• by Amy Corr , Staff Writer @MediaPostOTL, June 6, 2007

Pete and Red continue to "make things right" in the latest Haggar ads. "Big Love" launches faux brands in the name of polygamy. Pamela Anderson resurrects the red swimsuit for DIRECTV. Let's launch!

Pacific Blue Cross launched a TV, outdoor and online campaign this week encouraging viewers to be as diligent about their health insurance as they are about other types of insurance. "Metal Shop" features two workers describing in lengthy detail the insurance purchased for one man's plasma TV, while both men neglect to use protective eye goggles and masks in their dangerous work situation. Click here to watch the ad. Same scenario in "Elevator," where two careless workers repair an unstable elevator while talking about a high-end car insurance policy. Watch the ad here. Interactive ads depict a crowd congregating around a collapsed person, seen from the injured person's point of view. The hurt party holds up their Pacific Blue Cross card and all is OK. DDB Canada and Tribal DDB Vancouver created the campaign and OMD Canada handled the media buy.

HBO launched a print, TV and online campaign for its series "Big Love," complete with fake brands created for those living a polygamous lifestyle. These ads remind me of the faux ad for "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" that promoted Lacuna, the memory-erasing product. See it here. One ad promotes a travel agency called Polygaworld, another touts a housing community "where all of your wives fit under one roof." Click here and here to see the ads. My personal favorites are the Viagra ad spoof and the custom fragrance to "Set yourself apart from his other wives." See the ads here and here. Ads refrain from branding and feature only the URL www.hbo.com/biglove. The media placement for the ads was sharp. Each ad ran adjacent to relevant editorial -- the real estate, travel and wedding sections in the New York Times and Los Angeles Times. TV ads are just as funny; the perfume spoof looks like an Elizabeth Arden ad and the performance-enhancing drug ad plays like any Viagra or Cialis spot. Click here and here to see the ads. Creature created the campaign and PHD handled the media buying.

Diet Mountain Dew launched another TV spot highlighting the non-caloric beverage's great taste, while providing a useless factoid to viewers. "Ferret" begins with a mask-wearing, chainsaw-wielding entity chasing a couple through the woods. Upon closer inspection, it's a ferret. The random factoid: ferrets attack more people than grizzly bears. The spot takes a violent turn when the ferret saws off the woman's leg below the knee. Click here to watch the ad.BBDO New York created the ad and OMD handled the media buy.

Baby boomers Pete and Red are back "Making Things Right," in the second installment of TV spots for Haggar. Click here to see the initial series of ads. The first ad in the second series targets the cable guy who arrived past his scheduled window. Pete and Red lure him to the roof, where they strand him until further notice. Watch the ad here. A neighbor's eyesore of an overgrown yard is the next project to receive the Pete and Red treatment. A truck filled with animals is unloaded to solve the problem. Click here to watch the ad. The final ad shows how men cope with sexual harassment in the workplace. Watch the ad here.Crispin Porter + Bogusky handled the creative and the media buy.

I wish that Pamela Anderson was mid-rescue in the latest ad for DIRECTV. Not that I want to see her bobbing around, but it would have remained consistent with the previous ads' theme: stop what you're doing and tout DIRECTV. This time around, Anderson, clad in her "Baywatch" red swimsuit, is applying sunscreen when a scream is heard from the ocean. After describing the benefits of DIRECTV versus Cable, Anderson does her thing: running in slow motion. Watch the ad here. Deutsch Los Angeles created the campaign and handled the media buy.

The Office of Champagne, USA launched a print campaign this month asking American wine enthusiasts to sign a petition to protect place names. In layman's terms, the ad draws attention to a legal loophole that allows certain U.S. sparkling wine producers to label their product "Champagne." But it's not. "Unmask the Truth" features a masked bottle of American Champagne and drives readers to Champagne's Web site to sign that petition! Click here to see the ad, running in Vanity Fair, The New Yorker, Travel & Leisure, Martha Stewart Living and The Economist. CLS & Associates created the ad and media buying was handled in-house.

GM Certified Used Vehicles redesigned its Web site to feature enhanced content about the "No worries" benefits of GM Certified Used Vehicles. The new site design includes video of GM Certified Used Vehicles and an improved search functionality to make it easier for customers to research and buy a used vehicle. The site is being supported with an interactive campaign running on MSN.com, AOL.com and Yahoo.com. In addition, a print ad running in consumer and trade pubs touts the new site and GM Certified's 100,000-mile warranty. Click here to see the ad.Mullen created the campaign and GM Planworks handled the media buy.

The National Multiple Sclerosis Society launched a Web site encouraging those affected by MS to "Join the Movement." Along with sections that describe the disease and how one can become involved in the MS society, there's a "Make Your Mark" tool, where users can design their very own mark against MS that will be displayed on the "Wall." Close to 4,000 marks have been created so far. The site is heavy on video and includes inspiring stories from those living with or affected by the disease. Ripple Effects Interactive created the site.