Madison Avenue Likes What it Sees in the Mirror

by jill ~ June 23, 2008

From today’s New York Times, there is a great article about all of the advertising being done to promote the new season of “Mad Men,” and the DVD release of its first season. 

This is a great study in the art of “cross-promotion.” According to the article, they are issuing a special advertising section of Advertising Age in next week’s issue that will be a complete (fictional) replica of an Ad Age issue from that era - “Interspersed with the faux articles in the ad section, which cover plot lines from “Mad Men” as if they actually happened, there are articles carrying headlines like “How TV Alters U.S. Elections” (after the Kennedy-Nixon presidential race) and “Auto Sales Hitting 6.6 Million” (compared with 16.15 million last year).”

Some other cross-promotions include:

 ¶Bloomingdale’s, part of Macy’s, has store windows devoted to the series as well as “Mad Men” shops selling clothing bearing the Theory label. The promotions are in 14 markets like Chicago, Los Angeles and New York.

¶Customers at 30 Michael Kors stores who buy merchandise worth $350 or more will receive the DVD set free. The promotion, later this summer, is tied to clothing in the fall Kors line that is “inspired by the style of ‘Mad Men,’ ” Ms. Parducci of Lionsgate said.

¶A CD, “Mad Men: Music from the Series, Volume 1,” is to be released on Tuesday by EMI/Manhattan Records, part of the EMI Group.

¶Lionsgate will introduce on Aug. 1 a “Mad Men” wall calendar for 2009.