This morning, I was interviewed by a reporter from USA TODAY about three new commercials that feature celebrity singers, almost as if they were doing a short MTV video of their songs. I was specifically asked to review three spots: the first one featured Martina McBride for breakfast beverage,Sunny D http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6bWm2swwjfk, the next spot was bit different starring actress/singer, Zooey Deschanel, http://www.thefabricofourlives.com/TheFabricOfMyLife/campaign.html?vidId=z11 for the Cotton Council and the third was a Hertz spot with Amy Regan which is part of a broader campaign http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UN39rkphWqQ.
When asked whether I see this as a coming trend, I answered in the affirmative. More importantly, it's not just the format that makes them effective, it's the right usage of these celebrities in each individual case. First, Martina is a youngish Mom figure who probably buys Sunny D in real life for her kids and the song she sings is called "Shine On!" It fits perfectly with the theme for the Sunny D brand which is "Open a bottle of sunshine!" Perfect match of spokesperson, song and theme. I ranked it best of the three. But that doesn't mean to imply that there was a loser in the bunch.
On the contrary, I enjoyed watching Zooey Deschanels doing the "Fabric of Our Lives" jingle in her soft jazz style. The Cotton Council has a winner here because Zooey is not only the right sex and age demographic they want to target, she is also a fashion inspiration. Her love for vintage fashion is well-known to those who follow her. She even endorses a line of sunglasses (in only five colors) that when you blow your breath on the lens a pair of kissing lips shows up! Right person, right feel, right use of a celebrity---it all adds up to a whole lot of credibility for the brand.
Last, a new Hertz campaign features little mini-stories about going on a "trip" and then telling you about the "journey." Amy Regan's spot shows vignettes of her renting a Hertz car, driving out Westward and having an auto breakdown...only to have a Hertz person arrive on the scene to get her up and rolling again. Her journey was to appear in her first live concert. The theme for the campaign is "Journey On." It's done well and I think it will be most effective as part of a series of similar spots which do not use a singer/celeb.
I'll be interested in reading the article and seeing what the other "experts" say.
