• by Adam Bernard , August 3, 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.

Visa U.S.A. is giving online shoppers the chance to win a $50,000 shopping spree during the month of August. The "Visa Online Shopping Spree" has been designed to drive traffic to merchant websites and motivate consumers to use their Visa cards online. Over 20 leading online retailers and over 90 Visa Member banks are participating in the promotion. Each time cardholders use their Visa card to make an online purchase at participating merchants between August 1 and August 31, they will be automatically entered to win a $50,000 Visa card. Visa will also give 250 first prize winners a $100 Visa card. Winners can use these Visa stored-value cards to go on a shopping spree anywhere Visa is accepted.

If you win that shopping spree, there are quite a few places to go, starting with Old Navy, whose latest advertising campaign showcases easy-to-wear, on-trend looks that capture the energy and style straight from the runways. MTV's House of Style host and Old Navy spokesperson, Molly Sims, stars in the three 30-second commercial spots that are directed by Matthew Rolston. Each of the new commercials features Sims touting a must-have fashion item, as a team of models take to the Old Navy catwalk, the first touts the mini-skirt.

If you prefer something a little more high-end, Four Eyes Productions, the interactive media studio that provides creative services and technical solutions for the web, have completed the re-launch of the new and improved website for Canal Jean Co., New York's shopping destination for people ahead of the trend. The customized features developed by Four Eyes Productions for CanalJean.com include: Image Branding and Graphics Development, Flash Animation, Customer Mailing List Sign-Up, Press Release Management System, Events Listings.

Now you'll need something for your feet. SKECHERS USA Inc. has announced that its new television commercials for men, women and kids are appearing on all major networks and cable stations. The SKECHERS Sport "Interface" and SKECHERS Kids "Grand Prix" spots will run through the back-to-school season during popular daytime and primetime shows that reach the company's targeted audience. To optimize its reach to targeted consumers, SKECHERS created three 15-second and 30-second adult versions of the SKECHERS Sport television spot: men's, women's and unisex. With initial runs on MTV the first week of July 2001, the SKECHERS Sport commercials began an extensive run in the Top 40 markets on primetime programs on July 23, 2001. In addition, the company is maximizing its place in the children's footwear market, presently in the top five in the United States, by being one of the few footwear companies to advertise on television. The SKECHERS Kids 15-second and 30-second spots began running on Nickelodeon and Cartoon Network in July 2001.

Need something a little dressier? Well, the Rockport Company has announced "Smile," the next phase of its successful "Love Your Feet" advertising campaign that was launched last year. The new black and white images follow a natural progression of the story, as the physical nurturing depicted in the first phase of the campaign transitions to the emotional reaction the touch elicits. The series consists of four images: a man kissing a woman's foot, a woman kissing a man's foot, a woman resting her head on a man's foot and a woman with a full, contented smile. These images convey the theme of caring for your body and soul, and the happiness that results from this. The story unfolds in stages, moving first through the physical act of loving your feet and then to the emotional response this inspires.

Getting hitched? Here's a launch for you! The Modern Bride Group, the world's largest bridal company and a property of Primedia Inc., has unveiled an all-new ModernBride.com. Modern Bride has taken its signature brand to the web to go beyond just serving the bride with a major focus on the groom's participation, and appealing to guests and the wedding party. ModernBride.com also guides newlyweds through their first year of marriage. The site has partnered with several large brands to satisfy the extensive consumer demands of engaged couples. ModernBride.com now offers users practical planning tools that help everyone involved in a wedding along with Modern Bride magazine's exclusive content. Popular features include bridal registry, honeymoon and travel booking, gown finder, shopping, and even the ability to create a personalized website for guests to visit. ModernBride.com also serves grooms through MarryingMan.com, the ultimate resource for today's groom. MarryingMan.com is a safe haven for guys looking for wedding-related information they can relate to.

