After signing a deal to sponsor the "Lingerie Bowl 2004," a diversionary Super Bowl half time stunt in which barely dress models go through the motions of playing football, Dodge has gone soft and pulled out of the sponsorship. Originally, Dodge was to have signage around the Lingerie Bowl stadium and presence on the web site but Dodge has gone limp on the program citing advance publicity surrounding the event has taken attention away from the Dodge product line.
Even the event sponsors seem to have drooped to half mast as well dressing the models in shorts and sports bras rather than the originally planned bra and panties. Perhaps the prospect of all that bouncing flesh caused organizers to realize viewers might stand up and spill forth good cheer before the game itself came to completion.
First, she played easy to get to Kevin Spacey in "American Beauty" then she played hard to get to Chris Klein in "American Pie." Now, Mena Suvari is joining the cast of HBO's "Six Feet Under," reteaming with her Oscar winning "American Beauty" screenwriter Alan Ball, creator of "Six Feet Under." Suvari will play a student at the same school character Claire (Lauren Ambrose) attends in the series.
What's This? CoffeeNutter?
Adrants has uncovered another form of the ever expanding "blank-vertising" stunts that seem to be happening on a monthly basis now. This time, it's "replacevertising" or the art of jamming one's product inside another thus gaining all kinds of publicity through news coverage.
West Virginia resident Mary Rickard returned from the grocery store and opened a can of Maxwell House coffee only to find a jar of Jif peanut butter jammed inside. Whether an honest mistake or a co-marketing ploy for publicity, officials at both Jif and Kraft-owned Maxwell House claim to have no knowledge of how this could occur.
"This is very unusual, and we don't know at this point what happened," said Kraft spokesman Abbe Serphos. "Nothing like this has ever happened before, certainly in regards to peanut butter."
But Abbe, that sounds like it's happened with other products already. Is this a new Kraft marketing scheme? If so, do tell us more because it's brilliant PR.
This commercial for Yard Fitness in Hermosa Beach California brings new meaning to the power of nudity. While the power of nudity is typically in the hands of the female to control the insanity of the male species, this commercial just goes to show men, too, can harness the effects of nudity to their benefit. Courtesy of Viralmeister.
MediaLife has a roundup of the television ratings landscape. Winning ratings gainers so far this year include "CBS Sunday Movie," "8 Simple Rules" and "Becker." The top rated shows continue to be "CSI," "ER" and "Friends."
The Monster
Anticipating its tenth year anniversary, career site Monster has announced a new brand campaign with the tagline, "Today's the Day." Monster will spend $125 million on a global marketing campaign which will include television, radio, print and online advertising. And now for a quote on the campaign from Founder Jeff Taylor that Jeff would never actually say nor would any human other than a PR person...
"Over the past ten years, Monster has become one of the most recognizable global brands. Our 2004 plan - defined by continuous advertising, a multi-faceted online marketing strategy and ongoing sponsorships - is designed to further maximize our brand recognition as the online recruitment leader, as well as enable us to reach a broader, more qualified audience at national and local levels," said Jeff Taylor, founder and chief monster. "The 'Today's the Day' campaign is alive, encouraging and hopeful. As we embark on the new year, it is these inspirational qualities that empower job seekers everywhere to take control of their careers and realize their dreams and aspirations."
Deutsch of New York created the campaign which debuts on December 26th during the College Bowl Championship Series and will also appear, not insurprisingly, during the Super Bowl.
Lizzie Grubman, famous for nothing other than running people over with her car simply because they were in her way, is in talks with MTV to develop a new show. Perhaps it will be called, "Driving With Attitude."
After months of speculation and gossip, Primedia has found a buyer for its New York Magazine. Investment banker Bruce Wasserstein through his New York Media Holdings LLC entity has stepped forward with $55 million. The deal is expected to close in 30 days. Now we can go back to reporting on more important things such as Paris Hilton and The O.C.
Two recent studies are shedding light on consumer's perceptions of product placement. The first, from Mediaedge:cia's MediaLab, found 60 percent of those who saw a product placement would be willing to try the product. Young demos don't mind product placements but older demos don't think they are appropriate. The second, from Horizon Media, found product placements in movies to be more effective than television especially among younger audiences.
