Do Celebrities Drive New Product Sales?

Celebrities this, celebrities that, celebrities everywhere! If you’re tired of hearing about them, trust me, I’m just as tired of writing about them. But like it or not, brands and let’s be honest, consumers can’t seem to get enough. Just this week, we saw Beyoncé return for Levi’s with a modern twist on the iconic 1991 Pool Hall ad. And not too long ago, the Super Bowl was flooded with A-list cameos, from Shania Twain for Coffee Mate to Adam Brody for Pringles and Ben Affleck for Dunkin’. 

Celebrities invade culture at every turn, including Oreo’s latest twist: a collaboration with Post Malone. Launched ahead of the Super Bowl, these Posty-packaged cookies, filled with salted caramel and shortbread flavored cream, hit the shelves “inspired” by the rockstar himself. Consumers love Post Malone, no doubt. You only have to look at how many brands enlist him during the Super Bowl to see he’s in high demand. But does that star power actually drive sales? Would this new flavor perform just as well without the added celebrity cost? Do consumers truly care about their favorite stars’ snack choices, or is this just a cool strategy to fuel short-term buzz? 

Oreo isn’t the only brand leaning into celebrity inspired flavors. McDonald’s recently teamed up with UK artist Stormzy, launching his go-to order nationwide and even releasing it 48 hours early in East Croydon, where the rapper is from. The Stormzy Meal features his favorite combo: nine-piece chicken nuggets, fries, Sprite Zero, and an Oreo McFlurry, all wrapped in limited edition packaging with collectible stickers. This follows McDonald’s Famous Orders platform, which has previously spotlighted meals from Travis Scott, Mariah Carey, and more. 

So maybe there is a huge appetite for inside access to celebrity cravings. Maybe it makes us feel closer to them, like we’re sharing a moment over fries and a McFlurry. Or maybe, just like us, celebrities are simply suckers for all things Oreo. After all, even Stormzy didn’t skip one in his meal. 

Understanding the “Maybe”    

I bet you’re dying to know how consumers really feel about brand and celebrity product collaborations. Well, twist my arm and my Oreo in this case. 

Naturally, we put Post Malone’s salted caramel shortbread swirl to the test using our Test Your Innovation platform. Our goal? To understand whether these collaborations are an effective strategy for new product launches, why they work, and how brands can maximize their success. 

With a rating scale from 1.0 to 5.9 stars, Test Your Innovation quantifies emotional responses, providing a clear benchmark for evaluating product ideas, taglines, slogans, and trends. Here’s how we assessed the Post Malone x Oreo collaboration: 

• Emotional Pull: Using our FaceTrace® tool, we measured emotional resonance to determine how effectively the Oreo and Post Malone partnership connected with US consumers and why they felt that way. 
• Share Trading: We gauged consumers’ willingness to “buy” or “sell” the idea, revealing key insights into purchasing behavior and preferences. 
• Decision Speed: We tracked how quickly and instinctively consumers engaged with the product. Fast reactions were positively weighted, while slower responses were penalized, offering a nuanced view of enthusiasm and spontaneous engagement. 

Looking at how advertising typically works and drawing from System1’s Orlando Wood’s research in Lemon and Look out, my hypothesis was clear. These collaborations only succeed when the partnership makes sense. Take Sabrina Carpenter’s and Dunkin’s Brown Sugar Shaken Espresso, for example. After the launch of her hit song Espresso, it was a no-brainer. A perfect match. 

But not all collaborations have such a natural link. Unlike advertising, where brands can use storytelling to craft a connection, product collaborations rely on immediate recognition and relevance. That’s my theory anyway. But let’s not just speculate. Let’s dive into the real consumer data and see what they had to say. 

Tell a Story 

We tested the Oreo x Post Malone collaboration, and the results are clear. Consumers love the flavor, which scored a 5.6 Star Rating on its own. When we tested the Oreo with Post Malone’s name attached, reactions were more mixed; not because people didn’t love the product, but because the connection between the brand and celebrity wasn’t immediately clear. 

In his book System1: Unlocking Profitable Growth, John Kearon highlights the 80:20 golden ratio for innovation. Keep new products 80 percent familiar, measured by happiness, and 20 percent new, measured by surprise, on our Test Your Innovation tool. It’s basic behavioral science. People are more likely to try a new product when it feels familiar, which is why meat-free alternatives often mimic meat in both look and taste. 

The salted caramel and shortbread Oreo is a perfect example of this balance. It still looks like an Oreo but introduces two beloved flavors to add a little sparkle. And consumers agreed, with 15 percent of respondents saying the main appeal was that it’s “a new twist on a classic cookie.” 

So where does Post Malone fit in? 

The responses showed that while people loved the flavor and packaging, some didn’t immediately understand the connection between the artist and the cookie. That said, there was excitement around the limited-edition aspect, the unique design, and the idea of celebrity-inspired treats. 

Our Test Your Ad Premium database, which contains insights from decades of ad testing, has shown that the best celebrity-brand partnerships happen when there is a natural fit. When the connection makes sense, the collaboration enhances the brand. When it is less obvious, brands have an opportunity to use storytelling and marketing to bridge the gap. 

While these findings are specific to advertising, we see the same trend in innovation. When testing collaborations like Emily in Paris product launches and Beetlejuice themed releases, the most successful products had a clear and relevant connection to the brand, film, or celebrity, just as we have seen here. 

The good news is that Oreo has created a flavor that consumers genuinely love, and the excitement around the collaboration highlights strong potential for future partnerships. The additional touches from the brand, like personal notes from Post Malone, TikTok ads, and YouTube videos around the product, are great examples of how to create relevance and connection beyond the product itself. With the right storytelling and positioning, celebrity collaborations can be a powerful tool for driving success, particularly in the short-term. 

My advice to brands looking to leverage celebrities? Make your life easier by starting with a natural fit and letting the collaboration speak for itself. While broader marketing efforts can help build connection, it is much harder when the partnership is less obvious and may even require a bigger investment to be effective.