No one has publicly come forward to lay claim to her work, but she is starting to look as connected in Hollywood as any starlet. Three lonelygirl15-obsessed amateur Web sleuths set up a sting using tracking software that appears to show that e-mails sent from a lonelygirl15 account came from inside the offices of the Beverly Hills-based talent agency Creative Artists Agency.

The apparent CAA link takes its place alongside other tantalizing pieces of evidence that lonelygirl15 is not who she claims to be: a copyright for the name obtained by an Encino lawyer, and a plot line that, leading speculation suggests, will turn out to be the lead-in to a horror movie's marketing campaign. CAA spokesman Michael Mand said he "could neither confirm nor deny" that the agency is representing whoever is behind the 27 video posts. (Other talent agencies and production companies contacted by The Times denied any connection.)

As to horror film rumors, calls made to several studios found no such plans — but plenty of fascination for the way in which a Hollywood-ready cultural phenomenon has been built from a grass-roots Web platform. Lonelygirl15, many say, is the next-generation "Blair Witch Project," using interactive forms of storytelling that, like the 1999 hit, tries to trick an audience into thinking it's true.

*****

On June 16, lonelygirl15 made her first appearance in a video, titled "First Blog/Dorkiness Prevails." Dark-haired, big-eyed and pretty, she blinked nervously and hugged her knees as she described living in a small town "hours from a mall" with strict religious parents and a friend named Daniel, who she didn't like "in that way." Over the next three months, two dozen more videos hit the Web, spaced out every few days. Bree dangled hints about her life, revealing that she had spent her youth in New Zealand, was treated for "lazy eye" and had an obsession with physicist Richard Feynman. Oblique references popped up to "my religion," which was never named but which forbade things such as attending Daniel's high school graduation party. Fans soon started to notice jarring details. A music clip from an undiscovered L.A. band was mixed in to her well-edited montage sequences. Her room was movie-set neat. Above her bookshelf hung a photo of famed occultist Aleister Crowley. Thin already, Bree talked about an upcoming religious ceremony that she would participate in, even though it involved going on a diet.

*****

In late August, fans discovered that the Web address for lonelygirl15.com had been purchased before the first video even appeared, with efforts made to shield the identity of the buyer. In early September, Web forums erupted with the news that lonelygirl15 had been trademarked and the application filed by an Encino lawyer named Kenneth Goodfried. (He declined to comment for this article.) Within days, the MySpace profile of Goodfried's daughter was being combed for connections to the video.

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CBS' Eggstraordinary Ad Campaign

Proving that someone at CBS is a few yolks shy of an omelet, the CBS ad department has decided to run a big campaign for its fall tv lineup on eggs. Yes, that's right: those white things you crack open and scramble in a pan have now become the lastest organic billboard.

CBS is enlisting eggs in its scramble to attract viewers. The CBS logo and slogans promoting the TV network and its series will appear along with coded expiration dates on eggs sold by grocers — just another promotional measure in the competitive world of television. More than 35 million eggs will be marked with phrases such as "CSI: Crack the Case on CBS" and "The Class, New Grade-A CBS Comedy" as part of a deal between the CBS Marketing Group and EggFusion, an egg-coding company. The campaign will begin in September, when the fall TV season begins, CBS said Saturday at a meeting of the Television Critics Association.

However, CBS isn't putting all its eggs in one marketing basket. The campaign is part of what the network is calling its "Outernet strategy," an effort to reach viewers "outside their homes as they go about their daily lives," the network said in a statement. EggFusion, based in Deerfield, Ill., will use laser technology to create the expiration dates and "On-Egg Messaging," the release said.

Other networks have tried offbeat ways to attract viewers, such as putting messages about shows in public restrooms or, for ABC's "Desperate Housewives," using dry-cleaning bags to promote the series.

What eggaxctly is CBS thinking here? Apparently, CBS totally committed to its "Outernet Strategy" -- no Internet, Internets or Interweb advertising for them. So, what's next? iPod ads stamped onto oranges? Tiny MP3 players embedded in your Starbucks cup that feature Bono yelling "Uno, Dos, Tres, Catorce!!!"? Airborne holograms that follow us around screaming ads at us? The Outernet is clearly no longer safe.

