Fri. November 28, 2003
Detroit, Michigan -
Mazda has begun a subtle ad campaign targeting the LGBT market. The Japanese automaker's RX-8 will appear prominently in Britney Spear's new music video Me Against The Music slated for top exposure on MTV and VH1.
The song is from Spears' fourth album, In The Zone, which was released earlier this month.
The video ends with a reprise of Britney's famous kiss with Madonna from the MTV Video Awards.
The three-minute video begins with a 14 second glamour cameo of an RX-8 and then cuts to Spears. Mazda isn't saying how much it paid for the placement.
"We went into it with our eyes open," Eric Johnston, marketing director at Mazda North American Operations told AdAge, an advertising industry publication.
Johnson said his team saw the video's script before production, and although it wasn't that detailed, Mazda had a "good idea of what the video would be. We didn't think we were taking a big risk."
Mazda does have rules for product placements; none were broken because the video contains no car crashes or alcohol promotions.
In addition, the automaker agreed to donate the car used in the video to the Britney Spears Foundation. The car, autographed on the hood and steering wheel by the singer, will be auctioned on E-Bay.
Volvo and Ford are already targeting ads to the gay community.
©365Gay.com® 2003
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