• by Amy Corr , Staff Writer @MediaPostOTL, February 22, 2006

Cars. More cars. The Aflac Duck is silenced. Let's launch!

Chevrolet supports its Olympic athletes. The brand launched the next wave of its "An American Revolution" campaign, which includes TV, print and online elements, during the Olympics. The 2007 Chevy Tahoe and Suburban are heavily featured in a whopping 254 thirty-second spot buys airing on network and cable TV over the course of the Olympics. "Horns"promotes theChevy Tahoe and features the Olympic anthem "Bugler's Dream," being played on car horns. The spot concludes with a voiceover that says "America's brand salutes America's best." This ad is running during prime time. Print ads can be found in Sports Illustrated, and Chevrolet is also the exclusive automotive sponsor of a special section of USA Today that will run each day of the games. The brand also has purchased extensive ad time online at NBCOlympics.com and the Yahoo! Sports Olympic Games page. Three different animated banners featuring Tahoe, Suburban and Avalanche, will run on these sites. Campbell-Ewald created the campaign; media buying was handled by GM Planworks.

We're not through with Chevrolet just yet. Continuing on with its Olympic-launched spots, the company debuted two spots for the Chevy Suburban. "One Big Family" shows a family of groundhogs emerging from underground to check out the 2007 Suburban. They like it so much that they take it to their home below ground. "Compact Convoy" shows a family riding comfortably in a Suburban while a trio of cars, carrying members of the same family, passes them. "It's simple: One family. One vehicle." concludes the voiceover. Lastly, three new executions in Chevrolet's "Fast Start" campaign also launched during the Olympics. The spots highlight Chevy's car product line, Chevy trucks and the Tahoe. Campbell-Ewald created the campaign and GM Planworks handled the media buying.

Chevy has been busy. When it's not sponsoring the Olympics, it's racing after NASCAR. Two racing-themed ads broke during the Daytona 500 last weekend. "Toast" stars Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Tony Stewart. The four are seated at a restaurant, congratulating one another on their recent wins. After clinking champagne glasses, the four douse themselves with the champagne rather than drink it. "Office" shows the inside of the Team Chevy offices. They've won so many awards (25 of the last 33 NASCAR manufacturer's championships) that there's no room to store the trophies. Desk drawers are full to bursting, shelves are brimming; when the latest trophy is won, a man considers placing it in the men's room (since there's no room elsewhere) but thankfully does not. The spots will air nationally on NBC and Fox. Print ads are running in USA Today and racing program guides. Outdoor ads can be found at Daytona 500 sites and online on Yahoo Fantasy Racing. Deutsch Los Angeles created the ads. GM Planworks handled the media buying.

National Car Rental launched four 15-second spots on Feb. 6 with an additional four spots scheduled to roll out in the next couple of months. The ads fall under the "quickest way to rent" umbrella and promote Emerald Club, a program where National Car Rental members can choose their own car and bypass the ticket counter. "Internship" shows the world's quickest way to get fired from an internship. A bored intern throws pencils at the ceiling, and his aim proves too good when he hits the sprinkler system head on. "Charades" shows the world's quickest charades game. A hairy man gets up and his teammate quickly shouts "Planet of the Apes." Ouch. "Interview" shows a man welcoming a prospective employee in for an interview--but the nervous woman knocks over everything on his desk, including his coffee. "Physical" shows a doctor having some problems getting a rubber glove on his hand--and a male patient taking that as a sign to get out fast. The ads close by highlighting the speedy rental process offered by National Car Rental. Outdoor ads are running in four airports: Minneapolis, Chicago O'Hare, Denver and San Francisco. The banners are hooked up to speed detectors that will measure the speed passersby are walking, with the message that National Car Rental can help them "move faster." TV ads are running on CNN, Headline News, Fox News, MSNBC, the Weather Channel, ESPN, ESPN 2 and ESPN News. Fallon created the campaign and Starlink handled the media buying.

Jordan, a division of Nike, debuted its latest shoe (at a mere cost of $175), the Air Jordan XXI, at the NBA All-Star 2006. The launch is supported by a national print, outdoor and TV campaign. The TV spot, "Second Generation," will be loved by anyone who grew up watching Jordan. The ad pays homage to Jordan's livelihood by reenacting his career highlights using the "Second generation...." kids. These kids mimic Jordan to a T, from the tongue hanging out, the slam dunk from the foul line, to the fade away jump shot and head tilts. I started to believe that one of the kids actually WAS Jordan, or at least a blood relative. The ad contains no speaking, only instrumental music, and concludes with a cameo by Jordan himself and the copy "let your game speak." The campaign uses "DNA-themed" imagery (shoelaces, the Jordan logo and the URL Jumpman23.com. Very cool.) in print, outdoor and online ads. Wieden + Kennedy New York handled all aspects of the campaign

When the Aflac duck doesn't talk, I listen. The insurance company's latest, "Silent Movie," a black-and-white ad, pays homage to silent movies, and best of all, you can't hear the Aflac duck utter its famous words. The ad launched Monday and shows the duck trying to save a damsel in distress (our young lady is tied to train tracks and--gasp--a train is coming). Lying on the tracks, the woman screams: "Oh my! If I get hurt and can't work, who will give me cash?" Naturally, the ducks screams "Aflac!" The duck darts in front of the train, changes its track position, and saves the girl! The ad ends with the girl standing on the side of the tracks and the duck on the tracks being hit by an oncoming train. The girl shows her gratitude by blowing a kiss to the duck, who's last seen stuck to the front of the train. The ad is running on ABC, CBS, NBC, A&E, and the History Channel, to name a few. The Kaplan Thaler Group created the campaign and Fitzgerald & CompanyAtlanta handled the media buying.

This ad is an interesting way to poke fun at Walt Disney World and show how kids have "matured." "Kiddie Vacation," an ad for Universal Orlando Resort, shows kids talking to the camera and informing Mom and Dad that they need more excitement on their vacation. "If I had to hug one more princess on my vacation, I was going to hurl," says a little girl who's standing in front of The Hulk coaster. Another girl standing at the JurassicPark attraction reminds her parents, "In case you forgot, I'm not eight anymore. I'm eight-and-a-half!" Thirty and fifteen second spots launched Jan. 30 on network and spot television as well as national cable stations. davidandgoliath created the campaign; OMD handled the media.

This week's Web site launches include something to nourish your brain and some bling for the men.

The Wadsworth Atheneum launched a Web site that provides visitors with an interactive look into America's oldest public art museum. Divided into six experiences--do, view, learn, join, shop and visit--the site provides visitors with everything from virtual walks through current exhibitions to items on the café's menu. A highlight of the site is a virtual tour that allows visitors to view a number of Atheneum's favorite pieces from its collections, along with current and past exhibitions. The site's calendar hosts information about family events, networking events, educational programs, lectures, tours, theatre performances and films. Adams & Knight Advertising/Public Relations created the site.

Blank! is an online retail store that offers men's jewelry and fashion accessories in titanium, stainless steel, tungsten, silver, and gold. Designed by Kurani Interactive, the site lets users browse items based on product categories such as rings, watches or bracelets, by metal composition or keyword search. Using a Flash-based picture navigator, visitors can zoom in for a detailed look at the products.