# The Most Retired Man in The World. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 10, 2016, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-retired-man-in-the-world/748506 "2016-03-10T02:27:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Jim\_s\_Son](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19adc/32.png) [@Jim\_s\_Son](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_s_Son)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2016, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-retired-man-in-the-world/748506/21 "2016-03-11T03:21:23Z")
Hopefully Flo will never retire. ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2016, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-retired-man-in-the-world/748506/22 "2016-03-11T04:10:28Z")
> [@Jim\_s\_Son](#): > > Hopefully Flo will never retire. I have to wonder, when an actor becomes the face of the brand, and in the case of Goldsmith, being part of a huge increase in sales of that brand, how well does the actor do financially? The actress who plays Flo has been getting a huge amount of work from Progressive (in fact, I can’t recall seeing the same Progressive commercial twice.) Do they get a bonus for the brand’s success? A fee for each airing? Or are they just expected to be happy to continue to get work? ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2016, 6:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-retired-man-in-the-world/748506/23 "2016-03-11T06:22:06Z")
> [@gaffa](#): > > I have to wonder, when an actor becomes the face of the brand, and in the case of Goldsmith, being part of a huge increase in sales of that brand, how well does the actor do financially? The actress who plays Flo has been getting a huge amount of work from Progressive (in fact, I can’t recall seeing the same Progressive commercial twice.) Do they get a bonus for the brand’s success? A fee for each airing? Or are they just expected to be happy to continue to get work? I don’t know the exact figures but I’ve heard that Dean Winters has made more money playing Mayhem for the Allstate ad series than he’s made for any of his regular roles. On the other hand, there’s Milana Vayntrub who plays Lily on the AT&T ad series. I saw an interview with her where she said she was paid a one-time fee of $800 for the first ad she did in the campaign. I’m assuming she’s gotten a raise since then. ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2016, 9:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-retired-man-in-the-world/748506/24 "2016-03-11T09:17:54Z")
> [@gaffa](#): > > I have to wonder, when an actor becomes the face of the brand, and in the case of Goldsmith, being part of a huge increase in sales of that brand, how well does the actor do financially? The actress who plays Flo has been getting a huge amount of work from Progressive (in fact, I can’t recall seeing the same Progressive commercial twice.) Do they get a bonus for the brand’s success? A fee for each airing? Or are they just expected to be happy to continue to get work? I’ve never heard of a commercial actor getting paid based on product success. It’s possible that it has happened, but it’s not industry standard. The main way of getting paid is an upfront rate for the commercial itself, then ongoing residuals based on how often the commercial airs, in what media (network, cable, local programs, etc.), and in how many markets. Sometimes, there is a buyout in lieu of residuals, where they give you a bigger lump sum when you shoot the ad, but you don’t get any ongoing payments based on airings. Most actors prefer residuals, but sometimes they don’t get a choice. Either way, though, if you become the “face” of a product in a long-running national ad campaign, you earn enough to live pretty comfortably, at least as long as the campaign keeps running, and often for considerably longer. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2016, 9:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-retired-man-in-the-world/748506/25 "2016-03-11T09:42:24Z")
> [@Zakalwe](#): > > _Both sides of his pillow are cool._ > > One of the best lines ever, IMHO - followed closely by > > _When he flirts with danger, danger gets clingy._ > > Classics, but they did seem to run dry on the idea well the past few years. It’s hard to come up with good ones; there’s a certain fascinating implausibility about them. _He rides a unicycle sidesaddle._ They must try hundreds of them to get a few keepers. > [@Freddy\_the\_Pig](#): > > The commercials definitely had their moments. The actor won’t live forever, so I’d rather have them retire the character than continue with someone else. I hope they have a good finale, unlike most ad campaigns where they just stop running and then five years later you realize, “They must have stopped running those MIMITW commercials”. I haven’t seen Red from the Wendy’s commercials in quite a while. _sniff_ ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2016, 9:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-retired-man-in-the-world/748506/26 "2016-03-11T09:51:55Z")
