Defamer Insider Gives Thumbs Up to 'Six Feet Under' Premier

While Defamer couldn't quite negotiate their way through the fakey-fake crowd of pseudo important Hollywood wanna-be's to check out HBO's "Six Feet Under" premiere party, several insiders did write in with positive reports. From mushroom appetizers to anti-social loner Rachel Griffith to social butterfly James Cromwell, both the party ad the premiere seemed to be a hit. The rest of us schlubs will have to wait until Sunday to find out.

Absolut Hung Hunk Sues For Mis-Use of Ad

The male model who appeared in a ficticious Absolut Vodka ad called "Absolut Hunk" in the July 27, 2003 HBO series "Sex and the City" has sued the vodka company claiming it distributed the ad outside the agreed upon usage within the episode. The model, Jason Lewis, and his legal counsel, Dancing Girls Production, state Absolut sent the ad out to many websites without indicating it was a spoof thereby damaging Lewis' modeling career. Strangely, you don't hear many female models lodging the same complaints. Perhaps it's because their likenesses have been mistreated for so long they don't even bother dealing with it.

Jennifer Love Hewitt To Star in ABC's 'In The Game'

Defamer has previewed the new Jennifer Love Hewitt ABC midseason series "In The Game" and snarkishly labeled it a piece of "shitergy." In the series, Love-Hewitt plays some kind of sports reporter who interviews professional athletes for the sole purpose of dumbfounding them with her spilling cleavage. You might like the show if you are in the Jennifer Love Hewitt breast appreciation club. Otherwise, you'll likely pass on this one. On the other hand, the show may fair better than her failed effort to launch a specialty clothing line for top heavy women.

Young's Brewery Launches U.S. Ad Campaign

U.K. based Young's Brewery has launched its first North American ad campaign promoting the premium brewers product line. With the headline, "Leave it to the British to find a new way to contain themselves," the ads will appear in high-end publications "Ale Street News," "All About Beer" and other connoisseur magazines. The campaign was created by Providence, Rhode Island based J. Winsper & Co.

Gawker Media Launches Contract Weblog Publishing

In a unique weblog-for-hire enterprise, Gawker Media Publisher Nick Denton has launched Gawker Media Contract publications. Denton likens the division to other contracts publications groups such Conde Nast.

Denton says the new offering will provide marketers with weblog campaign conception, editorial talent and oversight, promotion from within Gawker Media websites, external promotion to other weblogs, creation of the weblog, syndication of the weblog and spotlight coverage of the campaign. The first contract weblog is for Nike and is called Art of Speed which will examine 15 short films made by Nike-commissioned filmmakers and artists.

Some weblog purists will call this a sellout. They will be wrong. It's just as much a sellout as a radio station carrying advertising or a sports arena renaming itself after corporate sponsors. It's marketing pure and simple but with a big difference. It's participatory marketing. Contract weblogs, done right, will allow marketers to get closer to consumers by allowing for the natural conversation that is the backbone of many well run weblogs.

Online PR Week to Examine Role of PR Bloggers

From July 12 to July 16, a group of online public relations professionals will hold an online seminar called Global PR Blog Week via The New PR Wiki to discuss how blogging affects public relations and how it is being used to advance the practice.

Virgin Mobile Provides Hands On Service

To help illustrate its excellent customer service, Virgin Mobile has launched a viral video showing a bathroom attendant taking attending to new levels of "hands on" assistance. Not the kind of help most of us would like while in the bathroom but, all the same, an interesting take on Virgin Mobile's customer service proposition.

The video was created by Rainey Kelly Campbell Roalfe/Y&R and is being seeding by London's DMC.

Media Fragmentation Requires New Approach to Media Planning

With the rise in media fragmentation and multi-task use of those media, a new outlook on media planning is required. Rather than viewing each medium for its effectiveness in achieving a particular media objective in combination with other media, that medium must now be examined based on how it relates to and works with other media used at the same time by a single consumer. This two fold approach requires a layering of one niche medium on top of other to achieve enough reach along with a plan that defines the inter-related flow of message across multi-tasked media. In essence, a definition of desired consumer actions from both medium to medium and within simultaneously used mediums must be clearly delineated and given seamless flow.

Disney Takes TV to the Web

Disney is adding FamilyFun TV to its collection of online video products. FamilyFun TV joins other online Disney video properties Disney Motion, ABC Motion, Movies.com Motion and ESPN Motion. The technology allows site visitors to experience a rich media video that is downloaded, not streamed, will range in length from one to two minutes and eventually carry 15 second ads.

Guerilla Marketing Gets Heavy Play

In this week's MediaPost Out to Launch column, Amy Corr takes a look at several guerilla marketing efforts currently in action. Bravo is promoting its upcoming beauty series "Blow Out" by turning Times Square and LA's 3rd Street Promenade into giant hair salons. Discovery Channel is placing a one and a half ton popcorn machine outside the Sony Loews IMAX Theater on Broadway and 68th Street in New York this Sunday to promote its news show "Big!" A "Do It Outdoors" campaign for Toyota Scion is traveling throughout major cities this summer with mobile billboards manned by street teams who will hand out CDs and other promotional information.