Coca Cola (NYSE: KO) will pay New England Patriots heartthrob Tom Brady $3 million to $5 million to endorse Smartwater, Vitamin Water's sister brand that was acquired as part of the deal for Glaceau (which made 50 Cent a very rich man indeed...).

The Glaceau acquisition was part of Coke's strategy to pursue revenue growth as sales of carbonated beverage decline. According to the USA Today:

Brady, who dates a supermodel and makes gossip-column headlines as well as sports news, joins Jennifer Aniston in pitching the distilled water with added electrolytes. Replacement of electrolytes depleted in workouts can ease muscle fatigue. Smartwater is the top enhanced water with yoga enthusiasts, and Aniston has lent the brand a sexy, healthy lifestyle image. Brady adds some muscle to the healthy image.

You almost have to wonder about whether these products are a rip-off. If the company can pay Jennifer Aniston and Tom Brady millions of dollars to sell water, the mark-up has got to be pretty high.

But Tom Brady is as big as it gets right now, and this a pretty big coup for Glaceau.

Jennifer Aniston has three new movies in the pipeline, a new man, and a new ad campaign that has stirred up a bit of controversy. The former Friend is the newest spokeswoman for smartwater, bottled by Glaceau -- a new acquisition for Coca-Cola (NYSE: KO).

Ms. Aniston's latest gig has reportedly ruffled the proverbial feathers of some environmentalists who see bottled water as yet another trapping of consumerism junking up the nation's landfills. The organization Food and Water Watch is launching a "quit the bottle" campaign, championed by some restaurants who are starting to serve from the tap instead of the bottle. Group leader Victoria Kaplan noted that "consumers are waking up to the myth of bottled water, despite celebrity endorsement." According to the Watch's research, 86% of all used water bottles are simply discarded rather than recycled.

Some of Aniston's Hollywood peers are among the anti-bottle brigade; according to Radar Online, Green spokesman Leonardo DiCaprio has produced the short film Water Planet to help raise awareness of the issue, while Sarah Jessica Parker is working to improve tap water regulations.

Beth Gaston Moon is an analyst at Schaeffer's Investment Research.