- David Gianatasio

BOSTON Qwest Communications has launched a new campaign from DraftFCB in Chicago that invites consumers to "Get in the loop" and experience the Qwest "lifestyle."

The work follows the six-year "Spirit of service" initiative and will run in 16 markets in the company's 14-state residential service area.

The effort, according to the company, attempts to position Qwest as the first place to go for communications and entertainment solutions such as high-speed Internet, video and voice services.

"'The loop' isn't a campaign as much as it's the Qwest community," said Kim Whitehead, client vp, consumer marketing. "'The loop' means different things to different people. It's how Qwest delivers the full range of products, the latest technology, and connections with family, friends and colleagues."

The client spent $80 million on traditional ads last year and $20 million in Q1 2008, per Nielsen Monitor-Plus.

The work features Qwest users (not professional actors) sharing stories about how they keep connected via technology. In all media, the client's trademark "Q" logo represents the "loop" as a place for people to communicate.

IPG's FCB initially won the business six years ago. Following the 2006 merger of FCB and sibling Draft, the new agency, DraftFCB, formed a separate unit called Rivet to handle Qwest so that it would not conflict with the agency's Verizon business. Sources said DraftFCB, which lost its Verizon assignments in 2007, essentially defended the Qwest business on Rivet's behalf in last year's review.