Advertising, ad campaigns, ad agencies, and the people that make it happen

As a follow up to my last post about the Vanity Fair, naked Miley Cyrus picture hoo-ha... It was interesting to read in today's New York Times that the Miley Cyrus/Hannah Montana machine, generates retail sales for the franchise of about $1 billion a year. A motion picture is in the works for 2009 and Ms. Cyrus signed a seven-figure book deal with the Disney Book Group last week. And you have to laugh at the words of a Disney spokeswoman, Patti McTeague, who faulted Vanity Fair for the photo. “Unfortunately, as the article suggests, a situation was created to deliberately manipulate a 15-year-old in order to sell magazines,” she said. Oh yeah... And just who twisted the girls arm to get her to do the shoot... Her Dad? Even worse was the truly dumb words of Gary Marsh, president of entertainment for Disney Channel Worldwide, who said... “For Miley Cyrus to be a ‘good girl’ is now a business decision for her. Parents have invested in her a godliness. If she violates that trust, she won’t get it back.” Did he say "Godliness?" She's a 15 year old pop singer, not the Dalai Llama for crying out loud.

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Hey kid... You signed up for it!