Commentary

Out to Launch

Talbots gets ready for the Holiday season. Shopping.com debuts its first TV campaign. MSN launches a campaign for Toyota. Welcome to highlights of ad campaigns launched this week.

Kmart Management Corporation's latest campaign showcases its premium brands and products (and that includes Martha Stewart Everyday). The 30- and 45-second ads launched during Major League Baseball's World Series at the end of October. Grey Global Group produced the ads in collaboration with Carol H. Williams and the WING Latino Group. The spots feature a re-recorded version of the Jesus Jones song, "Right Here, Right Now," and feature Kmart stores and the faces that represent Kmart's exclusive brands. Specifically urban in theme, the commercials aim to establish that Kmart knows its customers share a lifestyle and attitude that are heavily influenced by urban trends, whether they live in urban markets or not. The commercials will air during shows such as "Friends," "ER," "The OC," and "Will & Grace."

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Because seeing ads before the previews isn't painful enough, Regal Entertainment Group's branding campaign wants you to show up early for the quasi ad/entertainment. Debuting in 340 theatres across more than 4,000 screens, "The 2wenty" features a combination of short-form, made-for-cinema, entertainment segments provided by NBC, TBS, Vivendi Universal Entertainment, and The Convex Group, interspersed with made-for-cinema advertisements. The pre-show begins approximately 20 minutes prior to advertised showtime, and is followed by movie studio's coming attractions trailers and the feature film. "The 2wenty" replaces static slide advertisements and television commercials previously shown in most theatres. The new branding campaign's creative introduces a superhero, called "The 2wenty," who in everyday life is movie projectionist Scott Hunter. Hunter becomes infused with the power to control light, images and color as he is transformed into a superhero. As "The 2wenty," he harnesses his newfound powers to create a better pre-feature program to entertain moviegoers. "The 2wenty" superhero is introduced in the first installment of the campaign entitled, "Episode One: A New Reason to Get to the Movies Early." Campaign elements include 8.5 million box office handouts, theatrical lobby banners, concession-area danglers, and lobby door static clings all featuring the campaign tagline, "Entertainment Ignited." The creative was designed in-house.

Shopping.com has launched its first television advertising campaign. Developed by Publicis & Hal Riney Advertising, the ads were designed to educate consumers on the value of comparison-shopping online and to encourage them to try the site during the holiday season and beyond. The service was formed through the merger of DealTime, a shopping search engine, and Epinions, an online consumer reviews platform. The campaign's 30-second broadcast spot features a humorous take on an all too common scenario in which a shopper learns too late that the Internet offered a better value on a product he just bought. The spot then provides a demonstration of the website, revealing the time- and cost-savings Shopping.com makes possible. The initial spot, targeting consumers aged 25 to 49, will air on local evening and morning broadcasts, as well as during news and on primetime cable channels throughout the holiday season.

Keeping with holiday-seasoned ads, Talbots enters the holiday season with new TV spots created by Arnold Worldwide, Boston. The commercials, which premiered on NBC's "Today" on November 24, do not showcase any merchandise, but rather display Talbots as a gift destination for the holidays. The three spots are graphics that stand out for their simplicity. One spot entitled "EKG," features a heart monitor showing a human heart rate increasing in excitement as the person receives a gift from Talbots. Another spot "Hugs & Kisses," illustrates with sound effects the drawing of the letters "XOXO" over a bold red background to show appreciation for a gift received from Talbots. The last spot, entitled "Finding," depicts the hunt for the perfect gift, which can easily be found at Talbots. The majority of the buy includes network early morning programming on NBC and a national cable buy on MSNBC. The ads will run through Dec. 14th.

Cheerios launched a campaign to educate new mothers about the role the cereal can play in helping kids make the transition from soft to solid foods. Semaphore Partners designed the online marketing program, and ads ran on popular sites such as BabyCenter.com, AmericanBaby.com, and AOL's Parenting.com. The campaign leveraged a combination of non-traditional media placements within relevant content areas and customized micro sites and newsletter sponsorships. The online efforts synergized with Saatchi & Saatchi's offline print and TV ads, reinforcing Cheerios as an ideal first finger food.

The Florida Department of Citrus is launching a campaign on AccentHealth/CNN to generate awareness of the health benefits of drinking orange juice. A sixty-second vignette explaining the nutritional value of 100 percent orange juice versus other types of juice drinks will air on AccentHealth's Young Family TV Network this fall, targeting mothers and expectant mothers in Pediatric and Ob-Gyn offices. The vignette discusses "Juice Confusion," the confusion in the marketplace about vitamin and mineral content contained in juices many mothers buy for their children.

First MSN created an online campaign for Honda. Now comes Toyota Prius. The campaign launched on Nov. 14, and will run through Jan. 31, on Start.msn.com with the tagline, "Start: Technology that works for you." The campaign targets "tech enthusiasts," specifically males between 25 and 40. The creative for the campaign includes different sections on the URL, which have gadgets, editorial, and Prius related features.

In website launches this week:

Scott Kay, a platinum bridal and sterling silver jewelry designer, has launched a website. The launch coincides with the consumer debut of Scott Kay Sterling, his new sterling silver fashion jewelry company. The site's major sections are: Showcase, Art of the Weave, Brochure, and Locate a Jeweler. Beyond innovative jewelry images, consumers can review recent press, learn about Scott Kay and the art of the weave, receive a complimentary brochure by mail or download one instantly.

AdOneToStaff.com has launched its website. The company is a national recruiting firm, specializing in advertising and PR, including media, creative, and account services. The company is the arm of recruiting company CPS, and with the site launch, the company has rebranded itself with a new logo and business cards. The site was designed by freelancer Ness Higson.

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