• by Amy Corr , Staff Writer @MediaPostOTL, September 20, 2006

Vote for relish. Can you smell what Au Bon Pain is baking? The Effies get a makeover. Let's launch!

McKee Wallwork Cleveland and the New Mexico Department of Health's Tobacco Use Prevention and Control Program launched an anti-smoking effort in New Mexico schools today unlike traditional anti-smoking campaigns that warn smokers about the long-term effects--lung cancer, emphysema, etc. This campaign hits teens where it matters most: their vanity. Urinal screens were placed in the boys' bathrooms; when urinated on, the screens read, "This could be the color of your teeth. That's what's cool about smoking." Gross, but hopefully effective. Mirrors in the girls' bathrooms are adorned with clings offering messages such as, "One cigarette in the morning gives your hair a convenient all-day stink. That's what's cool about smoking." In addition, students involved with the anti-smoking initiative will wear black t-shirts with messages such as, "I can disappoint my parents without smoking" and "I just farted, but at least I don't smoke." Hey, whatever works.

Say cheese! This train looks like it appeared on the MTV show, "Pimp My Ride." And don't worry; the commuters can't see the flashing effect from inside the car. Touted as the first-ever North American campaign using GlowSkin, an electro-luminescent outdoor medium, Pentax wrapped five trains with a repeating image on the Portland, Ore. light rail line last week. The wrapped trains show a climbing wall with a series of handholds lighting up progressively in front of the climbers. Then individual words, "Live," "The," "Active," "Life," will light up, and before the cycle repeats, "Pentax K100D" and an image of the camera will flash. This is definitely something I've never seen before. The month-long campaign expects to garner 20 million impressions. GlowSkin lights send a programmable, low-power signal through thin lamps, allowing sequential and animated illumination. Again, I'm hooked. Hunt Adkins handled all aspects of the campaign.

The Effie Awards is launching a tongue-in-cheek ad campaign next week in Ad Age to draw attention to its upcoming awards ceremony. One ad, "Criteria by Which Advertising Award Shows are Judged," features charts of the most recognized award shows in the marketing industry, along with cheeky descriptions. For the D&AD Show, a bar chart illustrates the portion of winning ads that are "British 'inside jokes' that only Brits get," while the Cannes graph measures "whatever was predicted by the ad media to win." The AICP's pie chart designates a percentage for ads that were "directed by agency creative who became a director." Copy at the bottom of the ad says, "Creative work can win awards for all kinds of weird and wonderful reasons. The Effies, as you know, are a little less subjective." Click here to see a bigger picture of the ad. In a call for entries ad, a chart monitors the peaks and valleys of "Schedule and Corresponding Tension Levels Regarding EFFIE Award Deadline," tracking the cycle of procrastination in the award show process from the agency side. Anomaly created the campaign.

American Airlines is tugging at my heartstrings in its latest spot, "Global Scope." The spot targets frequent international flyers and features a father and daughter talking on the phone; she's at home while he's in various countries attending meetings. The daughter is so enamored by her father and his frequent trips that she constantly asks if she can travel with him. The spot ends with the daughter boarding a flight to London to attend a meeting with her dad. Like all AA commercials, the boarding sign flashes a personal reason behind why we fly: "The perfect use for all those miles." Click here to watch AA's current spot, along with older campaigns. TM Advertising handled all aspects of the campaign.

BMW launched a new TV spot earlier this month entitled "The Office," showcasing the Montego Blue 3 Coupe. The spot shows the sleek vehicle driving through an office, without one employee thinking this is a strange occurrence. "To some it's remarkable, to others it's business as usual," says a voiceover at the end of the spot. Click here to watch "Office." The TV ad is part of a broader BMW 3 Coupe campaign that also includes print, outdoor and direct mail pieces. GSD&M handled all aspects of the campaign.

The Advertising Council and Federal Voting Assistance Program have launched "Pay Attention & Vote," a PSA created to increase young voter turnout during the midterm elections. "If you're not voting, then who are you electing?" asks the six TV ads that drive viewers to the Web site PayAttention.org. The site contains information on registering and voting, blogs for each of the mock candidates and downloadable ringtones. "Bag of Leaves" starts off like all political ads, touting the important things we need from a senator: courage and integrity. We find the unlikely candidate is a bag of leaves. If "Frozen Peas" are effective in reducing cholesterol, imagine what they can do in the Senate. "Side of Hashbrowns" shows how multitalented the comfort food really is. "Old Relish Packet" is a "condiment with values." Nuff said. "Someone's Teddy Bear" and "Spoiled Yappy Dog" round out the remaining ads, but I don't think I could back either candidate. Click here to watch the ads.WestWayne created the campaign.

The MontBleu Resort Casino & Spa in Lake Tahoe has launched its first TV campaign that literally brings the outdoors in. The spots take an interesting focus on Tahoe's wildlife rather than the flash and glamour found in casinos. One ad shows a man in the restroom intrigued by the rustling noise he hears from a stall. Upon further inspection, he finds a grizzly bear. The spot ends with the man walking past a deer and the tagline: "MontBleu Resort Casino and Spa, a habitat for everything wild!" Another ad shows a cocktail waitress serving drinks with one hand and holding a large fish, for the bar's grizzly bear customer, in the other hand. The ads are airing on the West Coast, specifically in the San Francisco, Sacramento and Reno/Tahoe markets. Schadler Kramer Group Advertising handled all aspects of the campaign.

OK, I smell something freshly baked and buttery... It's a croissant! I've been told I have a nose for food. BBDO New York created an in-store campaign for Au Bon Pain. The adswere distributed to select stores in the New York metropolitan area to post in-store. Click here to see a larger version of the ad.