■ AOL Time Warner has announced it will be providing Toyota with "the marketing campaign of the future," as the auto giant introduces an updated version of its number-one-selling Camry. The music-themed campaign will involve promotions across all of AOLTW’s print, television and online brands, including a Toyota-sponsored special issue of TIME dedicated to world music, entitled "Music Goes Global." Online components include creation of a Toyota-branded "Backstage Pass" area of Time.com’s (www.time.com) "Music Goes Global" site (created by AOL), a Toyota feature on AOL’s Autos Channel and promotions on TNT.tv (www.tnt.tv). AOLTW Co-COO Bob Pittman hailed the announcement as "the kind of totally integrated cross-platform marketing solution that can only be found at AOL Time Warner, with its unparalleled family of print, TV and online brands and 135 million subscription relationships." After 15 years, we could fit all of our "subscription relationships" in a supply closet—but we think it’s cozier that way.
■ MTV.com (http://www.mtv.com) has extended the brand equity of its Video Music Awards online this year, whipping up a contest wherein online fans battle for a chance to present the Viewers Choice Award at the gala awards show September 6. Dubbed the "Last Fans Standing" contest, entrants told the MTV.com audience at large why they should be the award’s presenter, and the audience has so far narrowed the field of more than 10,000 down to four. The online pleading will continue until September 4, when the final two will be announced on—where else—TRL. Both the Viewer’s Choice Award and the debut MTV2 Award will be determined by online fan votes, which will continue to be tallied up to the presentation of the awards.
■ Columbia Records, meanwhile, continues its partnership with Music Choice and video house Notorious Pictures with a new installment of "Music Choice Presents: Street Team," a hybrid reality-TV and music documentary program designed to offer viewers a "behind-the-scenes look at the rock & roll lifestyle previously off-limits to the public eye." Columbia acts featured in the September episode include Stereomud, Craving Theo, Spike 1000 and Endo. The show reaches about 25 million homes linked to Music Choice affiliated cable systems, all of which are invited to extend their experience on streetteamtv.com.
■ Epic Records has re-launched EpicRecords.com in anticipation of fourth-quarter releases from Michael Jackson, Macy Gray, Incubus and Ozzy Osbourne, among others. The retooled site features a number of dynamic elements aimed at giving repeat visitors "something to look forward to each week," including "Artist of the Week" streaming clips, "Artist on the Rise" profiles, "New Music Mondays" and "Watch, Listen & Win" contests—all featuring full-length songs. Developed over the course of a year as a collaboration between Epic New Media and Sony Music Online, the new site also includes a number of games and a wireless feature which allows registrants to have "breaking artist news" sent to their cell phones along with the usual mind-controlling subliminal brain stimulation.
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