02 Avant_Garde Meets Ad World

Wayne’s not the only out-there artist to dabble in mainstream media. Here are seven other times the normal and the niche collided.

Andy Warhol for Vidal Sassoon

In the mid-1980s, the founding father of pop art starred in a print advertisement for Vidal Sassoon hairspray.

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Gene Simmons for Dr. Pepper

Riffing on the then-slogan for Dr. Pepper, “Trust me, I’m a doctor,” the KISS front man (a.k.a. Dr. Love) appeared in the soda commercial which premiered during the 2010 Super Bowl.


Cope2 for TIME Magazine

New York street artist Cope2 was commissioned by TIME Magazine in 2005 to create a billboard in SoHo, an attempt to draw attention to the mag’s breadth of content. 


Zombie Boy for L’Oreal

Rick Genest, the fully tattooed performance artist better known as Zombie Boy, appeared in a spot for a L’Oreal-owned brand demonstrating the efficacy of Dermablend tattoo-covering makeup.


Marilyn Mason for Saint Laurent

With a fresh vision for a classic brand, Saint Laurent recently cast the goth rocker as the first in their series of ads pushing the label’s 2013 fall line.

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Marquese “Nonstop” Scott for Roomba

Fitting with their “iRobot, do you?” campaign, iRobot’s Roomba commercial featured dancers skilled in popping, locking and animation styles, including the YouTube sensation Marquese “Nonstop” Scott.

 

William S. Burroughs for Nike

In 1995, the iconic athletic brand featured beat writer and long-term heroin addict William S. Burroughs as the soundtrack for their ads, a stark contrast to the high-performance athletes appearing alongside.

—ANGELA JONES