Almost a year ago, I was writing about celebrity creative directors on this very blog. Well, it looks like the trend is here to stay! Artists, who are not just the face of a product but part of its whole branding strategy, are no longer the exception. Similarly to last year, it seems that musicians remain advertisers’ first choice to promote their values and reach a global audience.

Still atop the list is rapper/producer, Will.i.a.m, who is no stranger to the advertising industry. After a busy year as the creative director of Intel, he is now on to his next venture with the automotive company, Lexus. Will.i.a.m’s new video is an ad for the luxury car brand. Or conversely, you could say that the Lexus commercial is a video of the Black Eyed Peas star…it all depends how you look at it! The video ties in with Will.i.a.m’s Pyramid Installation, supported by Lexus for the Digital Revolution exhibition at London’s Barbican Centre. In addition, he will also be designing his own edition of a Lexus SUV.

Singer, Solange Knowles, also Art Director of Puma, is another notable partnership of the year, as the singer released her own collection of Brazil inspired sneakers, just in time for the World Cup. However, the most unexpected and creative duet of the summer goes to Jeep and no other than the late Michael Jackson for the campaign “Call of Summer.” The commercial featured the unreleased track of the King of Pop “Love Never Felt So Good” which came out right before his second posthumous album “Xcape.” The genius of this campaign lies in the perfect synchrony of two American icons: MJ and Jeep.  While Michael Jackson was not alive to be named Creative Director, the fact that Jeep obtained the exclusivity of such an anticipated song for the purpose of a commercial tells a lot about the current relationship between music and advertising.

While singers turned global brand ambassadors are still prevalent in 2014, another music trend seems to be emerging in the advertising world. We’ve seen it a few months back with Virgin America and its viral safety video.  Brands have recently been successful at skipping the celebrity option and simply relying on the power of music to speak to a wide audience. Old Navy’s new viral video for the Back to School season is the perfect example.

Will advertisers keep using the authority of popular singers, or utilize music in a more risky way like Old Navy’s “Unlimited” video? Both strategies seem to be working but belong to different outlets: celebrities get the visibility and budget of global branding efforts on traditional media and major sponsored events, while other music related campaigns become viral in the online world. So which is better? I guess I will get back to you on that one!