Posted on July 17, 2006
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No One Will Buy A Hamburger From Paris Hilton

We had asked once before: would you buy a hamburger from this woman? Well, the answer is in: no, you wouldn't. And you wouldn't buy from from Anna Nicole Smith or Donald Trump, either.

The study, which scored 87 celebrities and sports figures who have appeared in an ad in the last year, focused on overall awareness and whether a celebrity left a positive impression in consumers' minds. With all the celebrity endorsers these days, it's a bit of a surprise that none of those mentioned above are considered A-listers or command top ad rates. (Catherine Zeta-Jones reportedly pocketed the most expensive celebrity endorsement last year for her $20 million, two-year deal with T-Mobile, according to trade pub AdWeek.)

The results suggest there's a big difference between remembering a person and buying something from them. Some of the most exposed celebrities, for instance, had the most negative effect on buying habits. Sexpot Anna Nicole Smith, hotel heiress Paris Hilton, pop tart Britney Spears, supermodel Kate Moss and real estate mogul Donald Trump were all examples of celebs whose association made it less likely a person would buy a product, the study said.

The study also said that you would buy something that Tiger Woods pitched. Which is good for him, since he's selling just about everything these days.

Posted on April 26, 2006
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Tom Cruise Fires Sister as Publicist

The barrage of negative publicity that has hounded Tom Cruise this past year has finally gotten to him. He's dropped his sister, Lee Ann DeVette, as his publicist and hired a pro again. It's not a moment too soon either.

Careful listeners could almost hear Hollywood breathe a sigh of relief as Tom Cruise this week fired his publicist, Lee Anne DeVette, who is also his sister, and replaced her with one of the movie industry's veteran star-wranglers, Paul Bloch.

The move followed a run of the worst publicity in his reign as the world's biggest movie star, with Mr. Cruise, 43, attracting negative reaction last summer to his criticism of psychiatry and antidepression drugs, his over-the-top wooing of the actress Katie Holmes and his open advocacy of Scientology, which some consider a dangerous cult.

In an industry where box office sales are dwindling even as the pool of bankable movie stars seems to be shrinking by the day, a reburnished Mr. Cruise becomes more valuable than ever. He remains one of the very few actors whose name on the marquee can virtually guarantee a successful movie opening, and Paramount Pictures is certainly counting on him to accomplish that in its big-budget sequel "Mission: Impossible 3," which stars Mr. Cruise and is currently in production.

By putting Mr. Bloch and his colleague Arnold Robinson in charge of his public image, Mr. Cruise has opted for seasoned professionals who have longstanding relationships with the entertainment industry over his sister, who had no previous publicity experience before taking charge in March 2004, and is, like her brother, a committed Scientologist.

Is it too late, or can Cruise convince us that he's still the same likeable guy he was before he dumped Nicole Kidman and verbally attacked sweet Brooke Shields? Only Mr. Bloch knows for sure.

Posted on November 8, 2005
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She's the Everywhere Girl

TheInquirer.net has been tracking the appearance of Everywhere Girl since 2004 when she first appeared in advertisements for both Dell and Gateaway around the same time period. Since then Everywhere Girl has appeared all over the world in book covers (here and here), and advertisements for universities, museums and banks. Another website tracking Everywhere Girl can be found here. It looks like these savvy advertisers are getting her image from this stock photo website. Where will Everyday Girl appear next?

Posted on August 1, 2005
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Introducing the iPod Flea

The New York Times has posted a funny video created by photoshop expert Scott Kelby for a Mac Design conference. The video spoofs the iPod commericials and the continual downsizing of technology.

(Via The Unofficial Apple Weblog)

Posted on July 15, 2005
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Snapple's World Record Attempt Ends in Sticky Mess

Snapple picked the middle of summer to try and break a Guiness World Record for the largest popsicle ever. Unfortunately, the 25-foot-tall popsicle melted before it could even be unloaded off the truck. CNN has a video of the giant melting popsicle. MSNBC.com has a report and picture of the gooey disaster as the enormous kiwi-strawberry treat melted and flooded part of downtown Manhattan.

The 25-foot-tall, 17.5-ton treat of frozen Snapple juice melted faster than expected Tuesday, flooding Union Square in downtown Manhattan with kiwi-strawberry-flavored fluid that sent pedestrians scurrying for higher ground.

Firefighters closed off several streets and used hoses to wash away the sugary goo.

