Commercializing Marilyn Monroe

During her lifetime, Marilyn's image was used to endorse a number of products. Some make sense, like makeup and hair products. Others, like lawn furniture and men's shoes,can be head scratchers. Regardless of what the product is, Marilyn's face in an ad certainly grabs attention.

This ad for Nike seems incredibly current with it's message of pro-woman empowerment,although it was released back in 1991. The ad implores women to be judged not by their measurements but by who she is and who she is trying to become, a sentiment that Marilyn herself echoed during her lifetime. Although it doesn't even show their product, Nike hit a homerun among Marilyn fans with their 'Statistics Lie' slogan.

Fashion retailer Gap launched their "Who Wore Khakis?" campaign in 1993. The ad director researched photos of famous people wearing khakis and ads with Chet Baker, Humphrey Bogart, James Dean, Sammy Davis Jr., Amelia Earhart, Ava Gardner, Ernest Hemingway, Rock Hudson, Gene Kelly, Jack Kerouac, Arthur Miller, Marilyn Monroe, and Pablo Picasso were produced.

Discount retailer Kmart started selling Marilyn Monroe jeans in 1995. For their print campaign, they took a photo of Marilyn from 1962's Something's Got To Give and fashioned it to appear that she was wearing their denim line. The short lived jeans came with one of three collectible phone cards.

If you didn't look closely, you'd hardly know this 1997 print ad was for luxury car manufacturer Mercedes-Benz. Showcasing a full page photo of Marilyn, the only clue that it was an advertisement was that her famous mole had been changed to a Mercedes three pointed star.

Clothing manufacturer Warnaco released a line of Marilyn Monroe intimate apparel under their Warner's label in 1997. To promote their peignoirs, nighties, and bra and panty sets, photos of modern model Emily Flint were juxtaposed with pictures of Marilyn from her films. However, the ad above actually took an image of Marilyn's face from Don't Bother To Knock and put it onto another woman's body.

This print campaign for the Volkswagen Lupo was released in Italy in 1999. It features a Milton Green image of Marilyn with the caption "Marilyn: 5 feet 5 inches" and "You don't have to be big to be great."

Max Factor makeup launched The Diva Collection in 1999. The ad campaign showcased Marilyn, Marlene Dietrich, and Ava Gardner as the divas of old Hollywood. The palettes were named with titles like Leading Lady Pink, Starlet Satin, and Bombshell Blue. It was evidently successful, as the Diva line is still being manufactured.

In 2015, Max Factor once again utilized Marilyn in their latest ad campaign, 'From Norma Jeane To Marilyn Monroe' and appointed her their 'global ambassador'. The ads implied that Norma Jeane was transformed into sultry Marilyn Monroe by Max Factor, however, sticklers for accuracy weren't pleased with the insinuation and corrected the company that Marilyn's transformation was a result of her modeling agency and Marilyn herself.

In 1954, on her honeymoon trip to Japan and Korea, Marilyn received a strand of Mikimoto pearls. Where she got them from gets a little more convoluted- some say they were a gift from new husband Joe DiMaggio, some say from the Emperor of Japan. Mikimoto claims that they gave her the pearls directly. Regardless of how she got them, Mikimoto's luminous print campaign of Marilyn wearing the pearls debuted in 1999. (Mikimoto obtained Marilyn's necklace in 1998)

Levi's jeans took a swipe at the 90s 'heroin chic' trend of waiflike models with their 'Our Models Can Beat Up Their Models' campaign, branding themselves as a 'tougher' denim option. Ads featured Marlon Brando, John Wayne, and this image of Marilyn from 1954's River of No Return. The ads appeared in billboards, buses, and subway stations.

Levi's first used Marilyn way back in 1968. Again with an image from River of No Return, she joins James Dean in this print ad by artist Pierre Peyrolle.

Absolut Vodka's iconic print campaign was inspired by none other than Andy Warhol, who loved the asthetics of the bottle. Running for over 25 years, the marketing strategy featured Marilyn in a 2006 double page ad. Using a photo of Marilyn entertaining the troops in Korea titled 'Absolute Moral Booster' and a bottle of vodka recreating the skirt scene from the Seven Year Itch, the ad secured it's place in the annals of advertising history.

This print ad from Dresden Kleinwort Investment Bank in Germany shows a digitally altered photo Marilyn with her idol Albert Einstein, with the tag line 'Nothing inspires more than the advice you didn't expect'. Other ads in the campaign paired Muhammad Ali with Mahatmas Gandhi and Maria Callas with Jimi Hendrix.

French luxury watchmakers Clyda paired with Marilyn Monroe in a number of print ads in 2008. The ads used photos from Some Like It Hot with the tagline 'Loved by you, just you''. They dubbed Marilyn their muse and said that ''just like Clyda, Marilyn embodies elegance, refinement, glamour, sensitivity, fragility, provocation, charm and femininity."

MAC cosmetics found a muse in Marilyn. A line of Marilyn inspired makeup was gorgeously packaged with stunning images from Milton Greene's famous Black Sitting. With shades named Preferred Blonde, Showgirl, and Love Goddess, the collection was all Marilyn. Hugely popular, it sold out in hours when it debuted in October 2012 and is still highly sought after as collectible pieces.

Coca-Cola launched their 'I've Kissed' campaign last year, featuring a mix of modern and classic celebrities drinking Coke. Appearances included Elvis Presley, Ray Charles, Lana del Ray, Rita Ora, and this photo of Marilyn drinking a Coke on a break from filming Gentleman Prefer Blondes. The image,originally published in Life Magazine, was a hit on posters and billboards around the world.