If after all this shopping you have any money left over to see a movie, Genex, a Los Angeles-based Internet development and consulting firm, has announced the official launch of Twentieth Century Fox's PlanetOfTheApes.com, designed and engineered by its new Hollywood office. With PlanetoftheApes.com, Genex created an online experience that re-introduces the brand on a universal level. Completely Flash generated; the entire site was dynamically published into the six Latin based languages (with additional versions in Chinese, Cyrillic, Korean and Japanese) using an ASP engine created in-house at Genex. The site was updated on a weekly basis from the site launch in April through the domestic release of the film on July 27th, 2001. All content, along with each site feature was developed to attract, retain and reward both passive and active user categories.

In another movie related launch, MGM Home Entertainment and Miller Brewing Co. have joined forces to create a Halloween promotion featuring MGM's Halloween 2001 Collection of more than 66 videos and DVD titles and Miller's Miller Lite and Miller Genuine Draft brands. The joint "Get Your Party Vamped" promotion features a self-liquidating offer in which consumers, 21 and older, who purchase a 12-pack, 24-pack or 30-pack (where legal) of Miller Lite, Miller Genuine Draft or Miller Genuine Draft Light will be able to purchase one of three selected MGM Halloween VHS titles for $3.99 plus $1 for shipping and handling. The overall promotion, handled by Los Angeles-based PBM Marketing Solutions for MGM and St. Louis-based promotions agency Zipatoni on behalf of Miller Brewing, runs Oct. 1-31, 2001, and is expected to reach approximately 40,000 retail outlets nationwide, including supermarkets, convenience stores, mass merchants, drugstores and independent liquor stores.

Heinz Frozen Food Company has named Kristi Yamaguchi, the 1992 Olympic gold medal figure skating champion and two-time World Champion, as the first spokesperson for its Smart Ones brand of frozen meals. Heinz will launch a new marketing campaign in September 2001 to promote the Smart Ones line of frozen meals, which includes entrées, bowls, desserts and a new line of gourmet pizzas. Yamaguchi will be featured in a new television ad campaign, consumer promotions, public relations programs, in-store marketing initiatives and also will make personal appearances on behalf of the brand.

The American Legacy Foundation, the American Cancer Society, and the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids will extend its ad campaign that criticizes Philip Morris for telling the government of the Czech Republic that smoking-related deaths have a "positive" impact on the nation's budget. The ad appeared in 21 major newspapers across the nation on Thursday, August 2. It will also appear as a two-page spread in the August 6 edition of Newsweek magazine. The ad first appeared on Thursday, July 26, in The Los Angeles Times, The New York Times, USA Today, and The Washington Post. It was prepared by Legacy's advertising agency, Arnold Worldwide of Boston. The ad shows a cadaver in a morgue with a toe tag on its left foot. The copy on the tag reads: "$1,227. That's how much a study sponsored by Philip Morris said the Czech Republic saves on health care, pensions, and housing every time a smoker dies."

Forbes.com today unveiled a redesign of its website as part of a number of initiatives underway to better serve its users and to continue to grow the site as the best in the business about business. Highlights of the site's redesign include: A new home page with faster, easier navigation and access to more services, tools and timely reporting. The organization of content into seven new editorial channels of core Forbes expertise, with similar content aggregated in one place: Business, Technology, Markets, Work, Personal Finance, Lifestyle and Lists. Expanded functionality with relevant news, tools and enhanced services embedded in each channel.

The U.S. Navy and Batiz.com today announced the launch of ELNAVY.com, a website designed for new recruits of Hispanic origin. Custom designed by Batiz.com for the U.S. Navy, ELNAVY.com targets Hispanic men and women eligible to join the Navy, and their families. The site communicates the Navy's understanding of the Hispanic community and culture, which is deeply rooted in family tradition and values. Additionally, ELNAVY.com was designed to generate a better understanding of the role of the U.S. Navy and the important mission it serves throughout the world, while emphasizing the many opportunities offered. Batiz.com partnered with Campbell Ewald, agency of record for the U.S. Navy, as well as The Rodd Group, in order to develop a site that was concurrent with past and present outreach efforts conducted by the U.S. Navy in targeting recruits.

- Compiled by MediaPost Staff Writer Adam Bernard. To submit a launch announcement, please email adambernard@mediapost.com.