• by Amy Corr , Staff Writer @MediaPostOTL, July 9, 2003

Annika Sorenstam loves KFC. Best Western teams up with Mastercard. Red Roof Inns re-introduces Red the Bobblehead. Those are just a few of the campaigns launched this week. Read on for more details.

Jose Cuervo has launched a "Face of the Nation" contest on CuervoNation.com. The online promotion, created by DraftDigital New York, gives consumers the opportunity to put "a face on their independent spirit" for a chance to win a trip for two to the Island of CuervoNation, located in the Caribbean. The online promotion is the first part of Jose Cuervo's CuervoNation new Celebrations promotion. The "Face of the Nation" promotion allows consumers to upload any photo and bring it to life by animating it and making it speak. Contestants type an answer to the question "How are you an independent spirit?" The typed response is then processed and animated into the photo.

Keeping with liquor, 1800 Tequila has launched a national advertising campaign. The brand line for the new campaign, "A Little Bit Older, A Whole Lot Bolder," speaks to both the heritage of the 200-year-old brand, and the provocative tequila experience it offers. Four different print scenarios ("Dance," "Flash," "Stakes" and "Movie Time") feature the onset of various "threshold moments," in which 1800 serves as the catalyst for a unique experience and leaves the reader wondering what will happen next. In "Flash," a beautiful woman is wearing a trench coat and flashing two men privy to the secret of what she's wearing underneath. In "Stakes," a group shot of a friendly poker game depicts the fun in having the confidence to raise the stakes higher than before. The campaign kicked off as the back cover of Maxim's July issue, and will also appear in GQ, Men's Journal, ESPN The Magazine, Rolling Stone and National Geographic Adventurer, to name a few. The ads were created by the Arnell Group. Outdoor executions will appear in Los Angeles, San Diego, Dallas, Houston and Miami.

Golfer Annika Sorenstam is taking a swing as a spokeswoman, but not for something golf-related. Sorenstam will appear in ads beginning this week for KFC's Honey BBQ Wings and Boneless Wings. Two versions of the ad, created by BBDO New York, feature Sorenstam on the golf course faced with a challenging decision -- KFC Honey BBQ Wings or Boneless Wings? The commercials play on the controversy surrounding Annika's decision to compete on the men's tour at the Colonial earlier this year. The :30 spots will air July 7 through Aug. 10 throughout primetime shows such as "Big Brother" and "Fear Factor."

Big Apple Ice Cream? The concept is not as far out as you might think. To celebrate its 75th birthday, Dreyer's Grand Ice Cream is challenging kids to invent new ice cream flavors that show off the unique appeal of their home states. Until Sept. 19, kids can put their state knowledge to the test by entering Dreyer's "A Scoop of the U.S.A." flavor contest and dream up flavors that pay tribute to the heritage and distinctive qualities of their home states. Fifteen finalists will be invited to a "taste off" at the Dreyer's ice cream factory where they will create their one-of-a-kind flavors for a panel of judges. Dreyer's will select one winning flavor and will produce a limited run of the ice cream creation. The winner will receive a U.S. savings bond and a year's supply of ice cream and Dreyer's will make a batch of the winning ice cream creation for the winner's family and friends. Online ads, created by Zipatoni, will run on Dreyers.com, IceCream.com and Edys.com.

Red Roof Inns has launched a radio and TV campaign in an attempt to create a more memorable personality for the brand. The TV spots will break on network TV in select markets. Each of the four, 15-second TV spots features the reinvented Red the Bobblehead, also known as the "director of guest happiness" of Red Roof Inns. John Goodman is the voice that brings Red to life. In one spot, "Renovation," Red explains about Red Roof Inns' recently renovated and newly upgraded guestrooms, appropriately named Red's New Rooms The chain will renovate more than 1,700 rooms this year, and will progressively implement Red's New Rooms nationwide over the next several years. The ads were created by The Richards Group, Dallas.

Another hotel launching a branding campaign is La Quinta Corporation. The TV and print campaign, created by Temerlin McClain, emphasizes the hotel chain's dependable value under the tagline "Every La Quinta. Every Time." Three :30 television spots began airing on national cable networks last month. Each ad will maintain a different focus: business travel, leisure travel and a summer promotion. The print advertising began running in June issues of publications such as USA Today and People. The campaign will also highlight the La Quinta Returns frequent stay program. The summer promotion will provide guests with one-night free when they stay three times.

The final hotel campaign this week comes from Best Western. The hotel chain is teaming up with MasterCard for a promotion tied to the MasterCard Priceless campaigns. Now through Aug. 31, consumers who stay at any Best Western hotel in the United States and pay with their MasterCard will automatically be entered in the MasterCard Weekends Matter Sweepstakes. Ten winners will receive a "priceless" grand prize -- a weekend home for one year to be shared with anyone in any location. There will also be 200 first-prize winners who will receive a $500 MasterCard Gift Card to plan their own one-time weekend getaway. The ads will run in the June 27, July 3, 17 and July 31 issues of USA Today.

The Advertising Council has partnered with the USDA Forest Service and the National Association of State Foresters, to launch a public service advertisements featuring Smokey Bear. The television and radio spots aim to decrease the number of human-caused wildfires and increase awareness about wildfire prevention. Since 1944, Smokey Bear has been a recognized symbol of conservation and protection of America's forests. His message about forest fire prevention has helped to reduce the number of acres lost annually to forest fires by more than 62%. However, in 2000 of the more than 8 million acres burned, more than 3 million were lost as a result of human-caused wildfires. Foote, Cone & Belding-Southern California, created the ads pro bono.

This week's website launches include:

Skyy Vodka has re-launched its website. The new site is broken down into numerous sections, and it uses a lot of Flash technology. The Skyy Entertaining section features music from cocktail lounge musicians and features artists from Eighteenth Street Lounge. Visitors to the site can get the hottest entertaining tips on how to plan or re-create their own "Skyy lounge," with over 200 Skyy drink recipes for every occasion. The Skyy Line section features information on Skyy's new flavors launched in April including Skyy Berry, Skyy Vanilla and Skyy Spiced. Lambesis designed the website.

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