Snapple had been trying to promote a new line of frozen treats by setting a record for the world's largest popsicle, but called off the stunt before it was pulled fully upright by a construction crane. Authorities said they were worried the thing would collapse in the 80-degree, first-day-of-summer heat.

The New York Post reported that the sticky kiwi-strawberry flood even caused several bicyclists to wipe out.

"I can't believe this, it's so dangerous," said cyclist Dave Currente, who took a nasty tumble.

The Fire Department raced to East 17th Street between Broadway and Union Square East to hose down the super-slick road menace.

The Post had the best headline for the incident with Snapple Slips Up In Ice-Pop Flop. MSNBC.com's headline read Disaster on a Stick. Other headlines about the Snapple PR disaster that we liked include:

Chicago Tribune: Is There a Record for a Kiwi-flavored Flood?

BevNet.com: Snapple Unfreezes Funds to Clean up Unfrozen Popsicle Disaster.

Blogcritics.org: Snapple's Biggest Mistake

Norwich Bulletin: Stupid Popsicle Tricks

WebProNews.com: Attack Of The Giant Ice Pop

Newsday: World's Largest Ice Pop? More Like Red Sea of Slush

The Herald, UK: World's Largest Ice Lolly Meets With a Sticky End in New York

CNN: Largest Ice Pop Has its Moment

Posted on July 1, 2005
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Hold on, Ladies?

Who are the ad wizards that came up with this one? Schick Quattro has come up with a ridiculous series of Chippendale-like promotions for their latest razor at holdonladies.com. The most absurd of the lot is the one with a cowboy riding a giant razor. That's right. Hold on ladies, because a cowboy is riding a giant razor. Schick calls him the "Howdy Hottie" and provides downloadable "Howdy Hottie" content like ecards, calendars and wallpaper. Whatever happened to "buy a new razor, get two free refills" and other practical razor promotions? Clearly, it's time to switch to electric.
(Via Techie Diva)

Posted on June 16, 2005
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Enjoy Your Flight and These Credit Card Offers

You can no longer avoid credit card offers and other forms of advertising even while flying. Advertisers must have realized that you cannot escape their advertising pitches once you have boarded the plane and taken your seat. The Washington Post reports about this new inconvenience.

On a recent Alaska Airlines flight, passengers were told to remain buckled and seated for the last 30 minutes before landing at Reagan National Airport. It was a standard security measure for flights heading into restricted airspace over Washington.

It also turned a planeful of passengers into captive customers who were then pitched a Bank of America Visa card -- with little chance of tuning it out. Over the intercom, a flight attendant encouraged passengers to sign up for the Bank of America credit card. Then other flight attendants went down the aisle handing out applications.

We would rather be read Vogon poetry than endure this torture.

Posted on June 8, 2005
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Gillette Razor Ads Disassemble (That Means Not Tell the Truth, Right?)

You've heard the pitch on endless TV ads: The Gillette M3Power Razor first lifts hairs up, then mows them down. But alas, it appears that those razor claims are not true at all. Arch-rival Schick-Wilkinson Sword set out to save unsuspecting customers from this barrage of misleading razor ads. Schick hired an army of lawyers to obtain a preliminary injunction stopping Gillette from running the ads. Score the first victory in the Razor Wars as Schick: 1 Gillette: 0. MSNBC.com reports on the Judge's decision:

Gillette Co. ads claiming its M3Power razor raises hair up and away from the skin are "unsubstantiated and inaccurate," a federal judge said in siding with Gillette's chief competitor, Schick-Wilkinson Sword.

U.S. District Judge Janet C. Hall in Bridgeport, Conn. granted Schick a preliminary injunction prohibiting the use of the television and print ads. Gillette was also ordered to change packaging for the product and remove in-store displays that feature the false claims.

Posted on June 7, 2005
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Advertisers Hope Neuromarketing Answers Their Dreams

Wired reports that scientists are scanning the brain to find more effective ways to influence your purchasing decisions:

Scientists are scanning brain activity in the hopes of catching sight of the physical mechanisms that determine whether you prefer Coke over Pepsi.

The nascent research, known as "neuromarketing," could one day lead to new advertising strategies that directly stimulate hard-wired mental reflexes rather than appealing to fuzzy consumer attitudes.

