Sony Turns to Public For Campaign Advice

As marketers increasingly realize the importance of people's input when it comes to the creation of marketing campaigns, Sony U.K., which turned to Neil McFarland and Jon Burgerman to create art for the Sony PSP Wipeout Pure game, is asking people to vote of which design will be used in the launch campaign.

Hilary Swank Joins Key to Cure Cancer Campaign

Oscar winner Hilary Swank has joined the Saks Fifth Avenue Key to The Cure cancer campaign, following Nicole Kidman and Charlize Theron. The Key to The Cure is a two day shopping event help at Saks stores nationwide October 28 and 29. In PSAs promoting the event, Swank will wear a Swarovski crystal covered Diane Von Furstenberg t-shirt. Five percent of sales over the two day period will be donated to cancer research programs.

Lone Marketer Sticks With kate Moss

Kate Moss may has been ditched by many marketers over her cocaine use but one is holding out and capitalizing on the publicity. London cosmetics company Rimmel, who has used Moss previously, is keeping her on and will feature her in a commercial highlighting her partying persona with Rimmel standing on for coke when she needs a boost the morning after. The name of the advertised line: Recovery. How appropriate.

Elle MacPherspon Fronts For Blackglama Mink

Elle McPherson is the next in a long line of celebrities to appear in mink company Blackglama's ad campaign, "What Becomes a Legend Most?" MacPherson, 42, was big in the '90's, made several movies and had a recurring role on Friends. McPherson follows Judy Garland, Marlene Dietrich, Elizabeth Taylor, Audrey Hepburn, Rita Hayworth, Diana Ross, Carol Burnett, Lucille Ball, Ray Charles, Barbra Streisand, Cher, Linda Evangelista, Gisele Bundchen, Cindy Crawford and others, all of whom appeared in the mink company's ad campaigns. Did we just wake up on another planet or something? We thought Hollywood celebrities, being all liberal and such would, for sure, be against promoting mink. Oh wait, Hollywood is its own weird, screwed up planet. The campaign will kick off this fall.

NHL Ad Called Gratuitous

An ad, unveiled Wednesday night, promoting the upcoming NHL season which opens with a Chinese philosopher's quote, a bare-chested player and a woman in a bra and robe has been called offensive by Chairwoman of the National Council of Women's Organizations Martha Burk, the woman who led an unsuccessful attempt three years ago to get the Augusta National golf club to admit women. Responding to NHL spokeswoman Bernadette Mansur's assessment the spot simply portrays the woman as the man's spiritual trainer, Burk said, "That's a major stretch. The woman is a sexual ornament, in my view. It's appealing to adult men while trying to masquerade as something for kids."

The ad, which is hardly gratuitous and carries the tagline, "My NHL," was directed by MTV Video Music Awards winner Sam Bayer. Conductor, a California-based ad agency, produced the spots, which were filmed in British Columbia. The campaign, which break Monday, September 26, is set to air on NBC, Outdoor Life Network, and Canada's TSN. The ad can be viewed on the homepage of NHL.com.

Sienna Miller Could Replace Kate Moss As Burberry Spokesmodel

Following Kate Moss's trouble with the white stuff and her losing marketing deals with H&M, Burberry and Chanel, it looks like actress Sienna Miller is talking to Burberry's to become the company's spokes model. In other news, Burberry photographer Mario Testino is throwing a hissy fit and may quit because he, apparently, wanted to work with Moss.

Capital One Campaigns Analyzed, Hated

Adrants reader "Campaign Critic" had such insightful things to say about the recent Capitol One ad campaigns that we figured we'd just extend him a Guest Contributor title for the day. Campaign Critic Writes:

Let's just get to the point: Capital One's credit card advertising is annoying, hard to follow and stupid. It quite frankly breaks a few of the most basic rules about advertising any product, let alone something as complicated or, these days, downright scary as handling a credit card.

One: don't go so afar afield from the point at hand that you lose the hook on what your product really is. Capital One's ads for their credit cards do just this: they somehow equate credit card service charges with barbarians (they have tried others in this series, but they take this one bad step further). "Credit card charges are like barbarians attacking you every time you use them." (Not barbarians-credit cards.) Sure.

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Svedka Launches Futuristic, Un-PC Campaign

In the spirit of Jonnie Walker and the Marlboro Man, New York-based agency Amalgamated has launched a new ad campaign for Svedka vodka which introduces the futuristic, party-going, fembot Svedka_Grl, built by the famed Stan Winston studios, and brought to life in print, outdoor and OOH, to brand Svedka as the vodka of the future. With the campaign set in the future, this give Svedka the ability to say anything they like including headlines such as "Svedka. The choice of the stem cell baby boomer generation in 2033, "Svedka says 'thank you' for making the gay man's gene available over-the-counter in 2033" and "Voted #1 vodka of 2033. Goes great with A $450 pack of cigarettes."

The first print ad launched in this month's Vanity Fair and pays tribute to those who participated in the Blue State Secession of 2032. Other work will hang on kiosks and billboard throughout NY and LA initially, then expand to five other markets. Certain ads are humorously location specific, for example, the ad addressing the "gay male fashion gene" will hang in the meatpacking district. Good stuff. See all the work here.

H&M Drops Moss From Campaign - For Real This Time

After a week of debate, Swedish clothier H&M has, finally, decided to drop Kate Moss as spokesmodel and cancel an upcoming ad campaign that would have featured Moss. Last week, news buzzed about her cocaine use and that didn't sit well with H&M brass. Company spokeswoman Liv Asarnoj said, "After evaluating the situation, we have decided that a campaign with Kate Moss is not consistent with H&M's clear disassociation from drugs."

Ad Campaign Tells Boys to Control Testosterone

Mix one part drug of choice, one part attractive girl and 3,846 parts not-yet-tamed testosterone and you have the perfect recipe for sexual violence. According to the Department of Justice, girls 16-19 are three and a half times more likely than the general public to become victims of sexual assault and 84 percent of the time, they know their attacker. A recently launched California ad campaign, called My Strength with taglines such as, "So when she wanted me to stop, I stopped," and "So when I paid for our date, she didn't owe me" is encouraging boys to eschew the usual boys club silence and become more active in preventing sexual assaults and reporting them after they occur.