as up-to-date and reflective of current culture, as well as develop stronger relationships. Macys teamed up with GQ magazine and designers ranging from Kenneth Cole and Geoffrey Beene to Perry Ellis and Tommy Hilfiger to create a promotional campaign blending retailing, fashion, and music. In an eight-page 2002 holiday ad, Macys created an up-to-date mens collection featuring musical artists clad in designer duds, with a description of the apparel, the artists, and their upcoming releases. Each designer brand was con- nected with a music brand, connecting to an established fan base and reflecting a lifestyle segment. Macys customers who spent $75 or more on any of the fashions featured in the ad could send in a copy of the receipt to GQ Promotions and receive a free CD by the fea- tured artists. Macys rewards its customers with free music (and shopping suggestions), promotes its vendors labels, creates aware- ness for the bands upcoming releases, and connects its own brand as well as those of the designers and artists with customers. Its a quad- win proposition for building relationships at multiple levels. Consumer research indicates that credible sources usually enhance persuasion. Physically attractive sources are more persuasive, espe- cially for sources that are likeable, hold celebrity status, or are similar to the target audience. The surrounding content of television pro- grams, radio music, or magazine content also may enhance an ads credibility. Celebrity endorsers, whether rock musicians or Michael Jordan, shape consumers interpretation of the ad and the product through meaning transfer-the process by which the meaning of one object (a rock song, for example) is transferred to another object, the product being advertised. Products take on some of the characteristics con- sumers associate with the endorsers or the music they hear in the ads. When the endorser is trusted by consumers, they are more accepting of the ad claims, depending on how well the product and the endorser fit together. Thats one reason the Elton John ads endorsing Diet Coke work so well-he obviously needs the product and appears to really like it.       Everything Goes Better with Coke   One of the most memorable television commercials of all time featured Elton John promoting Diet Coke. In the ad, Elton John plays a piano in a nightclub, joined by famous celebrities from the past. Using high-tech recreation, Louis Armstrong blows a trumpet riff from a Diet Coke jin- gle as he stands next to Johns piano. Humphrey Bogart walks into the nightclub as though he is Rick Blaine, walking into his own club in Casablanca. James Cagney orders drinks and appears to smile at his modern lady companion as she rests her elbow on his shoulder. The shots of Bogart came from All Through the Night (1942), Armstrong was lifted from High Society (1956), and Cagney was heisted from The Roaring Twenties (1939) and Public Enemy (1931). Computers black out the background of the old movies frame by frame, keeping only the images of the stars, all now appearing to be in a contemporary setting. This transgenerational ad not only spans the ages of film, it spans the ages of cola markets, and John delivers the punch line with a truly