• by Amy Corr , Staff Writer @MediaPostOTL, April 13, 2005

Old Navy encourages women to bust a tunic. Chicken of the Sea reveals what women want with their chicken: hunks. Let's launch!

VEGAS.com has launched a $20 million campaign that includes four TV spots, print, and online components, and a new tag line "Do Vegas Right." The "Arrow" campaign immortalizes the VEGAS.com arrow logo in giant form, and transforms routine situations into outrageous Vegas scenarios. The broadcast campaign includes four 30- and 45-second spots each starting with a regular person in the midst of a ho-hum day. Characters hear a buzzing sound and see a large VEGAS.com sign hanging in the sky pointing them toward an object, such as a refrigerator or a small pool. Each character enters the "portal" and pops out the other side, smack dab in the middle of an outrageous Vegas experience. Spots include "Cement Mixer" featuring a construction worker who enters a cement mixer and is transported to the middle of a Chippendales show; and "Kiddie Pool," in which a man barbecuing in the backyard enters a blow-up kiddie pool and surfaces in a Vegas hot tub with a group of scantily clad women. The campaign, created by kirshenbaum bond bond + partners San Francisco, launched on April 15.

Keeping with Vegas campaigns, the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority bowed another campaign using its famous "What happens here, stays here" tag line. "Names" follows a young woman and her friend on vacation in Vegas. Each time they meet a new set of men they introduce themselves with a new set of names (courtesy of popular TV shows). The spot showed "Laverne" and her friend "Shirley," Louise, but you can call her "Weezie," "Carrie" and her friend "Samantha," along with other recognizable TV names. The young lady is one-upped at the end of the spot when a man named "Norm" introduces her to his friend "Cliff." R&R Partners Las Vegas, created the campaign.

UNCLE completed work on a black and white ad for JONES SODA. "3-Legged Mutt" opens on a store-lined block, as a California skateboarder rides into view. The young man walks into a convenience store and passes by a three-legged dog with a change cup situated at the storefront. The man emerges clutching two "Blue Bugglegum" Jones Soda bottles to his chest. The guy skates away, with the dog trotting behind him. In place of its missing fourth leg is a bright blue Jones Soda bottle, acting as a makeshift prosthetic.

Liberty Mutual launched a TV, print, and online campaign this week created by kirshenbaum bond + partners. The "Hindsight is Easy" campaign reinterprets well-known stories and events, including the story of Adam and Eve, the Trojan War, the battle of Custer's Last Stand, Prohibition, and the mistaken fads of polyester and mullet haircuts. The "Adam and Eve" spot opens in the Garden of Eden. The serpent appears to tempt Eve with an apple that contains "all the knowledge of the universe." Eve figures out what the snake is up to and predicts how her world will change if she eats the apple. She tells the serpent that she and Adam will get kicked out of paradise and have to wear clothes and start worrying about "tax brackets and counting carbs." The voiceover says that, "Hindsight is easy, it's thinking ahead that's hard." The spots are airing on NBC, CNBC, and MSNBC. Print ads will launch with multi-page inserts in the Wall Street Journal and Barron's, in addition to full-page ads in the Financial Times and Fortune. The online campaign will run on NYTimes.com. Dotglu created the online portion of the campaign and The Media Kitchen handled the media planning.

Chicken of the Sea conducted a "What Women Want" survey and after gauging the results, launched an ad campaign using shirtless men. I'm lost with this connection, but I'm not complaining. The online survey received 31,000 responses about women's attitudes on which social issues are most important to them, and their desires when it comes to family, careers, and relationships. Chicken of the Sea then launched the "Hunks at Home" contest, a search for men who embrace what women are looking for in life, as determined by the survey. The $20 million campaign includes print, broadcast, and online components and marks the company's first TV campaign in 14 years.

To kickoff its new series, "Showdogs Moms & Dads," Bravo invited dog owners to the NBC Experience Store in New York City to hold their "Give Your Dog 15 Minutes of FameAuditions." At the event, dogs competed for the opportunity to be featured in a commercial on the network promoting the series. Bravo on-air producers and a panel of celebrity dog judges including Enzo, who portrayed "Eddie" on "Frasier" and Mushu, who played "Frank, the Pug" in "Men in Black" judged the competition. There were Bravo doggie shirts, Frisbees, and "celebrity photo ops" with the famous dogs for those who attended. The event was produced by the michael alan group.

