Agency News

- NEW YORK Young & Rubicam, New York, launched its first TV work for Gifts.com. The ad features men and women in brightly colored lab coats "testing" gifts that appeal to pets, barbecue lovers and coffee lovers. It takes place in an office with cubicles as far as the eye can see. "At Gifts.com, we test all kinds of gift ideas," a voiceover explains. "Tell us about the people you're shopping for and we'll tell you about some great gifts." The tagline: "Just the perfect gifts." The integrated campaign includes TV, print and radio ads, as well as direct mail and banner ads. Saatchi & Saatchi, New York, has bowed its latest TV effort for General Mills' Cheerios. The work celebrates the holidays through the eyes of a grandmother. As she sits opposite her toddler grandson, Grandma spreads Cheerios out on his high chair to illustrate how far away relatives such as "Aunt Lisa" and "Uncle Ernie" are. "Oh, but no matter where Grandma lives, we'll always be together for Christmas," she says. The spot ends with a voiceover: "We know how much being together means at the holidays, and Cheerios is happy to be part of the family." The creative director/copywriter was Craig Miller, the art director Doug Pippin, and the producer Jerry Boyle. Lowe Lintas & Partners, New York, has developed its first TV spot for Xenical, a new prescription drug from Roche Laboratories. The ad juxtaposes images of a pizza and a supermodel as a male voice says, "No, you can't eat whatever you want. And you may never look like a supermodel. But with Xenical and a reduced-calorie diet, you can lose weight." The 60-second spot stresses that the drug is a "fat-blocker" designed for those who are "at least 30 pounds overweight." It ends with a disclaimer that mentions a host of possible side effects. The tagline: "Block the fat." Margeotes/Fertitta + Partners, New York, created two 30-second TV ads for DealTime.com, an Internet comparison shopping service. In "The Gift," a man searches high and low before finding the perfect Furby. In the final scene, he hands the gift to an excited youngster, who looks up and says, "Pokƒmon?" In "And You Thought," a man deals with the heavy traffic, lack of help and long waits of holiday shopping--online. Then he finds DealTime, which does the comparison shopping for him. The spots, which broke Nov. 15, are part of a $25 million campaign that also includes radio, print, online and out-of-home executions. Gotham, New York, has created two new spots for wireless phone service SunCom. In "Flirt," a young man flirts with an attractive woman at a bar. He ignores his friend's calls to his cell phone, until that friend pages him with the message that the woman's tall, buff boyfriend is on his way over. In "First Date After," a couple are trying to enjoy their first romantic dinner at a restaurant, but the wife continually calls the babysitter to check on their infant. Finally the babysitter sends a page: "He's asleep. Don't call and wake him." Both ads end with the song "Walking on Sunshine." The 30-second spots broke Nov. 14 in the Southeast and New England; radio and print ads will follow for the holidays. AG, New York, has created a print campaign for Indulge.com, an online signature brand of beauty products, accessories and jewelry. Ads feature black-and-white photographs of women with such headlines as "Time without pleasure is wasted," "Celebrate the small things" and "Things worth lingering over." The campaign broke Nov. 14 and will run through Dec. 7 in such publications as The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, San Francisco Examiner, Chicago Tribune, The Wall Street Journal, W, WWD and The Industry Standard. Last week 12-page magazine folios were inserted into The New York Times Magazine, Los Angeles Times Magazine, San Francisco Examiner Magazine and Chicago Tribune Magazine. DiMassimo Brand Advertising, New York, has been named advertising agency for GoCollect.com, an online community where collectors can interact, get information and purchase. The agency is developing an online and offline integrated campaign that will launch in December. McCaffery Ratner Gottlieb & Lane, New York, will handle "La Dolce Vita," a promotion sponsored by The Italian Trade Commission in cooperation with the Italian Confectionery Industries Association and the Asti Consortium. Tastings of Italian Panettone and Asti Spumante, the sweet holiday cake and sparkling wine that traditionally define the Italian holiday meal, will take place along New York's Fifth and Madison Avenues from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. for three consecutive weekends starting Friday, Dec. 3, and running through Sunday, Dec. 19. The promotion will be supported by full-page ads in The New York Times and America Oggi, a six-page advertorial and one-page ad in Italia magazine, and radio spots on WQXR. The agency also created a brochure and is hosting a press conference to announce the event. Fine Light, New York, was named advertising agency for Summa Health System, a healthcare network in Northeast Ohio. Fine Light will create advertising, marketing and brand development programs for the client, which is a system of hospitals, a managed care organization and a nonprofit organization formed by the 1989 merger of Akron City and St. Thomas hospitals. Creamer Dickson Basford, New York, has acquired CSP Communications, a Corona, Calif.-based public relations firm serving national and regional consumer, technology and business-to-business clients. CDB, part of Havas Advertising's Diversified Agencies division, is a public relations firm that also has offices in Pittsburgh and Irvine, Calif. CSP co-owners Christopher Perez and Scott Smith will assume management responsibilities for all Southern California operations. The agency will operate both California offices for the time being, and will integrate employees at each location at the CDB Southern California office. Financial details of the acquisition have not been disclosed. SKC Advertising, Westchester, has been named North American agency for Icelandair in Columbia, Md. The agency will develop a year 2000 campaign comprising trade and consumer print, radio, Internet and collateral work. The account was previously at Buckley Advertising, also in Columbia. Icelandair awarded the account to SKC after working on a direct mail and Internet joint promotion with SKC client the Scottish Tourist Board in Edinburgh, Scotland. Billings are more than $1 million. Buck & Pulleyn, Rochester, has added six clients: Corning Semiconductor Materials business unit, based in Corning, which develops high-purity glass for the semiconductor