• by April 9, 2009

"With the environment what it is right now, rewards are especially relevant," according to Larisa Drake, vice president, brand communications, Discover Financial Services. And so, Discover Card's latest ad campaign zeroes in on its 5% Cashback Bonus program.

A 15-second spot focused on earning rewards through home improvement purchases debuted April 1 and runs through April 19 on such broadcast shows as "Dancing with the Stars," "Today," 'Ghost Whisperer," "Good Morning America" and "The Biggest Loser" and on cable services like A&E, HGTV, Discovery and Food Network.

Online, department stores and clothing stores join home improvement in the mix as Discover Card uses targeted sites to get "close to the point-of-purchase," says Drake. Those sites -- displaying the brand's banner ads through early May -- include Amazon.com, AOLshopping.com, BobVila.com, HGTV.com and DIYNetwork.com.

Three different banners use interactive flash animation to get users' attention. In one, consumers can "Take a Whack" at a swinging piñata. Another invites them to play a memory game, while the third features household objects that convert into "5%" graphics when the cursor passes over.

Broadband video is also part of the marketing mix, featuring a player developed by Discover Card's digital agency, Magnani Caruso Dutton. During breaks in shows on abc.com, nbc.com, cbs.com and hulu.com, the 15-second TV spot runs in its own "ad pod," shown on a simulated computer screen sitting on a desktop and next to a bulletin board. When the viewer's cursor moves over objects sitting on the desktop or posted on the board, information pops up about the Cashback Bonus and other Discover Card services.

Discover plans to continue focusing on its Cashback Bonus in the months to come, but the product categories will change quarterly. Next up will be gas, hotels and theme parks, followed by groceries, restaurants and movies. And as the categories change, additional media that are appropriate to them may join TV and online in the ad mix, Drake reveals.

Other agencies involved in the campaign are Interpublic Group's Martin Agency, handling the TV creative, and WPP/Group M's MediaCom, on the planning side.