• by Amy Corr , Staff Writer @MediaPostOTL, June 25, 2003

Bally Total Fitness wants to show you ads while you work out. Atlantic City gets a new casino. Emirates debuts a new set of ads. Those are just a few of the campaigns launched this week. Read on for more details.

Sirius has launched the next phase of their advertising campaign with a computer animated commercial, codename "Arm." The campaign is in support of Sirius' first portable satellite radio systems from Kenwood and Audiovox. The TV ad will air on late night network television and on cable networks, including, E!, BET, Comedy Central, TLC, VH1, MTV, MTV2, SpeedChannel, ESPN, ESPN2, Much Music, and FX. The ad, designed by Crispin, Porger + Bogusky, features animation inside a car and at a home to show the versatility of the plug-and-play units. The commercial also highlights the fact that Sirius is the only commercial-free music provider for satellite radio.

Schadler Kramer Group Advertising is launching a $10 million multi-media advertising campaign to coincide with the opening of the $1 billion Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa in Atlantic City. The property is Atlantic City's first new hotel/casino to open in 13 years. Borgata's consumer launch campaign, entitled "Go to Your Happy Place," positions the property as a state of mind. It makes an uplifting appeal to Atlantic City visitors who are ready for a new experience. The campaign also targets Atlantic City rejecters - those who haven't found the current offerings in Atlantic City compelling enough to visit. "Go to Your Happy Place" debuts in New York, New Jersey, Philadelphia and in select national venues in newspapers, magazines, outdoor and radio on July 1, and will be followed by a TV campaign in late summer/early fall. Ads will appear in publications such as New York Magazine, People, InStyle, Food & Wine, Vanity Fair, Travel & Leisure, Playboy, Maxim, FHM, Esquire, Sports Illustrated, Wine Spectator and Spa Finder.

Some new things have been added to ADiamondIsForever.com. The site has merged The Design Gallery with its Design Your Own Ring (DYOR) function. DYOR launched on May 27th and lets users design their own three-stone ring, in addition to an engagement ring. To celebrate the launch of DYOR, an online promotion was launched June 1st and will run through July 15th, where users design their own 3-stone ring and get a chance to win it. Along with the online promotion, a print ad designed by J. Walter Thompson will run in the June 30th issue of People magazine. An already existing :15 TV spot, now running on cable, was updated with a new voice-over to drive traffic to the Design Gallery and promotion. Online ads will run on hgtv.com, ivillage.com, eonline.com and foodtv.com.

Bally Total Fitness has partnered with Zoom Media to place and market advertising in Bally gyms nationwide. Bally and Zoom will partner to place backlit signs in Bally exercise areas and traditional signs in Bally locker rooms. Zoom will represent the Bally program to prospective clients. The nationwide launch will begin in July in 400 health clubs. The program combines Bally's consumers who are young, well educated professionals with Zoom's ability to target active young adult while they are out. I wonder if McDonald's will sign on as an advertiser?

Grand Central Station became a more relaxed atmosphere on June 2nd and 3rd when Pfizer made Vanderbilt Hall a "Serenity Center" in support of their migraine medication Relpax. The Relpax Serenity Center built awareness of migraines as a debilitating disease and the impact migraines have on sufferers' lives. The two day event was created and managed by Arc Marketing. The Relpax-branded "spa center" incorporated colors, shapes, textures and design elements that promote serenity, relaxation and maximum reduction of stress. The Spa invited headache sufferers to celebrate the experience of migraine relief. People were drawn to the spa via signage, promotional messages throughout Grand Central and on-train advertising for morning commuters. The space had 5 sensory environments, with each environment station dedicated to a particular sense, and featured a massage area and complimentary "sensory experience" area. For example, the "Sight" area created the ambience of a Zen garden, complete with a rippling rock pond and stone bench.

Spring, O'Brien has designed a summer campaign for airline company Emirates. The $2.5 million multimedia campaign will consist of print, radio, television and outdoor advertising. The print ads are running in The Economist, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal (Eastern edition), and Travel Weekly to name a few. Another print ad, breaking in The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal in mid-July entitled "Chevy," encourages readers to "remember when" and recapture a memorable moment from their childhood. At the same time, it highlights the number of destinations in the Emirates network and reminds readers that they can earn miles with Emirates' partner airlines.

The Advertising Council has partnered with the USDA Forest Service and the National Association of State Foresters to launch a national public service advertising (PSA) campaign designed to facilitate the creation of Firewise communities to reduce the destructive impact and costs of wildland fires. Created pro bono by Foote, Cone & Belding, Southern California, the campaign includes radio, magazine, and newspaper ads, as well as training manuals for Volunteer Fire Departments.

This week's website launches include:

Agency.com has launched MotherOfTheBride.com, a new microsite for Barrie Pace, a catalog retailer of upscale women's designer apparel. The site is designed to provide "Mothers of the Bride" with fashion assistance leading up to the wedding. Through MotheroftheBride.com, Barrie Pace will offer today's mother of the bride a sophisticated selection of formal or casual apparel, specifically selected to meet the various needs of a wedding, from the rehearsal dinner through the wedding and reception.

Simple Star has developed an online promotion for 7UP's new soda, dn-L. Located on the Shockwave website, 'EZ-DJ' is an online application that allows people to "step up to the turntables" and mix music in a fun and easy way. The tool is sponsored by 7-Up as part of their dn-L campaign, and after making a mix, users can share it with their friends online.