Out to Launch

• by Amy Corr , Staff Writer @MediaPostOTL, May 21, 2003

Hershey's launches limited edition kisses. Sheraton borrows a tune from the Rolling Stones in their latest ad. Readers Digest opens up after a 10-year break from advertising. Those are just a few of the campaigns launched this week. Read on for more details.

Reader's Digesthas launched a new ad campaign, their first in 10 years, to support their flagship magazine. The campaign launched last week, and its tagline, " Get Involved," is urging advertisers to tap into the connection that Reader's Digest has with some 40 million readers. Each ad starts out with the line "If we got any closer to our readers..." One ad shows a young professional at a coffee house behind the line, "If we got any closer to our readers they'd be finishing our sentences." Another ad shows a woman in her bathrobe and the line, "If we got any closer to our readers, we'd have to use protection." The ads will appear through June 30 in Advertising Age, Adweek, Mediaweek, Brandweek and The Advertiser as well as on phone kiosks in New York City. The ads were created by Needleman, Drussman & Partners. Reader's Digest is also holding a contest via Adweek.com and Adage.com for readers to write their own copy for future "If we got any close to our readers..." ads.

Sheraton Hotels has launched a $10 million print and television advertising campaign designed to showcase new upgrades the hotel has made. The ads were created by Deutsch and feature a remix of the Rolling Stone's song "Let's Spend the Night Together." This is Sheraton's first ad campaign in seven years, and features 4 TV spots, plus print, radio and online ads. The ads highlight Sheraton's new room design, Sweet Sleeper Bed, and The Sheraton Service Promise. TV ads will run on CNN, Fox News, ESPN and Oxygen, along with ABC, NBC, CBS and Fox. The :60 ad will also be streamed on MSN.com and Yahoo.com.

Another travel-geared launch this week comes from the Wisconsin Dells Visitor & Convention Bureau. They have launched a new $4 million summer advertising campaign to remind families - particularly moms - of the area's natural beauty and variety of activities. The campaign carries the tagline "Where the fun comes naturally," and :60 television spots will air in Chicago, Milwaukee, Minneapolis-St. Paul and other major Midwestern markets. The ads feature footage of Wisconsin River tour boats taking vacationers past the area's signature sandstone bluffs (dells) which in turn have images of man-made attractions (including golf, amusement rides and spas) superimposed onto them. Thirty-second spots along with additional Midwestern markets will be added to the campaign in June, as well as print and radio spots. The ads were created by Boelter + Lincoln, Milwaukee.

To the delight of chocolate lovers everywhere, Hershey has introduced a limited edition Hershey Kiss flavor and also brought back a former limited edition flavor, also for a limited time. The new flavor is Toffee & Almonds, and the returning flavor is Rich Dark Hershey's Kisses. The kisses, wrapped in gold and auburn foil, hit stores in April. To support the launch, TV and print advertising will run nationwide, with ads created by Ogilvy & Mather, New York.

Ignite Health, an agency specializing in healthcare marketing, launched an Interactive campaign for Merck this week. The campaign is for The Merck Manual of Medical Information Second Home Edition. Ads will appear on Oprah.com, DrPhil.com, MedicineNet.com, Clubmom.com and Parents.com, targeting sites that attract women ages 35 and up, with an emphasis on health information. Besides the online ads (consisting of eyeblaster units and rich media), microsites and targeted emails will be sent out to the desired demographic.

Canon U.S.A. kicked-off a $42 million nationwide print and television advertising campaign last week to promote Canon's exclusive DIGIC image processing technology, which optimizes digital camera and camcorder results to produce high-quality images. Both the television and print ads are focused solely on the DIGIC technology and not product models. One TV spot, entitled "Journey," takes the viewer on a computer-animated journey through the camera lens for a virtual tour of the circuit boards inside. The viewers see a processing chip bearing the DIGIC logo along with digital photos and an explanation of the chip's advantages. The ad will air on network primetime and on cable. The second commercial, entitled "Pajamas," began airing on May 19. The commercial features a man reliving the important memories of his life while editing his home videos. Reliving the memories is so real that he is transported back to each situation wearing his pajamas. Both ads include the tagline "Digital Revolutionized Photography (Video), We Revolutionized Digital," and will air until Father's Day. The campaign was created by DCA Advertising.

The Advertising Council and The National Trust for Historic Preservation have launched a national public service advertising (PSA) campaign to raise awareness of the current danger to America's historic places and encourage Americans to help in preserving them for future generations. The new PSA campaign, entitled "History is in our Hands" was created pro bono by Arnold Worldwide. Each PSA appeals to the emotions of the audience by presenting a scenario in which a historic building has been torn down or lost, and is challenging all adults to make a difference.

This week's website launches include:

Maryland Public Television (MPT) and Johns Hopkins University's Center for Technology in Education have teamed up on a multi-million dollar digital project for the U.S. Department of Education's Star Schools program. ThinkPort.org is a website for K-12 teachers and families. To drive traffic to the website, TV ads will appear on MPT, with the spots airing through the fall. Thinkport offers digital resources for classrooms - from digital videos, lesson plans and activities, and offers teachers high-tech tools for building websites, the capability to IM with other teachers, and building electronic portfolios.

Cramer-Krasselt has just launched a new promotion for Master Lock, in conjunction with Marvel Comics, which appeals to creative kids and comic aficionados. Master Lock's back-to-school promotion features special packaging, merchandising and a microsite in advance of the release of Universal's Incredible Hulk film this summer. The site features artwork by Marvel artists, a movie trailer and new product information. Kids can receive a free, limited edition, custom comic book featuring the new Master Lock Sphero Lock, by entering a code from their Master Lock package. Visitors can also enter to win a tour of Marvel Studios in New York City, or 3,000 other Marvel prizes, by playing the Master Lock Big City Comic Book Contest. To enter the contest, kids complete a story line and dialogue for featured comic strips.

Washingtonpost.com has launched a new automotive section. The new section adds integrated content from The Washington Post and cars.com, along with a new focus on long-term auto maintenance. The section incorporates features that serve both auto consumers and sellers. The section offers integrated content from Washington Post writers, such as Warren Brown's columns and his new virtual test-drive video feature. Also, users can find an "Owners Guide," which allows them to research the value of a car, explore finance and insurance options or ask maintenance questions during online discussions with car experts.