Promo - June 2008 - (Page 66)

“PROMO “PROMOLAND” NO, IT’S NOT TRAVIS BICKLE The votes are in—it’s a mohawk! The shaggy head of New York Knicks’ forward David Lee was hacked into a mohawk last month after beverage marketer Glaceau concocted the stunt for “DLee,” an endorsee of its VitaminWater brand. Fans—6,310 of them—voted in favor of the mohawk over a mullet, gerry curl or bowl cut at www.thedleedo.com. The three-week promotion culminated in the fan favorite’s haircut at the hands of a Lower East Side barber. Meanwhile, Boston Red Sox slugger David Ortiz has been flipping burgers for 25 guests at VitaminWater’s “Big Papi’s Place” for the last two years. Next up: After the NBA playoffs, star players Tony Parker, Tracy McGrady and Josh Howard will each play host for a few down-home Texas barbecues, where VitaminWater will serve ribs. “A lot of our partners love doing barbecues,” says Glaceau vice president Eric Berniker. Chicago Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher suggested letting 10 Glaceau sweepstakes winners go deepsea fishing with him. They’re all part of Glaceau’s 25-athlete “Dream Team.” Berniker sums up the philosophy behind the special events: “We don’t take ourselves too seriously here at Glaceau.”—Richard Tedesco PETA assembled a strong presence May 17 in Baltimore at Pimlico Race Track for the Preakness. Protesters carried signs displaying the photo of Eight Belles lying on the track. The organization has taken heat from critics who accuse it of trying to make hay out of the third such thoroughbred breakdown in a major race in as many years. “They’re just using this to make money. They’re not doing this for the good of any cause,” an angry Larry Jones, the dead horse’s trainer, exclaimed during a press briefing the day after the Derby. Kristie Phelps, PETA assistant director, tells Promo that the it has not reaped a windfall in donations in the wake of the tragedy. But the animal rights organization plans to maintain its high moral ground at the Belmont, where it’s sure to make the public aware of the darker side of what’s commonly hyped as the sport of kings.—Richard Tedesco Barroom Brawl When did selling booze get so nasty? Hillary Clinton was only buffing her blue-collar cred by downing a shot of Crown Royal Canadian Whiskey before the Indiana primary. But family-owned distiller Heaven Hill of Bardstown, KY, thought the presidential hopefuls should drink American liquor, and promptly sent off bottles of its Evan Williams bourbon brand to the contenders. Enter Jeremiah Weed Bourbon Liqueur, manufactured by Diageo. Its very fictional founder was suddenly bestowed with a Web site, Mr. Jeremiah Weed Speaks. In “his” first blog posting, Weed blasted the folks at Evan Williams for pandering to the candidates. Readers were sent to www. JeremiahWeedBourbon.com to vote for the bourbon of choice for the Kentucky primary on May 20. In response, Heaven Hill mobilized its master distiller Craig Beam—seventh generation in the business and resolutely real—to reality-check Weed’s claims. Those blur the difference between Kentucky straight bourbon whiskey (“America’s native spirit by a 1964 act of Congress”) and “bourbon liqueur” with sugar and flavorings added. Beam noted that Weed doesn’t exist. Diageo/Weed’s blog “reply”: Those bottles sent to Clinton and Obama were just “gestures of appreciation,” and Williams should cease “the politics of product destruction.”—Brian Quinton PETA Promotes Cause in Derby Tragedy’s Wake People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals will be pleading its case against equine mistreatment in thoroughbred racing on June 7 at the Belmont Stakes in suburban New York in the wake of Eight Belles’ untimely end last month at the Kentucky Derby. The horse was euthanized via lethal injection soon after breaking its two front ankles a quarter-mile past the Churchill Downs finish line. The filly finished second in the May 3 race in a torrid backstretch run. Derby sponsor Yum Brands CEO David Novak was pilloried in blogs for his seeming indifference to the filly’s sudden death in post-Derby remarks hyping Yum brands. (Novak wasn’t aware of what happened.) HILLARY CLINTON: CAROLYN KASTER / AP PHOTO 66 June 2008 / WWW.PROMOMAGAZINE.COM / Promo http://www.thedleedo.com http://www.JeremiahWeedBourbon.com http://www.JeremiahWeedBourbon.com http://WWW.PROMOMAGAZINE.COM

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Promo - June 2008

Promo - June 2008 Contents Editor's Note 51st State? Brand Weaver Hip Candy Viva Beisbol Hola or Adios? Commentary Agency of the Year: Digitas The 2008 Promo 100 Draftfcb Next Marketing Oddcast All Terrain Gigunda The Agency Center Resource Center Take a Stand Index of Advertisers

Promo - June 2008

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