• The New York Times, Wednesday, June 17, 2009 11:31 AM

Looks like Madison Avenue's present obsession with 1960s hippie culture is finally making its way online. In one instance, the revival of the '67 musical "Hair" -- which began in March on Broadway -- has inspired companies like CBS and Levi Strauss to "get groovy" with merchandise and music, the Times reports.

David Goodman, president of the CBS Interactive Music Group in New York -- part of the CBS Interactive unit of the CBS Corporation -- introduced this month an Internet-only radio channel named "Hair on Broadway," featuring music from and inspired by the show; it can be heard on Web sites like cbsradio.com, aol.com and hairbroadway.com. The "Hair" channel is the first from the interactive music group devoted to one Broadway musical, Mr. Goodman said.

"The cool thing about 'Hair' is that it's reached a new generation," Goodman tells the Times. "To use a phrase from 'Hair,' it's a really good acid test of what we can create as part of our Internet-only radio station offerings," he added.

What's next, the Times asks, "Hair" the video game?

The recycling of the decade apparently began in earnest three years ago, when Ameriprise Financial introduced ads with Dennis Hopper, a quintessential symbol of the '60s as a result of his roles in films like "Easy Rider." Other marketers subsequently jumped on the flower-bedecked bandwagon, including Geico and General Mills.

Read the whole story at The New York Times »