The most awesomist celebrity endorsement ad (of the 80s).

May 27, 2011 • 2:23 pm • POSTED BY Jim Walls

I hate celebrity endorsement ads. At their worst, they’re either lazy or just plain pandering. You know the ones I’m talking about: this guy drinks this stuff, and he’s really fast, so you should too–maybe you’ll also be fast. That sort of crap. The shame of it all is that it probably works. Like this disaster of a billboard featuring Phillies catcher Carlos Ruiz. A shame, since he already has to endure 45,000+ calling him the Panamanian word for pit odor.

Which makes this one all the better. I was expecting a cringeworthy “oh, here’s another nostalgic look at how schmaltzy Philly can be at times” when suddenly Shmitty plants one in the face of all those lawyer fat cats—AND delivers a friggin product benefit.

If you want people to buy your celebrity endorsement ad, make it believable, and give the celeb a reason to be there in the first place.