• by Amy Corr , Staff Writer @MediaPostOTL, March 28, 2007

David Wright has secrets. Film festivals are cooler in Canada. NASCAR uses T-shirts to talk trash. Let's launch!

The Utah Office of Tourism launched a TV, print, outdoor and online campaign this month promoting the state as an ideal destination for outdoor sports fanatics. TV ads in the "Life: Elevated" campaign take place at an airport where a kayak, bike, golf clubs and raft are making their way along the baggage carousel while a climber, bicyclist and horse rider patiently await nearby. Watch the ad here. The ads will play locally in Denver and Los Angeles. Print ads depict vacationers partaking of various activities such as golfing, fishing and mountain biking. "Suddenly, your score becomes irrelevant," reads the golf ad with a breathtaking view. Click here, here and here to see the ads. Struck created the ads and Blitz Media handled the media buy.

"Never Get Caught Off Guard" is the tagline for Right Guard's Sport line of deodorant. Boy and girl are hiking in the woods. Boy approaches deer that's more Cujo than Bambi. Boy leaves confrontation without breaking a sweat. Girl is in awe. Watch the ad here. The ad launched March 19 on cable networks such as ESPN, Spike TV, Comedy Central, TBS, TNT and The History Channel. Energy BBDO Chicago created the campaign and OMD handled the media buy.

New York Mets third baseman David Wright, better known as my future husband -- he just doesn't know it yet -- is the latest star in ESPN's long running "This is SportsCenter" campaign. "Secrets" launched Monday and features Wright along with SportsCenter anchors Neil Everett and Scott Van Pelt talking discreetly about where to meet before they go out. Wright covers his mouth using his baseball glove, while Everett and Van Pelt use a coffee mug and manila folder to prevent Wake Forest's Demon Deacon mascot from deciphering their plans. Why use a college mascot when the star is a MLB player? No real method behind that madness; Demon Deacon was selected to portray the odd man out in the office. Watch the ad here.Wieden + Kennedy New York created the spot.

The Canadian Filmmakers Festival had a fantastic TV and print campaign to promote the yearly event that took place last week. The ads spoof movies of the past and tout Canada as a land cooler than Hollywood. Agreed. "Terminator" features a naked cyborg appearing out of thin air (or lightning), with a fisherman the only being in sight. The terminator sizes up the fisherman, finds a match and leaves with a set of warm clothes. Watch the ad here. "Jaws" stars the infamous great white swimming through murky water looking for prey. The shark attempts to surface, but instead cracks the ice next to a man who's ice fishing. Click here to watch the ad. "Close Encounters" features the same poor fisherman that can't catch a break. Or fish, apparently. A UFO attempts communication and only succeeds in baffling the fisherman, until it plays the opening music of a hockey game. Watch the ad here. The print ads are equally amusing. "Jaws" features the poor fisherman about to become lunch. "Poltergeist" shows a little girl watching TV in the dark. No surprise, hockey's on. "Superman" is my favorite. Clark Kent dons a parka and wool sweater rather than Lycra. Canada is cold! Click here, here and here to see the ads. GJP Advertising created the campaign.

Bridgestone Firestone North American Tire launched a series of TV, print, online and radio ads slated to run throughout the year. "Floating Elegance" hypes luxurious amenities to add to one's car. A hovering car sans tires is then shown, with a voiceover stating the amenities "mean nothing unless you have the right tires." Watch the ad here. A flock of cars effortlessly glide about town in "Art of Performance." Watch the ad here. "The Road Speaks" is my favorite ad. It couples sounds and effects of nature with driving through the elements. If the road speaks, do your tires understand and adapt? Click here to watch the ad.  "Art of the Deal" highlights a summer and fall promotion where consumers who buy select Bridgestone tires can receive a $100 American Express award card. Click here to watch.The Richards Group handled all aspects of the campaign.

To promote the NASCAR Busch Series, fan T-shirts come to life to talk the trash. "Dueling Tees" shows two tailgating fans watching the race on a portable TV. Drivers Jon Woods and Jason Leffler come alive to razz one another about the ongoing race. Watch the ad here. "Wall Bait" features Australian rookie Marcos Ambrose fending off the wrath of two veteran drivers on hanging T-shirts. Click here to watch the ad. Mark Martin is told he's old in "Autograph"... by a younger version of himself. Watch the ad here. All ads use the tagline, "We've got something to prove." The campaign will run on ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, Fox and SPEED. TV ads are supported by print and online ads, running in NASCAR-related publications and Web sites. BooneOakley created the campaign and media buying was handled in-house.

PAAS, the Easter egg decorating kits, launched its first-ever TV ad campaign. This commercial makes me want to stop everything and color some eggs. The TV ad features an adorable young boy teaching his baby sister how to color eggs. Watch the ad here. "Eventually, the eggs break. But not the tradition," reads the print ad, which features another cute boy. View the ad here. Both ads use the tagline "Only Easter. Only PAAS." The Sawtooth Group created the campaign and handled the TV media buy. Greystoke handled the print media buy.

This campaign launched last November, but it's still worth noting. Nike launched a TV, print and outdoor campaign promoting Carmelo Anthony's line of sneakers under the Jordan brand. The Melo M3 is also the first signature basketball sneaker for the Jordan brand created for a player not named Michael Jordan. "B Clutch" paints Anthony as a clutch player on and off the court. Watch the ad here. Outdoor ads are running in Denver, Baltimore, and New York. Print can be found in Dime, XXL, Bounce, Sports Illustrated, Complex and Vibe. See the ad here.Wieden+Kennedy New York handled creative and media buying chores.