Fashion Notebook

Oscar Wrap-Up: Why Marketing Was the Night's Most Interesting Star

So if last night's ceremony, presenter banter, and Jon Stewart had us yawning in our
seats, at least the marketing plugs were there to wake us up! In fact, we might go so
far as to say that marketing was the real star of the show.

Things kicked off with some good designer plugs in the women's dress category. Headline news: Cotillard up, Kidman down. For a more comprehensive breakdown, check out our previous Oscar post, here. (Or, er, scroll below!)

But we left one of those ladies out of the line-up, because she was just such a good piece of marketing collateral that we thought her more appropriate for this part of the wrap-up. Drum roll please: Heidi Klum in that gorgeous red dress by John Galliano, a philanthropic tie-in for Coca-Cola, which ran its Red Dress campaign spots during the event. The dress (pictured, with Klum, below) will be auctioned off on MyCokeRewards.com, with proceeds going to the charity Heart Truth, which raises awareness about heart disease in women.

Then there were the commercials, and I have to say that the fashion set more than represented. The new J.C. Penney ads for the "American Living" collection seemed to translate well (at least, among our viewing audience last night in a cramped Brooklyn apartment), and everyone seemed pleasantly surprised by the American Express ads with Diane von Furstenberg. Both ads got some prominent sponsorship play before the commercial break had even commenced.

So for the fashion marketers, it seemed like the night sailed on smoothly, unlike Cameron Diaz's attempt to pronounce such difficult words as "cinematography" (again, we still don't understand why she gets Galliano's Dior dresses!).

And then there were these weird product plugs.

Here's Jon Stewart bemusedly futzing with his iPhone. If ever there were a completely smooth pitchman, Stewart's not one of 'em. In a lame segue, he talked about getting to catch up on all of the year's great films right there at the podium. (Because, you know, the square inches of the iPhone really help to communicate the Old West grandeur of "There Will Be Blood." Seriously, has Stewart even used this device?). Then of course, he announces that they're better viewed in widescreen. He turns the phone horizontally and the camera pans in for a great shot of the iPhone and Apple logo. In the end, it's not a bad plug, it's just, well, kinda shameless and we're sure that even those who aren't marketers recognized this little bit for the sham it is. Kind of like the Bluefly.com "Accessories Wall" in Project Runway or the numerous mentions Coke gets during American Idol.

And then there was this COMPLETELY SHAMELESS PLUG for the Nintendo Wii. Coming back from commercial, Stewart and the little girl from that Gospel choir, were engaged in a heated game of Wii Tennis, projected on enormous screens for the whole audience to see. No joke followed, no setup really introduced the plug. It was suddenly just there.  Check out the video below.

Do marketers seriously think the American public is this stupid that they wouldn't know a complete corporate shill when they see it? Why not give away sponsorship titles for the awards at this point? And the Oscar for the Coca-Cola Best Actress goes to... Marion Cotillard! Just think of it! She could thank Diet Coke, of course, for all of those days on set when she needed a fizzy drink that calmed her stomach but didn't contribute to any stress-induced weight gain. Well, that's if San Pelligrino doesn't get the award sponsorship first.

Now that we're mulling it, is this a bad idea? Everyone knows these shows are rigged shams anyways, I don't care how many staged videos I have to see of Frank Pierson being denied at the doors of Price Waterhouse Cooper.

AmEx Continues Its Fashion Push, With Diane von Furstenberg Starring in New Campaign

Off the heels of the New York Fashion Week initiative
where it offered streaming runway shows among other goodies, and a $500,000 donation to the CFDA/Vogue
Fashion Fund, American Express is continuing to deepen its fashion industry connection.

The credit card company announced that designer Diane von Furstenberg (she old the large dots and wrap dresses) will star in the latest "Are You a Cardmember" campaign, per Ogilvy & Mather, New York, which breaks during the Oscars on Feb. 24. See a still from the TV spot, right.

No doubt the campaign seeks to create more brand affinity among female consumers (also the general goal of the company's effort within the fashion industry, according to Jessica Igoe, director of sponsorship and event marketing at American Express, New York), and given von Furstenberg's longevity in the industry and reputation as a fiercely independent designer and businesswoman, it should resonate fairly well.

Indeed, von Furstenberg's own statement seems to play right into that angle.

"Women inspire me and I inspire them to be independent and free, which is how I feel when I use my American Express card," said Von Furstenberg. "American Express represents a sign of independence and freedom and if you have your card, you can do anything."

See what we mean? Though we must admit, that the feeling of freedom that our credit cards (of all stripes) have given us only resulted in vast numbers of consumers in our age group (let's say 20-30 years old) entering into not-insignificant personal debt. After all, we just had to have that Vuitton throw rug and somewhere along the way, trips to Sephora seemed, well, like a necessity no matter how much they squeezed the budget.

Directed by "Capote" chief Bennett Miller, the TV spot follows Von Furstenberg from the inspirational Winter Wonderland of her backyard, through the design process in her studio. The print ads were shot by—who else?—Annie Leibovitz.

AmEx Takes NY Fashion Week Live on the American Express Fashion Network

American Express wants to be the card women
don’t leave the runway without.

The brand today kicks off an ambitious multi-faceted program for New York Fashion Week, with myriad bells and whistles. As part of its “American Express Fashion Network,” the brand will provided streaming, live runway videos via its AmericanExpress.com/style micro site. (A preview of the site can be viewed, right. Click to enlarge.)

Also posted will be exclusive content such as designer and celebrity interviews from the Bryant Park Tents, and trend digests from hosts and correspondents Robert Verdi (the stylist you might best remember from that elegant snarkfest "Fashion Police") and Roshumba Williams (the fashion model discovered by Yves Saint Laurent, who made her on-camera name as a correspondent for Entertainment Tonight in 2002). The site will stay up, providing archived content and new shows, throughout the duration of  New York Fashion Week.

The site will be promoted through online advertising, as well as a partnership with Youtube, whereby the Google-owned video sharing site will create its own dedicated fashion channel to feature highlights from the American Express Fashion Network.

The online initiative expands on last season’s American Express’ Skybox program for the September 2007 Fashion Week, in which elite card members (that's Gold Card and above, honey!) were given access to a special viewing area, complete with catered food and drink, overlooking the two main runways.

In addition to continuing that program, the company has also added a card member-only collection presentation from designer Peter Som, as well as a series of private parties, and a $500,000 donation to the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund that supports young, up and coming design talent.

“Fashion is important to us because it represents a distilled sense of identity, and really empowers women, so it resonates well with our card member base,” said Jessica Igoe, director of sponsorship marketing for American Express, New York.

Igoe added that correspondent, and model, Roshumba Williams was also selected for her ability to appeal to the female demographic.

“She represents someone who is confident and has strong experience in the industry and is recognizable for our target audience, particularly working women,” Igoe said. “The program has a key focus on our female consumers, especially working women. We’re trying to help [that woman] find either live experiences like Fashion Week runway shows, or retail experiences that instill confidence.”

And obviously, if that confidence  gives the courage to break out that AmEx and buy a few pairs of brand new Louboutins, hey, all the better!

Check it all out here.