Out to Launch
Tuesday, January 28, 2003
Superbowl XXXVII may have disappointed some in the ad department, but there were a few spots that were noteworthy. Also, the biggest day of the year in advertising may have come and gone, but new campaigns and websites keep on launching. Jack in the Box is set to launch the latest extension of its “Eat Cheap with Jack” campaign, Forbes is gloating that it is “the 1 to buy,” and Agency.com has redesigned the Gilette website. Let’s Launch!
  • While Super Bowl XXXVII advertising disappointed many critics, there were definitely a few humorous spots. (like Terry Tate tackling his lazy co-workers...). Although the most famous day of the year in advertising has come and gone, new campaigns and websites are still launching this week. Jack in the Box has unveiled the newest extension of its “Eat Cheap with Jack” campaign, Forbes is claiming it's “the 1 to buy,” and Agency.com has redesigned the Gillette website. Let’s Launch!

    Reebok was definitely a winner this Super Bowl with its spot starring "Terrible" Terry Tate. While :15 "Terry Tate" teasers began airing on ABC, ESPN Networks and MTV on January 18, it was during the 3rd quarter of Sunday's game that the humorous :60 spoof, "Terry Tate -- Office Linebacker," made its official debut. The ad, produced by Hypnotic, Los Angeles and Arnell Group, New York, features a fictional overzealous office worker who is dedicated to righting the wrongs of inconsiderate co-workers by tackling them to the ground. Fans can receive a full-dose of "Terry Tate" online at reebok.com/terrytate with four 4-minute internet films portraying "Terry" in various office situations on his quest to improve the workplace environment.

    Premium drinks company Diageo launched a new premium malt beverage, SMIRNOFF ICE TRIPLE BLACK, just in time to advertise during the Super Bowl. The Super Bowl TV spot, "The Brad,” received the highest ever advertising test scores from consumers in Diageo history. In the spot, an attractive young woman (Alex) awaits the arrival of her blind date (Brad), but starts flirting with another man at the bar. When "Brad" walks in, the new guy approaches him and says, “Are you Brad? I'm Alex." And the commercial closes with a shot of Alex smiling to herself at the bar. More than $110 million in marketing initiatives including advertising, promotions, point-of-sale materials, and local sampling efforts have supported the launch of SMIRNOFF ICE TRIPLE BLACK. Advertising will consist of four unique commercials, six new radio spots and out-of-home executions.

    Pizza Hut also helped kick off the ad blitz for Sunday's Super Bowl XXXVII telecast on ABC with a new :30 spot to promote Stuffed Crust Gold Pizza. The spot, via BBDO, New York, is the second from Pizza Hut to support its recently launched Stuffed Crust Gold Pizza. In the commercial, a young man arrives at his girlfriend's front door holding something behind his back. He hints at the surprise's content by answering the girlfriend's questions. She asks, "Does it come in a box?…Is it round?…Is it gold?…Is it a gold ring?!" The boyfriend replies “Uh huhhh” to each question. In the next scene, the two are sitting on a couch. The girl now has her hands covering her eyes, still expecting a ring, while her boyfriend enjoys his pizza. She says, "can I open my eyes now?" And he replies, "not yet."

    Jack in the Box restaurants will support its value menu and the introduction of two new 99-cent sandwiches with an online campaign created by Apollo Interactive. The effort is an extension of the “Eating Cheap with Jack” commercial developed for Jack in the Box by advertising agency Secret Weapon Marketing that supports the chain’s new Jr. Bacon Cheeseburger and Chili Cheeseburger. The online campaign uses photography and rich media to communicate that “There’s eating cheap” and then “There’s eating cheap with Jack.” The ads feature several humorous scenarios, including a 20-something male dressing in a duck costume to get free bread, and getting his arm stuck in a vending machine, juxtaposed with images of the new sandwiches and their 99-cent price tag. Media runs began recently on mostly portal, music, gaming and sports sites in key Jack in the Box markets.

    Following the recent release of the Publishers Information Bureau report detailing ad page counts for the magazine industry, Forbes released a print advertising campaign announcing its leadership in ad pages, audience and efficiency/lowest CPM to the #1 position over all other business titles. The black and white ads, scheduled to rotate over the next four weeks, currently appear in the trade publications Advertising Age, Adweek, Mediaweek, B2B as well as in The New York Times and The San Jose Mercury News. There is also an ad appearing on telephone kiosks in Manhattan that will run for one month promoting Forbes as "The 1 to Buy." Forbes directly challenges top rival Fortune magazine in another ad with the tag line "In 2001 a Lot of People Lost a Fortune. In 2002, FORTUNE Lost a Lot of People." Fortune lost 42% of top management company size 1000+, 24% of top management, and 8% of its total audience. Forbes is now the #1 business magazine in every one of these key categories. The ad debuted last week in The New York Times.

