October 11, 2007
According to Pitchfork, Taco Bell's second annual "Feed the Beat" competition has awarded prizes to indie favorites like Girl Talk, Ted Leo and the Pharmacists, Enon, Blitzen Trapper and Panthers. Oh, but they won't be paid in U.S. currency ... per se ... more like $500 in Taco Bell Bucks for each band, which should cover all of those "fourth meals" that ostensibly occur between dinner and breakfast.
October 10, 2007
Just how exactly did Andy Kim's horrifyingly cheesy "Rock Me Slowly" get on this guy's car stereo? And does anyone else think that singing squirrel sounds suspiciously like Beck?
October 09, 2007
Somehow, the geek divide was breached by licentious text parodying some imagined idea of "street life" in the old game "Pimp Wars." The Grand Theft Auto franchise has done something similar -- albeit more visceral -- but now TM Media Group is hoping to cross into an even more dangerous geek territory: turn-based card games. And who will lead the charge? Rappers, of course.
October 08, 2007
Recent and notable developments in the music-branding biz ...
October 05, 2007
If so much stomach upset is consumer-generated (alcohol, coffee, fistfuls of Krispy Kremes, fistfuls of ground chuck before it becomes burger, "Dancing With the Stars," etc.), then why can't the solution be consumer-generated too? That was apparently the thinking behind Pepto Bismol's latest gut-busting semi-musical campaign.
October 05, 2007
That a bank "can help you achieve your dreams" is not a new pitch. Now that most transactions have been reduced to mouse clicks and selecting "English" on-screen, of course financial institutions need a way to connect with their customers in a human way. Hence the aspirational tones in ads for lenders, especially in the dicey sub-prime market. But few have taken this idea to such lofty heights before the National Australia Bank's "Climb Every Mountain" spot.
October 02, 2007
Did I dream of such luxurious fashion? Or was it just Vera Wang, calling my name from some distant hamlet: "MariaCarla Boscono! Come purchase my discount line at Kohl's!" But no! That couldn't be, could it?
October 02, 2007
This Old Navy ad is not artsy, fussy, hucksterish or insincere. There's no pretense of coolness, no cheap displays of nostalgia and no downbeat house music and sleek, shiny cars driving down tunnels at night. It's just simple, elegant and pretty; exactly how one should sell sweaters.
October 01, 2007
Last time around, in the award-winning "Evolution" Dove spot, Vapor Music built tension by pairing an insistent, Chopin-like piano score with syncopated electronic beats. The tinny snare hits seemed to fall juuuust at the wrong moments and disrupt the flow of the fast, regular melodies. It was brilliant and gave the viewer the feeling that he was watching a prelude to disaster.Last week, a new Ogilvy spot for Dove was unveiled, and "Onslaught" features another hysteria-inducing soundtrack.
September 28, 2007
Now there are two "Guitar Hero" plastic axes hanging on my wall back home, and I can play the "Freebird" solo at a sub-Enya tempo. Obviously, games have improved, but I haven't. So, naturally, I'm a little scared to pick up the "Rock Band" game from Harmonix, which features an electronic drum kit, a play-Stratocaster and a microphone that doubles as a tambourine.
September 27, 2007
Last week Starwood Hotels announced a partnership with Sony BMG Music that would incorporate hand-picked, cross-licensed music into each of its nine chains to flesh out their brand experiences. Can the hotel company follow Starbuck's lead?
September 25, 2007
I can feel the ground rumbling beneath my Chuck Taylors. It's the slow, steady storm we've seen coming for a long time, and some of us have been dreading it for years. Unfortunately, it sounds a lot like Korn.
September 24, 2007
Want those mittens to hug your fingers like they're dipped in pudding? Learn to knit and make them yourself. Want a product to fit into a piece of entertainment the same way? Knit it together yourself, of course. That's what Philips did to promote its new Aurea LCD television.
September 21, 2007
Missy Elliott, never one to shy from a commercial opportunity, has taken Doritos' bite and opened up one of her beats for everyone to share.
September 20, 2007
In the past week, Orange Mobile has woken up as a dejected lover and then, days later, a triumphant object of desire. So now that the European iPhone shakeups have settled, this new TV spot in the U.K. feels like a weirdly prescient taste of Orange's suddenly bitter fruit.
