A handful of leading consumer-product marketers has decided to join "Entourage." Diet Pepsi, Gap, Cingular Wireless and Hyundai Motor America are among the advertisers connecting their brands to the
HBO series about the adventures of a young movie star in Hollywood and his group of pals. "Entourage," with its ensemble cast and its plots centered on four men about town, reminds many viewers of
"Sex and the City." The similarities have attracted marketers seeking to appeal to younger consumers. "In Generation Y, it's all about belonging," says Susan Cocco, svp and executive marketing
director at Colangelo Synergy Marketing, which works for brands like Fram, Guinness and Schick. One example is a campaign for Diet Pepsi that features "Entourage" actor Kevin Dillon, who portrays a
character named Johnny Chase, nicknamed Johnny Drama. The campaign playfully presents Diet Pepsi as if it were a human celebrity; Mr. Dillon, in a magazine ad, is helping a can of Diet Pepsi hook up
with a hottie. Mr. Dillon is appropriate for the campaign because "the show pokes fun at the celebrity phenomenon in the same way we're doing," says Pepsi spokesman Russell Weiner.
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