# Did Yo-Yo Ma do advertisements for American Express?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-yo-yo-ma-do-advertisements-for-american-express/171912>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [April 29, 2003, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-yo-yo-ma-do-advertisements-for-american-express/171912 "2003-04-29T14:12:09Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![chukhung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e79b87/32.png) [@chukhung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chukhung)\
**Post date:** [April 29, 2003, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-yo-yo-ma-do-advertisements-for-american-express/171912/1 "2003-04-29T14:12:09Z")

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Background: A friend and I were watching TV and after that Visa commercial featuring [Yao Ming](http://www.nba.com/playerfile/yao_ming/) (“Yao.” “Yo.” “Yao!” “Yo!”) came on for the third time in an evening, we started wondering if they could at least give it some variation.

Like say, replacing [Yogi Berra](http://www.yogi-berra.com/)’s cameo appearance at the end with one from [Yo-Yo Ma](http://www.yo-yoma.com/).

But I seem to remember that Mr. Ma appeared in print(?) advertisements for American Express and would probably be contractually prohibited from appearing in a Visa commercial. Is my memory correct? Did Yo-Yo Ma ever endorse Amex?

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**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\
**Post date:** [April 29, 2003, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-yo-yo-ma-do-advertisements-for-american-express/171912/2 "2003-04-29T15:13:49Z")

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Damn, I could’ve sworn Yo-Yo Ma was one of the girls from Salt 'N Peppa.

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**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\
**Post date:** [April 29, 2003, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-yo-yo-ma-do-advertisements-for-american-express/171912/3 "2003-04-29T15:24:33Z")

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That’d be a better commercial, chukhung. It did get big laughs when we first saw it during the Super Bowl.

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**Author:** ![db4530](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3ec8ea/32.png) [@db4530](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/db4530)\
**Post date:** [April 29, 2003, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-yo-yo-ma-do-advertisements-for-american-express/171912/4 "2003-04-29T18:48:48Z")

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This was all I could find…don’t think it would be on conflict for good ole yo-yo as he appears to merely be a participant in an online “show” sponsored by American Express. There may be some other relationship out there where there is a more direct connection, but I couldn’t find it.

[http://www.adage.com/news.cms?newsId=36175](http://www.adage.com/news.cms?newsId=36175)

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**Author:** ![Peg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b38774/32.png) [@Peg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peg)\
**Post date:** [April 29, 2003, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-yo-yo-ma-do-advertisements-for-american-express/171912/5 "2003-04-29T18:49:27Z")

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Yo-Yo Ma was/is an AmEx “Cardmember”. I think that’s their phrase for spokesperson. I remember seeing ads sometime ago, but can’t find it now. The only thing I could really find to verify this is that his Annie Liebowitz photo was auctioned: [http://www.culturekiosque.com/calendar/special/viewevent.asp?ID=2132](http://www.culturekiosque.com/calendar/special/viewevent.asp?ID=2132)

Your commercial proposal is great, **chukhung**. I wonder if the ad folks thought of that, but couldn’t get him due to his relationship with AmEx. He is, however, in Apple/Mac ads. (I admit that I have this little thing for Mr. Ma.)