• by Amy Corr , Staff Writer @MediaPostOTL, May 14, 2008

Digiorno-for-one pizza is really meant for only one person. I love New York -- all of New York. Men are needed at the Axe Cottage. Let's launch!

I usually think of "Boogie Nights" whenever I hear Hot Chocolate's song "I Believe in Miracles (You Sexy Thing)," but Miracle-Gro is trying to change that. "It's Gro Time" consists of three TV and six print ads, targeting current and new gardeners on the young side. I love the campaign's overall message: that is, get dirty and create something. "Find your tomato mojo," is by far my favorite line from the campaign that captures people growing flowers and tomatoes and relishing the end results. See the TV ads here, here and here. Print ads, seen here, here, and here, are running in shelter and gardening magazines including Martha Stewart Living, Cooking Light, Ladies' Home Journal, Woman's Day, Family Circle, Better Homes & Gardens, Country Living and Southern Living. ML Rogers New York created the campaign and Mediaedge:cia handled the media buy.

Just because I can't see you doesn't mean you can't see me, or my identity. A spec spot for the ACLU features a man shielding his identity, using anything he can get his hands on: a broom, bucket, bouquet of flowers, a ski mask, T-shirt, his hands, a red hoodie and a trash can. "Protect your right to privacy. Join the ACLU at ACLU.org," concludes the spot, seen here. Director Keef shot the spot and Matt Shapiro of Crew Cuts edited.

Digiorno launched a U.S. mobile campaign this month promoting its Digiorno-for-one pizza using a MySpace page to turn ordinary people into ditchers. Looking for excuses to eat alone? The Ditcher can help. Solitary diners ditch friends by sending themselves a text message or phone call of the utmost urgency. Excuses range from the possible (there's something wrong with your car, your friend is waiting at the airport) to the improbable (you need to step in for a pro baseball player, you're missing an online wedding ceremony). Lastly, you pick a day and time for this emergency call/text to be placed. Now you can print out your $1 off coupon for Digiorno-for-one pizza and eat it without interruption. AKQA created the campaign.

The iconic "I Love New York" campaign has expanded past the five boroughs of New York City to include the rest of the state's offerings. A $17 million budget is devoted to online, print, outdoor, guerilla and direct response elements, and a revamped ILoveNY.com. Creative emphasizes New York state's county fairs, wineries and peaceful landscapes, but look closely. Not only has the famous I Love New York logo been tweaked slightly in each ad to include a squirrel or a smaller heart (denoting family bonding) but there's hidden NYC-themed graphics in each ad. Did I spend a large chunk of the morning looking for countless graphics while remembering my childhood days solving the Highlights Hidden Picture Puzzle? Of course. See the ads here, here and here. Saatchi & Saatchi created the campaign and Saatchi & SaatchiLA handled the media buy.

Apple launched an online ad similar to its "Silhouettes" TV spot that launched two weeks ago, to promote the iPod and iTunes. Pretty much the same ad, it uses the same song as the TV spot, just different portions. "Gamma," running on AOL Music, Spinner.com, Artist Direct, Fuse TV, Mp3.com's search results, Papermag and Pastemagazine.com, is just as psychedelic as "Silhouettes," except it's online and did not give me that intrusive feeling I sometimes get with online ads. Watch the ad here. TBWA/Media Arts Lab created the campaign and handled the media buy.

Gentlemen, the ladies residing at the Axe Cottage need you to lather their backs with sunscreen, take them waterskiing and canoeing, and play spin the bottle and volleyball. Are you up for it? Axe Body Spray launched a series of TV ads across Canada promoting a summertime contest where four grand prize winners will win a stay at the Axe Cottage in Canada's Muskoka Lakes region. Participants can enter by purchasing any Axe product and registering its UPC code online. Each ad features a woman in need of a male counterpart to balance out her activity of choice. See the ads here, here and here. Zig created the campaign, PHD handled the media buy and Dashboard created the Web site.

McDonald's launched Sharkbait II, a follow-up game to Sharkbait, promoting the Filet-O-Fish sandwich. The game is the same: the goal is to keep a group of hungry sharks away from your filet-o-fish, and updates come in the form of creating your own shark avatar (with many, many options) and baiting sharks in one of 12 geographical areas including the Lone Star Lagoon, the Show Me Strait, Crawfish Cove and Yellow Brick Bay. Each location has its own set of high-scorers and this time around there's an animated treasure map guiding gamers through sharky waters. Moroch Partners created the game.

Major League Baseball launched a Mother's Day campaign to raise money and awareness for breast cancer research. A full-page print ad ran in USA Today on May 9 depicting a flower made from pink baseball bats. "This Mother's Day, give more than just flowers," says the ad urging baseball fans to support the Susan G. Komen For The Cure foundation by attending MLB games on Mother's Day, or by watching MLB games on TBS and ESPN. Special pink baseball bats were available for purchase at the stadiums and MLB will donate $10 to the Susan G. Komen fund for every bat sold. See the ad here, created by McCann Erickson, New York.