In late 1993, what would become one of the best-known ad campaigns of all time launched with the California Milk Processor Board's marketing campaign and slogan, "got milk?" Since then, the tagline has had unequaled staying power. Ads featuring celebrities with "milk mustaches" have become globally recognized and a stamp of approval validating an array of entertainers' personal brands.

The campaign did something else, too — it made milk relevant again. It pumped up milk's consumption, an objective which continues to be at the heart of the "got milk?' campaign today. But in contemporary terms, the milk brand needed another kind of update, one that embraced the growing Hispanic demographic in the U.S.

That's why the latest iteration of "got milk?" features the Hispanic actress Salma Hayek. Hayek not only wears the famous milk mustache, she also becomes the first bilingual spokesperson for the campaign.Continue reading...

As it has done for the past three Academy Award ceremonies, jcpenney will hit the Oscars red carpet by promoting its recent "brand refresh," showing off that it's had a little work done (new logo, single-monikered lowercase name) and is making a comeback in true Hollywood fashion.

New brand face Ellen DeGeneres will be featured in five 30-second commercials (watch "Changing Room" above and a sneak peek at others set in the Wild West, Victorian England and ancient Rome, below) that will air in North America during ABC's telecast on Sunday night.

Other brands debuting new campaigns at the 84th annual Academy Awards include Hyundai's new Wes Anderson commercials, and a glamorous spot for the sixth-generation SL roadster by Mercedes-Benz.Continue reading...

Hulu will air its first TV commercial on ABC during the Oscars telecast Sunday night. Starring one of the channel's own stars, Eva Longoria of Desperate Housewives, it touts Hulu Plus and brings back Will Arnett, whose character was introduced during the Super Bowl — and whose Up All Night airs on NBC.

Comedian Danny McBride as Kenny Powers is back as the MFCEO of K-Swiss sneakers, with a teaser (above) that promotes K-Swiss Blades and the return of his HBO series, Eastbound and Down — and a longer video which you can "find on the Internets," or watch below. No surprise, it's seriously NSFW.Continue reading...

Fiat wants a mulligan for how it launched last year in the U.S. market, after a few decades away. Its sexy commercial for the new Fiat 500 Abarth that ran during the Super Bowl was just the opening gambit in Fiat's new strategy for recovering from last year's disappointments.

Now, the brand that owns Chrysler is retuning its US strategy, launching an entire program that it hopes will finally add Fiat as a viable small car line in its U.S. stable. The initiative includes more advertising, zero-percent financing for consumers, new products, fresh brand leadership and a determination finally to get on the same page as Fiat's 140 U.S. dealers.

There's little understating how badly things have gone for Fiat in America, as its attempt to imbue the Fiat 500 as a hip ride led to its US marketing head's ouster. The brand's music video-style spot starring Jennifer Lopez and a track ("Papi") from her latest album, intended to attract female customers, was panned when it debuted in September, while JLo's Fiat-laden official music video proved an embarrassment of product placement overload.Continue reading...

It's been a big year for Nike, between the release of the FuelBand and Linsanity (yes, Nike is giving Jeremy Lin his own shoe already, the Nike Hyperfuse 2011 Linsanity PE). The brand continues to impress with a slew of announcements this week, unveiling innovations for basketball and summer sports.Continue reading...

He may Lin some and lose some, but the New York Knicks' Jeremy Lin is such a huge star in China that Adidas, the exclusive maker of NBA jerseys, promises that Lin's #17 Knicks jersey — already the top selling jersey in the NBA's online store — will be ready for sale in China by Wednesday.

“Will he become a superstar? We don’t know. We are absolutely happy with our portfolio,” Adidas CEO Herbert Hainer told Bloomberg about the possibility of signing an endorsement deal with the rising star. “But Jeremy Lin definitely has the potential.”

M&M's "Just My Shell" reveal of Ms. Chocolate was the most popular Super Bowl 2012 commercial, as voted on by YouTube users in its thumbs up/thumbs down Ad Blitz contest. The new character reveal of the brand's "Chief Chocolate Officer" was no doubt helped by a post-game social campaign around the character.

Rounding out the top five, Chrysler's "Halftime in America" spot featuring Clint Eastwood was #2, Bud Light's "Rescue Dog" (aka "Here Weego") was #3, Chevy Silverado "2012" was #4 and the Doritos Crash the Super Bowl fan-created "Man's Best Friend" was #5.