A History of Celebrities as Brand Creative Directors

The idea of a celebrity as a creative director is one met with a lot of skepticism. People wonder how much involvement they have in the brand they are being paid to promote, especially if it's not their own. Fans these days are smarter about product placement and endorsements given by fame, but not all situations warrant a raised eyebrow. Over the years, many celebrities have been creatively essential to a brand's work and revitalization, while also elevating their own statuses as artistic individuals.

Our History of Celebrities as Brand Creative Directors, which doesn't include recent announcements ofJoey Bada$$ being named creative director of Ecko Clothing and Lupe Fiasco becoming the creative director of new health app, Higi. have ushered in a new era of celebrity brand ambassadorship. See if you like where the trend's been and where it's going.

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Brand: K-Swiss

Year: 2012

Danny McBride is well known for his outspoken, comedic roles in films like Pineapple Express, and most notably, the role of former big league pitcher Kenny Powers in HBO's Original Series Eastbound & Down. In 2012, McBride agreed to do a campaign with K-Swiss to create a series of short advertisement skits, which he himself would star in as his popular alter ego, Kenny Powers. The advertisements picture fictional situations, in which Kenny Powers becomes the CEO of K-Swiss, and they were broadcasted both in short television spots featuring other famous athletes and in a web series. McBride was specifically brought on to help market the new K-Swiss "Tubes" running and workout shoe, which launched in 2012.

Brand: Nissan

Year: 2012

Usain Bolt has proven he is the fastest man in the world, making him the perfect ambassador for a sports car. Bolt and Nissan partnered together for the release of the Nissan GT-R Bolt, named after the Olympic Gold Medal winner. Bolt served as the official Director of Excitement. A percentage of the sales of the car still go to raising money for the Usain Bolt Foundation, which helps children in Bolt's native country of Jamaica. Bolt said, "This project excites me because it brings together my passion for speed and excellence and my desire to help kids and young people." Specialty gold colored versions of the Bolt were auctioned off on eBay Motors shortly after the vehicle's release in early 2012.

Brand: Diet Coke

Year: 2007

Diet Coke has a history of working with celebrity creative directors, with the original partnership being between with legendary fashion designer, Karl Lagerfeld. Lagerfeld, who is a photographer, artist, and most notably creative director of Chanel, is reportedly a Diet Coke fiend. Lagerfeld claims, "It's all I drink from the moment I wake up until the moment I go to bed, sometimes even in the middle of the night." While that can't be healthy, it does make Lagerfeld the perfect first creative director for Diet Coke. In 2011, Lagerfeld designed a series of bottles for the company, featuring the silhouette of his famous ponytail and titled it the "Love it Light" bottles. The bottles, are available for collectors in a customized prism-shaped case.

Brand: Microsoft

Year: 2012

Microsoft hired Jessica Alba as a creative director in order to promote the Windows Phone 8. People have speculated whether or not she exclusively uses a Windows phone, as she's been spotted with an iPhone publicly on numerous occasions. Regardless, her presence as a brand ambassador helped boost the product's profile in the eyes of consumers.

Brand: Lotus

Year: 2011

Rappers love fresh whips, and Grammy award winner, Swizz Beatz, is no exception. As well as being a creative director for Reebok, designing sneakers, and collaborating on their latest ideas, Swizz has also worked with the car company Lotus as a brand ambassador and designer. Swizz and Lotus CEO Danny Bahar joined forces in 2011 to release the Swizz Beatz edition of a sparkling chrome-colored Lotus Evora GTE. The release took place at the Frank Gehry gallery on the West Side of Manhattan last year, where Swizz claimed he has big plans in store for the partnership with Lotus, saying he "wants to be the Renaissance man of [his] generation."

Brand: Myspace

Year: 2013

During his hiatus from music, Justin Timberlake took to acting and other projects, fashion included, pushing his brand in other directions. Upon learning that Justin was making music again, and in anticipation for his upcoming album, companies were eager to work with him as a brand ambassador. One of those companies is Myspace, which is planning a large revitalization in 2013. As part of the company's revival, they have signed Justin Timberlake as creative director of their brand. He is also a part owner of the social media network and purchased the company for $35 million in 2011, after it was purchased six years earlier for 580 million. The new site, whose homepage is a large banner ad for Timberlake's new "Suit & Tie" single, aims to focus more on music and entertainment instead of selfies and creepy profiles.

