SAN FRANCISCO — An entertainment company promoting a Ford Motor Co.-backed concert has come up with a new way to tie its advertising into celebrity content: putting banner ads next to internet photos of the private parts of Lindsey Lohan, Britney Spears, Paris Hilton and others.
Control Room, formerly Network Live, produces and distributes live music concerts over the internet, radio, TV, mobile phones, and at retail stores and theatres. For a Dec. 19 concert airing on MSN Music, by Pink, an artist who posits herself as the opposite of the tabloid queens, Control Room will be placing ads next to content on websites showing photos that purportedly show flashes of celebrity genitalia, and any other content “where the message is appropriate,” said Jonathan Anastas, Control Room’s VP-marketing and creative director.
The banners, which play off the title of Pink’s single “U and UR Hand,” will have headlines such as “Don’t you and your hands have better places to be,” and “See the real Pink.”
Ford, which uses a “Bold Moves” ad theme line, is listed as presenting sponsor of the MSN Music concert, but is not involved in the celebrity campaign, Mr. Anastas noted. A Ford spokesman said he was unaware of the Control Live campaign, said Ford had nothing to do with it, and added: “We’re a pants-on company.”
A Ford spokeswoman said the company is sponsoring the concert, but added “We have nothing to do with” the Control Room’s independent ad campaign. We are looking into it.”
Control Room’s ads will run on pinkisthenewblog.com (not related to the artist Pink), thesuperficial.com, Perez Hilton and TMZ, he said. The concert will remain on the Control Room site for six months, although the ad campaign will not last that long, said Mr. Anastas.
Mr. Anastas said Pink “positions herself as the empowered alternative” to Ms. Lohan and the others but shares the same target audience. Control Room’s target audience is 12- to 34-year-olds frequenting Internet music and video sites and blogs. The target group skews slightly female.
Mr. Anastas declined to detail the size of Control Room’s audiences, but noted about 15 million per month visit MSN Music and as many as 100 million saw the Live Aid concert on AOL.