• by Amy Corr , Staff Writer @MediaPostOTL, March 9, 2005

Sports. Cars. Underwear. L'amour. Let's launch!

Online dating site eHarmony.com has launched a TV, radio, print, and direct response campaign using the Natalie Cole song "This Will Be," keeping with its theme of "Everlasting Love." TV and radio spots focus on eHarmony's year-to-year growth and expand on a prior campaign that features real couples that met through eHarmony. The TV ads are running on various cable networks throughout the second quarter of 2005. The ads feature 3D graphics that illustrate eHarmony's approach to matching compatible personalities. Donat/Wald Company created the campaign.

Now on to the dark side of love. I saw this ad and literally laughed at my computer screen. Not surprisingly, the ad was created from personal experience. The outdoor ad is for Smoothie King, and served as an anniversary promotion for the Mobile, Alabama market. This campaign was borne out of a break-up. (sigh) The copy reads "Cold. Like your Ex-Girlfriend." The promotion culminates with the Inaugural Brain Freeze Challenge on March 12. Sullivan-St.Clair created the campaign. The agency said the ads were well received, but not by the ex-girlfriend who asked if her former flame wrote the copy. His response? "Well, I wrote an ex-boyfriend board too."

Throughout the second half of the NBA season, the Charlotte Bobcats, a first year expansion team, have launched a campaign looking at the positive side of its league standings. And they're quite funny. Then again, I'm a Mets fan, so I guess you can say, "Misery loves company." The ads target the team being played on a particular night. A March 11 ad referencing the Philadelphia 76ers says, "Hey Allen Iverson: Beat the Bobcats: Page 14 of the sports section. Lose to the Bobcats: Lead story on SportsCenter." A March 28 ad against the Nets says, "Days without a NBA championship: Nets: 12,261. Charlotte Bobcats: 145." My personal favorite is the regular season finale against the Pistons on April 20. "The Charlotte Bobcats have never lost a playoff game. And we're not about to start this year." Boone/Oakley created the entertaining ads.

In the PGA Tour's latest "These Guys Are Good" campaign, one ad shows Vijay Singh, in full winter gear practicing his putting on a frozen lake, as a couple of ice fisherman look on. In "Lean," after Sergio Garcia hits a shot, an announcer remarks that he needs the ball to go right. Sergio leans after his follow through, urging the ball in that direction. The spot cuts to viewers watching on television -- all leaning as they watch the ball. Sergio's ball lands near the hole and the announcer says that body "English" goes a long way. Other spots feature tour players Jim Furyk spending time at a senior center and Chris DiMarco serving lunch at a YMCA. The campaigncreated by GSD&M debuted last month during network and cable golf telecasts and also runs during ESPN's "SportsCenter" and NCAA basketball.

XTRA Sports Radio AM-570 debuted a campaign to create awareness of the station's new dial position and to highlight XTRA's alliance with the L.A. Lakers. Teaser billboards are popping up in L.A. county and additional boards highlighting shows such as "The Jim Rome Show" and "The Phil Hendrie Show" are being phased in. The campaign, created in-house, includes print, online, grassroots promotion, events, and promotional spots running at the Staples Center.

NAPA Auto Parts has launched a series of TV spots with Orange County Choppers (OCC). Three spots debuted March 4 and feature "American Chopper" stars Paul Teutul and his two sons, Paul Jr. and Mikey. The ads take place in the OCC garage, and feature several attempts by the "American Chopper" crew to "show their appreciation for NAPA's great parts and service over the years." Through humorous story lines and honest dialogue, the spots underscore NAPA's contribution to auto garages. In addition to the OCC partnership, NAPA is also running a series of TV spots featuring Michael Waltrip and Dale Earnhardt Jr. to promote its NASCAR sponsorship. The series of eight spots debuted during the Daytona 500. Fahlgren created the ads.

ImagineThat, on behalf of BURRELL, created a teaser campaign for the Lexus GS targeting African American consumers. The campaign uses two Eyeblaster units along with targeted e-mail blasts to drive traffic to an interactive quiz. Developed in partnership with Oddcast, the quiz leads users through a series of questions that determine if they are "Bold" enough to experience the new GS. My GS score was 10 - I'm not bold enough. After the quiz users are brought to a micro-site to steal a sneak peak of the car, have a brochure sent to them, sign-up for a test drive, challenge a friend, or download wallpaper that is updated every other day.

Garelick Farms has launched a campaign for its Over the Moon milk (I can't make these names up). The campaign launched last week and includes TV, radio, online, and print components. "Secret" features two women having a heart-to-heart about the "secret" one is keeping from her husband - that she switched from whole milk to Garelick Farms' Over the Moon lowfat 1% milk. The husband enters the kitchen, takes the milk, pours himself a glass and attempts to dunk a large cookie. He doesn't realize his milk has been switched. A voice-over says, "When you get all the taste without all the fat, that's Over the Moon! Only from Garelick Farms." Cronin and Company created the TV spot, along with a Web site that features a viral game challenging users to choose a cow and jump her over the moon (which I found to be harder than it sounds), and receive a downloadable coupon for $1.00 off Over the Moon milk.

Hanes has a new tag line and gave Michael Jordan someone to play with in the latest underwear commercials - Matthew Perry. Marisa Tomei and Damon Wayans also star in the "Look who we've got our Hanes on now," campaign that launched Feb. 28. The spots follow Damon Wayans throughout his daily shaving ritual, Marisa Tomei modeling Hanes casual wear at home, and Michael Jordan and Matthew Perry playing pool. The Martin Agency created the TV ads; print ads launch in July. The campaign runs throughout the year.

In Web site launches this week:

The Sloan Group launched a Web site for Degree antiperspirant's Men In-Action Heroes campaign; the offline portion broke on Super Bowl Sunday and was created by Lowe. The site features extra video footage, the In-Action characters, descriptions of their quirky traits ("dead fish handshake grip." Dreamy.), and a section where the dolls can be pre-ordered. The site pokes fun at non-risk takers such as the Momma's Boy, the Wuss, and the Suck-Up, setting Degree for men up as a deodorant made especially for risk takers.

VNU Business Media launched The Book Standard, providing Nielsen BookScan-powered bestseller charts, book-market analysis, news, commentary, reviews, and job boards. The Book Standard includes commentary on the book-publishing and bookselling industries from industry insiders and from sister publications Kirkus Reviews, The Hollywood Reporter, Billboard, Editor & Publisher, and Adweek, among others. The Book Standard also offers three free weekly eNewsletters: The Book Standard Chart Alert; The Book Standard Books-to-Film newsletter; and The Book Standard Retail Report.