Panettiere, fashion label team on album

By Ann Donahue

LOS ANGELES (Billboard) - Fashion brand Candie's didn't have to look far to find its new pop-music "it girl": "Heroes" star and Candie's spokeswoman Hayden Panettiere.

As part of the latest deal linking its teen clothing line to a young female music act, Candie's will help promote the song "Wake Up Call" from Panettiere's forthcoming album from Disney's Hollywood Records.

While financial terms were not released, Hollywood says Candie's will absorb the "majority of the cost" of the single, which will include a multimillion-dollar ad buy on cable and network TV, a print campaign and a music video.

The ad campaign will begin at the end of July, while the song will be released digitally August 5. "Wake Up Call" will appear on Panettiere's still-untitled debut album, which is slated for 2009.

Candie's announced an advertising and marketing pact with Panettiere in February. The brand's incorporation of her music into the campaign follows in the footsteps of its deal last summer with Interscope and Fergie, whose songs "Big Girls Don't Cry" and "Glamorous" were promoted in Candie's TV commercials.

The brand also used Hilary Duff's "Wake Up" and "Supergirl" as part of an ad campaign in 2005-06. In the Fergie and Duff ads, the performer received a chyron at the start of the spot identifying her, the song and the title of the album featuring the track.

Candie's has had a long history of using female music stars in its advertising. Earlier campaigns have featured Destiny's Child, Ashlee Simpson, Ashanti, Ciara and the Dixie Chicks.

"When we look for our talent, we always look for the 'it girl' in pop culture," says Dari Marder, chief marketing officer for Iconix Brand Group, parent company of Candie's. "We really feel our customer connects with music . . . it's a great formula."