Out To Launch

Every week brings a myriad of ad campaign and website launches and it's nearly impossible to keep up with them all. If you missed a few, here are some the major launches of the week that was, and the week that will be.

Terra Lycos has launched a special Elvis Presley promotion on its Lycos Music destination. Lycos Music is featuring a free exclusive audio stream of the Elvis' previously unreleased track "Polk Salad Annie," recorded August 11, 1970 at The International Hotel in Las Vegas. Additionally, Lycos Music offers exclusive photographs of the "The King" in a photo slideshow and a chance to win a trip to Graceland to see a virtual live Elvis Presley performance, meet the original band and get a private tour of Graceland.

Katie Holmes of Dawson's Creek has signed on to be the celebrity spokesperson for Garnier's Lumia Brightening Color Creme. This summer, the 22-year-old beauty's brunette tresses will turn into luxuriant golden copper brown locks, thanks to Garnier Lumia's blend of nourishing conditioners and natural ingredients. Holmes will debut her new Garnier Lumia hair color, Ginger Petals #54, in a national television and print campaign, which is scheduled to roll out in July and August.

Staying with health and beauty, the Gillette Company has launched "Boot Camp," a new advertising campaign for its Gillette for Women Soft & Dri anti-perspirants and deodorants. The television spot, which first aired on July 9th on a variety of prime time and daytime programs, is a tribute to the confidence and strength of today's young women. The 15-second spot features camouflage-clad women in a military setting. Mixing physical challenges with synchronized dance to a new version of the "Duckworth Chant," it's meant to capture female strength and beauty in action. The campaign, which features the tagline "Strong & Beautiful. Just like you" is targeted to the more than 23 million young women between the ages of 12 and 24.

Moving on to food, Pizza Hut is tapping into the hot topic of tax rebates in a new commercial with the launch of its Twisted Crust pizza $9.99 Any Way You Want It national promotion. The new 30-second commercial, which debuts tonight on network television, is the latest in a series of Pizza Hut TV commercials reflecting the company's sense of humor and reputation for tying into topical, political and world events through its products.

The California Milk Processor Board (CMPB), creators of the GOT MILK? campaign, is inviting California teens to enter in the first-ever GOT MILK? "Poetry Slam." The Grand Prize winner will take home a home computer with CD-ROM/DVD and have his or her creation broadcast on gotmilk.com. The contest will start July 11, 2001 and will conclude August 27, 2001. Winners will be announced in early September 2001.

In the fashion world, following on the heels of his well-received "Love Story" inspired collections for the season, Tommy Hilfiger's national advertising campaign for men's and women's sportswear salutes his youthful all-American spirit, his unique New England sensibility and his fresh take on a misty blue ocean palette. The ads, which were created by Deutsch NY, capture a twosome in a playful array of treasured, easy moments -- strolling hand in hand on the sand, splashing animatedly in the waves and embracing on a plaid picnic blanket -- simply enjoying a seasonably crisp afternoon. The campaign is set to break in the New York Times Fashion of the Times in August, followed closely by September books including Vogue, Harper's Bazaar, GQ, Esquire, Maxim, Elle and In Style, among others. A major outdoor transit campaign will debut in October in New York City and will include wall units, billboards, king bus posters, bus shelters and phone kiosks.

In sports, the Major League Baseball All-Stars hit the field for the 72nd All-Star Game on Tuesday Tuesday. Coinciding with this, sluggers Sammy Sosa and Ken Griffey, Jr. starred in a new Pepsi commercial that aired both on the Internet and on television. The commercial first aired on the Internet, then on television during the game telecast on FOX Sports. Set at the All-Star Game at Safeco Field, the commercial was a tribute to the science of hitting. Griffey, at the plate, sees a pitch and decides he likes it. In fact, he decides so quickly, time slows and he begins to ponder other aspects of his daily life. All is well (and still, less than half a second has transpired) until he notices Sosa eyeing the Pepsi that Griffey thought he left safely in the dugout. His Pepsi in peril, Griffey makes the necessary adjustments to protect it. Titled "1/2 Second," the commercial was created by Pepsi's longtime advertising agency, BBDO New York.

