John Lithgow used to hawk Cambells’ Soup, now he’s a Progresso man.
Paul Marcarelli was the “can you hear me now” guy for Verizon, now he advertises for Sprint.
Help me compile a list of celebs who appeared in ads for a competitor of a product they previously were a spokesperson for.
Neil Peart used to endorse Zildjian cymbals, now I think he pimps Sabian.
All too damn expensive.
It’s not a good example because Neil Peart would be expected to promote drums or symbols. He’s the drummer.
I think he is looking for examples where celebrities are used to promote products despite having no real qualifications.
In soccer famously Johann Cryuff did not wear the Adidas logo on his Dutch team kit like everyone else since he had a contract with Puma.
Nowadays the rules have changed, if a player’s national and club team have different kit sponsors, then s/he has to be permitted to pitch both, but in context.
Well, to keep the music thing going, some guitarists move all over the place. Eddie Van Halen famously built his original, now red with B&W striped Frankenstein guitar from parts, but the signed a deal with Kramer on the '80’s, then Ernie Ball/Music Man, and then Peavey making his brand of guitars and amps, and finally with Fender launching the EVH line of guitars and amps.
Eddie’s influence on the world of guitars can’t really be overestimated. His various guitars - from building Parts-o-Casters to each specific brand - have swayed huge numbers of players. Kramer was flying high with Eddie as an endorser, but went out of business not long after he switched deals - not just due to the switch, but it was a factor.
Bill Monroe invented Bluegrass on his Gibson F-5 mandolin. At one point, he was angry at Gibson for one reason or another so he pried the mother-of-Pearl Gibson logo out of the headstock with a pen knife. Kind of hilarious, given the unique, iconic shape of a Gibson F-5, but there you go. They made up a couple of decades later and he let Gibson do a thorough restoration of the instrument, including replacing the logo on the headstock.
In the “light beer wars” of the 1970s Whitey Ford and Mickey Mantle started off doing commercials for Miller Lite. They later switched to doing commercials for Bud Lite, commenting that they switched.
One of the reasons offered as to why so many NASCAR fans couldn’t stand Jeff Gordon was he drove Fords in the Busch series but when he graduated to Winston Cup, he drove for a Chevrolet team.
It’s rare because usually there’s a clause in commercial contracts which prohibit actors from accepting roles for competing products. (Apparently the lawyers who drew up Paul Marcarelli’s contract simply forgot to include this, which left Marcarelli free to accept an offer from Sprint.)
Orson Welles is the champion of this, especially the various alcoholic beverages he shilled: Jim Beam, Carlsberg beer, Domecq sherry, Paul Masson wine, and others. To be fair, it seems obvious from outtakes that he actually used these products. Often.
He also did spots for Eastern Airlines, Findus Frozen Peas, and just about anyone who would pay him.
In his standup Dave Chappelle claims to have done commercials for both Coke and Pepsi (“I’ve done commercials for Coke and Pepsi. I don’t give a fuck what comes out of my mouth. I say what it takes. Whatever it takes, thats what I’m saying. If you wanna know the truth, I can’t even taste the difference. Surprise! All I know is, Pepsi paid me most recently so… it tastes better.”), but while I have found a Pepsi commercial with him I have not been able to find a Coke commercial with him in it.
Didn’t he put this in DimeBag’s coffin? Like, “The” actual one?
That was the second Frankenstrat, the black and yellow one. Apparently Dime had asked EVH for a copy of it a few months before his death. After his murder, his widow asked Eddie for the copy, which he had never gotten around to making, and Eddie asked her if she was sure [Dime] didn’t mean the red-black-and-white one, but she said [Dime] thought the black and yellow one looked meaner. Eddie showed up at the funeral with the original black and yellow guitar.
John Belushi switched from Pepsi to Coke. 
Eric Lawson did commercials as the Marlboro Man for Marlboro cigarettes. Later, he did antismoking PSAs.
Interesting this was posted today…both the idea and the article, as the article was written years ago on the anniversary of Dime’s death…which is today.
John Lennon, Dimebag Darrel and now Greg Lake. Hmm…two infamous days in a row, it seems.
No, I’m looking for examples of celebs who promoted one product and then promoted a competitor of that product.
Hey, good example. Except it was Natural Light, not Bud Light.
I only remember The Mick switching.
Gotta think this wins the thread.
"Controversy struck again in 1993 when the makers of Mortein, which Laws promoted for many years, asked the Federal Court to swat rival brand Raid using Laws and the slogan “when you find a better thing, switch to it”.
The Raid slogan, Mortein’s makers argued, was too close its own “when you’re on a good thing, stick to it,” spoken by Laws 13 years earlier.
Raid was ordered by the court to change the ads to make it clear there was no association between Raid and Mortein.
http://www.canberratimes.com.au/zoom/archive/rnews960420_0253_5948
Back in the '80s, Clara “Where’s the beef?” Peller lost her gig with Wendy’s when she did an “I found it!” spot for Prego spaghetti sauce.
(Granted, she wasn’t a celebrity before doing the Wendy’s commercials, but she became one overnight after she did.)
Sugar Ray Leonard did commercials for 7up and then switched to Diet Coke commercials.