Octagon First Call

As 2008 winds down to a close, people start looking in anticipation towards 2009.  Films often release trailers and premiere dates in order to excite the public for the upcoming releases.  In this spirit, the people over at Fandango posted results of their survey about the most anticipated film releases of 2009.  

A number of sequels made the top ten, including Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Angels & Demons (The Da Vinci Code), New Moon (Twilight) and Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian. In addition, the 2009 remake of the ever popular Star Trek made an appearance on the list.

While surveys like this one are often fun and lighthearted, they can also be valuable marketing tools.  They can help determine who the public will be intrigued by in the near future and thus who will be valuable in PR and marketing campaigns, especially when paired with a complementary campaign.

Ryan Reynolds gets onto one of his three motorcycles.

As a motor enthusiast, Eric Bana (Star Trek) could be a perfect fit for a high-end automobile manufacturer.   The stunning beauty, Megan Fox (Transformers) would be a great cosmetics or fragrance spokesperson.   The sophisticated actor Stanley Tucci (The Lovely Bones) could endorse a fine wine with his polished demeanor and restaurateur background.  Carla Gugino’s (Watchmen) face is familiar with a diverse audience because of her roles in Night at the Museum, Sin City, the three Spy Kids films and HBO’s hit TV show Entourage. She would be an ideal candidate for crossover appeal to men and women, such as technology products.   As the proud owner of three motorcycles and soon to be a superhero, Ryan Reynolds (X-Men) would be a convincing sell for motorcycles or extreme sports gear.  With her cheerful and bubbly demeanor, Amy Adams (Night at the Museum) resonates with a female audience.   Because she is often seen in fairytale-type roles, she would be ideal for a credit card commercial that allows “wishes to be granted”.  Though Robert Pattinson has already been featured in Hackett’s advertising, I’d like to see the teen idol (New Moon) endorse luxury hair products.  

Be sure to keep an eye out for these names and faces to shine in 2009 and beyond.

Below is the second half of this month’s Talent Email. Be sure to also check out our feature in PR Week.

Dancing in September
Reality television’s reigning dance queen and rising country singer Julianne Hough is partnering with Wrigley, one of the world’s leading makers of chewing gum. Hough joins R&B music sensations Chris Brown and Ne-Yo to deliver their fresh new takes on Wrigley’s Doublemint, Juicy Fruit and Big Red commercial jingles. Hough’s DWTS partner, comedic radio personality Adam Corolla, is trading in his dancing shoes for tacos and burritos. Corolla is teaming up with Taco Bell to promote their all-new Big Bell Box Meal, which is said to satisfy all hunger needs at a low price. Taco Bell is also continuing its music promotion program called “Feed the Beat,” where the chain rewards successful indie rock bands such as Myriad with meals after their late night concerts.  All My Children actress and upcoming DWTS competitor Susan Lucci is starring in an infomercial for Malibu Pilates, a Pilates machine made by Gunthy Renker.  

Blue Jean Baby
William Rast, a denim brand created by Justin Timberlake and business partner Trace Ayala, is using scripted trailers as a unique way to promote the brand, starring none other than Timberlake himself.  The video can be found on http://www.williamrast.com/williamrast/index.html.  Olympic gold medal winner Nastia Liukin is starring in a series of print ads for Vanilla Star’s “Smart Girls Rock” campaign.  The ads for the jean brand will appear in national magazines, buses, kiosks and billboards in NYC and Los Angeles.  Levi’s has enlisted a list of celebs to promote their “Unbuttoned” campaign, including next-generation artists Estelle, Nikka Costa  and Wale.  Each artist has their own subsite, where users can download free content.  BMX rider Jamie Bestwick and celebrity blogger Perez Hilton are also participating in the promotion.  Levi’s will continue to unbutton new artists over the next year.  

Model Behavior
Clothier Hurley International has chosen model Bar Refaeli to star in an advertising campaign for their Young Contemporary collection.  She will be modeling next spring’s lineup of sporting bikinis, sheer T’s and denim shorts.  Yaya DaCosta, runner-up in Season 3 of America’s Next Top Model, is featured in a television commercial table dancing her way into a pair of high heels lined with Dr. Scholl’s massaging gel insoles.  No stranger to the beauty industry, model Gisele Bundchen will be the next spokesperson for Max Factor cosmetics, just in time to celebrate its 100th birthday.  Former model turned actress Brooke Shields has teamed up with VW in advertisements for the upcoming Routan minivan, the “only minivan in America with German engineering.”

If you would like to be added to our Talent Email distribution list please email caitlin.krembs@octagon.com.

