sydney Sweeney is the best example of this. The “Anyone but You” star recounts how she grew up in a family of mechanics, learned how to drive a Ford truck, and picked up the wrench herself. Be sure to leave your favorite endorsements and explain why you love them in the comments below.
