Out to Launch
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
ASICS rebrands. Miller takes a poke at Bud Light. Smith & Wollensky targets carnivore business travelers. Let's launch!
  • ASICS rebrands. Miller takes a poke at Bud Light. Smith & Wollensky targets carnivore business travelers. Let's launch!

    Golf balls have as many layers as onions. Who knew? The latest TV and print campaign from Nike Golf showcases the lengthy improvements made to golf balls and drivers. "One Ball" shows the numerous layers of a golf ball belonging to Tiger Woods. "Innovation" highlights the technological advances in golf balls and drivers. "Distance and forgiveness. Engineered to the limits," is the lone copy in "Sumo," which uses only action and graphics to convey its point. Each ad begins with the first Nike driver/ball and ends with the newest ones. Print ads stick with the tutorial theme, showing layers and improvements of golf equipment over the years. See the ads here, here and here. Wieden+Kennedy Portland created the campaign and handled the media buy.

    ASICS is going back to basics in a print campaign promoting its running shoes and apparel. The Latin phrase "Anima Sana In Corpore Sano," which means "a sound mind in a sound body," is the philosophy drawn upon in all campaign elements. ASICS' previous print campaign, "My Running Partner," motivated me tremendously, and the new campaign doesn't disappoint. Print ads use the terms "sound mind" and "sound body" in mathematical formulas, where the end result equals bliss. (Sound Mind) X (Sound Body) + Darkness = Enlightenment reads one ad, with a picture of a man running at night. (Sound Mind) X (Sound Body) + A Hard Rain = Baptism is my favorite of the three ads. Click here, here and here to view creative, appearing in Runner's World, Men's Health, InStyle and Spin. Vitrorobertson created the campaign and handled the media buy.

    Get your sexy on. K-Y launched a Web site in conjunction with Valentine's Day that asks people to define sexy. "Sexy is..." asks the homepage, which awaits a response. Once you add an answer, you're led inside the site, where definitions are organized in a large spiral by male and female responses. In addition, there's a chance to win a romantic weekend getaway to Napa Valley and sign up to receive a free sample of K-Y Intrigue. Poke New York created the site.

    If you live in Vegas, it loses its sex appeal. Mesquite, Nev. is where the magic happens for Vegas residents. The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Auhority portrays the town as a sexy out-of-the-way border town that's ideal for weekend getaways. "For a couple of days, their names weren't Mommy and Daddy," reads one ad. "She dipped her toe in... the rest came easy," reads another. Click here, here, here and here to see the ads, created by R&R Partners.

    Miller Lite takes a swing at Bud Light using Dalmatians that change their loyalty in a cutesy 30-second spot. A Dalmatian watches TV with his Bud Light drinking master and sees its fellow brethren leap from a Budweiser horse-drawn carriage to a Miller Lite truck. This action leads to a revolt from all of the Dalmatians in town. The spot ends with the dogs running past a few Clydesdales and giving chase to the Miller Lite truck. Watch the ad here. BBH created the ad and Starcom handled the media buy.

    Add a little Mapquest to Smith & Wollensky and what you have is  Steakquest, a carnivore's fantasy. In reality, it's a smart print campaign from the restaurant chain specifically targeting business travelers who wine and dine clientele. Ads are running in hotel magazines and city books in Chicago, Washington D.C., Las Vegas, Philadelphia, Houston, Boston and Columbus, Ohio markets. Click here and here to see the ads. Seiter & Miller Advertising created the campaign and handled the media buy.

    StrawberryFrog Amsterdam created the "Electric Light Shoe," a city in a sneaker sculpture that's the centerpiece for Onitsuka Tiger's global brand campaign. The Electric Light Shoe is a one-meter-long sculpture that pays homage to the city of Tokyo, and contains a hidden iPod dock that plays sounds through concealed speakers. In addition to the sculpture, a print, outdoor and viral film bowed in Europe, Far East, Australia and stateside. The 30-second film opens in a Japanese bedroom, then moves onto bustling, neon-lit streets. The end shot reveals the nighttime action happening inside a sneaker. Print ads are running in Vice Magazine, Wallpaper, Marmalade, 34, Sneaker Freaker, and Beast. Media buying was handled in-house.