Celebrities are lending their names to more than just perfume and soft drinks these days. As we’ve noted before, more and more celebrities are endorsing cause-related campaigns. This weekend, celebrities will be seen supporting good causes at three different television events.

Over 50 celebrities are slated to perform, take pledges and/or introduce segments of the program for Stand Up to Cancer, a charity focused on cancer awareness and research.  Many of the participating stars (ie: Christina Applegate, Katie Couric, Ellen DeGeneres) have a personal connection to the cause. The star-studded event will be aired on ABC, CBS, NBC and E! during Friday’s prime time slot.

Friday, Fashion Rocks will kick off New York Fashion Week (aired Tuesday on CBS). Performers include Justin Timberlake, Fergie, Keith Urban, the Pussycat Dolls and Kid Rock with Denis Leary hosting. The annual charity concert will benefit the Stand Up to Cancer charity.

Finally, the two-hour variety show America United: In Support of Our Troops will air on Sunday evening. Celebrities such as Pam Anderson, Janet Jackson, Ne-Yo and Snoop Dogg will make global appearances at military bases to benefit SupportAmericaUnited.com.

The celebrities involved in these events run the gamut in personalities, age and image. While this may attract a unique audience, cause-related campaigns should be aware of the change in perception that celebrity supporters/spokespeople can cause for a NPO. The results of our Cause-Related Celebrity Survey indicate that the public often changes their perspective on a campaign due to their personal opinion of celebrity spokespeople. 

Check back soon for a summary of all of our survey results.

If you read this blog, you’ve heard this before. While celebrities can be used in marketing campaigns, influencers are the wave of the future. I love Luminess Air’s website and infomercial starring Friends make-up artist Kathleen Karridene, The View’s make-up artist Rebecca Borman, three time Academy Award winner Ve Neill and more.

The product is an airbrush make-up system. And it makes so much more sense for the brand to use these people as spokespeople than an actual actress, musician, athlete, etc.

And the brand gets plenty of mileage out of saying — “Friends make-up artist …”. Just the simple TV name once goes a long way.

Kelly Ripa is all over TV. In the course of ten minutes this morning, I saw her Tide advertisment (with her husband and friends) that began last fall, her Electrolux commercial and a plug for her TV show with Regis. She is dangerously close to being overexposed. She has a perfect blend right now but if she gets another national spot at the same time, it may be overkill.

PS — Celebrity Circus premieres on NBC tonight starring Christopher Knight, Janet Evans, Rachel Hunter, Wee Man and hosted by Dancing with the Stars contestant and boy band star Joey Fatone. I give it three weeks before it is pulled.

French fashion house Christian Dior SA has pulled its advertisements in China that feature award-winning actress Sharon Stone after the actress suggested the country’s earthquake was retribution for its treatment of Tibet. Ms. Stone appears in ads world-wide for Dior makeup, skin-care products and watches, and she is one of the brand’s most visible spokesmodels.

Dior distanced itself quickly from Ms. Stone’s comments, fearing a backlash from consumers in one of the luxury-goods industry’s fastest-growing markets.

Last week at the Cannes film festival, Ms. Stone gave a television interview saying she is “not happy” about China’s treatment of Tibet, where violent protests broke out in March. “And then this earthquake happened,” Ms. Stone said. “And I said, ‘Is that karma? When you’re not nice that the bad things happen to you?’”

Chinese newspapers slammed Ms. Stone’s remarks. The headline on a Shenzhen-based newspaper Thursday read: “Sharon Stone Discarded.“

The ads have been pulled in China and the Company is deciding about their ads in other countries.

PS - I am watching the Today Show right now and Matt and Meredith just spent five minutes on the Sharon Stone incident. They just announced that a major Chinese movie theater has been all of Stone’s movies in China too.

As you may or may not already know, Eva Mendes reported to rehab with week (to the same Utah rehabilitation facility attended by Lindsay Lohan and Mary Kate Olsen) for an undisclosed addiction. It was on this same day that Calvin Klein announced Mendes as the star of a global advertising campaign for their newest fragrance. The timing could not have been better. Though it could not have been fully anticipated, using a celebrity as the face of a campaign carries uncalculated risks. She was a star on the rise, not heavily emmersed in the party scene and attended events like all of her other peers. The company is “standing behind Mendes during this difficult time” but they could have just as easily dropped her. Needless to say, other companies may not be as eager to partner with her in the future. Also checking into rehab this week, actress Kirsten Dunst (the face of Miu Miu’s Spring/Summer 2008 ad campaign, shot last November).