  "The hope in neuromarketing is that there's some process in the brain that is a better predictor of whether people will actually buy things than what we already have," said Colin Camerer, professor of business economics at the California Institute of Technology.

Oh Wow!! We consumers sure hope that's what the advertisers will soon be able to do! Please tap right into our primal neural centers so that we go into a psychotic induced state just to get the "right kind" of deodorant or paper towels!  We want to knock other consumers out of the way as we rampage towards the cereal section desperate for a box of corn flakes. We don't want to make our own decisions any more! Please advertisers help us decide what to buy by tapping right into our cerebral cortex.

Posted on June 6, 2005
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Parents Group Mobilizing Against Paris Hilton's Spicy Burger Ad

The Parents Television Council is not a Paris Hilton fan. Her new Carl's Jr. commercial has them frothing at the mouth and organizing a boycott of Carl's Jr. fast food restaurants because the unseemly nature of the ad. Her new commercial features La Paris seductively washing a Bentley then eating a Carl's Jr. hamburger. Along with washing the car, Paris also seductively washes herself, while she wears a skimpy black bathing suit and high heels.

The Parents Television Council said it is encouraging its more than 1 million members to voice their disapproval of the ad to Carl's Jr., a hamburger chain owned by Carpinteria, California-based CKE Restaurants Inc.

The Los Angeles-based group was also weighing whether to ask the Federal Communications Commission to declare the ad indecent, according to spokeswoman Melissa Caldwell.

"The ad crosses any sort of boundaries about what's appropriate for TV," Caldwell said, adding that the spot was "basically soft porn." CKE Restaurants Chief Executive Andy Puzder took issue with the group's characterization of the ad as pornographic. "There is no nudity in this ad. This isn't Janet Jackson's nipple," Puzder said in an interview. "It's just a fast-food ad. I wish they would focus on something that might be more meaningful."

Puzder added that the commercial has only run during adult television programs and is aimed at Carl's Jr.'s target demographic of "young hungry guys."

"It's not as if we're running this on SpongeBob SquarePants," Puzder said, referring to the popular children's television cartoon. "This ad is not targeted to kids."

SpongeBob SquarePants? Is that really the best defense to use with this crowd? Wasn't it some kind of similar kill-joy group that accused poor SpongeBob of unspeakable perversions?

The longer, more racy version of the commercial has been so popular that the website SpicyParis.com crashed on Friday due to the overwhelming traffic. But it's back online now, so there's no need to panic.

Posted on May 26, 2005
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U.S.: Just Say No to Space Billboards

Reuters reports that the United States government has wisely taken a "Just Say No" policy when it comes to giant billboards in space.

For instance, outsized billboards deployed by a space company into low Earth orbit could appear as large as the moon and be seen without a telescope, the FAA said. Big and bright advertisements might hinder astronomers.

Just imagine a giant billboard in space containing an enormous Paris Hilton eating a moon-sized Carl's Jr. hamburger. Like this advertisement but much, much larger and in space. Of course, the United States does not own space so there is nothing to stop another country from selling Carl's Jr. a giant billboard in space.

Posted on May 22, 2005
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Would You Buy A Hamburger From This Woman?

Would you buy a hamburger from this woman? Carl's Jr. is banking on it. Next week, burger lovers can tune in watch Paris Hilton in a skimpy black bathing suit, washing her custom Bentley and then taking a break for a full-fat, greasy Carl's Jr. hamburger. Playing in the background will be a rock version of the song "I Love Paris in the Springtime." She'll also say--shock of shocks--"That's hot." Of course it is a hamburger garnished with barbecue sauce and jalapeno peppers. ABC News has the breaking story:

"We're working on trying to make Paris Hilton famous," joked Andrew Puzder, president and chief executive of CKE Restaurants Inc., which owns the two fast food chains. Puzder said his company's ad agency suggested using Hilton. "She's very appealing to our demographic," which he described as young, hungry guys.

"And it turns out she really loved the burger we wanted her to promote," Puzder said. "We did see her eat a couple of them at the shoot."

If the commerical isn't hot enough for you, Carl's Jr. is also offering a longer verson of the commercial which is much racier.

Our informal poll of random males indicates that Carl's Jr. is going to be selling a lot of jalepeno barbecue burgers.

Posted on May 14, 2005
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