We’re always been fascinated (and often disturbed) by the relationship between entertainment and advertising, so it was with great interest that we read AdAge’s new Entertainment A-List. The picks for 2011 ranged from obvious all-star entertainment brands — Glee, The King’s Speech — to darker horses, like the company that signed Whoopi Goldberg up to be the spokeswoman for “light bladder leakage.” Check out AdAge’s top ten most influential brands in the biz after the jump, read about them in-depth on the magazine’s website, and tell us whether you agree in the comments.
1. Glee, which was a risky show to air but now boasts the second-largest audience on TV, after American Idol.
2. Ryan Seacrest, who is an advertiser’s dream TV personality.
3. Bonnie Hammer, head of NBCU Cable Entertainment and Cable Studios, who made USA a huge success and is now charged with renovating E! and G4.
4. AMC, which made a name with critical darlings Mad Men and Breaking Bad but finally has honest-to-goodness hits with The Walking Dead and The Killing.
5. Carol Goll, head of talent agency International Creative Management, who has updated celebrity endorsement deals for the age of social media.
6. Jimmy Kimmel Live, a show that has managed to justify its existence on ABC, despite NBC and CBS’s late-night dominance.
7. Kimberly-Clark, the Poise pad parent company that hired Whoopi Goldberg and made peeing yourself, uh, cool?
8. The King’s Speech, a classic Oscar winner and Harvey Weinstein’s big comeback.
9. BET, the network that had a breakout success with its sitcom The Game.
10. Funny or Die, which attracts big-name stars while keeping costs low and is making its first theatrically released film, Tim and Eric’s Billion Dollar Movie.