Out to Launch

• by Amy Corr , Staff Writer @MediaPostOTL, April 21, 2004

British Airways wants you to sleep well. Diego educates consumers on carbs. GM says "Find Your Style." Welcome to highlights of ad campaigns launched recently.

Diageo North America has developed a print campaign to educate consumers about the zero carb content of Diageo's Smirnoff vodka, Crown Royal, Johnnie Walker and Tanqueray brands. Created by Grey, the campaign highlights that these brands have zero carbs by playing off the word "Nothing." The ads will be appearing in the May and June issues of Advocate, Business Week, Cosmopolitan, ESPN, Esquire, FHM, GQ, Jane, Men's Journal, Nylon, Out, Playboy, Rolling Stone, Sports Illustrated, Time Out New York, US Weekly, Vibe and Wired. The first execution, called "Mmmm. Nothing," features an empty cocktail glass adorned with a "zero carb" branded stirrer. The empty cocktail glass implies that what zero carb spirits lack in carbs they make up for in taste. "Whole Lot of Nothing," the second execution, speaks to consumers everywhere by featuring a number of universal phrases for "zero" to illustrate the fact that these spirits have zero carbs. The third execution, called "Literally Nothing," addresses the saturation of low carb and zero carb products in the market today.

British Airways, with the help of itraffic, has launched an interactive campaign supporting the airline's new Club World Sleeper Service. The airline's new Sleeper Service provides passengers at least one extra full-hour of sleep on London-bound flights. The goal of the online campaign is to generate awareness of "non-stop sleep to London" among frequent international business travelers and brand awareness to potential and existing British Airways passengers. The half-page, box and super banner ad units use interactive vignettes to highlight new sleeper service features including: pre-board and in-flight meal options, service enhancements and bedding upgrades including larger pillows and more luxurious duvets. The campaign will run for six weeks on The Wall Street Journal Online, Economist.com, Forbes.com, and The New York Times Online. Print and outdoor ads also launched.

DYMO, a producer of labelmakers for home, business and industry, has launched its first multimillion dollar campaign for the DYMO LabelWriter, a PC and Mac compatible label printer designed to eliminate the hassles of printing sheet labels. The national TV, print and online campaign is designed to specifically appeal to Small Office/Home Office and small business consumers. The campaign was developed by North Castle Partners, Stamford, CT. The campaign launched this week with a 30-second television spot depicting two typical office workers, one using a LabelWriter and the other using a laser printer and sheet labels. While the sheet label user struggles to get his labels printed, his colleague not only completes his labels in seconds but then proceeds to label everything else around him, including his coworker's rear end. Print and online banners based off this spot are running concurrently with the commercial. TV ads are running on ESPN, Fox News, CNBC and Headline News, while print advertising can be seen in publications such as Business Week, Fortune, Inc. and Fast Company. Internet advertising will be featured on Business Week, AOL Small Business and MSN.

McCann Erickson San Francisco (McCannSF) and Zentropy Partners have launched an outdoor and online advertising campaign for General Motors western region. The campaign speaks directly to the diverse styles and unique personalities of Californians, with the theme being "Find Your Style," based on the premise that Californians have diverse tastes and styles, and that no matter what that style is, GM has the right vehicle for every individual. Outdoor creative was developed by McCannSF. Zentropy created the online creative and sweepstakes. The "Build Your Billboard" sweepstakes invites users to execute their own version of the outdoor campaign, with the chance to have their billboard posted in their own hometown. The outdoor campaign launched in mid-February with an oversized bookend billboard on a high rise building on Hollywood's Sunset Strip. Featuring Shaquille O'Neal, one bookend billboard has the headline "Hardwood" above a GM Hummer on a solid wood floor and the other has the headline "Hollywood" above a GM Escalade on "the red carpet." The six billboards compare the GM line of vehicles to various California lifestyle attributes, ranging from skiing styles to entertainment choices.

The Advertising Council and the Teen Action Campaign and the Family Violence Prevention Fund, have launched national PSAs designed to encourage teens to take a stand when they suspect friends are in abusive relationships. Created pro bono by Hill, Holliday, the campaign includes TV, radio, magazine, in-theater and online advertising. The campaign targets teens between the ages of 13 and 18 and the objective of the PSAs is to interrupt the cycle of violence and prevent future incidents of domestic and/or sexual violence in this generation. The radio and print ads depict controlling teens in relationships that may not have escalated to physical abuse, but reveal real-life warning signs that can lead to more serious consequences. The PSAs conclude with the tagline, "Just because it isn't Physical, Doesn't Mean it's not Abuse."

Draft London launched an integrated campaign to support Twinings Tea Infusions, featuring direct marketing and online components which promote the range's taste and healthy attributes. Draft London created both online and offline DM executions, aimed primarily at health-conscious women, along with a microsite to coincide. Branded emails encourage users to click through to the microsite, and inform them of a free samples offer. Users select their choice of mood, along with the time of day and the site adapts itself around the most appropriate Twinings flavors for the task. Trial samples can be selected in the same way, allowing Twinings to track visitors' preferred flavors and capture data.

The NBC Agency launched a mobile media marketing campaign with Asphalt Media, a company that places 53-foot long ads on the sides and ends of mobile trailers. Using GPS technology, the trucks are tracked on an hourly basis to help support Asphalt's Post Performance Report, a range of studies to prove that mobile media keeps its impression guarantee. The NBC campaign features ads for the "Today Show," "Nightly News with Tom Brokaw", and "Dateline," and is running now in New York City.

In website launches this week:

BusinessJournalism.org has launched as a unique online resource for editors and reporters who cover business issues. The new website is published by the Donald W. Reynolds National Center for Business Journalism at the American Press Institute (API). BusinessJournalism.org provides daily business headlines, market news, a business term glossary, business journalism job listings, tips for journalists, organization listings and academic programs.

Giant Ideas has launched a new website for PeopleKeys. PeopleKeys is a full-spectrum turnkey provider of hiring and evaluation methods for unlocking the full potential of employees, students and more. In addition to developing the new site, Giant Ideas also developed the PeopleKeys brand with a new logo, brand position and other marketing materials. PeopleKeys has been serving clients for more than 25 years, primarily through referrals and word of mouth, and had not previously branded themselves publicly.