Stars and politics meet on Madison Avenue

By T.L. Stanley

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - These days, TV viewers can't seem to escape Virginia Madsen.

Madsen, who made a splash in movies like "Sideways" and "Candyman," has hit the airwaves to spread the word about a couple of seemingly disparate matters of interest to women -- encouraging them, via a public service announcement, to get involved in the political process, and selling them, via a highly visible multimedia campaign, on the benefits of a popular, wrinkle-combating drug.

Allergan, manufacturer of Botox, of which Madsen is the face, partnered with the League of Women Voters on an initiative called Freedom of Expression Through Film. Playing off the Botox tagline, the drugmaker calls the public-awareness campaign "dedicated to voter education and self-expression." Madsen played a major role. Beyond the PSA, the actress crisscrossed the country on a 10-city tour this summer on behalf of the 88-year-old nonpartisan League.

Fighting the effects of aging and inspiring political involvement would not seem to have much in common. But Madsen ties it all together. "It really is about the total woman," she said. "We're complicated creatures. There are so many aspects to us, so many different choices we have as women today with our bodies, our minds, beauty, brains -- and one of the most important choices we have this year is voting."

CELEBRITY POLITICS

In a historic political year in which celebrity has played a starring role -- from Oprah Winfrey and Paris Hilton to the megawatt impact of Barack Obama and Sarah Palin -- the Madsen-Allergan-League partnership made for an ingenious and increasingly common intersection of celebrity, politics and commerce. And with our celebrity-fixated electorate engaged in the pursuit for the White House like never before, it's no wonder advocacy groups, marketers and media brands have sought to cash in on that heavy consumer interest.

Another high-profile, celebrity-centered link-up encompassing politics, marketing and civic awareness was initiated by Declare Yourself, a nonpartisan voter-registration group founded by TV producer Norman Lear, a notable Hollywood liberal. Its eye-catching campaign to encourage voter involvement roped in young stars like America Ferrera, Zac Efron and Jessica Alba, whose arresting, duct-tape-bound image got tongues wagging when it rolled out a couple of weeks ago.

"The celebrity involvement this year is more intense, more visible and more pragmatic," said Declare Yourself executive director Marc Morgenstern. "They feel very strongly about this election -- it's not a casual thing. They're going out of their way to use their appeal to get out the youth vote."

Corporations jumping on the Declare Yourself bandwagon include American Eagle Outfitters, which marketed a Declare Yourself T-shirt, and Apple's iTunes, which featured an exclusive cover of Alice Cooper's "I'm Eighteen" by Sean Kingston. "Working with partners like this gives us a bigger footprint, and that's critical," said Morgenstern, whose organization reports registering some 2 million voters since 2004, about 750,000 of them this election cycle.

CHEEKY CAMPAIGNS

While those examples had civic mindedness at their core, most brands have taken a cheekier approach. Unilever's politically themed iteration of the long-running "Axe Effect" campaign had Hillary Clinton donning both Obama and McCain buttons during the primaries. Another lighthearted entry was the "presidential campaign" of Captain Morgan, mascot of the Diageo rum brand, who made appearances at both political conventions after the marketer secured sponsorship rights.

Meanwhile, Miller High Life, a MillerCoors brand, had a beer delivery guy touting his "Common Sense Party" via the Web and appearances at sporting events and nightclubs. And the restaurant chain Denny's launched a "Vote for Real" contest seeking best look-alikes of the presidential candidates.

Flipping channels, it's evident the range of entertainment-media brands that have -- along with some of the marketers whose messages they carry -- aligned themselves with this year's presidential contest. Forerunner Comedy Central continues to break ratings records with its "Indecision 2008" coverage on "The Daily Show" and "The Colbert Report." Following suit, Nickelodeon, MTV, BET, Lifetime, CMT, Spike and Logo have capitalized on the public's fascination with the campaign with dedicated programing, candidate debates, town halls, streaming video, user-generated content, even made-for-TV movies.

Rainbow Media's We cable network has made a voter-registration drive (goal: 1 million women) the center of its branding campaign, enlisting the likes of Geraldine Ferraro, former U.S. Rep. Susan Molinari and entertainers Kelly Ripa, Ricki Lake and LeAnn Rimes.

Sibling network IFC, which took only a toe-in-the-water approach in previous elections, this time rolled out news specials, audience polls, on-demand content, streaming video, primary and convention coverage and blogs. "We've never done anything of this magnitude before," says Evan Shapiro, president of IFC and the Sundance Channel.