Celebrities in Car Commercials

Kimura Takuya once appeared in a Corolla commercial, but every time I saw it, I couldn’t help thinking:

There’s no way Kimutaku drives a Corolla in real life.

I imagine he’d be more likely to drive something like a Mercedes-Benz GL (just going by his image). TOKIO appeared in commercials for Suzuki’s Solio, too, but I can’t picture any of the band members driving a kei car. And Ken Watanabe appeared in an ad for Suzuki’s new Wagon R. At his level, I figured, fuel economy probably isn’t high on his list of priorities—so it didn’t feel very believable. (But when I looked it up, I found out that Ken Watanabe had actually bought a Wagon R.)

I understand that car companies want to give their vehicles a more appealing image, but I often find myself thinking, “Why not choose a celebrity who actually seems like they’d drive the car?” There may be all sorts of behind-the-scenes reasons why celebrities whose personal cars are public knowledge aren’t easy to cast, though.

If the commercial is focused on the car’s performance, there’s no need for a big-name celebrity. But if the goal is to improve the car’s image, a famous face might be just what the automaker needs. It’s probably not a simple decision.

Tennis Star Kei Nishikori

On that note, tennis player Kei Nishikori is well known for driving a Jaguar in his personal life. He’s also appeared in Jaguar commercials, which felt like a perfect fit—and looked cool, too. Nishikori must be thrilled to star in an ad for a car he actually drives.

Then again, he’s certainly earned it.