• by Amy Corr , Staff Writer @MediaPostOTL, March 24, 2004

Almay recruits Elaine Irwin-Mellencamp for its latest campaign. LACTAID Milk targets the Hispanic audience. Lincoln hopes to build "desire" for its brand in a NYT campaign. Welcome to highlights of ad campaigns launched recently.

Three permanent showroom buildings, The New York Gift Building, The New York Marketcenter, and The New York Merchandise Mart have launched an ad campaign under the label "The New York Showrooms," to promote attendance at the New York Gift, Textiles, Stationery and Tabletop Markets. The theme of the campaign is "New York. Your attendance is required." Each ad shows people taking in the style and culture and fun of New York, with a tongue-in-cheek caption "This is work." For example, one ad shows two people taking notes outside of a store window that reads, "This is work. You're not just here for the show. You're here to get inspired. New York is loaded with stores that are defining the cutting edge in retail. So bring your notebook because you're on a mission. New York. Your attendance is required." The ads were created by Cary Raffle & Co. and Hooek. The campaign launched in late February in publications such as, Gifts & Decorative Accessories, Giftware News, HFN, Home Décor Buyer, Home Textiles Today, Home World Business, Kitchenware News, LDB, Tableware Today and Tableware International.

Lincoln wants to build desire for its brand in a print campaign that launched this week in The New York Times and The New York Times Magazine. As part of the campaign, Lincoln becomes the exclusive 2004 advertiser of The Magazine's "Portfolio" section, which features portraits, landscape photos and photojournalism by award-winning photographers. The campaign features new creative around Lincoln's existing "Travel Well" tagline. The Detroit office of Young & Rubicam created the ads. Built around themes of news, business, weather, fashion and entertainment, the 30 separate print ads use unexpected phrases and art to resemble sophisticated, cultured products. In one ad, wheels are stacked like expensive gold rings with the caption, "Designer wheels fashioned in aluminum. Gorgeous daahling. Travel Well." Another ad shows the interior of a LS sports sedan with the words, "Comfort: 52-Week High."

Almay has tapped Elaine Irwin-Mellencamp to appear in its global advertising campaign beginning this month. Irwin-Mellencamp will appear in TV, print, in-store and online ads, created by Deutsch. The campaign launches Almay's new tagline: "Beautiful for Life," and the first TV spot is for Almay's Clear Complexion Blemish Healing Makeup. Ads for Almay Bright Eyes and Nearly Naked Touch-Pad Liquid Makeup and Blush debut later in the year, and print ads launch in May.

NXTV, a provider of digital IP-based entertainment solutions to the luxury hotel market, has launched its first major ad campaign. Developed by MMG Worldwide, the campaign is designed to help NXTV remain a leader in North America's luxury hotel industry. The print ads will run in the spring issues of Hotels, Hotel Business, Hotel & Motel Management and Hospitality Technology. Online ads will appear on hospitalitynet.org and wiredhotelier.com.

LACTAID Milk is targeting the Hispanic population in a campaign developed by La Agencia de Orcí. The Spanish-language campaign will include TV, radio and magazine ads, and run throughout 2004. One TV spot, "Group Therapy" debuted on March 22. Two print ads, "Hairdo" and "Purses," will run in May 2004 issues of key Hispanic women's publications, and radio starts at the end of April. The ads serve to raise awareness for those who are lactose-intolerant, and to remind consumers of the important nutritional benefits of milk.

IQ television group launched an interactive ad campaign for Audi CPO (Certified Pre-Owned) cars using a combination of rich media ads, a microsite and a series of ShowmailT emails. Each media tactic drives viewers to the Audi CPO microsite, which urges viewers to schedule a test drive. At the "Audi Dream Showroom," viewers can watch video clips of all the Audi models made since 1998, and those that sign up for a test drive will receive an Audi branded watch. Ads ran on Autotrader.com, Edmunds.com, MSN and Yahoo!. To date, more than 12,000 registrants signed up for a test drive.

The Advertising Council partnered with the U.S. Department of Justice and the National Crime Prevention Council (NCPC), to develop a series of PSAs developed to reduce gun crime in America. The campaign encourages Americans to take an active role in helping to make their communities safer. The ads were created pro bono by Mullen, and the campaign consists of TV, radio and outdoor ads. The PSAs are in both English and Spanish and illustrate the consequences, or sentence, that innocent people receive when a family member commits a crime.

In website launches this week:

The American Legacy Foundation and the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene have partnered to apply a reality TV approach to a new advertising campaign. A real-life New Yorker, named "Bob," contemplates quitting smoking. The website shows a different short film everyday that captures Bob's experiences as he struggles through his multi-week attempt to quit, all while the cameras are rolling. The site also has Bob's blogs, commentary, and resources for smokers who want to quit.

Web design firm EZ Media has launched its website. Catering to the LA-Hollywood crowd, EZ Media offers a variety of services including, website design and maintenance, site redesign, domain and hosting setup, bulletin board moderation, chat moderation, newsletters, and charity Ebay auctions.