Heather McCartney
Paul McCartney's new wife, Heather Mills McCartney, has decided to follow in the footsteps of former Mrs. McCartney, Linda McCartney, and become the new voice of PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) in England. Stepdaughter Stella is not pleased with this move because she feels the cause is so closely linked to her mother who was the former spokeswoman and died in 1998.
"There are thousands of charities out there so she is annoyed that Heather has chosen one that is so linked with her mother and herself," said one friend.
"It appears that nothing is sacred and it is proof, once again, to them that she is trying to outdo Linda."
Nothing like a good cat fight in the ad biz.
Hip Hop artist Lil' Kim will appear in Old Navy commercials prior to the Holidays this year. It's hard to picture the bad girl in a commercialfor clothing when she's well known for not wearing much. And what she does wear is far from the conservative preppy looking Old Navy image. Perhaps it will shake up Old Navy's image a bit.
To date, the company's commericals have ranked quite high in recall and this one is sure to top the charts as well. One wonders if Old Navy will "modify" their clothing to meet Lil' Kim's style of dress.
MediaLife's George Simpson discusses an interesting media buying strategy AIG is implementing right now. The company has purchased time only in the overtime portion of professional and college football assuming viewership will be at its highest during that crucial segment of the games. Calling this "circumstantial spot buying," George suggests several scenarios:
- Kleenex targeting shows where a loved one dies unexpectedly or a bride is left at the altar, or where the Cubs blow yet another lead in the late innings. (The NY Giants broadcasts are already sold out to a suicide help line.)
- Used car dealers buying spots on news programs that report on corporate executives going to jail, forced to auction off their personal assets to cover massive fines. Hey, everybody likes a bargain.
- The Episcopal Church grabbing up shows where girls talk to God or weird carnival guys heal crippled kids. Why not be there with a welcoming message when viewers ponder, "Humm, maybe there is a God."
He goes on to suggest McDonald's get in on the action finding shows where the phrase, "I'm loving It" is uttered and to do so before the campaign dies a fast death. He's got a lot more suggestions to. They're funny but they are not all crazy either.
Jose Cuervo Especial
The highlight of Amy Corr's MediaPost Out To Launch column this week is a brand new print and radio campaign from Jose Cuervo International. This campaign is the first time the company has created a Spanish-Language ad campaign in the U.S. Work was done by Arnell Group. Other new campaigns this week include a humorous branding campaign for LaSalle Bank, a campaign for software maker Alias Systems by Bates Canada, a poster style print campaign for Domain Ste. Michelle by DDB Seattle, a B to B campaign promoting the merits of advertising online with Forbes.com, an Advertising Council PSA campaign for the EPA to inform parents about asthma by Kaplan Thaler Group and a campaign for Adelphia Communications promoting the cable provider's new pricing structure.
Don't You Even Try!
Pity the poor meter maid -oh that's so sexist - or, in this case, meter bobby, or whatever they call parking ticket writers in England, who tries to place a parking ticket on Mazda's new RX8. This new commercial shows us an automotive feature we'd all like to have.
"Coupling" star Rena Sofer was on Howard Stern this morning hyping the show asking listeners to check it out. The series, which was supposed to be a smash hit has delivered less than expected performance and network executives are surely pondering the shows future. Sofer assured listeners the series will continue.
A new spot from Dodge plays on the stereotypical assumption regarding the male anatomy of African-American men in this double-entendre urinal joke. There's no use describing it. Just watch it. It's funny and it does the job well.
Hey Dude, I'm All Yours. Use Me
Feminist Naomi Wolf says that the beauty myth isn't good for men or women. "It prevents (men) from actually seeing women...in suggesting a vision in place of a woman, it has a numbing effect, reducing all sense but the visual..."
That is, perhaps, one of the most poignent statements regarding the numbification of society because of marketing images portraying impossible-to-achieve beauty and the representation of women as playthings. Granted, marketers are never going to show an ugly slob in an ad because no one wants to see a slob and we all aspire to something greater. But if all we see are unachievable representations of ourselves then certain unhealthy illusions of self are sure to emerge.
About Face, whose mission is "to promote positive self-esteem in girls and women of all ages, sizes, races and backgrounds through a spirited approach to media education, outreach and activism," examines the portrayal of women, specifically, in advertising and comments on how damaging the images can be to the phsyche of consumers. Part of the site has a list of the top ten marketers who, in the opinion of About Face, damage society through their imagery of women advertising.
Today, Barnes and Noble announced to staff that it would no longer financialy support the bi-monthly "Book" magazine. Staff has been laid off. Via The Kicker.
"Women Should Be Proud of Their Big Breasts," Says Love-Hewitt
In a nod to curvaceous women everywhere, Jennifer Love Hewitt has launched a line of clothing that both supports and accentuates the figures of large breasted women. The line is intended to enhance rather than minimize god-given assets.
Love-Hewitt says, "If you have big breasts like I do, your design choices are limited. You're either stuck with stuff that's too tight and hurts because your boobs get squashed or you end up with baggy styles that hang out over your boobs and make you look fat. My new 'Enhance' line of clothing is designed to do just that - provide women with clothes that both enhance big curves as well as provide proper support for larger breasts. Let's face it, big breasts are heavy and it gets very painful when gravity is pulling them downward. "
Love-Hewitt says the idea for the new line came to her when she and a friend where trying on clothes together in a store a year ago, "She's huge. She has to wear this huge bra. It's like a harness. She can never find ay clothes that fit. She's constantly bulging out of her bra and clothes. I'm not as big as her but I still have trouble finding clothes that fit and I said there has to be a better way."
Love-Hewitt consulted with Shoshonna Lonstien, another very curvaceous woman with her own line of clothing for women with curves, and decided to launch "Enhance". The line will include specially designed bras and tops sold in cup sizes from D up to K as well as the more fun fashions shown in the accompanying picture. She hopes the line will "give women the courage to take that baggy t shirt off and show the world what they've got."
Acknowledging the trend towards larger breasts among younger girls coupled with earlier development, Love-Hewitt is also launching a Youth version of "Enhance" for tweens and teens struggling with early and larger than normal development. "Girls are very self conscious about their figures," says Love-Hewitt, "and I want this line of clothing to help them to build their confidence and to be proud of the bodies they have." It's not clear though how well received the cleavage enhancing designs will be to parents and teachers.
The line will be supported with an ad campaign set to launch before the Holidays and will include print, radio and billboards.
"Big breasts are beautiful. I have them and I love them. Most big breasted women would too if they only had clothes that properly supported the added weight." (J...as in joke, parody. There is no JLH clothing line for big breasted women though, from the number of comments here, maybe JLH should launch a line. Jennifer?)