Carat Interactive launched an online ad campaign for PerfectMatch.com titled "Genuine People, Real Love." The campaign intends to drive new members to the site while strengthening the brand in the online personals category. The campaign copy leverages the idea that "Love Is in the Letters," referring to the "DUET Total Compatibility System" developed by PerfectMatch.com and relationship authority Dr. Pepper Schwartz. For instance, "RBOP" stands for someone who is a risk taker, relaxed, optimistic, and seeks predictability. The campaign launched April 1 on sites including MSN, LifetimeTV.com, MSNBC, Netzero, eDiets, and EarthLink.

Old Navy launched a campaign last week entitled "Tunic" that contains a catchy song called "Bust a Tunic." "If you want it, Old Navy's got it. Just bust a tunic." The ad samples Young MC's lone hit "Bust a Move" circa 1989. Deutsch Los Angeles created the spot that debuted during "The O.C.," and runs until April 28. The ads will run during "Will & Grace," "Desperate Housewives," "American Idol," "Survivor," "Gilmore Girls," "Scrubs," "Joey," "Malcolm in the Middle," "24," "The Apprentice," "Smallville," and "Arrested Development," to name a few.

Draft London launched a direct mail (DM) and online campaign to support the Saab 9-3 Sport Saloon range, with specific references to its high-performance Aero option. The front of the DM pack contains a mock 'Permit to Fly' from the 'Swedish Aeronautical Aviation Bureau.' The reverse side opens to a shot of the car racing along a cliff road, with vapor trails running from the roof and trunk. "Behind every Saab you'll find our aircraft heritage" appears alongside the car. The pack outlines the virtues of the 9-3 Sport Saloon by highlighting the traits of aircraft design in the car's features. Online ads follows a similar route, with rich media overlays, banners, and skyscrapers supporting the DM and TV work, created by sister IPG agency Lowe.

Red Robot launched a Web site and marketing campaign for The Players Choice Platinum Club. The integrated campaign includes online, event marketing, and print advertising with Yahoo!, The Sporting News, Sports Weekly, and other Web sites, magazines, and daily newspapers. The Players Choice Platinum Club offers exclusive members-only benefits for the entire family, including customized player related collectibles and savings on popular player products. The club's Rewards Batted In (RBI) Points Program is designed to thank members for their participation and loyalty, and gives members bonus points on a monthly basis. RBI points can be redeemed for authentic player autographs and passes to the club's special events.

Papa Gino's launched its spring promotion on March 30 entitled "Big Cheese." The spot shows a mini-mogul and his mini-assistant enter a Papa Gino's and ask for the Big Cheese meal. A Papa Gino's team member tells them, "that you don't have to be a Big Cheese to get the Big Cheese Meal Deal." TV spots are running in the Boston and Providence markets with a radio campaign to follow. Gearon Hoffman created the campaign.

In Web Site launches this week:

FIQL, an online music community that allows users to share playlists in an open forum divided into musical genres and themed categories, launched in beta. Registered users can create playlists from scratch or upload existing playlists from their own music libraries. The site gives members the option of streaming audio samples and/or buying individual songs listed on each playlist through iTunes and MSN, with plans to link to other sites in the future. Genres span from classical to electronica, while playlists grouped by mood and/or theme include "The Anti-Valentine's Day List #1," and "Bluegrass Sings About Money." The site also allows users to rate and review other's playlists.

Five Star Alliance launched a luxury hotel booking Web site that provides exclusive insight, advice, and a worldwide selection. Luxury hotels selected by Five Star Alliance are listed for free, but can elect to become partners and receive increased promotion, enhanced photo galleries, opportunities to promote special offers, and more. Travelers can search the more than 1,000 luxury hotels by destination or name - or conduct a custom search. By answering a few questions posed by the "Virtual Travel Agent," travelers can find hotels matching their exact destination and interests. FiveStarAlliance.com also features a monthly newsletter called "The Informed Traveler" that features an interview with a luxury hotel general manager.