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Robert Plant climbs stairway to Coke


Cat

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Author: Nancy Millman

Robert Plant, who made female hearts throb in the '60s when he was the lead singer in Led Zeppelin, turns ad pitchman for Coca-Cola in a commercial scheduled to debut next week.

Plant is making a successful comeback and has a current video called "Tall Cool One" that is the basis for the Coke spot. The name of the video relates to Coke's summer advertising positioning as "The Official Soft Drink of Summer." Turning the music video into a commercial required Plant, whose audience extends from teens to those old enough to remember his Zeppelin days, to catch Coke Classic bottles while performing.

The commercial will air for the first time when Coke sponsors the Atlantic Records 40th anniversary concert June 26 to run on ABC. During the concert last month, Plant performed both solo and with Led Zeppelin.

Going the video route is new for Coke. Pepsi, of course, really started the idea with a commercial version of Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean" rewritten with Pepsi lyrics. Since then, concert-style commericials with Lionel Richie and Jackson have kept Pepsi's visibility high with teens.

McCann-Erickson, New York, is the ad agency for Coca-Cola.

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Very, very interesting, Cat. He got raked over the coals as a sell-out for doing this but the article puts his decision in the proper context. It also confirms when the ad debuted. It

would be interesting to confirm he was filmed catching the Coke the same day as the promotional video for the song was filmed, which was several weeks prior to the ad running. There is of course speculation 'Tall Cool One' is a song specifically written to

promote Coke. I tend to disagree, as it was written long before his affiliation with the

ad campaign. I think Coke simply looked at who was having chart success and made

inquiries.

He's already said he only did it to try to reach a larger audience....and regrets his decision.

Just to mention, that ABC broadcast of the 40th Anniversary Concert is it's non-cable

debut, but it did air live on Home Box Office (HBO) an American pay-tv cable channel.

The only difference between the HBO and ABC footage is ABC has a brief slow-motion clip of them walking backstage.

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I didn't know that the Atlantic Records 40th Anniversary show was ever on regular tv- I wonder how I missed that? Was the whole Zeppelin set shown?

I did see Robert's Coke commercial though.

I think it was advertised as a "highlights from"telecast. I didn't catch it on it's original air date either. So far as I recall, the entire set was shown and they even added a slow motion clip of Jimmy & Robert walking together in the backstage area during the intro

to the program.

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I didn't know that the Atlantic Records 40th Anniversary show was ever on regular tv- I wonder how I missed that? Was the whole Zeppelin set shown?

I did see Robert's Coke commercial though.

Yes the whole Zep set and Robert's solo set were shown. It was mostly the latter part of the concert that aired mixed in with some backstage and rehearsal footage.

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And the successful comeback continues with J.C. Penney; additional proof to Robert Plant's assertion that he and Alison Krauss do not have a comfort zone.

9:41 p.m. BTW, that's Robert Plant and Alison Krauss harmonzing on the commercial break. A song from their lovely 2007 album, Raising Sand, has already landed in an ad (for JC Penney). I should be upset, but it's a great song, and a nice-looking ad, and Madison Avenue has long since replaced radio as the way to break new music.

blogs.trb.com/music/blog/piccoli/

Edited by eternal light
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  • 1 month later...
And the successful comeback continues with J.C. Penney; additional proof to Robert Plant's assertion that he and Alison Krauss do not have a comfort zone.

SUCCESS ? Jc Penny slashes sales estimates (seen posted on google today) http://publications.mediapost.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=Articles.showArticleHomePage&art_aid=79503

Edited by lajoie
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SUCCESS ? Jc Penny slashes sales estimates (seen posted on google today) http://publications.mediapost.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=Articles.showArticleHomePage&art_aid=79503

NEW YORK Unfazed by the prospect of a recession, J.C. Penney is planning an ad blitz for its American Living line that, it says, is its largest launch campaign.

Mike Boylson, the retailer's CMO, admitted that he has received puzzled inquiries about breaking such a large campaign at this time, but he said that the economic downturn also represents an opportunity.

"Our attitude is that when things get tough, it becomes a market share game -- you've got a chance to take customers away from the competition." Added Boylson: "Right now we're fully focused on playing offense and we're in a very good position. For about a five-week period, wherever Americans turn, they will see the 'American Living' campaign."

Patricia Pao, founder of retail consultancy The Pao Principle, New York, praised the strategy. "No one else is spending right now, so they should get triple the bang for their buck. They're getting the best exposure, the best positioning at a time when they will have virtually no competition in the marketing area."

That exposure will pump the chain's new mass-market collection, which was created in conjunction with Polo Ralph Lauren's Global Brand Concepts. The supporting ad campaign, meant to appeal to a broad demo, is heavy on sentiment. Americana images of heartland vistas, Fourth of July celebrations and family reunions are set to Robert Plant and Alison Krauss' "Killing the Blues" recording.

The effort, created by Polo Ralph Lauren's Global Brand Concepts division, New York, kicks off on Univision, in Spanish, on Feb. 21, making its full debut during the Oscars on Feb. 24. Following that will be a month-long run on prime-time TV slots, as well as a 60-second in-cinema spot at an estimated 14,000 theaters. Print, direct mail, in-store promotions and AmericanLiving.com also will support.

