Lewsis Lazare:: Sources confirm singer Sheryl Crow has been signed to star in upcoming Dell Computer commercials from DDB/Chicago, the company's ad agency of record. One source said DDB executives were in London recently working with Crow. DDB referred an inquiry to a Dell spokesman, who declined comment. Commercials with Crow would represent a sharp turnabout in Dell's ad profile, which has been lackluster since …
Too Sexy For Her Shirt
Ernie Schenck reports that recorded music from American pop diva, Christina Aguilera, is being used to torture al Qaeda big wig, Mohammed al Qahtani, into fessing up about 9-11, Osama bin Laden and anything else he knows about the terrorist organization. He says if it was up to him, he'd make the suspected terrorists listen to Coldplay. Way to take the gloves off, Ernie. …
Mr. Potato Head Lands New Role
Fresh Inc. points to the Organic Trade Association's inventive spin on Star Wars, called Grocery Store Wars. All characters in Store Wars are live-action food puppets …
Failed WB Program Finds New Life On Yahoo
from New York Times: On broadcast television, the live-concert show "Pepsi Smash" drew only a modest audience, but Yahoo is betting that putting the program online will be a boon to its digital music offerings. Yahoo plans to introduce a section of its Web site housing a redesigned version of "Smash," which as a program on the WB network attracted an average of just 1.3 million viewers in eight episodes last summer. …
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Watch Where You’re Going, You Big Ape
Copy: Small but tough. Polo. Print work from DDB London. Thanks to Hidden Persuader for the image. …
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Taking The Lizards Into New Territory
Some dweebs are upset that Jib Jab "sold out" to Budweiser. Brothers Gregg and Evan Spiridellis, famous for their "This Land" election-year animation, take a somewhat defensive posture (which is understandable, but in my opinion unnecessary) as they attempt to explain they've always been, and will continue to be, a commercial operation. In the middle of the election madness of 2004, when my brother and I were …
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A White Girl In White Jeans
Tom Asacker is getting his Advertainment groove on. Have you seen the new Gap commercial starring Joss Stone? It's a sign of things to come, as marketers dump traditional advertising and appropriate popular culture to sell their wares. Here's how it works: The Gap pays Joss to record and star in a hot little number wearing Gap white jeans. The audience is exposed to it either through broadcast television or via the …
U2 Says No To $23,000,000 (To Maintain The Integrity Of A Favorite Song)
Greg Kot, Chicago Tribune music critic, spoke with Bono last week, at Bono's request. The rock icon wanted to clear the air about several issues he had with Kot's writing about his band. In the midst of the discussion, Bono said he's proud of U2's association with Apple, but points out that U2 turned down $23 million from another ad world suitor. Bono: We have turned down enormous sums of money to put our songs in a …
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What Up With Porn Creep
According to Wikipedia, "porn creep" is the process by which sexually explicit content infiltrates American pop culture. Many people blame (or credit) the abundance of sexual imagery and innuendo in movies, television and advertising on the increased accessibility and "cool factor" of pornography. American Apparel, which has many otherwise redeeming qualities as a company, has made use of porn creep. And west coast …
Mc D’s Cooks Up New Concept
from The Onion: Hungry shoppers at the Gurnee Mills outlet mall can now get a name-brand lunch at a bargain-basement price, thanks to the Monday opening of McDonald's first "Not Quite Perfect" outlet store, offering imperfect and irregular items from the fast-food giant's menu. "It's true that consistency is part of what makes McDonald's the leader in the fast-food industry, but so is good value," said Brian …