• by Amy Corr , Staff Writer @MediaPostOTL, March 16, 2005

Food. Dragons. A Pirate's Blog. Let's launch!

Discovery Channel is targeting both the young and the old to promote Dragons, a two-hour special that uses CGI effects to explore what the world would have been like if dragons did exist. The show will attempt to discover the physiology that would have enabled dragons to fly and breathe fire and explore whether these creatures could have been real. Agency.com created the online campaign that shows a dragon shadow flying across a computer screen, followed by fire rushing into the banner ads that reveal show broadcast information. Users will also be able to download an application directly to their desktop that will provide a show trailer, images and screensavers, and updates throughout the month of March with special behind-the-scenes info. Further, Nick.com, Neopets, and Bonus.com have built dragons games specifically for kids to run on their Web sites. The campaign can be seen on About.com, Space.com, TV Guide, Nick.com, and Neopets from March 1 through 20. It will target sci-fi loving adults aged 25 to 44 and kids 6 to 11.

Cossette Post is launching a campaign for Hunter Douglas in April. Entitled "Light Can Change Everything," the campaign will appear in a diverse list of national publications including shelter and lifestyle magazines, and will be followed by a TV campaign this fall. The estimated media buy for this campaign is in excess of $6 million. The campaign creates an emotional connection with audiences and demonstrates how light alters both environment and mood. The first ad features a woman facing a metropolis at sunset, holding Luminette Privacy Sheers up against a backdrop of the San Francisco bay and skyline. The text reads, "Light can transport your soul. Particularly when you get to drive." The second ad shows mountains surrounding a lake. In this ad, a woman holds a Silhouette window shading up to the sky at dawn. The message, "In the proper hands, it's the world's most powerful mood enhancer." A third execution shows a sandy beach where a woman is holding a Duette honeycomb shade up against a backdrop of ocean and blue sky. The headline states, "Interesting how a change in light can illuminate your entire spirit."

The Hartford Financial Services Group's latest campaign features the return of the company's iconic Stag. Retired from television commercials in recent years, the four-legged actor is making a comeback, thanks to some Hollywood magic. The first of two TV spots from Campbell Mithun Minneapolis debuted on March 12 during NCAA Men's Basketball coverage, and pairs a very lifelike, computer-generated Stag with narration from the legendary college basketball coach John Wooden. At 94, Coach Wooden's message of trust, talent, and teamwork is as relevant today as when he led the UCLA Bruins to an 88-game winning streak, the longest in NCAA men's basketball history. In the second commercial, the Stag promotes The Hartford's products by emerging on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. In the midst of the daily drama of buying and selling, traders immediately pause at the sight. The spots will run on CBS throughout the NCAA tournament and in coming months during Professional Golf and NCAA Football, and will also appear on CNN, FOX News, and Bravo.

El Pollo Loco debuted two separate campaigns in select West Coast markets. The "Master of the El Pollo Loco Flame" is used again in the TV campaign. He enlightens people by explaining the difference between ordinary fast food and El Pollo Loco, where chicken is marinated then flame-grilled. Ads continue to use the "Taste the Fire" tag line and are running in Los Angeles, Bakersfield, Fresno, Las Vegas, Reno, Sacramento, Phoenix, San Diego, and San Jose. El Pollo Loco also launched a Hispanic campaign exploring situations when people get so wrapped up in enjoying El Pollo Loco's food that even the most shocking news cannot deter them. Four different soap opera-like ads will open with one character relaying shocking news to another, who is so preoccupied by El Pollo Loco food that he can only react with "Que rico pollo!" ("This chicken is so tasty!"). Krueger Communications created the English campaign, and cruz/kravetz:IDEAS created the Hispanic spots.

Arby's is 40 years old and has launched "I'm Thinking Arby's," a TV, radio, and print campaign. TV spots depict what happens in a day in the life of customers preoccupied with "Thinking Arby's." An animated Arby's signature red hat appears throughout the spots. The campaign also highlights the latest wrap sandwich on the Arby's menu, called Market Fresh Chicken Cheddar Jack Wrap. The ads were created by Merkley & Partners, and launched nationwide on February 28.

THE SAK is featuring Olympic gold medalist softball player Jennie Finch in its spring '05 advertising campaign, kicking off in March issues of InStyle, Glamour, Lucky, Marie Claire, and Teen Vogue. This is the first time that THE SAK has used a star athlete or celebrity in its campaigns. The target audience has been deemed more of a lifestyle than an age group. The handbags highlighted in the campaign are "Pixie," "Mia," and "Belinda."

In Web Site launches this week:

Argh! Looks like anyone can blog nowadays. Even a fictional character. The Captain's Blog - as in Captain Morgan Rum - has launched. The Web site features the captain's entries covering various areas, including: Weekend Tales, where he reports on his weekend and inspires viewers to share their exploits and adventures as well. WWWhat the? links to entertaining, party-relevant content elsewhere on the Web. To post a picture or message, vote on other's posts or enter contests, users must register. Once on board, viewers can access additional areas of the site. Online ads will run on Maxim, FHM, AskMen.com, and I've seen them running on various Gawker Media sites. Real Branding created the site.

Atlas DMT has come a long way. In an effort to better position the business, the company unveiled a new brand and a new corporate Web site. The company will now be known as Atlas, and its separate divisions will be called Enterprise, Small Business, and Publisher. Atlas' brand launch also includes a new logo and tag line: "Partner for Results." Leonhardt:fitch created the site.

TravelDiscountWorld.com launched its Web site using the theme "Once in a Lifetime." TravelDiscountWorld.com offers two subscriptions one that includes $1,000 in travel reward dollars and a basic subscription that entitles subscribers to up to 50 percent off travel service reservations. In addition to offering wholesale rates for travel services, the Web site offers the ability to reserve completely furnished condominiums at over 57,000 worldwide locations for one week at about the cost of two nights stay in an upper class hotel. A quirky tidbit offered on the site is real-time golf tee times for every golf course in North America. Wow. CyberIdeas created the site.