Creative Briefs

Cleanup on Aisle Five Campbell Mithun's work for Kmart has taken a few nasty spills. The agency signed Rosie O'Donnell in 1995 as Kmart's spokeswoman just before she became popular as "the Queen of Nice" (per Newsweek). That relationship saw a much-publicized end last year after O'Donnell took a stand against guns, which Kmart sells. Later work used The Judds. Now, with the selection of TBWA\Chiat\Day in New York as its new agency, celebrity reps will be a thing of the past.Some of the last campaigns from CM include its well-received advertising for Kmart's in-house brand of Route 66 jeans. One ad depicted teens cavorting in the desert to a techno version of the song "Route 66." CM's most recent work for Kmart alluded to the retailer's switch to Big K stores with the theme, "Changing for the better." Apparently, Kmart didn't think so. Monster Mash Job site Monster.com recently went to great lengths to praise its latest—and last—ad campaign from Mullen in Wenham, Mass. The TV effort unveiled several weeks ago introduced "Ted," a job hunter wooed with flowers and fruit baskets by prospective employers after he posts his resume on Monster.com."We are excited to see the tremendous impact of this new advertising campaign," client CEO and founder Jeff Taylor says in a press release put out by the company. According to the missive, Mon ster.com enjoyed "a record high of more than 26,000 resumes submitted in a 24-hour period. This record comes less than two weeks after the launch" of Mullen's ads. It continues, "Since 'Ted's Resume' debuted, Monster.com experienced a 33 percent increase in resumes posted daily." Monster.com doesn't mention it dismissed Mullen one week before issuing the release. The company moved its $75-90 million domestic assignment to Arnold Communications, Boston. Insiders say the client grew dissatisfied with Mullen's creative. Agency CEO Joe Grimaldi notes that Ted wasn't even used in work the shop presented in the final round. Monster Mash HotlineHistory in the MakingSmash Advertising's new international print campaign for The History Channel places its well-known "H" logo in historical settings, such as the mysterious slabs at Stone henge. In one execution, a wall of Egyptian art displays an H that appears to have been carved into the wall eons ago. The copy reads, "Go to the source." "By enmeshing the logo in those moments, the idea was to emphasize that when it comes to historical programming, there's only one channel," says Linda Button, cd for the campaign. The ads are aimed at potential foreign partners and consumers and will appear in trade publications that reach international TV executives. PeopleFallon, Minneapolis, pro moted Peter McHugh and Bruce Bildsten each to associate creative director from group creative director. The promotions add another creative management layer under Bob Moore, who was recently hired as creative director from Wieden + Kennedy in Portland, Ore. David Lubars remains executive creative director at the shop. Bildsten is a 15-year veteran of the agency, having helmed work for BMW of North America, Timex and PBS. McHugh, who joined the agency in 1995, has worked on brands including Lee Jeans, Qualcomm, Holiday Inn and Nordstrom.Panty-hose PantryFor the first private label product from 7-Eleven, one might expect soda, chips or even ice. But the convenience store is rolling out upscale panty hose called Heaven Sent. Coffee/Black Advertising in Dallas created a campaign for the product. One print ad shows a fashion model with the words "New York. Paris. Milan. 7-Eleven." Creative director Troy Scillian says 7-Eleven wants to emphasize the quality of the brand, which is replacing budget brand L'Eggs in the Dallas company's 5,700 convenience stores in the U.S. and Canada. The ads will run in the October issues of Glamour, Cosmopolitan, and Working Woman. 7-Eleven is planning to roll out several new private-label products over the next year.Floats Like a ButterflyInspiration takes the form of a butterfly in the first TV spot in Compaq Computer's new campaign from FCB Worldwide. Premiering last week during ABC's Monday Night Football, the 60-second spot opens on a boy cupping a butterfly in his hands. "Where do you find inspiration?" a British voice asks. As the boy sets the butterfly free through an open window, the butterfly's image is seen on the PC screen behind him. It then appears in a series of scenes, including a kite in Asia and in the hand-held device owned bya business executive. "Wel come to the new IT from Compaq." The tagline, "Inspiration technology," appears on screen. The effort is also supported by print work in The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal. Other spots are scheduled to break in the fourth quarter.The Rest of the StoryRadio personality Paul Harvey lends his voice in support of diabetes care in Polymedica's first national radio campaign. Without a script, Harvey relays a message urging diabetics to test glucose levels regularly, based on firsthand knowledge from diabetic friends and family. Ads, which broke last week, were developed in-house by the Woburn, Mass., company and feature the tagline, "Liberty Medical: Delivering better health."

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