• by Karl Greenberg , July 2, 2007

Zippo Manufacturing, maker of the iconic Zippo lighters and based in Bradford, Penn., where the lighters are still manufactured, is launching its first print and Internet advertising campaign to commemorate its 75th anniversary.

The effort, via Pittsburgh-based Blattner, Brunner, focuses on Zippo owners and the kinds of stories that have been associated with the lighter for years, such as well-placed lighters blocking bullets or the lighters lighting after having been crushed, submerged or left for dead.

The effort, which includes full-page print ads to run in Maxim, Iron Horse and Rolling Stone, has a biker, rockers and soldiers theme with each ad a visual museum of such Zippo memorabilia as historic lighters, fragments of old advertising, biker-jacket art and engine parts, rock-concert buttons and military-insignia, with each ad focusing on one of the themes.

One had shows a lighter enshrined in a circle of rock memorabilia. Another shows a soldier reflected in a mosaic of chrome Zippo lighters with the line, "It's who we are." Each ad bears the tag, "Every Zippo tells a story."

The rocker "reflection" runs as a backlit, transparent billboard at music-related sites in Cleveland, Ohio, and Memphis and Nashville, Tenn., and at the 75th anniversary celebration on July 28 in Bradford.

Mary Kay Modaffari, director of account management at Blattner Brunner, says the campaign differs in scope and focus from recent efforts for Zippo in that it celebrates the heritage of the brand by shining a spotlight on individuals and their stories versus specific products.

"We are really stewards of the brand today, so are both keeping it relevant and helping our client take their brand in a number of different directions." She says recently the focus has been on launching a multi-purpose lighter. "The campaign is literally about reflecting the brand, celebrating its history and cachet and the fact that it's just as relevant in today's world."

"Through the three pillars of the campaign - bikers, rock 'n' roll and the military - people can connect."

The campaign includes a viral component, centered at zippostories.com, where people are encouraged to upload stories about their Zippo lighters. "We are encouraging this to be viral, so we have a whole library of stories from consumers that reveal the emotional connections they have to Zippo." One-third page ads opposite the print executions offer a preview of one of those stories, and all direct the reader to zippostories.com, where the first dozen stories are archived.

The heritage and iconography elements of the campaign may align with the market, whose strength - with anti-smoking sentiment growing along with state-by-state bans in public spaces - is in collectibles. Competitors include Bic, Ronson and Victorinox Swiss Army.