• by Amy Corr , Staff Writer @MediaPostOTL, November 5, 2003

XM and Sirius debut TV campaigns. BMW looks to its "guardian angels." Welcome to highlights of ad campaigns launched this week.

XM Satellite Radio has launched a national broadcast network and cable TV ad featuring new music The Black Eyed Peas. The spot will air during episodes of "Friends," "NYPD Blue," "Cold Case," "Law & Order" and "Frasier," to name a few. The ad will also run on FOX News Channel, CNN, ESPN, MTV, The Weather Channel, E!, USA, CNBC, TLC, Discovery, FX, TNT, TBS, and others. The 30-second commercial created by Mullen, opens with the scene of a morning traffic jam. A driver commuting to his office sits happily behind the wheel of his automobile while he listens to The Black Eyed Peas' new hit single "Shut Up" on his Delphi XM SKYFi radio. The fast-paced ad cuts to a close-up shot of the SKYFi radio, which displays the name of the artist and song title. While the music plays, a voice-over says, "XM Satellite Radio. One hundred digital channels you'll never want to be without." The driver then removes the SKYFi radio from the car cradle, exits the car, and inserts it into the Delphi XM boombox sitting on his desk.

Not to be left in the dust, SIRIUS, launched a 30-second television commercial depicting Pamela Anderson washing a car. The commercial debuted during "Monday Night Football" on Oct. 27. The spot shows Anderson using every curve of her body to render the car spotless. The commercial also highlights SIRIUS' 100% commercial-free music streams and the SIRIUS Audiovox S.R.S., which allows subscribers to bring the service from car to home. Now let's find out why we need to see Pamela Anderson washing a car. Well, it's one of the many prizes being offered in the All Access Pam promotion from SIRIUS. In addition to giving subscribers the chance to watch Pamela wash their car, other prizes include a dinner party at football's big game in Houston next January and an exclusive private party in South Beach, all featuring appearances by Pamela. The ad was developed in conjunction with Original Films. Rob Cohen, the director of "XXX" and "Fast and the Furious," produced the spot.

Today, basketball footwear and apparel company AND 1 will launch its new brand campaign, "I Ball" in support of its newest footwear style, the Rise Mid. The commercial, called "I Don't" and developed by AKA Advertising with Foot Locker and AND 1 as co-clients, features Phoenix Suns guard Stephon Marbury walking through a 3-D, hyper-real world built of animation and still photography. Marbury begins his walk in the locker room where he puts on his shoes, walking past a crowd of reporters and trophy cases to the arena's basketball court, while Marbury's own voice over explains "I don't play for fame... I don't need your approval... I don't tell you what you want to hear... I BALL." The $2 million media spend includes a three-week flight on network and cable TV including ESPN, the NBA on TNT, Cartoon Network, Comedy Central, Spike, MTV, and BET. A print campaign with will run in The Source, SLAM, ESPN, Maxim, School Sports and XXL magazines. The second spot in the campaign will launch at All Star Weekend in early February.

itraffic has created an online advertising campaign to drive awareness and reservations to LasVegas.com. LasVegas.com offers up-to-the-moment hotel rates, show tickets, air travel, tours, and golf reservations as well as insider information and tips on gambling, weddings, nightclubs, spas, shopping, dining, and local news. The campaign began with a teaser campaign to generate site interest and awareness, and the secondary campaign, which launched mid-October, promotes the resort hotels, shows, tours, golf, and transportation that LasVegas.com has to offer. A visual of the strip appears in the midst of a desert. When users click on the ad, they are taken to LasVegas.com. The majority of the campaign will run on Yahoo and iWon.

BMW of North America has taken a lighter approach to introduce consumers to its new X5 with xDrive technology. The company has sent in its "Angels" to demonstrate the 2004 X5's new xDrive technology. The :30 spot for BMW began airing Nov. 3. The spot opens with four computer generated "guardian angels" descending on the new BMW X5, each claiming a wheel. An angel team leader barks out commands via a headset to the other three who respond "Got It," and "I'm on it," as they navigate confidently through water, ice and a giant mud patch. The spot ends with the team leader exclaiming that he loves his job - while wiping mud away from his face. Print ads will appear in magazines and newspapers in November. Fallon, Minneapolis, created the campaign.

RadioShack Corporation's latest TV commercials are designed to appeal to the U.S. Hispanic market and customers in Puerto Rico. The campaign will air in markets such as Puerto Rico, Texas, California, and Florida. The ads use celebrities such as Lou Diamond Phillips and singer/actress Daniela Lujan in the ads. Phillips appears in two of the new commercials that draw attention to the variety of RadioShack consumer electronic products and wireless services. Lujan also stars in two commercials focusing on how great prices in electronic equipment help keep the family connected and another one detailing the benefits of the Dish Network with its wide international sports programming. The campaign was developed by FCB Worldwide.

The Advertising Council has partnered with the U.S. Department of Justice and the National Crime Prevention Council (NCPC), to launch a national PSA campaign developed to reduce gun crime in America. Created pro bono by Mullen, the campaign encourages all Americans to take a role in helping to make their communities safer. Although progress has been made in fighting violent crime in America, criminals with guns still cause far too many preventable deaths. Today, a teenager in this country is more likely to die from a gunshot wound than from all natural causes of death combined. In 2001, over three-quarters of those persons aged 13 to 24 who were killed were killed with a gun. The TV PSAs seek to engage communities and families by portraying the consequences of gun crime to illegal gun users and its effects on their families. Radio, print, and outdoor ads are will launch later this year.

In website launches this week:

IC Group Inc., providers of prize insurance, promotional risk management services, and IC Modus online promotions technology, have recently upgraded their website The site now offers increased information for visitors including additional client case studies and success stories, more in-depth information on products and services, as well as a demo site where visitors can experience games that IC Group has produced for their clients. In addition the new site allows agencies and marketers to play the IC Group 'Piranha Dodger' game for their chance to win over $500,000 in cash and prizes. Visitors can sign up for the IC Group 'Winning Edge' newsletter, which provides subscribers with up-to-date information on promotions and showcases new technologies such as delivering high-impact promotions via SMS. The site was designed in-house.

Organic has completed the new Canadian Benjamin Moore website. Benjamin Moore's website is a resource of creative decorating ideas, tips, and tools. The cornerstone of the site is the "My Scrapbook" feature, an application that gives users the opportunity to decorate like a professional by mixing and matching image clips, fabrics, and Benjamin Moore colors. Consumers can now save their scrapbook designs and even email their ideas to friends and family for feedback. Additional site features include bilingual support for French- and English-speaking users, accessible product support, and printer-friendly product detail pages.