Creative Briefs

THEN AND NOW Cotton's New Clothes Coming off the success of the "Fabric of our lives" campaign, which broke in 1989, Cotton is trying on a jazzier new identity. To combat the popularity of polyester, Cotton Incorporated began advertising in 1971. Efforts in the late '70s included live promotions by celebrities, including Barbara Walters (below). But now Ogilvy & Mather, New York, the company's ad agency of 28 years, has tapped the animators of MTV's Celebrity Death Match for a doll-centered campaign appearing in fashion industry magazines. Conservatively dressed dolls point to cotton's possibilities for business-casual attire; more funky dolls (below) "inject a little sexiness," says art director Michael Paterson. The goal? "Even if you take all the words off the ads, you will still be able to tell it's Cotton," says copywriter Chris Skurat. The dolls will appear in consumer pubs this fall and, if all goes well, in stop-animation TV ads next year. LL Rhymes for GatoradeIs that popular rap song you want to license well out of your budgetary reach? Go to another rap star and get him to score an original. Art director Geoff Edwards and copywriter Colin Costello, creative directors at FCB in Chicago, had chosen a DMX song for a new Gatorade "Is it in you?" spot. Seeing the price tag, though, they turned to Hum Music + Sound Design's newly launched SubZero satellite. A division of the Santa Monica, Calif.-based music house, Sub Zero is dedicated to matching ad agencies and recording artists for original spot music projects. In the ad, LL Cool J rhymes, "My game's hard core/ Leave it on the floor," as multiple freeze-framed images highlight the players' intensity and their signature Gatorade-colored sweat. The track was written and recorded in one 12-hour day at New York recording studio Hit Factory. "We were blown away," Costello says of the collaboration. According to the agency and music house creative team, the rap star penned the words to a track composed by his producer, Self, within an hour at the studio. LL Rhymes for GatoradeDeep Freeze Tequila Shot People Shooting its first commercial for sneaker maker And 1, the team from Fallon, New York, got a dose of what life is like for those at agency headquarters. But though the University of Minnesota shoot was long and cold—around 10 degrees—it was close to home for the Minnesota Timberwolves' Kevin Garnett, the new face of And 1. To wit, the night sky and Garnett's visible breath added to the spots' stylized, noirish look. In one ad, the NBA star forward describes his dream that players "will be measured in games won, not shots taken." In another, he recites a version of "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" that calls on "superstars" to combat their reputation for greed and ego. "KG just went about doing his thing, take after take, never once complaining," recalls chief creative officer Jamie Barrett, who wrote the spots and shared creative director duties with Kevin Roddy. Barrett says after the shoot wrapped, around midnight, they feared Garnett would have pneumonia. "In stead, he scored a triple-double the next night, and the Timberwolves went on a 10-game winning streak," says Barrett. "Maybe next time we'll shoot in Antarc tica." The executive producer was Roddy's wife, Julie. The art director was Matt Vescovo. The producer was Marty Wetherall. Keen to appeal to those elusive young trendsetters, Don Julio tequila tapped Index magazine to design an ad for its fifth anniversary issue. A shot by 23-year-old Index photographer Ryan McGinley of a shirtless DJ sorting through his albums was chosen to "connect with DJ culture," says Michael Bullock, head of advertising at Index. The logo is shortened to the initials DJ, and copy reads "Legendary DJ. Legendary tequila." The spinner, identified below his picture only as "Matt," is not legendary yet, admits Bullock. He's a friend of the photographer. Tom Cocke and Tom Davis returned to The Buntin Group, Nashville, Tenn., as vp, associate creative director, and senior art director, respectively. Cocke returns from Wray Ward Laseter in Charlotte, N.C., where he worked on Continental/General Tire, Gaston Health Care and Lowes. Davis comes from Creative Works and The Maryland Group, both in Nashville. ... Caroline Bailey rejoined Ziccardi & Partners in New York as associate creative director. She most recently freelanced for clients such as The New Yorker, Sony and Sotheby's.

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