Commentary

Out to Launch

Dove launches the next phase of its campaign for real beauty. Mastercard lets viewers create its ads. Mr. Rooter is "The One." Let's launch!

PODS (Portable On Demand Storage), those square storage systems you never knew you needed, has launched the first stage of a nationwide campaign, beginning with a cable TV run. The first ad, "Fat House" shows an overstuffed house that's bulging at the seams morph into a normal-looking home once the owners place their excess baggage in a PODS compartment. The campaign is running on A&E and The History Channel, and the first round of ads will run through the end of the year, with a second ad expected to launch in April. M&C Saatchi New York created the campaign and Round2 Media handled the media buying.

Myrtle Beach Golf Holiday, a golf co-op, launched a campaign last month with spots on the Golf Channel and print in Golf Digest and Golf magazine. "Be the Stick" shows a group of men playing the last hole. One guy needs a birdie to win, and psyches himself up before swinging. He lands the ball on the green, screams like a girl and runs through a pond to get to his ball. "You know, he's still gotta make that put," says his friend. "Tin Cup" shows the same group of friends; this time we watch one pal as he struggles to hit a ball over a pond and onto the green. TV and print ads will run through August. Brandon Advertising and PR handled all aspects of the campaign.

advertisement

advertisement

MasterCard launched two "Priceless" ads entitled "Sailboat" and "Typewriter" during the Oscars last week, and left the heavy lifting up to the viewers: fill in the blanks. Viewers are directed to the Priceless.com Web site to finish the ads in their own words. You have until May 28. Get crackin'. The winning ads will launch in the third quarter. "Sailboat" features a man rowing a small boat toward a bigger boat. Man on small boat hands man on larger boat a letter. Man laughs at letter, then jumps overboard. I decided to take the challenge and help out Mastercard. Here's  my rendition of "Typewriter" (my additions are bolded): The first scene shows a man sitting alone at a desk in the middle of a field.Voiceover: Used typewriter, $9 The next scene shows the man typing something on a typewriter and a woman approaching on a motorcycle. Voiceover: The amount of money left in savings account, $60. The man overcomes his writers block (good thing, since his bank account is running low) and smiles just as the woman on the motorcycle arrives behind him. Voiceover: Gas to fill up motorcycle tank, $110. The final scene shows the man smiling on the back of the motorcycle with the woman driving. Voiceover: Taking the road less traveled, "Priceless."McCann Erickson New York created the campaign. Its sister agency, MRM Worldwide, created the Priceless.com Web site. GSDM in Austin and Chicago handled the media buying.

Mr. Rooter, a plumbing and drain cleaning services company, has launched a national print campaign that looks more like editorial than advertisement. "The One" is a spoof on relationship quizzes found in most women's publications. The text asks "Is he or isn't he" the plumber for you? A second ad called "Dump Him" is running in the April issues of Better Homes and Gardens, Family Circle, Good Housekeeping, Home, Ladies' Home Journal, O, The Oprah Magazine, Redbook, Us Weekly, and Woman's Day.  "Dump Him" offers ten hints that your plumber may not be a good fit for you and suggests ways that you can "let him down" gently (as if you were breaking up with your boyfriend). McKee Wallwork Cleveland created the ads; Horizon handled the media buying.

The latest ads in Dove's Campaign for Real Beauty feature "real" couples promoting Dove Energy Glow, a shimmery body lotion. The ads show men's raw reactions and remarks on the beauty of the "real" women in their lives. The ads mark the first time men have been in Campaign for Real Beauty TV spots. The ads launched this week and were created by Ogilvy Chicago. Mindshare handled the media planning and buying.

Presbyterian Healthcare Services in New Mexico has launched a regional outdoor campaign with only its slogan, "feel better" in the lower right-hand corner of the billboard. The company didn't include its name or logo. The ads are posted in locations that Presbyterian has advertised in for numerous years; here's hoping that consumers know whose ad it is. I'd be curious to know the ratio of consumers that assumed the ads were Presbyterian's and those that didn't. McKee Wallwork Cleveland handled all aspects of the campaign.

This week's Web site launches revolve around food and digital entertainment.

OliveGarden.com has relaunched. The new site contains video tours of the Culinary Institute of Tuscany where menu development and training takes place. There's also video of Olive Garden's Chef Paolo Lafata on the Tony Danza show reminding viewers that "bruschetta" is pronounced with a hard "k" sound in the middle. I didn't need Chef Paolo's help for that--my mom ingrained that in my head at an early age. There's even a section that pairs ideal Olive Garden wines and entrees. Real Branding created the site.

Juice Wireless and Trans World Entertainment have launched MobileFYE.com, a mobile content store where consumers can buy digital mobile games, ringtones and songtones. Consumers can purchase and download assorted content such as realtones, polyphonic tones, sound effects and voice ringers at prices ranging from $1.99 to $2.99. Games are sold a la carte for $3.99 each. Content is compatible with most mobile phones and cell phone service providers in an effort to reach a broad range of cell phone users.

Next story loading loading..