industry; Xerox Production Publishing Systems, Rochester, a manufacturer of DocuTech digital production printers; NetSetGo, Rochester, a provider of Internet professional services; MB Software & Consulting, Syracuse, a provider and developer of Internet application software; Quartier Printers, Syracuse, a group of printing shops; and Adeco, Rochester, an employment services firm. Progressive Marketing Group, Melville, added Connolly & Co., an East Northport-based importer of Thomastik-Infeld musical strings, to its client list. The company also carries string instrument parts and accessories. PMG will handle strategic marketing for Connolly, including brand development, product launches and creative services. CCMR, Kingston, has documented a 55 percent response to a summer direct marketing program for Hitachi. The effort, titled, "Steal the Show," targeted manufacturers' sales representatives to interest them in Hitachi's new computer product, LCD Projectors. Spontaneous Combustion, New York, created 3-D animation and visual effects for D'Arcy Masius Benton & Bowles, also in New York. The ads, for Procter & Gamble's Millstone Coffee, broke in November. The production company created effects that show coffee cups morphing into an ocean liner, mountains and the moon. Le Book New York's 2000 edition was released this month. The two-volume photography and design reference book features a list of key photographers, art directors, public relations firms, advertising agencies and other creative professionals. VentureDirect Worldwide, New York, has been tapped by Mill Hollow Corp. to manage iMarketing News' subscriber list. The publication is a newspaper covering e-business and Internet marketing. Starting in January, it will go from a monthly to a weekly. VentureDirect also manages the subscriber list for DM News, another Mill Hollow publication. Kang & Lee, New York, president, chief executive officer and founder Eliot Kang was selected by A. Magazine, a publication targeting Asian-American professionals, as one of the 100 most influential Asian Americans in the past 10 years. Kang and other honorees attended a gala banquet held in New York last month to celebrate the magazine's 10th anniversary and the "A. 100" list. Cohn & Wolfe, New York, added InfoRocket to its roster of e-business clients. Silicon Alley-based InfoRocket, which plans to preview its service later this month, is a new consumer pay-for-information exchange backed by venture capital firms Prospect Street Ventures, Draper Fisher Jurvetson and Garage.com. Cohn & Wolfe will help develop the public relations strategy and communication plan for InfoRocket's launch early next year, and handle ongoing corporate and marketing announcements. Cohn & Wolfe Healthcare, New York, has won public relations duties for HealthStreet.com following a review. The New Jersey-based healthcare services company provides an online directory of physicians. The agency was also awarded chores for three SmithKline Beecham products: Ariflo, a compound that improves lung function for people suffering from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; Factive, a quinolone antibiotic; and Infanrix, an investigational vaccine that will protect infants against diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, hepatitis B and polio. MightyOak Communications, Kinderhook, handled advertising and public relations duties for the 1999 Columbia County Fair. The 6-month-old agency, founded by Louis Alberse, formerly of Fairbrother & Co., and Laura Aloisio and Timothy Tulloch, previously at Blass Communications, developed a campaign themed, "Grab summer by the tail," which featured the image of a pig looking over its shoulder. The firm's work also included a Web site, public relations, and outdoor, print and radio ads. - NEW JERSEY Bozell Global Healthcare, Fort Lee, was selected by Zenith Goldline Pharmaceuticals in Miami to develop a corporate image campaign and handle advertising for new products. Zenith Goldline manufactures specialty generic products. Winning Strategies Advertising in Mt. Laurel has elected to end its three-year relationship with the New Jersey State Aquarium, Camden, effective Dec. 31, the final date of its existing contract. The agency cited philosophical differences in strategic positioning and creative direction. Winning Strategies' summer 1998 "Walk like a penguin" campaign for the aquarium won an Addy Award from the Philadelphia Advertising Club. DKB & Partners, Morristown, created a 30-second TV spot for Ricola's new Herbal Health Dietary Supplements. "Reflections," slated to roll out in the first quarter, shows atmospheric scenes of people in everyday situations, integrated with the Matterhorn reflected on windows, soap bubbles, sunglasses, cars and a variety of landscapes. Compositing effects were created by Topix/Mad Dog in Toronto. Bozell Yellow Pages, Morris Plains, has won a 1999 Silver Appy Award for excellence in Yellow Pages innovation from the Yellow Pages Publishers Association. The shop was honored in the process innovation category for an ad for the Overhead Door Corp. Integrated Communications Group in Parsippany was awarded all professional print media planning and placement duties for Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corp. Portions of the assignment had been at Healthcare Media Services prior to the consolidation at Integrated. The shop was also tapped by Knoll Pharmaceutical to handle advertising and medical education for its Segard and Septest brands. Lewis Advertising, Newark, created the New Jersey State Police's first-ever recruitment and imaging campaign. The campaign, themed, "Our careers suit all kinds of people," broke this month and invites minorities and women to apply to the force. The campaign uses outdoor, NJ Transit bus, radio, and daily, minority and college newspapers. - PENNSYLVANIA CCP Film, Wayne, created a TV spot for NetCarrier, a regional Internet service provider. In the ad, a nerdy-looking guy appears in various locations, holding flashcards printed with messages about the things one can do on the Web. The 30-second execution appears on cable channels in the tri-state area. Flaherty Sabol Carroll Marketing Communications, Pittsburgh, has been hired by the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership. The shop will develop an identity program titled, "Downtown Pittsburgh Sparkles" to promote the city's 1999 holiday celebrations and programs. The shop was also tapped by Pitt Penn Oil Co., Creighton, to introduce Ice Blocker, a product that keeps ice and snow from sticking to car windshields.

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