• by Amy Corr , Staff Writer, May 18, 2005

Dairy Queen gets a spot at MoMA. Trident is a "mouth's best friend." Kids don't want to know what their parents do on vacation. Let's launch!

GE has launched "Model Miners," "Rail," and "Singin' in the Rain," a TV campaign that demonstrates how GE is using its resources to help solve some of the world's biggest problems. The program, called "ecomagination," focuses on the environment. The program kicked-off with eight-page newspaper inserts in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Washington Post and Financial Times. A magazine component consists of two sets of work: one modeled after the look of the famous Audubon prints; and another that uses reflection and shadows. Both show how GE products coexist in harmony with nature. BBDO created the campaign.

Trident is pushing forty, and the brand is showing off its youthful side. Trident is introducing new packaging graphics and a branding campaign introducing viewers to "Little Mouth." "Little Mouth" is a wind-up chattering mouth and Trident's new best friend. Whenever he's in trouble or encounters impending danger, Trident comes to the rescue. The first of three spots launched on May 11 during ABC's "Lost" and uses the tag line "Trident. A Mouth's Best Friend." The spot opens with Trident reading the newspaper. We find Little Mouth chattering along the sidewalk, preparing to make his way across the street. As a speeding car rounds the corner, Little Mouth steps into the street. Trident gum saves the day by jumping in front of the car to protect his new friend. The car hits Trident and shatters into pieces, but everyone is okay. JWT, New York created the campaign.

The Las Vegas Convention & Visitors Authority has launched another funny spot in its "What happens here, stays here" campaign. "Parents" shows a husband and wife returning from their Vegas vacation as their son frantically attempts to clean up after a massive house party (we're talking about dirty dishes, used cups and dirty clothes strewn all over) The parents walk in the door as the son pushes some trash out of their sight. The parents and son look awkwardly at one another and they ask each other how their vacations were. More awkward silence is added and the only thing the three of them can say to one another is "fine." The spot concludes with "What happens here, stays here." R&R Partners, Las Vegas created the campaign.

I have a soft spot for Dairy Queen: I spent seven summers working at one. "Tongue Tied," a TV spot that promoted Dairy Queen's Brownie Batter Blizzard, will be given a permanent place in the Museum of Modern Art in New York City, as one of the best TV commercials of 2004. In the spot while a wife is putting a pan of brownies in the oven, a husband gets his "tongue tied" as he's licking the batter off the mixer's beaters, and it accidentally turns on. The next scene fades to Dairy Queen, where after tasting the new Brownie Batter Blizzard, he says in a garbled voice that it's safer and more delicious to enjoy brownie batter the DQ way. The ad was created by True Grey, a division of Grey Worldwide New York.

PUSH Inc. has created six animated TV spots for Middleton Lawn & Pest Control, part of a fully integrated branding campaign. Each of the six commercials features an animated version of Middleton's signature green frog as it eliminates a different household or lawn nuisance. In "Buck Rogers," the talking frog destroys a smug cockroach with a ray gun. In "Trainspotting," a weed tries to bribe its way out of being run over by a locomotive, telling the frog, "I'll give you a million dollars, I'm a dollarweed." The entire "It's the Frog" campaign launched this month and includes three radio spots that will run through December 2005 in Orlando, Tampa, Gainesville, Jacksonville and Fort Pierce, Fla.

The Yahoo! mail homepage on May 16 was taken over by a roadblocked rich media banner created by davidandgoliath (dng) that introduced visitors to LA Gear's "Shoestring Theatre." The cheeky ad features one of LA Gear's new "track shoe" styles which uses its shoestrings to mime various forms of classic Hollywood movie genres, from romance to action films to drama, through animation. "Shoestring Theatre" is the first part of a multi-phase agency-themed "Discover Them" brand campaign. The campaign targets women in their mid- to late-20's. In addition to "Shoestring Theatre," the brand will also employ discovery street teams, buzz marketing, e-mail blasts, guerilla marketing, nightlife marketing, cinema advertising and an online sweepstakes offering women a chance to win an ultimate "Discover A New You" makeover. Half-page spreads will also run in Footwear News.

kirshenabum bond + partners launched a campaign for Frizz Ease shampoos and conditioners, part of KAO Brands - John Frieda Professional Hair Care. "Big Difference" highlights Frizz Ease's shampoo and conditioner. The creator of the line, John Frieda, is featured in the spot explaining the important role shampoo and conditioner can play in fighting frizz. "Big Difference" will run as a thirty-second spot with a fifteen-second spot airing globally. The ad will air May through October on primetime, daytime, early morning and cable stations.

McGarrah/Jessee has created a campaign for Whataburger's breakfast foods including breakfast taquitos and Breakfast On A Bun. "Yawn," a 30-second TV spot, is the centerpiece of the campaign along with radio and point-of-purchase signage. Television and radio spots launched in targeted markets such as Texas and Arizona. Each spot uses the tag line "Just like you like it."

In Web site launches this week:

imc² has launched Web site for Procter & Gamble's Secret Sparkle Body Spray. The site supports Secret's marketing efforts for its new teen-focused body spray product, Secret Sparkle Body Spray. Both the TV and print ads feature a group of four new Sparkle Body Spray Girls - one for each of the new scents. Each girl (Rose, Vanilla, Tropical and Peach) has a distinct personality that is highlighted in the ads. Character blogs were created with each Sparkle Body Spray Girl having her own posts on the site, written in a tone and language to match her unique personality. Rose is a romantic. Vanilla is a hip music lover. Tropical is a cheerleader. And Peach is into computers. They 'blog' about fun things to do on the Internet, with links to cool things teens are interested in. The blog also introduces relevant promotions that Secret is sponsoring, such as an MTV Prom Promo.