Out to Launch
Wednesday, July 23, 2003
Scottrade debuts a campaign. The Army increases their brand awareness. Oberweis Dairy kicks off their first TV campaign. Those are just a few of the campaigns launched this week. Read on for more details.
  • Scottrade debuts a campaign. The Army increases their brand awareness. Oberweis Dairy kicks off their first TV campaign. Those are just a few of the campaigns launched this week. Read on for more details.

    In conjunction with National Ice Cream Month, Oberweis Dairy is kicking off their first ever TV campaign with four new spots that will be airing on Chicago-area network and cable programs throughout the summer. "Grandpa," "Love at First Sight," "Sunny Side Up," and "It's Your Morning" all feature Chairman Jim Oberweis as spokesperson for the family-owned company. All of the spots use humor to drive home the dairy's old-fashioned American values. "Grandpa" features a heartfelt conversation between Oberweis and his real-life granddaughter. "Love at First Sight" shows a pair of high school students who find love at an Oberweis Dairy Store. "Sunny Side Up" features Oberweis making breakfast for a pair of home delivery customers. And "It's Your Morning" has an Oberweis driver bringing his customers the morning paper and pouring cream in their coffee. The ads began airing July 13, and will be on heavy rotation in Chicago for eight weeks during television programs such as "The Today Show" and "The Oprah Winfrey Show," and cable networks including HGTV, Lifetime, TLC and The Food Channel. The spots were created by I Imagine.

    Regal CineMedia has teamed up with Toyota (highlighting their 2004 Toyota Sienna) to present Regal's annual Free Family Film Festival running throughout the summer at over 230 theatres nationwide. This is the first time that Regal is working with a sponsor to present its free-of-charge slate of G- and PG-rated films throughout the U.S. The sponsorship package includes promotion for the Toyota Sienna minivan on Festival materials, as well as in-market newspaper and radio advertisements. The minivan will also be promoted in 30- and 60-second on-screen and in-lobby ads showing at all participating theatres, as well as online at REGmovies.com. Some of the movies presented are Rugrats: The Movie, Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron, Shrek and Ice Age to name a few.

    Speaking of Rugrats, Humunculus designed and produced two broadcast spots promoting Nickelodeon and Paramount Pictures' "Rugrats Go Wild" theatrical release. The two :60s are entitled "Spike Speaks!" and "Together!"; and have been airing since June. The two spots were inspired by the musical "Bye Bye Birdie" and place kids in live-action and hand-painted backgrounds to create a modernized 1950s experience.

    The Advertising Council has partnered with the Jeffrey Modell Foundation to launch a national public service advertising campaign designed to generate awareness and early diagnosis of Primary Immunodeficiency (PI). PI currently affects more than 500,000 children and young adults in the U.S., and experts estimate that another 500,000 cases are undiagnosed or misdiagnosed. A condition in which a defect in the immune system is carried through the genes, PI is more common than childhood leukemia and lymphoma combined, and four times more prevalent than cystic fibrosis. However, a simple and inexpensive blood test can identify more than 95% of PI conditions. The new campaign aims to communicate the importance of early diagnosis for Primary Immunodeficiency and to educate parents about the need to become more proactive in their child's diagnosis. The TV, radio and print ads were created pro bono by Margeotes Fertitta & Partners.

    In a unique way to brand themselves, The Army, along with help from Relay Sports and Event Marketing (a division of Starcom MediaVest Group), has built an integrated sports and event marketing strategy. The U.S. Army racing efforts have now expanded into NHRA's Pro Stock Bike Class. The Army has been partners with Don Schumacher Racing and the NHRA since September 2000. Relay has built a program that centers around emerging sports properties such as National Hot Rod Association, Arena Football, and the All-American Bowl, the high school version of the "Pro Bowl." By doing so, Relay has successfully tapped into a lucrative, highly targeted base of prospective recruits in less cluttered environments that contain a highly passionate fan base. As a result, the Army has been able to integrate its brand directly into the heart of these programs. Three-time NHRA pro stock bike world champion Angelle Savoie and teammate Antron Brown recently signed on with the U.S. Army Racing NHRA team. The new "recruits" will begin carrying the U.S. Army's name and logo on their pro stock bikes this weekend in the Mopar Mile-High Nationals at Bandimere Speedway.

    Citizens Against Government Waste, a nonprofit organization dedicated to eliminating waste, fraud and mismanagement in government, has launched an ad campaign in an attempt to discourage federal agencies from continuing their bailout of MCI, formerly WorldCom. The ads will appear in The Washington Post, The Washington Times, Roll Call, and The Hill. The ad reads: "Instead of punishing MCI/WorldCom for its actions, the government continues to reward it with lucrative contracts. Federal contracts should go to companies that obey the law. Stop putting taxpayer money in jeopardy!"

    Scottrade, an online brokerage, launched three national television commercials that began airing June 25th. The commercials, entitled "Barn," "Camping," and "Topiary," will include humorous takes on what the company's founder, Rodger O. Riney, might have been like as a young man. Gearon Hoffman designed the TV ads, along with print and direct marketing materials. The campaign comes on the heels of Scottrade's recent announcement unveiling Scottrade Chinese, which allows customers living in China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan to trade on the Scottrade platform.

    This week's website launches include:

    Estco has launched a new website for Reading Is Fundamental (RIF), a nonprofit literacy organization. The newly designed site uses Estco's Content Management System (CMS) to reorganize content, strengthen branding and establish a main information portal for RIF coordinators, educators, parents and children. The site was designed in collaboration with Kapow, a website design, development and consulting company. For educators, the new site features professional development articles, a database of reading activity suggestions, Q&A with leading literacy experts and viewing schedules for RIF Exchange, RIF's half-hour monthly television series. RIF coordinators can access tips and activities and step-by-step guidelines for implementing a RIF program. Parents will find articles and ideas on topics including choosing good books, talking with teachers and creating comfortable reading spaces at home. Kids can explore the RIF Reading Planet where they can discover interactive reading and writing games and activities.

    Another website launch comes from DVDdesign.com. DVDdesign.com is a DVD industry portal that allows artists and vendors to showcase their talents, products and services in a high- profile community which will also host a self-service marketplace for marketers and studio executives seeking fast responses to their DVD project needs. The official launch of the site's Bid service, a members-only feature, is planned for early August. DVDdesign.com also provides links and information pertaining to full-time DVD industry jobs, DVD industry awards, templates for various phases of DVD production, and the latest DVD product news and features on high-profile DVD releases.