Brand: Range Rover

Year: 2012

Victoria Beckham aka Posh Spice has gone from pop superstar to fashion icon and solidified her name in the tabloids for life after marrying international soccer star David Beckham. Victoria and David both apparently drive Range Rovers, and in 2012, Victoria teamed up with the company for the release of their Range Rover Evoque. Victoria released a smaller version of the Evoque, for the more "posh" customers, which shows that she not only has a flare for fashion design, but for cars as well. The limited edition baby Evoque was released in China and aims to target the growing wealthy, middle class of the country. There are just two hundred of the cars that exist, and they are sold at nearly double the price of the standard Range Rove Evoque.

Brand: Emanuel Ungaro Fashion

Year: 2009

Lindsay Lohan has come a long, long way since her days in The Parent Trap. From child star to drug addict, rehab, and everything in between, certainly not all of the press has been positive, yet people still haven't seem to give up on Lindsay. In 2009, she was brought on to the fashion house of Emanuel Ungaro as a creative director and soon released her first collection in 2010 alongside designer Estrella Archs. The collection was trashed by most critics, including Ungaro himself, and was widely assumed to be a failure. Lohan was terminated as creative director, only months after being brought on by the esteemed fashion house.

Brand: Callaway

Year: 2008

Perhaps Justin Timberlake's recent creative director position with Anheuser-Busch was a result of his prior experience in advertising. In 2008, JT held the same position with Callaway, the golf company. They hired Timberlake as creative director in hopes of moving way from the recession they had been experiencing, due to brands like Nike growing in the golf world. Justin wanted to bring "a little rock and roll" to golf and worked with the company to create an advertising campaign, which premiered in 2008 and featured professional golfers performing incredible golf feats on the Las Vegas strip. Though Timberlake didn't appear in it, the impressive advert showed golfers hitting balls over the Bellagio fountain from a platform and from rooftop to rooftop while overlooking the strip.

Brand: Diet Coke

Year: 2012

Much like their recent partnership with Marc Jacobs, Diet Coke has worked with other celebrities in a creative director position, a notable one being French couturist Jean Paul Gaultier. Gaultier teamed with Diet Coke in 2012 to design a series of bottles and cans based off his famous fashion patterns. The "tattoo" bottle was Gaultier's first design with Diet Coke, and is an aluminum bottle inspired by tattoo art, tying in the art world with the beverage. Gaultier also worked with Diet Coke to design the "Night & Day" cans, the former which employs Gaultier's iconic corset and cone bra design, while the latter shows the Breton blue and white stripe motif, a staple of his fashion work.

Brand: Polaroid

Year: 2010

Over the past five years, Lady Gaga has not only made an incredible mark on the music world, but has become a pop culture icon, being heralded as our generation's Madonna. While those are big shoes to fill, Gaga certainly has her hands in a lot of projects. As well as making music, she has worked in fashion, posed for the cover of many magazines, has a photography book with renowned photographer Terry Richardson, and the two are also doing a documentary together. In early 2011, Gaga partnered with the camera and eyewear company, Polaroid, to become the company's creative director. The unlikely partnership yielded a throwback camera designed by Gaga and a pair of LED photo glasses that act as a camera and are designed for real time sharing.

Brand: HP

Year: 2005

Gwen Stefani is no stranger to the limelight, first fronting the popular '90s punk ska band, No Doubt, and subsequently launching a solo career, as well as working in modeling and fashion. Gwen's maturation from rocker chick to pop star and designer, makes her a seasoned veteran of brand building, and in 2005, she partnered with HP to work as a part-time creative consultant. Gwen's main project while teaming up with HP was the release of her custom-made digital camera, the "HP Photosmart R607 Harajuku Lovers Digital Camera by Gwen Stefani." The camera was featured prominently in the music video for Gwen's, "Hollaback Girl" and played a large role in her 2005 project "Love. Angel. Music. Baby."

Brand: Intel

Year: 2011

The eccentric lead singer of the Black Eyed Peas, political activist, and part-time entrepreneur, now has another off-stage venture as creative director for the electronics company, Intel. Since 2011, Will.i. am has been assisting Intel in creative direction, collaborating in the development of new technology with specific relevance to art and music. According to the company, Intel and Will.i.am share a "strong interest in innovation around music, art, and lifestyle." The seven-time Grammy award winner claims that his position with Intel is not just a title, and he is more than a brand ambassador, as he regularly attends conferences and pitches creative ideas to the team.

