• by Judy Warner , May 2, 2007

The red umbrella returns in two new spots-including 30-, 60- and 90-second executions-for The Travelers Companies, Inc. that break this week, an extension of its "In-synch" campaign.

Discreetly tucked into the last frame of each spot, the insurers' distinctive umbrella stands upright like an exclamation point at the end of the Travelers' name.

The insurance company in February paid an undisclosed amount of money to Citi to buy back the corporate mark which Citi retained even after selling Travelers to The St. Paul Companies in 2004. Citi opted to develop a new symbol and sold the umbrella, some would say, to its rightful owner earlier this year. Since acquiring the mark, St. Paul Travelers renamed itself The Travelers Companies, Inc., and began trading under the TRV symbol.

Travelers extends the "In-synch" campaign it bowed a year ago from Fallon Minneapolis with four print new executions. "Someday, you'll look back and laugh. (But not without the right insurance)," reads the headline alongside a photo of a red sports car parked in the bottom of a pool. Copy makes the point that the right insurance alleviates your risks.

The new spots will air on major sporting events such as the PGA Tour's U.S. Open, the British Open and Wimbledon tennis.

The first of the two humorous spots is shot in a "Rabbit Foot Reattachment Center," where, as luck would have it, white-coated lab technicians see that brightly colored rabbits feet, like those found on key chains, are returned to their owners.

The shoot involved 45 trained rabbits whose paws were dyed (all natural, vegetable based) as representatives from the American Humane Association* stood watch.

A second spot features actor Richard Edson (making his commercial debut) as a character named "Risk" who, while ambling through a city at night, causes mishaps wherever he goes. In one scene, his name is revealed as a tattoo across his fingers. A voiceover concludes: "Risk never sleeps. Fortunately, neither does a great insurance company."

A 90-second version of this spot will air this week on late-night and overnight cable on CNN, A&E, Bravo, CNBC, and Comedy Central.

It's almost worth staying up for.

* Editor's note: The story was amended after publication to correct an error.