You already know that Marketing Blurb is not especially keen on celebrity endorsements. But we must concede the technique increases brand awareness and ultimately sales. Of course, not all celebrity endorsements are overt advertising. In fact, if you are lucky, a celebrity songster will mention your brand name in the lyrics to a chart topper. According to American Brandstand (yep—that’s brandstand, not bandstand) 
lyrical brand mentions is serious business. If you look at the Billboard Top 20 tunes for 2005, you will discover the following brand mentions:
1. Mercedes-Benz, 100 mentions
2. Nike, 63 mentions
3. Cadillac, 62 mentions
4. Bentley, 51 mentions
5. Rolls-Royce, 46 mentions
6. Hennessy, 44 mentions
7. Chevrolet, 40 mentions
8. (tie) Louis Vuitton, 35 mentions
8. (tie) Cristal, 35 mentions
10. AK-47, 33 mentions
Rappers prefer the wheels it seems, but a fairly typical refrain is "I came to have a party open up the Bacardi," crooned by Mariah Carey in the dance tune It’s Like That. Marketing Blurb loves pop music as much as the blog pundit, but reminds marketers you never know what that vapid celebrity will say next.
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