Does Alicia Hold the Keys to 20-Something Women?

R&B Singer Stars in Dove's New Micro-Series

Posted by Mike Tunnicliffe in Ad Age Songs For Soap on 03.31.08 @ 01:03 PM



Keys, alongside Desi Lydic, on 'Fresh Takes'
Hot on the heels of Sunsilk's ground-breaking global launch this month starring Madonna, Unilever is making more waves with R&B singer Alicia Keys, who is starring in a new micro-series for Dove's new "Go Fresh" fragrance collection. "Fresh Takes," aimed at 20-something women, was created jointly by media agency Mindshare Entertainment and MTV.

The micro-series runs for 5 weeks during "The Hills" on MTV, and the first 3-minute episode premiered a week ago. Like "The Hills," Dove's branded show gives viewers a look at three girlfriends who navigate their lives through laughter, Facebook and text messages.

All the episodes, as well as exclusive behind-the-scenes footage of Alicia and the entire cast, will be available on dovegofresh.com and MTV's microsite after each air-date.

In a press release issued Friday, Keys said, "I am so excited to be starring in 'Fresh Takes' because it puts the pressures that I deal with every day in a new light and opens my eyes to the reality that I can be successful in many different ways and have every reason to feel beautiful right now." This isn't the first acting gig for Keys, who got her start in an episode of "The Cosby Show" and is slated to appear in "The Secret Life of Bees" next year.

Unilever appears to be surging ahead of the competition with these brand-music tie-ins and it's good to see that a media agency and media channel have led the development of this idea, which is something that I believe we should be seeing more of. Full marks all round! [Ed. That's an A+ for us Americans]