Marilyn Monroe, Jerry Garcia, Donald Trump and Ed McMahon are just a few of the celebrities (living and dead) lending their name to alcohol products, from wine to vodka and tequila, MarketWatch reported June 12.

Monroe's and Garcia's names and images are used to sell wine, while Donald Trump has a vodka brand even though he doesn't drink himself. Rocker Sammy Hagar founded Cabo Wabo tequila, McMahon has a branded vodka, and Willie Nelson sells Old Whiskey River bourbon.

Most of these products are marketed by smaller producers like Drinks America, which sells Trump Vodka and Whiskey River. "Beverages are as much a fashion statement as clothing or music," said CEO J. Patrick Kenny. "We are founded on the concept that you can use an icon to generate trial and deliver to the consumer an experience more than the price point they paid for it."

"It's really a very simple business plan," he said. "Coke and Pepsi will tell you it takes tens of millions of dollars to establish a brand image, but with Trump and Willie Nelson you get instant brand recognition."

Kenny said that 100,000 cases of superpremium Trump Vodka have been sold in the product's first year. J Garcia wine, marketed by Beam Wine Estates, sells about 30,000 cases annually. "The brand made sense because it allows us to tap into a built-in consumer fan base," noted Beam spokesperson Sarah Devaney. "There is a natural demographic overlay between Jerry Garcia's fans and core wine drinkers, both of which are centered in the baby-boomer generation."

Alain Barbet, head of Pernod Ricard USA, pointed out that celebrity endorsements can have a downside. "I can't say never, but brands are built on other core values than the name of the people on them," he said. "And celebrities can be fleeting. Look at Paris Hilton: She is now more of a liability than an asset."

"A lot of this has been really gimmicky. And these are kind of long shots. We certainly haven't seen one that's been a big success," said David Fleming, editor of the alcohol trade magazine Impact. "Trump seems to be serious about it. They are advertising a lot, and they are spending a lot. I guess it has a shot."

Building on a drunken appearance on the TV show The View, actor Danny DeVito recently unveiled Danny DeVito's Limoncello. "It sprang from when he was on 'The View' and turned up drunk out of his mind last year," said New York ad executive David Chamberlain of Gyro International. "It was either marketing genius or a cheap and dirty trick, depending on whether it was premeditated."