A new playbook for celebrity partnership.

More than an endorsement, our pioneering work with Lincoln and Matthew McConaughey rewrites the rules for organic, authentic collaboration.

The celebrity endorsement dates back to the dawn of advertising. And the strategy hasn’t evolved much over the years: a brand throws money at a big-name star to cosign their product. The celebrity gets paid and the brand (hopefully) gets a few more eyeballs and recognition from their fans.

That works fine, in theory. But on top of a complete lack of creative strategy, the arrangement leaves much on the table–for both parties. At Hudson Rouge, we thought it could do more. We thought endorsements could be true collaborations, and we set our sights on finding novel ways to leverage the unique strengths of both brand and endorser. A case in point: the Lincoln Motor Company and Matthew McConaughey.

Lincoln, a heritage automotive brand with deep roots in Detroit, wanted to attract a wider audience. And Matthew, who at that point was a Hollywood leading man better known for romcoms than Oscars, was about to launch a career renaissance of his own. We thought, what if we could identify the complementary strengths of both Lincoln and Matthew, and pinpoint the precise ways to highlight both in service of the brand? And what if that could serve as a manual for future brand-celebrity partnerships?

Spoiler alert: we did it, and it works.

When Hudson Rouge paired Lincoln with Matthew McConaughey in 2014, we created an intelligent playbook for how to focus on a celebrity’s unique talents, and how to know when and where to use them for maximum effect and brand impact. And after dozens of TV spots with millions of YouTube views over the better part of a decade, the results speak for themselves. Along with a renewed cultural relevance, Lincoln saw sales jump 13% in a year. And if you needed any more evidence that we tapped into the cultural zeitgeist, our work even spawned loving homages on Saturday Night Live and Ellen. We’ll take that as our own celebrity endorsement.