Midas Inc. is using the fear factor in its latest round of ads that urge consumers to keep their cars in good shape to avoid embarrassing or potentially dangerous situations. Two new spots exploit two
specific concerns: the universal fear of being stranded and the teenage fear of being caught outside after curfew. One spot, called "Waiting," debuts next week. It depicts a young boy hanging around
listlessly waiting for his mother to pick him up. When the scene shifts to the mother, she is seen trying to start a stalled car. The other spot broke last week. It's called "Busted," and shows a
teenage couple in a clunker pulling into her driveway, obviously late, waking up her parents with the car's squeaky brakes. Each is a 30-second spot running on network, sports and entertainment
channels. Midas also plans to support the effort with print ads in People and Sports Illustrated beginning in mid-May and ending in September, alternating between the two Time/Warner publications each
week. Since the current campaign began, Midas has spent roughly 97 percent of its ad spend--$81 million of $84 million total for 2004 and 2005--on television, per Nielsen Monitor-Plus.
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