If you think you’ve seen lot of stars getting into the liquor business, you’re not wrong. According to the food and wine streaming network SOMM TV, there were less than 40 such celeb-backed booze brands in 2018. But by 2022, that number had ballooned to 350 — a nearly 800% increase.
The reason? Well, money, of course: Unite Hospitality revealed that customers pay an average of 73% more for a celebrity-backed brand — and it seems Kendall Jenner‘s decision to start a tequila brand in 2021 is paying off.
The marketing experts QR Code Generator looked into 150 star-backed brands’ Instagram followers and Google searches from American consumers, and Jenner’s 818 Tequila topped the list. The analysts found it generates more than 76,000 Google searches a month and has more than 1.2 million Instagram followers.
If you follow Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson on Instagram, you’ve certainly seen him swigging his fast-selling Teremana Tequila, which placed second. There’s an average of more than 107,000 monthly searches for the stuff, and Teremana has 780,000 Instagram followers.
Third might be a surprise: Former Vampire Diaries siblings Paul Wesley and Ian Somerhalder‘s Brother’s Bond Bourbon ranked third — it has the highest Insta follower count of its competition with 1.9 million and is searched for more than 25,000 times a month.
George Clooney and Rande Gerber‘s Casamigos Tequila was fourth with 272,000 Instagram followers and an average of 133,975 searches per month in the U.S., while Ryan Reynolds‘ Aviation American Gin placed fifth.
The Deadpool star’s catchy ads — and copious product placement in his and wife Blake Lively‘s films — led to 345,000 Insta followers and more than 26,000 monthly searches nationwide.
Methodology and results have not been verified or endorsed by ABC News or The Walt Disney Company.