Staying in sports, in an effort to appeal to MTV viewers and focus on the athletes, the International Olympic Committee unveiled a new ad campaign Monday to get people ready to watch the Salt Lake Winter Olympics. Under the banner "Celebrate Humanity," the eight spots featured narration by Robin Williams and background music by artists including Bob Marley, Radiohead and Daft Punk. The spots are intended to run as public-service anouncements, not paid advertising. Two of the ads, full of action shots of snowboarders and freestyle skiers, are aimed at the youth market, said Dick Pound, the IOC's marketing chief. Other spots include the Jamaican bobsled team from the 1988 Calgary Games, the spectacular crash by Austrian skier Hermann Maier during the 1998 Nagano Games, and montages of ski jumpers, cross-country skiers, hockey players, speedskaters and figure skaters. The ads, seven of them 30 seconds long and the other a minute, are the second such package in a series the IOC launched in the wake of the Salt Lake bribery scandal, the worst in its history.

From Utah to Hollywood, Twentieth Century Fox's "Apes" are coming in more ways than one! Reebok and Twentieth Century Fox Licensing & Merchandising (Fox L&M) have announced a major "Planet of the Apes" promotional partnership, an "Apes"-inspired ad featuring the film's feared Ape Commander as Evolved Classic, wearing a select pair of Reebok's innovative athletic fashion shoes. Offering a unique glimpse into Tim Burton's "Planet of the Apes," slated to hit theatres July 27, the co-branded print (August 2001) and outdoor (August - September) campaign is the newest addition to Reebok's popular print advertising campaign that communicates what it means to be a true "classic," resonating with the timelessness of Reebok Classic shoes and Fox's "Apes" franchise.

Premium Wireless Services, a global distributor of mobile media, will promote the new film "Final Fantasy" via delivery of SMS marketing messages to more than 60,000 mobile phone users starting August 6 in the United Kingdom. The "sends" will be targeted at the film's prime demographic of 14-to-25-year-old males to coincide with its U.K. release date. Recipients of the messaging will be Yourmobile.com users who download free wireless content (ringtones and logos), and who fit the required demographic profile.

Staying in wireless advertising, AvantGo, Inc., a provider of mobile infrastructure software and services, announced that the Jeep brand, a division of DaimlerChrysler Corporation, will be conducting a two-month wireless advertising campaign for the all-new Jeep Liberty on the AvantGo mobile Internet service. The new customer acquisition and brand awareness campaign kicked off on Tuesday.

Email marketing pioneer Al Bredenberg has launched EmailResults.com, a site offering resources to support permission-based email marketing. EmailResults.com features a library of how-to articles for fighting unsolicited commercial email (or "spam") and for marketing by email using permission methods. The site includes a large directory of opt-in email lists for advertisers, providing links to list rentals, list brokers, email ad networks, and email newsletters that accept advertising. In addition, the site serves as the home for Email Marketing Results, a free newsletter on permission email marketing.

Continuing its commitment to increasing access to unique information, products and services for the disability community, their family and friends, WE Media Inc. this week joined with eUniverse, an interactive entertainment network, to raise awareness about people with disabilities through a new line of motivational, co-branded content. The campaign, titled "Inspirational Profiles," features compelling, real-life vignettes of people with disabilities, including Paralympic athletes, civil rights leaders, celebrities, and other accomplished individuals. To support the campaign, eUniverse launched SpiritBoost.com, a website and newsletter featuring this new genre of inspirational content. The first profile features Shea Cowart, an American gold medallist at the Sydney 2000 Paralympic Games.

The WIT Agency, Ltd. recently launched PharmaDTP.com, a website that provides the pharmaceutical industry with the latest research on web-based initiatives, focusing on Direct-to-Consumer (DTC) and Direct-to-Patient (DTP) Internet marketing. PharmaDTP.com serves pharma executives, brand managers and other industry professionals.

BuyandHold.com, the 10th largest online broker, is launching their largest marketing campaign ever this week. The theme of the campaign is "Summer Savings - Stocks are on sale... why aren't you buying?" BuyandHold will offer new customers free stock picks from their Advisory Service providers, when they open an account, and historical stock market performance stats. The campaign consists of national radio advertisements that will reach 208 markets, a print ad to run in the Sunday Wall Street Journal, and an online marketing effort that will involve 16 million opt-in emails.

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