What do James Brown, Sean Connery, Andy Warhol, and Meg Ryan have in common? They were paid extremely high salaries to endorse Asian products. Business Insider reports that

While many celebrities shy away from product endorsements in their own  country, they have traditionally flocked  to Asian countries, particularly Japan, to shoot extremely high paid  commercials. And the results are hilarious.

In an attempt to keep these often kooky endorsements away from American  audiences, celebrities often enforce a “secrecy clause”, which bars  advertisers from disclosing sponsorship deals in the U.S. Secrecy, however,  has become considerably more difficult in the era of the viral video.

When I lived in Japan, I remember a young Brad Pitt in a commercial where all he said was “minami” 3-4 times (and probably paid millions to do so). While I can’t find that particular ad, I did manage to find another Brad Pitt ad for Roots Coffee:

Celebrities continue to endorse ads in Japan and other Asian countries. Thanks to viral video services like YouTube, you get the opportunity to check them out. Quite recently, one of my favorite ads featured Hugh Jackman strutting his stuff for Lipton Iced Tea in a Tokyo hotel. (Although, I’m uncertain if this was actually broadcast in Japan.)

Anyway, check out Business Insider’s post on celebrity ads. Quite honestly, my favorite is the Sean Connery ad where he’s sitting next to a puppet bunny rabbit, in a convertible, singing about yogurt. There’s really nothing more glorious.

If you’ve seen a more awesome celebrity commercial, do share! I’m sure readers would enjoy them as much as I would.