The Hertz Corporation - O.J. Simpson

O.J. Simpson

O.J. Simpson appeared prominently in ads for the company. The company set the trend of hiring black athletes as sponsors of various brands. In 1975, O.J. Simpson became a staple in American households with his Hertz commercials. In later years and through the 1980s, he appeared with golf legend Arnold Palmer; the pair was joined by the early 1990s by actress Jamie Lee Curtis). In one spot from the mid-1970s, which became iconic, Simpson, former football star as he was, leapt over rows of departure lounge seats, running through an airport terminal (wearing a three-piece business suit and carrying a briefcase) trying to get to his Hertz rental car. A woman yelled, "Go O.J. Go!" The tagline of the ad, as spoken by O.J., was "Hertz, the superstar in rent-a-car".

The relationship with Hertz and Simpson ended in late 1992 when reports of domestic abuse surfaced.