The world has a thing about celebrities. We both worship and loathe them. We spend our money doing what they seem to want us to do, then we spend our time dissecting what they do wrong.
The power inherent in the celebrity-consumer relationship can make for a remarkably effective weapon in marketing, but when done incorrectly or with the wrong celebrity, it can prove disastrous.
Here are five celebrity spokespeople who, for better or for worse, captured the attention of the beverage industry and its consumers in 2014.
David Duchovny
In June of this year, Duchovny ended a seven-year run as the star of "Californication," a comedy-tragedy about a writer who suffers from sex addiction, drug abuse, and alcoholism. Given that, Duchovny was an unusual choice to star in a commercial that ran over the summer - for beer.
Making things even more strange and controversial was that the ad was for AB InBev's Russian beer, Siberian Crown. And the ad, which aired shortly after Russia's invasion of Crimea and the downing of a civilian passenger jet, seemed to be a sort of nationalistic celebration.
Neil Patrick Harris
Heineken has a problem: its Light beer doesn't sell well. Sales have been declining for years. In a situation like that, many marketers would turn to a celebrity spokesperson in hope of turning things around.
That's exactly what Heineken did - hiring TV and Broadway actor, awards show host, and comedian Neil Patrick Harris, and then producing a series of ads that were actually funny.
Arnold Schwarzenegger
Another beer with a problem is Bud Light, which has also seen sales sag. Parent company AB InBev also decided that a celebrity might be exactly what was needed to mix it up.
But they went with Arnold Schwarzenegger, and apparently convinced the former governor of California to abandon any gravitas he picked up in that office and trade it in for a blond wig, a ping-pong paddle, and $3 million.
Mila Kunis
When the Jim Beam brand of bourbon needed a spokesperson, it hired Mila Kunis.
That made sense. Millennial consumers are coveted, and Mila Kunis could certainly grab millennials' attention.
Jay Z
There may not be a celebrity alive with more marketing power than Mr. Beyonce. And outside of music, it's in the beverage world where the former Mr. Carter wields that power most effectively.
First, there is his role as founder of and all-around cheerleader for the Budweiser Made in America Festival. But more interestingly, he's also a cheerleader for and now owner of luxury champagne brand Armand de Brignac.