Brand: Pepsi

Year: 2013

Things have been quite busy for Beyonce recently after giving birth to her child with Jay-Z, performing at the President's inauguration, doing the Super Bowl halftime show, a planned Destiny's Child reunion, and now a creative director/brand ambassador position with Pepsi. The iconic image of Queen B with Pepsi-colored lipstick has been everywhere lately and continues to fuel the nation's obsession with her. According to reports, the deal inked between Beyonce and Pepsi, which is worth more than $50 million and includes advertisement campaigns, media investments, and more, is said to change the future of the way pop stars and major brands interact. Beyonce will become the global icon of Pepsi, and we look forward to what should be an iconic partnership.

Brand: Blackberry

Year: 2013

Blackberry brought on R&B artist and Grammy award winner Alicia Keys to be its creative director this year. According to reports, Keys will be working with the company, promoting their products on her upcoming tour, which kicked off on March 7. Keys also asked fans to submit their photos via Blackberry's Keep Moving Hub for a crowdsourced music video that she's playing on tour.

Brand: Diet Coke

Year: 2013

Taylor Swift seems to fall in love faster than the teenage girls she appeals to, but even if she's quick to break the hearts of quite a few young gentlemen, at least she can now hold on to the one true love of every girl, Diet Coke. Alright, maybe every girl doesn't love Diet Coke, but it is a popular beverage choice among young men and women, and Taylor seems like the perfect brand partner and creative director to endorse it. According to the songstress, who broke the news in an online video, the partnership won't just be a couple of 30-second adverts, and it will play a large part in her upcoming tour and all-access experiences. Swift has experience being a brand manager for Target, Sony, and Elizabeth Arden, just to name a few, so Diet Coke should be no problem.

Brand: Budweiser

Year: 2008

Along with being featured on Justin Timberlake's new single "Suit & Tie," the two also have in common that Jay is a previous Budweiser affiliate, serving the same creative director role that JT is now filling for Bud Light Platinum. Back in 2006, Jay was a leading spokesman for Bud Select, a low calorie, heavier lager. Anheuser-Busch and Jigga still maintain a close relationship, evidenced by the commercial they did this past summer and Bud's sponsorship of Jay's first annual Made In America festival that took place this past fall. Budweiser is the King of Beers, so what better brew for a man like Jay?

Brand: Bud Light Platinum

Year: 2013

Over the past couple of weeks, Anheuser-Busch announced that Justin Timberlake would serve as the company's creative director for its Bud Light Platinum product, a light beer with a higher alcohol content. Paul Chibe, the company's senior marketing director, commented on Timberlake's involvement, saying, "Justin Timberlake is one of the greatest creative minds in the entertainment industry, and his insights will help us further define Bud Light Platinum's identity in the lifestyle space." Bud Light's new commercial features a performance shot of Timberlake himself, but also his new single "Suit & Tie." Timberlake is no stranger to creative direction, after also taking on the same role for Callaway Golf back in 2008.

Brand: Diet Coke

Year: 2013

As part of their 30-year anniversary campaign, Diet Coke hired Marc Jacobs to fill their creative director position. Jacobs has agreed to design three cans for the company, celebrating each decade since Diet Coke's launch in the early 1980s. According to Jacobs, the 80s can depicts the rise of the empowered woman in all her glory, the 90s can captures the extravagance of an era in which art, music, and fashion collided to create a strong sense of femininity, and finally the 2000s can demonstrates the sexiness of the current generation, in a sporty, but also humorous way. Jacobs is the third celebrity to serve as creative director of Diet Coke, and not only has he designed cans, but his photo will be featured in their upcoming ad campaign as well.

Brand: Reebok

Year: 2011-Present

In addition to being a hip-hop recording artist and producer, Swizz Beatz is a designer, painter, and most recently, creative director for Reebok. "When I start to make music, art, fashion, I think about making history. Make a classic and the rest will follow," said Swizz Beatz in an interview with Reebok about his definition of classic and how it has influenced his association with the company. Swizz claims that the Pump was his ultimate definition of a classic sneaker because, as a consumer, so much went into that one shoe. When it first hit shelves, the Pump seemed like it could make dreams come true, like wearing this sneaker translated directly to playing like the pros.