> [@gaffa](#): > > I have to wonder, when an actor becomes the face of the brand, and in the case of Goldsmith, being part of a huge increase in sales of that brand, how well does the actor do financially?? They make out like a bandit. One of the stipulations is they can’t do any other work, not just advertising but TV and movies (contracts differ, but that’s generally the rule), so they’re financially compensated for that. And every new year they get continual work their fee goes up into the stratosphere. Someone like Flo, Stephanie Courtney, who makes new ads so frequently, will be especially happy as she’s probably got a per-commercial fee on top of that. ---
**Author:** ![Jim\_s\_Son](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19adc/32.png) [@Jim\_s\_Son](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_s_Son)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2016, 12:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-retired-man-in-the-world/748506/27 "2016-03-11T12:09:55Z")
The ones who really do well are the celebrities who get a piece of the product they hawk on infomercials. Think Suzanne Somers with thighmasters or George Foreman cooking grills. ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2016, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-retired-man-in-the-world/748506/28 "2016-03-11T13:54:40Z")
Though, regretfully, the ads are coming to an end… The Most Interesting Man In The World can’t feel regret! My favorite is 'His mother has a tattoo on her arm reading ‘Son’. ---
**Author:** ![actualliberalnotoneofthose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e79b87/32.png) [@actualliberalnotoneofthose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/actualliberalnotoneofthose)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2016, 9:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-retired-man-in-the-world/748506/29 "2016-03-13T09:16:40Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > It’s hard to come up with good ones; there’s a certain fascinating implausibility about them. > > _He rides a unicycle sidesaddle._ > > They must try hundreds of them to get a few keepers. > > I haven’t seen Red from the Wendy’s commercials in quite a while. _sniff_ I didn’t read it, but one of the top trending stories in marketing on social media in recent days was a story about Wendy’s changing their ad agency. So I’m assuming it’s related. ---
**Author:** ![XanderCrews](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/ee59a6/32.png) [@XanderCrews](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XanderCrews)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2016, 11:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-retired-man-in-the-world/748506/30 "2016-03-13T11:04:35Z")
So in six months there will be a commercial with him drinking Dos Equis with cute Martian ladies? ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2016, 11:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-retired-man-in-the-world/748506/31 "2016-03-13T11:17:42Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > _He can speak Russian, in French._ > > That was my favorite. Ditto. > [@Zakalwe](#): > > _When he flirts with danger, danger gets clingy._ Though this one is a close second. ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2016, 11:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-retired-man-in-the-world/748506/32 "2016-03-13T11:43:16Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > It’s hard to come up with good ones; there’s a certain fascinating implausibility about them. > > _He rides a unicycle sidesaddle._ > > They must try hundreds of them to get a few keepers. > > I haven’t seen Red from the Wendy’s commercials in quite a while. _sniff_ We Dopers came up with a few good ones; [One of my favorite threads](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=527566) ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2016, 12:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-retired-man-in-the-world/748506/33 "2016-03-13T12:22:34Z")
> [@Grrr](#): > > We Dopers came up with a few good ones; [One of my favorite threads](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=527566) And **billfish** called it. > [@He IS the most intresting man in the world.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/he-is-the-most-intresting-man-in-the-world/505912/56): > > He once went to Mars…on a rocketship he paid for, designed, and built all by himself…he never told anyone because he was embarrassed by the simplicity and ease of it all. ---
**Author:** ![I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/i_love_me_vol.i/32/521_2.png) [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_Love_Me_Vol.I)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2016, 12:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-retired-man-in-the-world/748506/34 "2016-03-13T12:38:47Z")
> [@seal\_cleaner](#): > > “I don’t always drink beer” - thought that was a great line in that context. That’s the part that really sells the value of the ad campaign to me. I love how they didn’t try to portray him as a man who is only drinking beer, and just one beer at that. Because somebody like that wouldn’t be very interesting, would they? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-retired-man-in-the-world/748506.md?page=1)