• by Amy Corr , Staff Writer, September 22, 2006

Food network host Alton Brown has such an eccentric fan base that when the network simultaneously launched a branding campaign and initiative promoting Brown's limited series "Feasting On Asphalt," it decided to use a traditional tagline - and a nontraditional sub-tagline especially for Brown fans.

The new series, which follows Brown's cross-country attempt to eat at independent restaurants, bears the tagline, "Way More Than Cooking." But the sub-tagline speaks straight to the thinking foodies who are the host's base: "You Can Always Spot an Alton Brown Fan."

New York shop Filter created the quirky TV, print, outdoor, and online ads. In a TV spot, "Egg," a group of kids egg a minivan. The driver races out to catch the kids, but instead of upbraiding them, she instructs them on how older eggs separate more easily on impact.

In "Shiner," a kid holds a raw piece of steak on his black eye. His father picks up the Kobe beef, admires its well-marbled texture, and asks, "What were you thinking?" He's not talking about the black eye.

Outdoor ads feature shots of Brown with the line, "His mother was a chef. His father was a Vulcan." A print ad features an atom made out of spaghetti and meatballs. Another draws the equation E=mc² using carrots, onions, string beans, and peas.