Global Brand Concepts produced the campaign, though Publicis Groupe's Saatchi & Saatchi remains Penney's lead creative agency.

Spending for the initiative was not disclosed. J.C. Penney spent $310 million in measured media for the first 11 months of 2007, per Nielsen Monitor-Plus.

"J.C. Penney is one of the few success stories right now because they went after the middle market, which is the bulk of the American public, when that segment was ignored during the trading-up period," said Pao.

For its third quarter ending Nov. 3, the retailer reported sales of $13.5 billion, up 1.7 percent over the same period the year prior, per the company.

Despite a downturn in sales for December, Boylson is optimistic that the chain will continue to do well.

"Had we known a year ago that the [economic] situation would be like it is today, we still wouldn't have changed a thing," he said. "We're thinking long term. Newness and fashion drive this business, and that's what this campaign, and this collection, epitomizes."

J.C. Penney Preps Ad Blitz

Edited by eternal light
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Jc Pennys preps add blitz , was written on Feb. 18,08 and list stats in Nov.07 that were prior to the use of the Alison krauss and Robert Plant song inclusion, the article I gave refference to(Jc pennys slashes sales est.) is a current conclusion posted on line today March 31,08 Edited by lajoie
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Jc Pennys preps add blitz , was written on Feb. 18,08 and list stats in Nov.07 that were prior to the use of the Alison krauss and Robert Plant song inclusion, the article I gave refference to(Jc pennys slashes sales est.) is a current conclusion posted on line today March 31,08

Author: Nancy Millman

Robert Plant, who made female hearts throb in the '60s when he was the lead singer in Led Zeppelin, turns ad pitchman for Coca-Cola in a commercial scheduled to debut next week.

Plant is making a successful comeback and has a current video called "Tall Cool One" that is the basis for the Coke spot.

McCann-Erickson, New York, is the ad agency for Coca-Cola.

One theme I like to harp on is ignore these government reports as much as possible - the herd on Wall Street reacts as if they are accurate, but most are highly flawed. Instead listen to the companies themselves. JCPenney (JCP) is out with exactly the reason I don't believe the "stocks are cheap on 2008 earnings" argument.

Mid-tier department store operator JC Penney Co Inc (NYSE:JCP - News) on Friday slashed its first-quarter earnings forecast, saying sales through the Easter holiday were below expectations and noting that consumer confidence is at a multi-year low.

"J.C. Penney counts half of American families as its customers, and they are feeling macro-economic pressures from many areas, including higher energy costs, deteriorating employment trends and significant issues in the housing and credit markets," Myron "Mike" Ullman, chairman and chief executive officer, said in a statement.

The retailer now expects first-quarter earnings of approximately 50 cents per share, compared with its previous view of 75 to 80 cents per share.

J.C. Penney Co. said weakening consumer confidence has hurt its results as well as lower-than-expected sales through Easter.

The "pooring" of the Middle Class continues in America is a reality - real wages are not keeping up with real inflation, and combined this with the loss of the house ATM. $600 rebate checks are not going to change this dynamic, although the financial pundit folks in NYC still live in their ivory tower and don't realize this.

Ignore Government Reports, Listen to J.C. Penney and DSW

Edited by eternal light
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In response to post #19 Yes, Roberts coke promotional input was successful,however as Reported online March 31,08 By Sarah Mohoney for Marketing Daily ,Jc Pennys are not doing well in sales .

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In response to post #19 Yes, Roberts coke promotional input was successful,however as Reported online March 31,08 By Sarah Mohoney for Marketing Daily ,Jc Pennys are not doing well in sales .

It's not surprising in view of the current United States economy, but JC Penney's stock (JCP 37.71) is still rated triple B by Standard & Poor's, above junk bond status according to Forbes.

Edited by eternal light
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It's not surprising in view of the current United States economy, but JC Penney's stock (JCP 37.71) is still rated triple B by Standard & Poor's, above junk bond status according to Forbes.

That stock quote is dated on the 3/28 , My post & comment are from Today 3/31 ---the comment was regarding statisical sales of Jc pennys store products basied on purchases of the general buying public , that is why they create and promote tv commercials, the "American family living" adds are not aimed at encouraging finacial investers to build their portfolios on Jc Penny stock .

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That stock quote is dated on the 3/28 , My post & comment are from Today 3/31 ---the comment was regarding statisical sales of Jc pennys store products basied on purchases of the general buying public , that is why they create and promote tv commercials, the "American family living" adds are not aimed at encouraging finacial investers to build their portfolios on Jc Penny stock .

JC Penney knew the economy was weak when it launched the ad campaign; again, slow sales are not surprising. Fifty per cent of JC Penney's customers are middle class, and the middle class is presently looking for ways to cut costs, not for ways to spend. National unemployment is high, the housing market is plagued by poor lending practices and a large number of foreclosures, and people hesitate to spend money, postponing purchases.

The "pooring" of the Middle Class continues in America is a reality - real wages are not keeping up with real inflation, and combined this with the loss of the house ATM.

Ignore Government Reports, Listen to J.C. Penney and DSW

Edited by eternal light
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