celebrity brandmatch
Posted by Dale Buss on March 8, 2013 06:12 PM

Miller Lite is turning to an old page in its playbook, with a new gang of celebrities designed to boost the flagging brew in a fresh slate of TV commercials served up on another iconic platter for the franchise, "Miller Time." The new go-to guys for Miller Lite include Vince Vaughn, Ken Jeong, Chuck Liddell and Questlove.
But interestingly, Miller brand managers say that their new campaign (watch below) will not seek to trade too heavily on the appeal or persona of any one of its new stable of celebrity pitch people. One ad wonders what it would be like to hang out with actor Jeong, who will star in the upcoming Hangover Part III—but he's self-deprecating in the spot.
"Celebrity is not our strategy," Con Williamson, chief creative officer at Saatchi & Saatchi, the agency behind the campaign, told Ad Age. "Our strategy is solely focused on Miller Time." That, of course, will leave Miller strategically opposed to the growing number of tight tie-ups between beverage brands and individual celebrities, including Justin Timberlake and Bud Light Platinum, Taylor Swift and Diet Coke, and Beyonce and Pepsi.Continue reading...
More about: Advertising, Campaigns, Beverages, Alcohol, Beer, AB InBev, Celebrities, Ken Jeong, Vince Vaughn, Chuck Liddell, Questlove, Miller, Miller High Life, Miller Light, Miller Time, Beyonce, Budweiser, Bud Light, Bud Light Platinum, Rodney Dangerfield, Diet Coke, John Madden, Miller Lite All Stars, Pepsi, Bubba Smith, Taylor Swift, Justin Timberlake, Bob Uecker, Saatchi & Saatchi, Taglines
sports in the spotlight
Posted by Shirley Brady on September 4, 2012 10:37 AM
Major League Bseball today released a new public affairs campaign, titled Baseball Believes, featuring a pair of amusing spots starring Steve Carell, Ken Jeong & Colin Hanks re-creating "signature moments in baseball history that led fans across the nation to believe that anything was possible." (Watch the longer version below.)
According to MLB's press release, the campaign was filmed at Boston's historic Fenway Park as part of a longstanding collaboration between Major League Baseball, its 30 Clubs and Stand Up To Cancer — a non-profit initiative of the Entertainment Industry Foundation that rang the opening bell at the NYSE this morning.Continue reading...
More about: MLB, Baseball, Public Affairs, Stand Up to Cancer, Philanthropy, PSA, Steve Carell, Ken Jeong, Colin Hanks, Bruce Springsteen, Advertising, Campaigns, Music, Entertainment, NYSE, TBS, Turner Sports, Budweiser
ad watch
Posted by Shirley Brady on July 2, 2012 06:26 PM
Comic actor Ken Jeong stars in Coca-Cola's new US commercial for Coke Zero (watch above). The spot, which debuted during Sunday night's BET Awards, aims to show why "and" is better than "or." Find out why below.Continue reading...
doing good
Posted by Michael Waltzer on September 16, 2011 05:29 PM
Celebrating the upcoming release of Star Wars: The Complete Saga on Blu-ray, George Lucas via his Lucasfilm studio is collaborating with the non-profit Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C) on the aptly titled "Use The Force For Good." Of course, "good" means driving donations to the Stand Up To Cancer website, where all proceeds go to cancer research.
Any celebrities promoting this? Only Aziz Ansari, Zach Galifianakis, Bill Hader, Ed Helms, Ken Jeong, Jaime King, Seth Rogen, Andy Samberg, Emma Stone and even Star Wars alum Samuel L. Jackson. In the video, they each "Use the Force for Good" as they reenact classic Star Wars scenes to raise awareness, and funds, for cancer research.Continue reading...
More about: Philanthropy, George Lucas, Star Wars, Entertainment, Movies, Cause Marketing, Aziz Ansari, Zach Galifianakis, Bill Hader, Ed Helms, Ken Jeong, Jaime King, Seth Rogen, Andy Samberg, Emma Stone, Samuel L. Jackson, Stand Up To Cancer, eBay, SU2C, Lucasfilm, VW, Chris Columbus, Francis Ford Coppola, Philip Kaufman, John Lasseter
brand bites
Posted by Abe Sauer on June 17, 2011 12:00 PM
Continuing the innovative usage of YouTube by brand marketers, the advergame above claims to be first to use 3D sound. More details here.
Is Apple's "Buddy Finder" patent application a stealth dating service for iPhone users?Continue reading...
More about: Brand Bites, AARP, Anthony Weiner, Apple, Audible.com, Betty White, Canada, Comcast, Conan O'Brien, Dartmouth, FOX, Greenpeace, Harry Potter, Harry Winston, Heineken, iPhone, John Kerry, Ken Jeong, KFC, NBCUniversal, News Corp., NHL, Pepsi, Samuel L. Jackson, Samsung, Warner Bros., Yoplait, YouTube, China, France