Out to Launch
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
Joan Rivers talks about osteoporosis. Saturn acts crazy. An ode to crafting. Let's launch!
  • Joan Rivers talks about osteoporosis. Saturn acts crazy. An ode to crafting. Let's launch!

    The Katrina Foundation for Recovery launched a print campaign laden with politically charged undertones in an effort to raise money for rebuilding efforts in Louisiana, Alabama and Mississippi. The campaign also coincides with the second anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. "Bus," "Church" and "Pool" each feature a storm-ravaged scene and a hand holding a picture of life before Katrina. A picture of kids boarding a school bus is placed alongside a damaged bus in one ad. Another shows a church before and after it was leveled to the ground. An unusable pool with potential is shown in a third ad. Click here, here and here to see the ads. A fourth ad, "Angelina," focuses on society's obsession with celebrity-driven headlines. "Brad and Angelina just bought a house in New Orleans (that's a coastal city in Louisiana, in case you've forgotten)," reads the ad. See it here. The final ad, "Bin Laden," touches upon the lack of attention given to New Orleans. "Bin Laden would be smart to hide where the U.S. pays the least attention: New Orleans," says the ad. Click here to see it. La comunidad created the campaign.

    Nike Running launched its latest TV spot earlier this month, featuring runner Sanya Richards. The ad, highlighting every defined muscle on Richards' arms and legs, shows her as she moves gracefully in slow motion out of the starting block. Impressive. Devoid of voiceovers, the ad displays the word "beautiful" and the iconic Nike logo. The spot ran during the Prefontaine Classic track and field meet. Click here to see it.Wieden+Kennedy created the campaign.

    Burger King launched a campaign last week promoting the limited-time-only Western Whopper. This sandwich doesn't grow hair on your chest, but it does grow full moustaches. "Sorority Stache" features three blondes eating the Western Whopper. One woman takes a bite and grows a brown moustache, outing her as a bottled blonde. Watch the ad here. An eclectic group of people, from a pubescent teen itching for facial hair to a group of elderly women, feed their "Inner Cowboy" in another spot. Click here to see it. "Office Cowboys" see their moustaches grow bigger and bigger with every bite of a Western Whopper. Look closely for the "Sprint guy" from the Alltel commercials. See it here. If you're feeling green with envy, check out PetMoustache.com, where you can upload a picture and get your own moustache. Crispin Porter + Bogusky created the campaign and MindShare handled the media buy.

    Can we talk... about osteoporosis? Joan Rivers looks at what's inside a celebrity woman, namely her bone density, in a pro bono TV spot for the National Osteoporosis Foundation. Rivers is reporting from the red carpet in the ad, but she's not asking, "Who are you wearing?" The spot gives an X-ray view into the bones underneath the couture dresses. See the ad here.Moroch Partners created the campaign.

    Michaels Stores launched a TV and print campaign all about the love of crafting. And lowbrow rhyming, for that matter. "The paper's amazing, the scrapbook's first-rate, there's even a box for ribbon that's great," says the voiceover promoting Martha Stewart Crafts. See it here. "My World" illustrates the evolution of the world through crafty materials. Watch the ad here. Print components from the "Imaginate" campaign parade the love of beads, scrapbooks and the all-mighty glue gun, in cheesy rhyming fashion. Click here, here and here to see the ads. The Richards Group created the campaign, its first for the client. Empower Cincinnati handled the media buy.

    Saturn launched a TV spot this week implying that while it may look crazy, it's really just secure in its superiority. The company placed not one, but two competing vehicles on its lot to give prospective buyers a side-by-side-by-side comparison. Watch the ad here. The ad is running on national network and cable stations. Deutsch created the campaign and GM Planworks handled the media buy.

    KeyBank bowed a print and TV campaign earlier this year asking consumers, "Could your money be spent more wisely?" One TV spot ponders whether a person's CD collection could buy a couch. Mine could buy a set of couches, and I stopped buying CDs years ago. Click here to see the ad. Another ad shows a kitchen furnished via a woman's collection of handbags. See it here. Ever calculate how much you spend on take-out food? Could you buy a car with that money? Have a look here. Print ads are similar to the TV spots, using a shoebox house and couch made of CDs. Click here and here to see the ads. Cramer-Krasselt created the campaign and PHD handled the broadcast media buy. Print buying was handled in-house.

    Simmons Jewelry Company, co-owned by Russell and Kimora Lee Simmons, launched a print ad featuring Lee Simmons in Vanity Fair's July issue on Africa. The ad shows her naked from the waist up, save for Green Bracelets, made from green malachite, and a rough African diamond, on her arms. The copy reads, "Green: Empower Yourself Through Others," and 50% of the net profits go to the Diamond Empowerment Fund, which supports educational programs in Africa. See the ad here. Created in-house, the ad will run in additional magazines in the fall.