• by Adam Bernard , May 4, 2001

Every week brings a myriad of ad campaign and website launches and it's nearly impossible to keep up with them all. If you missed a few, here are some the major launches of the week that was, and the week that will be.

Kat-House Productions, designers of Surf Chick clothing line, have launched www.surf-chick.com, offering original designs to the public and merchants for purchase. The site includes a calendar of sponsored events, sketches of the designs and photos of models wearing the line. Surf Chick is owned and operated by Kathy Merrick and Patty Wagner. Both women have roots in the world of surf and skate.

In other apparel-related news, MLB Advanced Media, LP (MLBAM), the interactive media and Internet company of Major League Baseball and Digital River, a global Commerce Service Provider (CSP), have launched http://shop.mlb.com, and e-commerce stores for each of the 30 Club sites. The stores, built and managed by Digital River, offer more than 6,000 Major League Baseball product SKUs, such as authentic jerseys and hats, outerwear, T-shirts, women's and children's clothing from every American and National League team, as well as game day audio subscriptions, authenticated memorabilia and novelty items.

Paramount Pictures has launched its "Tomb Raider" website, www.tombraidermovie.com. The new site is a full-screen cinematic experience that brings movie fans directly into Lara Croft's world. "Tomb Raider" opens in theaters everywhere on June 15, 2001. The film is inspired by the video game series.

The National Cable & Telecommunications Association (NCTA), formerly the National Cable Television Association, has re-launched itsweb site (http://www.ncta.com). The revamped online resource will provide the latest industry information for the industry's customers, the media, NCTA members, and other interested parties. The NCTA is the principal trade association of the cable television industry in the United States.

The Jeep brand introduced a new advertising campaign to launch the all-new 2002 Jeep Liberty that goes on sale this spring. The advertising campaign reinforces the brand's four-wheel drive leadership, while highlighting the duality of the Jeep brand's newest sport-utility vehicle through the contrast of nature and city. Building on the brand's tag line "Jeep - There's Only One," six 30-second television ads and 11 print executions position Liberty as "The Next Great Jeep Idea." The television campaign breaks nationally the week of June 18.

Choice Hotels International has unveiled its new, multi-faceted advertising campaign. Created by Choice's newly-appointed agency of record, Arnold Worldwide/Washington, the campaign's tagline is "The Power of Being There. Go." Highlighted throughout the campaign's inaugural broadcast and print advertisements are references to the more than 3,400 Comfort, Quality, Clarion, Sleep, and MainStay Suites brand hotels across North America. Future ads will also feature Choice's Econo Lodge and Rodeway Inn brand hotels. The campaign's first television advertisement is set to air in mid-May.

The U.S. Army will commence its first sustained direct response television ad series since the introduction of "An Army of One" campaign launch in January, 2001. The DRTV ads debuting this week are in collaboration with Inter/Media Advertising and are intended to build recruitment. The effort is designed to recapture share-of-mind among 17-24 year-olds, now that the allure of the dotcom explosion is no longer siphoning off prime candidates. The $5.2 million DRTV campaign encourages prospects to explore any one of 212 different jobs the Army offers. The spot offers callers a free video on Army life. Inter/Media will handle all planning, research and media buying, working in a strategic alliance with Leo Burnett USA, the Army's agency of record.

Commuters in Boston will have some new reading material starting Thursday as the free daily newspaper group, Metro International, launches its second U.S. version. Some 175,000 copies of Metro will be distributed Thursday morning by hand and from racks outside commuter train, subway and bus stations, as well as in office buildings and on 15 college campuses in the greater Boston area. The original version of Metro was launched in 1995 in Sweden. The company, based in Luxembourg, now distributes 19 editions in 14 countries.

- Compiled by MediaPost staff writer Adam Bernard. He may be reached at Adambernard@mediapost.com