• by Karl Greenberg , April 21, 2009

 

The jingle is back. Cotton Incorporated, the research and promotion company for U.S. cotton growers and importers, is the latest brand to deal with the realities of the economy and scared consumers by going back in time. The organization has brought back "The Touch, the Feel of Cotton" music, which the group hasn't used since 2001.

The new ad campaign features singer/actress Zooey Deschanel, R&B singer Jazmine Sullivan, and country singer/musician Miranda Lambert, who each perform songs. The effort, via DDB New York, comprises new television commercials that began airing this month as well as print and Internet components.

The three 30-second spots, each featuring one of the singers, shows them in their daily lives through montages with each performing the song in a way that reflects their milieu. Deschanel does the song in contemporary style while Sullivan does a blues version and Lambert does it as a country song.

In the spot featuring Deschanel, the actress goes shopping for clothes, then sits at the piano composing the tune. In her spot, Lambert is at a red-carpet event then at her farm riding a horse, and playing guitar.

Glenn Sciachitano, director of consumer advertising at Cotton Incorporated, said the ads were revived because of the timing. "Since 2001, the company's advertising has stressed the fashionability, versatility and easy-care benefits of cotton to the 18-34 female demographic," he said in a release. "The new campaign retains that ... fashion focus, while paying tribute to the brand's rich heritage."

The Web campaign, starting next month, will include microsites for each singer within TheFabricOfOurLives.com. The site includes a Zooey Deschanel Stylebook, a look inside Miranda Lambert's closet, and a neighborhood shopping guide by Jazmine Sullivan.

Print ads launch this summer featuring still shots of the three artists in cotton wardrobes from the commercial shoot, along with notes from the singers about each garment.