New York, April 15, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Cotton Incorporated announced today that Hayden Panettiere is the new celebrity face and voice for its The Fabric Of Our Lives® television campaign. The thirty- and fifteen-second commercials, which will commence broadcast on April 15, follow the twenty-three-year-old actress through a series of day-in-the-life vignettes that showcase a range of cotton and cotton-rich apparel. Following the five-year tradition of the campaign, Ms. Panettiere also sings a variation of the familiar "the touch, the feel of cotton" song; this time with a decidedly country & western sensibility.
See video from Cotton and Synaptic Digital at: http://inr.synapticdigital.com/cotton/2013commercial
"For this iteration of the campaign we wanted a visible celebrity with an all-American, girl-next-door quality," says Ric Hendee, Senior Vice President of Consumer Marketing for Cotton Incorporated. "Hayden had the look and the cross-over country sound we were looking for."
The criteria was strategic, building on the celebration of American style theme of the 2012 commercials that culminated in the second Cotton's 24Hour Runway Show in South Beach, Miami this past March. "The commercial celebrates American style and American originals like country music, cotton denim, and, of course, U.S. cotton growers who are the number-one exporters of cotton to the global textile industry," adds Hendee.
The historic rise in cotton prices two years ago, and subsequent erosion of cotton market share owning to the substitution of synthetics in traditionally cotton-dominant apparel, partially influenced the wardrobe selections of the vignettes. "Going back to 2008, the campaign has highlighted cotton as an ingredient in high end designer apparel," says Hendee. "With Hayden's spot, we're also reminding consumers that real denim is made from cotton; an idea that suited Hayden's individual tastes and the contemporary country style of the music."
The commercial was shot on location in Nashville by DDB New York, the agency of record for Cotton Incorporated, and showcases apparel from Missoni, Valentino, J. Brand, Ralph Lauren Denim, and Anthropologie. Said Ms. Panetierre of the experience, "It's a lot easier to play a character on TV than to play yourself, even in a thirty-second commercial. I mean, off the set, I am basically a blue jeans kind of girl --- as long as they're cotton, of course."
About Cotton Incorporated
Cotton Incorporated, funded by U.S. cotton producers and importers of cotton and cotton textile products, conducts worldwide research and promotion activities to increase the demand for and profitability of cotton.