Commentary

Out to Launch

The Night Agency continues its trend of racy ads. American Airlines and Sharp unveil branding campaigns. Let's launch!

LG Mobile Phones has launched its largest advertising push since debuting in the United States in 1998. Ads are running in movie theaters, in magazines (including Cargo, Lucky, Entertainment Weekly, Premiere and Rolling Stone), and on TV. Beginning this fall, the TV ads will be seen in New York and Los Angeles during primetime television, on such networks as Comedy Central, Fox, MTV, NBC, and the WB. Ads will run during "American Idol," "Smallville," "Survivor," and "That 70's Show." The campaign targets 18- to 24-year-old consumers and accentuates LG's trademark sleek, clamshell phones, positioning them as fashion accessories. The campaign was created by BrandBuzz.

Sharp Electronics Corporation has launched its largest brand campaign in company history. Targeted to sports, entertainment, and design and technology enthusiasts, the campaign launched Sept. 12 on NFL on Fox, CBS' "60 Minutes," and ESPN. Created by the Amsterdam, New York, and Tokyo offices of Wieden + Kennedy, the campaign consists of five TV commercials and magazine ads. Based on the theme, "More to See," the campaign's premise is that television is today's most powerful storytelling device, and Sharp helps people experience and see more of the world by delivering superior color, detail, and sound. Three more ads are set to launch in mid-October on Major League Baseball post-season and National Football League telecasts and both network and cable primetime entertainment and news programs. Online ads will run on Yahoo!, MSN, ESPN, Cnet, and SportsLine.com.

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A four-part NOVA miniseries entitled "Origins" is airing Sept. 28 & 29 on PBS. The miniseries investigates new clues from the frontiers of science. Throughout the four episodes, astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson guides viewers on a cosmic journey from the beginning of time to the far reaches of the universe - in search of the recipes for life. To support the launch, print ads are running in The New Yorker, Sports Illustrated and The Week. Online ads appear on NYTimes, Yahoo!, and Atom Shockwave. And my personal favorite aspect of the campaign is the heat-activated coffee sleeves (on my coffee cup this morning!), and day-glo posters. When hot, the sleeves reveal a planet that says, "The beginning is near. 9/28/04 8PM." The coffee sleeves are running in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, and Portland, Ore. Olson & Company created the campaign.

The envelope is being pushed in this next ad. Night Agency created an ad for Laser Cosmetica that is sure to get people's attention. Looking for a humorous way to express the positive aspects of laser hair removal and serve as an icebreaker to the traditionally antiseptic world of medical marketing, the agency came up with this: a woman and a strategically placed cat. The ads are running in NY Magazine, NY Post, Village Voice, Allure, Time Out, and The Daily News.

Allstate launched a TV ad on Sept.18 during ABC and ESPN broadcasts of college football as part of its "Our Stand" campaign. "Number One" features actor Dennis Haysbert, but this time he's set in a football atmosphere that humorously plays up the notion that football fans are often united in the stadium, but divided in the parking lots after the game -- which can lead to unsafe driving conditions and accidents. The ad reminds consumers that exercising some patience could save them money with an Allstate Safe Driver Discount. Radio, print, and online components also play a role in Allstate's college football marketing campaign.

American Airlines unveiled a new brand campaign, along with a new tag line, "We know why you fly." The campaign is built around American's nearly eight decades of flying passengers around the world, and also on American's historic strengths -- including its global network, which every day flies more than 200,000 people to 250 cities in more than 40 countries. The campaign includes TV, radio, print, and online ads in both English and Spanish. The ads will appear nationally and in key local markets. The ads, featuring both customers and employees, were created by TM Advertising.

Lee Jeans launched its teaser campaign online, in the form of a blog. The blog, written by "90-Foot Babe," has garnered a fair amount of traffic since launching, due to the fact that there is a phone number, complete with message, on the ads and flyers that are being distributed around major metro areas. Fallon Worldwide created the TV campaign for Lee Jeans, and lookandfeel New Media developed the online pieces.

In Web site launches this week:

Enlighten has re-launched Audi of America's Web site. The home page was redesigned with a large rich media presence and an interactive model selector that offers consumers product selection assistance along with MSRP pricing. Model pages are anchored around 60-second overview movies with full motion video and audio. Each of the 11 new movies employs extensive running footage, voice over, animations, and a custom soundtrack to tell the story of the Audi model line-up. In an example of guided selling, the movies prompt consumers to take the next step by configuring their own car, browsing the image gallery, or taking an in-depth look at features and specs.

For those New Yorkers seeking inner peace and relaxation, Revolution Yoga has launched. The site is the online presence for a yoga studio located in Manhattan's East Village. Eight classes a week are offered for beginners through advanced students. The site has a schedule and directions, and offers a Yoga Resources section with recommended books, magazines, and Web sites.

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