They got as much word of mouth as they did paid display time. Tom Murry, president of Calvin Klein, explains, "Creating a sexy campaign thats successful requires a balance of risk-taking, good judgment, and genuine connection to the product. You cant do sexy for the sake of being sexy. That usually falls flat-fast. For a sexy campaign to be effective it has to feel real to the consumer; it has to emote authenticity."

Authentic Sex

Brands are judged by their authenticity-how real they are in terms of their promises, attributes, and positioning in the eyes of consumers. If the positioning and image are too contrived, the brand often fails to connect with fans, who chalk up a fabricated image as a blatant mar- keting scheme to sell them something. This is very apparent in urban markets, where rappers are judged based on their real-world experi- ences with urban strife and violence. Just as the new in-your-face gangsta rap artist 50 Cent has been deemed an authentic brand, par- tially because the lead singer is a former crack dealer who has been shot nine times, so too can Madonna be judged as highly authentic regarding the sexual attributes of her product.

According to her biographies, Madonna lost her virginity at age 15, has had hundreds of affairs (some with women), and has posed for erotic magazines, released an over-the-top book of erotica, and shot a video which bordered on pornographic. Once married to actor Sean Penn, she admits that she tried to seduce Michael Jackson after they appeared together at the Oscars in 1991, but failed to arouse his inter- est. Shes also reported to have told friends that John F. Kennedy Jr. was "interested" in her but too nervous to click with her sexually. Then there were the jocks in her life, preferring men who dribble bas- ketballs for a profession, with the most controversial of them being Dennis Rodman.

But sexuality evolves, even for Madonna, who at the age of 45 now appears to have been matured by marriage to current husband Guy Ritchie and motherhood of her two children. Although they may be like any other married couple-she criticizes the way he chews his food and he makes fun of her hairpieces-no one could dispute that Madonna exhibits authenticity as a sexual goddess. In fact, in talking to people about the pop diva, many find her sexier at forty-something than at twenty-something because of her confidence and authenticity.

Madonna has been revered as a trend guru. If Madonna jogs, so do her fans, and when she takes up yoga, so do those looking to have a body like hers. Her ability to set trends in fashion, exercise, beauty, expression, dance, spirituality, and lifestyle stems from identifying something occurring on the fringe of society that is likely to catch on in mainstream culture-and she becomes the conduit for its intro- duction and acceptance. She is an authentic brand that takes the lead and invites others to follow her, not a fabricated brand that adopts the latest look and says "Can I join you?"