Out to Launch
Wednesday, August 10, 2005
Back to School ads from The Children's Place. Mizuno golf equipment lays on the guilt. Circuit City speaks to kids forced to go on family road trips. Let's launch!
  • Back to School ads from The Children's Place. Mizuno golf equipment lays on the guilt. Circuit City speaks to kids forced to go on family road trips. Let's launch!

    Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) has launched two TV spots, "Water Heater" and "Bad Refrigerator," targeting energy-sucking outdated household appliances. In "Bad Refrigerator," a guy tinkering in his garage takes out a soda from the fridge. Just as he pops open the can, the fridge door slams shut, shoving him forward and spilling his drink. As he looks at his shirt stain, the appliance whacks him down and swipes his wallet, which falls to the ground. "That old refrigerator is taking your money." and "Getting rid of it could save you $120 a year," closes the spot. Venables, Bell & Partners created the campaign; Phoenix, Edit, Effects & Design provided special effects.

    I love these ads. They bring you back to a time where life was carefree and getting dressed up for your school picture was a big deal. The Children's Place has launched a TV, print, and outdoor campaign just in time for the back-to-school rush. The company has never used adults in their ads and doesn't plan on doing so anytime soon. The campaign features kids having their school picture taken - complete with a "nature" background. The TV spots are running on 21 networks including: ABC Family, Animal Planet, Cartoon Network, HGTV, Lifetime, TBS, TV Land, and USA. Print ads are running in the September and October issues of Real Simple, Redbook, Family Fun, Family Circle, Lucky, Parents, and Nick, Jr. Outdoor ads are running through September in New York, Atlanta, Dallas, Los Angeles, Houston, and San Francisco. Mother NY created the campaign.

    Mizuno's golf equipment is so ahead of the grain that users will feel like they're cheating and need to repent. Well, that's what my inner Catholic said to me once I saw this creative. These amusing print ads are running in Golf Magazine, Golf Digest, GolfWeek, GolfWorld, and other vertical golf publications. The ads spotlight the MP-60 irons, touted as the next evolution of Mizuno's Cut Muscle technology. Copy on the ads state: "You'll feel like you're cheating," and show a group of men in church waiting in line for confession. The perception of the Mizuno brand has been "I'm not good enough to play Mizuno." Over the past couple of years, Mizuno has worked to make their brand more approachable to a larger audience. Huey+Partners created the campaign.

    Circuit City launched four ads geared toward kids and tweens, showing off the latest gadgets while at the same time giving them something to look forward to in case they're stuck in a car on a family road trip. Doner Detroit created the ads, with special effects created by The Syndicate, highlighting a slew of hi-tech pacifiers. "Happy" shows a mom worried about how her children will handle an impending eight-hour car trip. The spot offers the mom a glimpse of the future in which her kids are happily playing portable game systems and watching DVDs in the back seat.

    Hilton has launched a major online campaign to tempt Americans to visit its hotels around the world. The campaign promises feature-rich vacations through Hilton.com with prices for Hilton guaranteed to be the lowest found anywhere online. The online ads will appear on top travel sites throughout the summer, encouraging travel to the UK, mainland Europe, Asia, and the Caribbean. The campaign also includes Hilton hotels in North America, but the focus is more international, less domestic. The campaign was developed by Web Liquid.

    The Advertising Council and the National WICAssociation (Woman, Infants, and Children) launched a series of public service announcements (PSAs) to generate awareness of the WIC program and its benefits to women and children in need of assistance. WIC provides nutrition and health care services, as well as supplementary foods, to approximately 8 million women and children. Eligible participants include income-qualified and nutritionally high-risk women, infants, and children, as well as pregnant or nursing mothers. Approximately 1.2 million people qualify for WIC services, but do not participate in the program. Created by Gotham, the TV, radio, and outdoor ads target both women with small children and pregnant or nursing mothers who may be eligible to receive WIC's services. The television and radio PSAs are available in both English and Spanish and all of the PSAs conclude with the tag line, "Your Child Has You. And You Have WIC."

    First Data Debit Services has launched its first major ad campaign since 2003. The business-to-business campaign targets banks and credit unions and highlights its product Star, which offers customized payment solutions including online bill payment and electronic checks. Four print ads, running nationally in Independent Banker, American Banker, and Credit Union Times feature people from all walks of life using Star. One ad shows a couch potato in a speedy situation, as he makes a bill payment using Star. Another ad shows a man with a comb-over paying his barber with Star Debit and ATM Network. Ten United created the campaign.

    Iconix Brand Group, formally known as Candie's, has launched another campaign featuring Nicole Richie hawking its Bongo brand. This time Richie's fiancée, DJ AM, appears in the campaign alongside her wearing Bongo jeans and footwear. The Fall 2005 print campaign will debut in September issues of TeenVogue, Seventeen, Elle Girl, Rolling Stone, and InTouch Weekly. The campaign was done in-house.

    This week's Web site launches feature both business and pleasure.

    IdeaWork Studios launched Rehab for Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. "Rehab" is the latest party hotspot to hit Las Vegas. Even the site is a bit risqué. Users can click on a different person who brings you to a different activity. Clicking in the nearly naked mermaid (okay, I thought she was a land lover until I saw her fin) brings you to a picture gallery chock full of guests... that aren't wearing much. Clicking on the cute guy with the nice abs brings you to an interactive game of Jack Sez. A part of the six-pack lights up, and you click the right order that the colors appear. Oh, and you can research massages by Rock Spa too.

    Carat Interactive has relaunched ad network Vendare Media'sWeb site. Carat Interactive created a more engaging Web presence for the online media and marketing company. The agency made it easier to communicate the company's brand positioning by consolidating both the messaging and site creative to present Vendare Media as the primary brand entity, subsuming its other brands.