Out to Launch
Wednesday, May 28, 2003
Trading Spaces goes after a younger audience. NYTimes.com relaunches their movie section. Yahoo! starts searching. Those are just a few of the campaigns launched this week. Read on for more details.
  • Trading Spaces goes after a younger audience. NYTimes.com relaunches their movie section. Yahoo! starts searching. Those are just a few of the campaigns launched this week. Read on for more details.

    The battle between search engines rages on. Yahoo! has launched an ad campaign promoting their Yahoo! Search function. The campaign consists of TV, print, and online executions, along with an Internet-connected billboard in Times Square that features real-time searches from across the U.S. The launch uses the tagline "Faster. Easier. Bingo," with ads created by Black Rocket Euro RSCG. The Two 30-second spots, entitled "Subway" and "Anthem," will air on USA, MTV f/X and FOX; featuring people carrying five-foot search bars with search terms reflecting their everyday needs while they go about their daily routines such as riding a subway or attending class. Outdoor ads will run on phone kiosks, office building lobbies and bus shelters in Boston, Chicago, New York and San Francisco. Print ads will run in BusinessWeek and Infoworld and online ads will appear on Weather.com, USAToday.com and CBSMarketwatch.com.

    Another campaign adding a Times Square billboard to the mix is Verizon Online's relaunched DSL services with MSN 8. The campaign, created by Draft New York, showcases Verizon Online's lower prices, increased speed, and new services offered by the company. The campaign, featuring TV, newspaper, radio, online and outdoor ads, broke on May 21, with the theme, "This is really powerful stuff." The six-week blitz will run in 5 major U.S. markets, with an emphasis on New York. The campaign uses illustrations linked to words like 'real' and 'powerful' to encourage consumers to see, hear, and feel the Internet like never before. Using the tagline "Make Progress Every Day," TV spots show a drenched child covered in seaweed explaining how he's been working on an oceanography project on his computer, and billboard ads show a fencer on a computer screen who appears to have slashed the billboard and a fire breather on screen that has scorched the billboard.

    The popular TV show "Trading Spaces" isn't just for adults anymore. Discovery Kids launched a campaign this week in support of their new show "Trading Spaces: Boys vs. Girls." The new show is aimed at 6-14 year old kids and will be a part of the Discovery Kids on NBC lineup. Similar to the adult version, the show will pair kids with adult experts and transform their friend's room into fantasy rooms in 48 hours. Agency.com/itraffic created an online campaign to entice the younger audience to tune in. Ads will run until June 29 and will appear on AOL Kids, American Greetings, Fox Box, Yahooligans, and Nick.com. A greeting card was developed for American Greetings where kids could design a room and send it to their friends. Discovery Networks and Discovery Kids on NBC will also air ads promoting the new series.

    NYTimes.com debuted an ad campaign this week to promote the relaunch of their movies section. Movies.nytimes.com now boasts a new ad position available to advertisers, 20 years of New York Times movie reviews archived on the site, online ticketing capabilities, and a "Readers' Reviews" area where readers can rate movies, post their own reviews or view other readers' opinions. The print ads, designed by The Gardner-Nelson Project, will run almost monthly in the Hollywood Reporter until November (minus July and October) and a series of in-theater ads (before the previews) began running last Friday in New York and Los Angeles theaters. The in-theater ads were designed in-house and will run in NY, NJ and LA from May to July and then September to November.

    LG Mobile Phones has launched a multi-million dollar branding campaign focusing on the global style and appeal of the LG mobile handsets. Ads will appear in national and local print media, broadcast outlets, movie theatres and high-profile outdoor media areas. Print ads will appear in Entertainment Weekly, Rolling Stone, Cosmopolitan, Premiere and InStyle. Outdoor advertising will include billboards throughout Los Angeles and New York at major airports and shopping areas. Commercials in New York and Los Angeles movie theatres will begin airing in June, expanding to local network television in the later part of the year. Product innovation and high-quality design are central themes of the campaign, which is targeted towards 18-24 year old consumers. The branding campaign also includes sports sponsorships for the Los Angeles Lakers, the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, the Los Angeles Sparks and the Los Angeles Galaxy.

    EDS has launched an advertising campaign, consisting of three television commercials and a series of print ads, which will run through the end of the year. The TV spots debuted May 15 on the USA Network, coinciding with coverage of the EDS Byron Nelson Championship. The ads will also run throughout the year during CBS and USA Network-broadcast PGA Tour events, and during ESPN's SportsCenter. The print ads launched last month in the global editions of The Wall Street Journal. The ads, created by Fallon Worldwide, focus on EDS' expertise in key areas, including supply chain management, customer service, billing and payment services, and HR productivity. The TV campaign features three 30-second commercials using metaphors. For example, in "Forklift," a small forklift is unable to reach a spot high on a warehouse shelf. In comes a larger forklift, representing EDS, lifting up the load allowing the small forklift (your company) to reach new heights.

    Jose Cuervo has introduced a new tequila called Jose Cuervo Clásico, a silver-styled tequila. Clásico is the result of blending young silver tequilas with specially selected tequilas that have been mellowed in oak barrels. Jose Cuervo says that this process creates a "smoother, more balanced tequila with an inviting fresh aroma and a clean, crisp finish." Jose Cuervo Clásico will be available in markets throughout the United States beginning this month. To support the launch, ads will run in trade magazines, such as Cheers, Market Watch and Nightclub and Bar. The ads were designed by The Arnell Group.

    Speaking of liquor, Corona Extra will spice up its Hispanic-market promotion this year with Latin actress Roselyn Sánchez for their "Verano al Ritmo de Corona" ("Summer to the Rhythm of Corona") event. The July -September promotion takes place in Miami, New York City, D.C., Atlanta, Dallas, Houston and Philadelphia, and includes a consumer sweepstakes to win an all-expenses-paid trip to a televised Latin music concert hosted by Roselyn Sánchez in Miami. Corona Extra will also partner with Mun2 to televise the Miami concert, featuring Jon Secada, the new Miami Sound Machine, Rabanes, Gian Marco and other artists. GlobalHue's Hispanic division created the promotion and is handling its execution.

    This week's website launches include:

    Meredith Corporation's Interactive Media Group announced the launch of More.com, the website for MORE magazine. MORE.com offers interactive content, tools and applications integrated in four main channels: Health, MORE's 40+ Model Search, Quizzes and Slide Shows. The Model Search Channel features previous MORE Model Search finalists, with their tips on beauty, happiness, love, kids, careers and more. The Health Channel features the latest information on topics including breast cancer, pregnancy over 40 and heart disease. The Quiz Channel features 15 interactive quizzes on topics including: Are You Ready to Reinvent Yourself?; Are You Ready to Fly Solo? and How to Buy Life Insurance. The Slide Show Channel features, well, slide shows.

    It's like the movie "Best in Show," but all dog lovers can participate in this. Check out Purina Pro Plan's Webminster online Dog Show. People who are passionate about their dogs can enter a national contest that gives them a chance to win a grand prize of $5,000 and a two year supply of Pro Plan dog food. Contestants upload a picture of their dog, entering one of 7 AKC-recognized breed categories or the mixed breed category. Winners will be determined via popular vote, and each receives a 3 month supply of Pro Plan dog food. A second stage of popular vote then determines "Best in Show" for the grand prize. Online ads and emails, created by Zentropy Partners, will support the promotion. The ads will run on AOL, Yahoo, weather.com and about.com.