    Mobile marketing pioneer Avesair, Inc. for the first time incorporated mobile marketing into a multi-channel advertising campaign promoting the launch of the new Comedy Central series Chappelle’s Show. Comedy Central’s wireless campaign is the first of its kind to fully utilize both push and pull messages geared towards the show’s target audience. The 10-day campaign, which started on January 13, promoted the highly anticipated show featuring comedian Dave Chappelle that debuted on January 22. Avesair executives worked closely with Comedy Central’s interactive agency, Media Contacts, Media Planning Group’s interactive arm, to create the “Spread the Word!” campaign targeted to qualified consumers who have opted in to receive SMS and text messages on their two-way pagers.

    Gamblers beware: ComGroup, an Atlanta-based advertising agency, recently created a series of television spots to promote the new cable network, HorseRacing TV. The network, which focuses exclusively on horse racing, is owned by Magna Entertainment Corporation, the leading owner and operator of thoroughbred racetracks and a leading supplier of live race simulcasts in the U.S. ComGroup created three spots that will run on the Racetrack Television Network (RTN), which telecasts races from tracks via satellite to paying subscribers and cable systems throughout the country.

    In celebration of Black History Month, the ABC Television Network and the Advertising Council announced the launch of seven jointly produced public service announcements that promote the need for tolerance and racial cooperation. The PSAs feature stars from many of ABC’s top-rated shows including “My Wife and Kids,” “Alias,” “NYPD Blue,” “The Practice,” “Less Than Perfect,” and “The View,” and address the meaning of freedom and the need for tolerance. The campaign premiered on ABC and its affiliate stations on Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birthday last week, and will air throughout the month of February. These PSAs are part of ABC’s ongoing public service initiative, A Better Community, and feature messages that were created jointly with the Ad Council’s campaign on Racial Cooperation. The PSAs direct viewers to freedomcenter.org, to find ways they can get involved in promoting racial equality.

    The Advertising Council has also partnered with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, for a public service advertising campaign to inspire Americans to pursue healthier lifestyles and prevent obesity. Launching in Fall 2003, the comprehensive campaign, created pro bono by ad agency McCann-Erickson New York, will focus on fitness, nutrition and disease prevention. The campaign will also include African-American and Hispanic targeted efforts.

    Phoenix Editorial this month announced the completion of "Gum," a new spot promoting HBO's second-season DVD and VHS release of the prison drama, "Oz." Completed via Venables, Bell & Partners, San Francisco and directed by Tom Routson of Tool of North America, "Gum" follows on the heels of "Jaywalking" and "Newspaper," two other spots in the campaign promoting "Oz's" first season release on DVD and VHS. In "Gum" a man absent-mindedly tosses his gum while walking down the street, narrowly missing a trashcan clearly marked "Keep Our City Clean." As he continues on his way, he realizes the possible, albeit far-fetched repercussions of this minor infraction. A quick montage of violent scenes from "Oz" flashes through his mind. Turning around, he walks briskly toward the discarded gum and places it in the trash. The tagline, "Eight more hours of Oz. It will make you think twice." closes out the spot. "Gum" started airing January 5, 2003.

    MCI, which has been off the air since last summer's push for The Neighborhood, has resumed its campaign with Danny Glover as its new spokesman. The six-month push, via Deutsch, New York, will be in excess of $80 million, and includes a different creative approach. The latest ads feature a bright green (symbolizing long distance) and yellow (local) motif (as opposed to the previous colors sage and black) over various objects, including pool balls and a telephone. The spot that broke this week shows Glover rhapsodizing on how it is no longer necessary to have two separate companies handle local and long distance and concludes with a phone ringing, to which he says, "That has a happy ring to it." About four spots are planned in total.

    The Gillette Company announced the launch of the newly redesigned website for The Gillette Women’s Cancer Connection. The website was created to provide resources, advice and compassionate guidance to women dealing with cancer. The redesigned site was created and implemented by staff from AGENCY.COM’s Boston office, on a pro-bono basis. The new site was designed to help address the needs of women who have recently been diagnosed with cancer. Prior to the redesign, an on-line survey was conducted to determine exactly who was visiting the site and what resources they would find most useful. This information was critical in helping determine what content and layout would be most helpful in fulfilling the needs of cancer patients as well as their friends and family.

    Speaking of AGENCY.COM, the interactive marketing and technology agency also announced this week that it has launched a new corporate website of its own at www.agency.com. The redesigned AGENCY.COM site offers clients and prospects information on the company's services, locations and client work. Taking a user-centric approach similar to the one taken while working on the Gillette Company's site, AGENCY.COM conducted extensive interviews with clients and other key stakeholders to find out how the company's site could better serve the needs of its users. Findings from these interviews drove the design and architecture for the new site.

    Lastly, The Associated Press yesterday launched a new site for its interactive content division called AP Digital. The new site is more of a news industry portal, offering a list of interactive news demos so that customers, such as websites, wireless companies, and other interactive applications can get an idea of how A.P. news looks on their services. The site also offers links to other A.P. divisions. The redesign, developed in-house, represents a new level of branding for A.P., bringing the 154-year old news agency into the 21st century.

    -- This newsletter is compiled weekly by MediaPost staff writer Lindsey Fadner. Past issues are archived at the MediaPost website. Your comments, questions and submissions are always welcome and appreciated.