10 "Unknown" YouTube Stars Advertisers Should Hire Immediately

A recent survey ranking celebrities in terms of their appeal for use in advertising showed that some of the more interesting names were not mega-stars like Sandra Bullock or Will Smith but lesser known lights such as Alexander Skarsgard of HBO's True Blood and Kirsten Vangsness of Criminal Minds: They have low awareness among the general public but high appeal -- making them cheap to hire for commercials yet highly effective in terms of getting into consumer brains. (Think about Progressive's Flo -- an unknown before she was cast in the insurer's campaign but now the backbone of that brand.)

In that vein, YouTube provides a proving ground for fresh new stars to show they can command an audience and hold your attention for 30 seconds or more. These 10 YouTube favorites are relative "unknowns," but only in the sense that they don't regularly appear on TV or in the tabloids. Some of them have tens of millions of fans online -- far more than many TV shows.

They're ready to be co-opted by Madison Avenue, and probably come a lot cheaper than Jennifer Aniston or Brooke Shields.

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1. The "Kids React To ..." Kids

They're all great, but my favorite is 6-year-old Morgan whose responses are completely unadulterated by any notion of what is supposed to be cool. Her reaction to Nyan Cat will break your heart. Any advertiser could easily re-employ the gang to react to rival consumer product offerings and edit the result into a commercial about a million times more compelling than most ads.

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2. Natalie Tran

The most popular Australian on the internet is Natalie Tran, who video blogs under the name "communitychannel." She's wholesome, good-looking, presents with professional assuredness, but nonetheless comes across as an aggressively normal, ordinary person. That's a perfect combination for an advertising pitchwoman -- everyone can relate to her. Her videos feature PG-rated comedy skits (no baggage -- another plus).

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3. Annoying Orange

File under: "Only on YouTube." Annoying Orange is what it says it is: An annoying orange who sits in a kitchen riffing on pop culture with other fruits and appliances. It's surprisingly entertaining. This Budweiser "Wazzup!" spoof could run virtually unchanged as a new ad for the beer brand.

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4. Katers17

Already hugely popular on YouTube, Kate Elliott is basically the British Natalie Tran. A typical sketch, "How to be sexy," starts off with an apparently unscripted sneezing fit. Sarcastic, self possessed and doesn't flub her lines. Comes with adorable English accent. Would kill if used in a U.S. product launch.

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5. Becky from Japan

For decades, U.S. stars have made ads for the Japanese market. Now it's time for the reverse: Becky is already a star in Asia, where she did this ad for Suntory Rickey, whatever that is. She plays all the characters in the ad. The ad is yet another one of those deeply weird products of Japanese pop culture -- which is why it would break through the clutter in a second if Becky's style were repurposed for the U.S. market.

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6. Zuzana

Why hasn't Zuzana been hired for a personal fitness infomercial or a retail chain like GNC? There is no doubt her channel at "charliejames1975" is watched mostly because of her skimpy outfits and startlingly perfect physique, but her workouts are real and don't have all the Jillian Michaels-esque yelling and righteousness common to the genre. Zuzana's career in mainstream consumer-selling is probably limited to late-night direct-response TV because of an early foray into softcore porn, which might deter household brands. She keeps it clean on her channel, though, which gets more audience than most advertisers do.

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7. Nyan Cat

Yes, it's annoying. But it's had nearly 17 million views since April. How does your campaign compare, brand manager? I've previously made the case that Nyan Cat is waiting to be developed into a fully fledged children's character that can hawk toys and merchandise. Why not breakfast cereal or lunchboxes?

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8. iJustine

It's not hard to see the appeal of web comedian Justine Ezarik. Like Natalie Tran and Kate Elliott, Ezarik is attractive and knows how to present to a camera. She also has a massive audience online, and can move the market all by herself. Her video on a 300-page iPhone bill she received from AT&T changed the company's billing practices. How else might she change the marketplace?

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9. Michelle Phan

Phan's disconcertingly professional how-to makeup videos are a result, in part, of the fact that she already has a contract with Lancome. Her video on how to recreate a Lady Gaga look has had 22 million views. On second thought, Phan may already be a bigger brand than yours is.

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10. Pomplamoose

Jack Conte and Natalie Dawn Knutsen have already recorded ad jingles for Toyota and Hyundai (you probably remember their "Jingle Bells" spot, which seemed to be in every ad break last Christmas). Pomplamoose are interesting from an ad agency creative point of view because it is their music, not their videos, that is compelling. After you've enjoyed their radical reinterpretation of Michael Jackson's "Beat It" (above) enjoy their take on Beyonce's "Single Ladies." One-stop-shopping for addictive, unforgettable ad music.

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