• by Amy Corr , Staff Writer @MediaPostOTL, September 6, 2007

Crop circles support healthy eating. Nike women are still running. Kaiser Permanente encourages healthy living. Let's launch!

Kia launched the latest TV spot under the "Save the Greenbacks" umbrella that first debuted in December 2005. In the ad, resembling a PSA starring Greenpeace activists, these volunteers focus their rescue efforts on injured Greenbacks, or dollar bills. One activist visits a triage unit where Greenbacks are being repaired before he rushes off to another rescue mission. The lesson? Buying a Kia saves Greenbacks. Watch the ad here.davidandgoliath created the campaign and Carat handled the media buy.

Keystone Resort launched two campaigns this month targeting distinct audiences with different parts of the same resort. One ad targets down-mountain skiers and snowboarders, via a full-page ad showing Keystone's Independence Bowl, accessible only by foot or snow-cat. The ad looks like a picture of an untracked mountain, but upon closer inspection four ant-sized skiers can be seen. "Imagine yourself here. Look closely, you're smiling," says the ad, running in Outside, Ski, Skiing, Powder, and Warren Miller SnoWorld. See the ad here. An additional two ads targeting terrain park snowboarders and freeskiers feature close-ups of tricks off wooden walls in Keystone's A51 Terrain Park. Those ads are running in Future Snowboarder, Transworld Snowboarder, and Freeskier. Click here and here to view. Cultivator Advertising & Design created the campaign and media buying was handled in-house.

Kaiser Permanente launched a print, TV and radio campaign encouraging healthy living and a moderate treat intake. One ad shows a young girl in front of an indoor pool along with the copy, "I will not be part of generation XXL." "Putting on weight is healthy," says another ad, referring to adding pounds to a machine at the gym. Other ads promote visiting local farmer's markets to buy produce. Each ad features KP's "Thrive" tagline. Click here, here, here, here, here, here, here and here to see the ads. Campbell-Ewald Los Angeles created the campaign and handled the media buy.

Nobody doesn't like Sara Lee; even crop images have a penchant for the brand. Kansas changed its unofficial nickname from "The Wheat State" to the "The Whole Wheat State" yesterday to support Sara Lee's Soft & Smooth Switcheroo: Take Your Whole Grain Sandwich to School Day campaign. The crop image is made of all-natural materials, including 40 bales of wheat straw, 23 tons of crushed limestone and 50 bags of red mulch for the red Sara Lee logo. This all makes sense: the brand buys red and white wheat from Kansas and distributed 2.5 million loaves of its Soft & Smooth whole grain breads in the past 48 days. Click here to see the finished product.

Nike launched a Web site and interactive campaign for its ongoing "Rush Hour--Gone Running" promotion. Runners can purchase sneakers, running gear and a "Gone Running" clock, which is prominently featured in print and online creative. I received quite a few emails last week from runner inquiring about the clock. I, along with the readers, I'm sure, was happy to see it's available. There are even a few 15-second snippets featuring women in business attire changing into their running gear at a work cubicle, in an elevator and a taxi. Click here, here and here to watch. Wieden+Kennedy Portland created the campaign and handled the media buy. RGA created the site.

New Balance sneakers hold a fair share of positive energy, so positive it brings road kill back to life. Promoting its ZIP shoes, "Roadkill" begins with the unfortunate meeting of porcupine and car. The driver rushes to see what he's run over, and finds the lifeless porcupine. Driver then whips off his shoes, uses them as a defibrillator and shocks the porcupine back to life. The spot concludes with the tag line, "Energy In, Energy Out." Watch the ad here.Almighty created the campaign.

Shiner Beer launched a series of print ads earlier this summer, and, much like its 2005 ads, creative uses some of the 55 employees at the Spoetzl Brewery in Shiner, Texas. "Increased demand called for a major addition to the brewery. They call me Donald," reads one ad. See it here. "Put together a bunch of Czechs and Germans and you'll either get a darn good beer or a fistfight," reads another ad. Click here and here to view more ads that are running in newspapers, alternative weeklies and magazines. In addition to the hometown, feel-good ads, Shiner launched a series of print, online and outdoor work supporting Shiner 98, a special edition anniversary beer. Click here and here to see the ads. McGarrah/Jessee created the campaign and handled the media buy.

Night Agency created a Web site for Christiania Vodka to house its art contest called ChristiNaked.com. The contest is "dedicated to the movement we call Purism," while paying homage to the brand's Norwegian heritage. Submissions for identifying "The New Nude" can be viewed in the gallery section of the site. Inspired by Richard Avedon's 1981 photo of Nastassja Kinski and that snake, more than 300 entries from around the world were submitted. The winning entry will become the new ad for Christiana in the form of a billboard in SoHo on the corner of Grand and West Broadway.