The Lady in Red
February 10, 2010
Franz in high places
French fashion house Dior have recruited UK indie band Franz Ferdinand to record the track ‘Eyes of Mars’ for the latest Dior Lady Rouge bag campaign. The song features vocals from French actress Marion Cotillard – winner of an oscar for her role as Edith Piaf in the film ‘La Vie En Rose’ – who portrays Lady Rouge, a character who moves from working woman to nightclub singer in New York Read more
Super Bowl 2010
February 8, 2010
Ad touchdown gets nostalgic
Rihanna referred to the Super Bowl as a “big, walking music video”, and the sporting and advertising highlight of the year didn’t disappoint on the music front in 2010. The Who’s performance during half time – a lucrative slot for any band – has been both praised and panned by critics – with one citing it as “an act of terrorism on US soil”. However, even if the viewing audience is equally split it will still mean the band have appealed to at least 50M possible music buyers. Read more
The heat of the moment
February 8, 2010
A first for music
Coca-Cola China has launched a new online campaign fronted by Taiwanese boy band Fahrenheit in order to celebrate Chinese New Year. The promotion – which features the track ‘The First Taste of Happiness’ – invites users to customize their own festive Coke bottles and participate in an online UGC element which will see their video efforts placed into a collective ad alongside the band. The digital side of the ad campaign depicts Coke drinkers passing their bottles along from one video clip to the next Read more
Man handled
February 5, 2010
Musical manipulation
Wrangler’s new digital promotion for its Blue Bell Spring/Summer 2010 range is kind of a drag. The jeans brand’s ‘manipulate a man’ digital campaign enables users to drag a male model around the screen and tear off parts of his clothing – making it the polar opposite of Burger King’s recent Showercam campaign.The ad also showcases the ambient music of Markus Hasselblom and the soundtrack featured on the site is available for free download. Read more
Gym Buddies
February 1, 2010
A sounding branding exercise
UK singer Alesha Dixon has inked a four-year profit-sharing deal with the LA Fitness gym chain. The partnership is part of a massive £30M marketing drive in 2010 by the gym’s owners The Kirk Sandall company. The revenue share deal – based on the company’s success over the four year period – will see the singer acting as the face of the company. In addition she will work alongside the LA Fitness board devising new dance and exercise routines and advising on health and fitness issues. Read more
Cutting Edge
February 1, 2010
Gillette fixes up, looks sharp
Will.i.am, Tim McGraw, Mark Hoppus of Blink-182 and the All-American Rejects are all set to appear in a forthcoming Gillette campaign. The Gillette Uncut series will feature a series of digital documentary shorts – created by renowned music filmmaker/photographer Danny Clinch – showcasing the artists backstage and some of their pre-show rituals. Read more
Cherry spot stick
February 1, 2010
It’s an expensive cover up
Katy Perry has signed a $4M deal to be the face of Proactiv acne cream. She joins Avril Lavigne who has also signed a lucrative contract to become the newest spokesmodel for the Proactiv Solution brand worldwide.The two singers will appear in commercials aired in 58 countries. The brand is gearing up for a major marketing campaign as it looks to compete directly with Johnson’s Clean and Clear range in the youth sector. Read more
Watering cam
February 1, 2010
Shower streaming music
Prior to Christmas Burger King launched a digital campaign featuring a bikini-clad woman singing in the shower. The extremely male-orientated ‘Shower cam’ campaign invited users to vote for which song should be performed – and which type of bikini should be worn – the following day at 9:30am. In addition visitors to the website could also win a date with Burger King’s so called “sizzling shower babe” at the London Leicester Square Burger King restaurant. Read more
Daft Vader
February 1, 2010
The empire sneaks back
There is an interesting meld of genres in this recent adidas commercial, which promotes a new line of Star Wars branded footwear in the style of its ‘House Party’ campaign commercial from 2008. Read more
Lady Paparazzi
February 1, 2010
Developing a brand partnership
Lady Gaga is shaking it like a Polaroid picture in 2010. The quirky singer has inked a multi-year strategic partnership with PLR IP Holdings, LLC, owners of the Polaroid brand. Under the deal the singer will take up the role of creative director for a specialty line of Polaroid Imaging products. Read more
