Seinfeld to be pitchman for Microsoft
NEW YORK - Junior Mints, Yoo-hoo, Drake's Coffee Cakes, puffy shirts: These are all things Jerry Seinfeld has endorsed — at least in his alter ego on his classic sitcom. Now, add Microsoft software.
Seinfeld will be a key pitchman in a planned $300 million fall advertising campaign for the software giant, a person familiar with the plans confirmed to The Associated Press on condition on anonymity because the deal has not been formally announced.
The Wall Street Journal first reported the plans. Citing people close to the situation, it reported the comedian will be paid $10 million for appearing in ads with Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates.
It's Microsoft's latest move to try to capture some of the cool quotient that rival Apple has appeared to win so effortlessly.
But for younger consumers especially, can Seinfeld turn the image tide for Microsoft?
"Seinfeld does represent sort of a challenge," says Brian Steinberg, television editor for the weekly advertising magazine Ad Age. "He's not Dane Cook. He's got a more sophisticated everyday take on things. He often comes across as a questioner of conventional wisdom but also can be kind of a crank. It's a fine line to walk when you're dealing with a younger person."
Steinberg did point out that the firm producing the spots — Crispin Porter and Bogusky — is known for creating commercials that appeal to young males, particularly in its campaigns for Burger King.
Seinfeld has shown himself to be a superior promoter in the past, particularly for American Express (which also featured Patrick Warburton as Superman) and in selling his Dreamworks animated film "Bee Movie" last summer.
For "Bee Movie," which Seinfeld co-wrote, co-produced and voiced, he also created 20 "TV juniors," which seemed less like commercials than one-minute bite-sized bits of comedy. The extensive promotion of the film began with him dressing up as a giant bee at the Cannes Film Festival.
"You gotta sell it," Seinfeld told the AP last year. "I've never been uncomfortable with that aspect. I don't feel like it's beneath me to sell what I did."
But Seinfeld's greatest triumph — the nine seasons of "Seinfeld" — ended more than 10 years ago, which means that many young computer users were still watching cartoons during his pop culture dominance.
Of course, the show is still on nightly reruns and Seinfeld has been active on the standup circuit. There have even been efforts to bring "Seinfeld" to younger demographics. Sony Pictures Television, which distributes "Seinfeld" in U.S. syndication, is holding a 26-city promotion in a cross-country bus tour of colleges.
Calls to Seinfeld's agent and manager went unreturned Thursday.
Vista, Microsoft's latest operating system that launched with the slogan "The Wow starts now," has received mostly negative publicity since its release last year. But sales have been strong, since more than 90 percent of PCs sold worldwide run Windows.
Apple's ad campaign "Get a Mac" pits a coat-and-tie clad older guy (John Hodgman) representing a PC, against jeans and T-shirt-wearing Justin Long, who plays the Mac. The commercials have also poked fun at Vista.
Steinberg said this latest campaign by Microsoft shows that the rivalry between the software company and Apple is reaching the intensity of Coke and Pepsi's cola wars of years ago.
It's also possible Seinfeld seems more like a Mac guy, Steinberg said.
After all, it's a Macintosh that's seen in the background of his apartment on "Seinfeld."
Panettiere Launching Music Career With Candie's
As part of the latest deal linking its teen clothing line to a young female music act, fashion brand Candie's will help promote the song "Wake Up Call" from "Heroes" star Hayden Panettiere's forthcoming album from Hollywood Records.
While financial terms were not released, Hollywood says Candie's will absorb the "majority of the cost" of the single, which will include a multimillion-dollar ad buy on cable and network TV, a print campaign and a music video.
The ad campaign will begin at the end of July, while the song will be released digitally Aug. 5. "Wake Up Call" will appear on Panettiere's still-untitled debut album, which is slated for 2009.
Candie's announced an advertising and marketing pact with Panettiere in February. The brand's incorporation of her music into the campaign follows in the footsteps of its deal last summer with Interscope and Fergie, whose songs "Big Girls Don't Cry" and "Glamorous" were promoted in Candie's TV commercials.
While best-known to audiences as world-saving cheerleader Claire Bennet on NBC's "Heroes," Panettiere's record deal with Hollywood precedes her prime-time success from the past two years, according to Hollywood Records senior VP of marketing Ken Bunt.
"We had to work within her crazy schedule to determine what direction she wants to go with her music," Bunt says. "Wake Up Call" is a reggae-flavored pop song that was written by Andreas "Quiz" Romdhane and Josef Larossi, who have previously written tracks for Geri Halliwell, Diana Ross, Il Divo and Westlife.
Elizabeth Hurley to star in Jordache ads
NEW YORK - Elizabeth Hurley stars in new print ads for Jordache, the company that became famous during the 1970s designer-label jeans craze.
The ads, shot by Michael Thompson, show the 41-year-old model-actress wearing the Jordache Vintage line, sold in high-end retail stores, and the new Jordache Legacy line, launching exclusively at Macy's stores across the country this fall.
Jordache said the first ad will run in national publications beginning in September and will continue through the holiday season.
In one ad, Hurley is shown with the signature Jordache horse. Another shows her with riding gear.
"With success as an actress, model, businesswoman and mother, Liz represents everything the Jordache brand is about," said Liz Berlinger, president of Jordache Enterprises, in a recent statement. "We chose her because she is the true modern woman."
Brittany Murphy, whose movie credits include "Sin City" and "8 Mile," starred in a series of Jordache jeans print ads last year.
Charlize Theron Signs as New Face of Dior Perfume
PARIS (Reuters) - Actress Charlize Theron has signed a contract with Christian Dior to be the face of its bestselling perfume J'adore, pitting her against fellow Oscar winner Nicole Kidman who will launch a similar campaign for Chanel.
Theron is due to star in print and television advertisements for J'adore starting in the autumn, a spokeswoman for Parfums Christian Dior said on Friday.
She could not provide details of the contract, but trade publication Women's Wear Daily (WWD) on Friday quoted industry sources as saying the South African actress had signed a three-year deal worth between $3 million and $5 million.
Theron won this year's Oscar for best actress for her performance as serial killer Aileen Wuornos in "Monster," a role which required her to put on weight and wear heavy make-up that rendered her almost unrecognizable.
The former model is the latest celebrity to sign an advertising deal with a major fashion label, a trend which industry watchers say reflects public fascination with the lifestyles of the rich and famous.
Hilary Swank, another Oscar winner, headlines underwear ads for Calvin Klein while starlets Scarlett Johansson, Diane Kruger and Chloe Sevigny star in Louis Vuitton's autumn campaign.
Kidman earlier this year signed a contract reported to be worth millions to become the face of Chanel's legendary No 5 perfume. The advertisements were shot by fellow Australian Baz Luhrmann, who directed Kidman in the hit musical "Moulin Rouge."
The Dior campaign starring Theron was a collaboration between photographer Nick Knight and rebel British designer John Galliano, who has revolutionized the image of the label with extravagant and provocative catwalk displays.