Frank Perdue Dead At 84

Frank Purdue, founder of Purdue Chicken and, until his son, Jim, took over as CEO in 1994, frequent face of the company's televisions commercials died Thursday night at the age of 84 after a short period of illness. Known for his "it takes a tough man to make a tender chicken" tagline, Purdue appeared in 200 commercials from 1971 to 1994. His son continues as spokesman in the long running campaign.

Donny Duetsch Separates From Wife

Page Six reports ad man Donnie Deutsch and his wife, apparel executive Stacy Josloff are "trying a trial separation," according to a Deutsch spokesman. As if to somehow make light of the situation, the spokesman continued, "They're still very close friends and speak all the time. Donny and Stacy continue to love and support each other."

Stuart Elliott Spices UP TVB Panel

Apparently New York Times advertising columnist Stuart Elliott rocked the house last week during a Television Advertising Bureau panel questioning the quality of TV audience measurement taunting, "They're still using paper diaries. Jackie Gleason and Milton Berle's ratings are still being counted!" Elliott also took pot shots at the industry's Prime Time bias saying, "Oh, you mean you all just watch 'Desperate Housewives,' but not 'Nip/Tuck' because it's on cable? Oh, come on!" He might not have been so right on that one. "Desperate Housewives is just a tad bit more popular than "Nip/Tuck" but that's not really the point. Elliott added a bit of much needed spice to the usually staid event.

Agency Offers $100K Salary, New Car For New Business

Fans attending this weekend's NCAA Championship will be greeted on the downtown streets by a flame-adorned, vintage Cadillac limousine ejecting bright orange ping-pong balls emblazoned with the Web address www.zipatoni.com/yourehired. It's all part of a promotion launched by St. Louis-based marketing agency Zipatoni to get its next big client over the Final Four weekend.

The "You're Hired" promotion promises fans and passersby "100K, an open bar and the company car" to refer the agency to a legitimate, high revenue producing client. The agency is prepared to give one diligent, industrious, well-connected participant $100,000 and a "Night of Zipatoni Entertainment," which includes a happy hour at the office bar and use of the Zipatoni limo. Zipatoni's headquarters are located just a block away from the Edward Jones Dome, where the NCAA Final Four will take place.

Coors Light Introduces New Ad Campaign

Yesterday, Coors CMO Lee Buxton unveiled the brewers new Coors Light ad campaign at a distributor's convention in Orlando. "The heart of Coors Light marketing is to communicate that in every bottle, can and glass of Coors Light is the taste of Rocky Mountain cold refreshment," said Buxton. "In everything we do this year, we will engage our drinkers and dramatize our unique Coors Light benefits." This link provides a description of all the new commercials

One Armed Surfer Launches Fragrance Line

Following the path of celebrities, Sanj tells us teen surfer Bethany Hamilton, who, in 2003, lost her arm to a shark, has launched two fragrances, Stoked and Wired which, appropriately, smell like the ocean.

Produced by Revelations Perfume and Cosmetics and available later this year, Stoked is aimed at girls and Wired at boys. Stoked blends notes of clementine, pineapple, tropical orchids, lotus blossoms, sandalwood and coconut. Wired includes notes of orange and Asian pear, jasmine, juniper, cedar wood and sandalwood.

Annual Report Manure Contest Reaches Final Two

There's probably not a soul alive who's actually read through an entire annual report. If there is, we feel pity because they are written horribly and contain some of the most bland, verbal irrelevancy ever produced. Here to celebrate that annual expulsion of verbal diarrhea is Fighting Bull's 2005 Manure Madness Annual Bull Tournament. It's been underway since Early March but, last week, the Tournament entered the Final four leaving McKesson and Lockheed standing tall as the two companies spewing the finest annual report drivel.

If your looking for some enjoyment at the expense of a few bloated Fortune 500 companies and the poor copywriters forced to write this stuff, visit the Tournament's standings site, revel in the inanity of corporate America and cast your vote for the "Shining Beacon of Business Idiocy."

Pamela Anderson New Face of Viva Glam

Today, Pamela Anderson has joined Christina Aguilera, Missy Elliott, Linda Evangelista, Chloe Sevigny and Boy George as spokesmodel for VIVA GLAM V lipstick and lipglass, the fund-raising arm of M.A.C. Aids Fund.

Upon joining the campaign, Anderson said, "M.A.C. VIVA GLAM V is a great campaign to be involved with," Anderson said in a statement. "I feel privileged and empowered to help raise funds and awareness of the importance for getting tested. After being diagnosed with hepatitis C, I knew the importance of knowing your status. Only then can you make informed and wise decisions for your health and life."

Socially Responsible Gun Barrel Aiming At Wrong Target

Writing on his blog, ANA Marketing Musings, ANA CEO and President Bob Liodice takes issue with recent political attempts to blame advertisers for society's ills, namely, childhood obesity. Liodice thinks government regulation of advertising would be bad. Not that it really supports the point, but Liodice lists a litany of great things the ad industry has done for society, in general, from Ad Council work to Partnership for a Drug Free America to the self-regulatory work of the Children's Advertising Review Unit.

While forcing crap down people's throats via advertising might not be a good thing, perhaps advertising isn't completely to blame. If there was no crap to force in the first place, there'd be no crap pushed to the public via advertising. In a capitalistic society, companies will do whatever is best for their financial bottom line - even if it makes American's bottom line obese.

There may be no solution to this problem but Liodice's commentary brings to light to notion of "don't shoot the messenger." While advertising may be a much easier and more visible target to complain about, if 750 calorie mega-burgers weren't manufactured in the first place, there's be no ad selling that crap. Perhaps the gun barrel needs to be aimed elsewhere.

'Big' Buns Gets KFC Ad Banned

While Jennifer Lopez tries to play down her big buns, KFC in the UK is trying to play up the buns of its MiniFillet chicken burger in a new commercial for the chain's in which, according to complaints, the burger appears bigger than it does in real life. Apparently, KFC found a female model with very small hands to hold the burger in the spot so as to play tricks with viewer's eyes. The UK Advertising Standards Agency has banned the ad based on complaints.