New Campaigns

Client: Legal Aid Society, Minneapolis Agency: Clarity Coverdale Fury, Minneapolis Creative Director: Jac Coverdale Art Directors: Paul Stechschulte, Steve Page Copywriter: Michael Atkinson Print Producer: Terri Herber Photographer: Joel Larson Communicating the rights of welfare recipients is not an easy task. Clarity Coverdale Fury walks the fine line on this emotionally charged issue with an outdoor campaign for the Legal Aid Society in Minneapolis. The posters use a visual, familiar in many urban areas, of a person holding a cardboard sign looking for work. In this case, however, the lengthy text on the sign outlines a number of rights a welfare recipient should expect while looking for work, including a fair, safe, nondiscriminatory work environment and safe, clean child care. The headline accompanying the photo reads: "Under welfare reform you may have more rights than you think." The ad required a sensitivity that was "empowering without candy-coating the issue," said copywriter Michael Atkinson. "Welfare is a polarizing issue, so our communications required sensitivity" to both recipients and taxpayers who may oppose the program, said art director Paul Stechschulte. --Aaron Baar Client: Koch Industries, Wichita, Kan. Agency: Sullivan, Higdon & Sink, Wichita Creative Director: Joe Norris Copywriter: Susan Ruder Art Director: Sandra Denneier Broadcast Producer: Jo Anne Lofland When you think of Koch Industries, what comes to mind? Exactly. The Wichita, Kan.-based conglomerate is a half-billion dollar company, but it operates under an exceedingly low profile. It proudly describes itself as the second-largest privately held corporation in the U.S. It has interests in the oil and gas industries as well as a broad array of business units involved in everything from asphalt to water filtration. So who are these guys? Koch has turned to crosstown agency Sullivan Higdon & Sink in an attempt to raise its corporate profile. It is beginning by targeting the people in its home state, who may know the name but may not know much about what Koch does. The tagline developed for the regional print and broadcast campaign is, "You know us better than you think." Ads introduce readers and viewers to some of the businesses in which Koch is involved and how those businesses touch millions of lives, however quietly. One print ad focuses on Koch's water filtration technology, which might be in use at readers' neighborhood pool. The regional print schedule includes USA Today, Sports Illustrated, Time, Newsweek and U.S. News & World Report. The same message is carried in TV spots that will air regionally on several cable networks and local broadcast network affiliates. --Scott Hume Client: Meredith Publishing Corp., Des Moines, Iowa Agency: Sayles Graphic Design, Des Moines Art Director/ Designer/Illustrator: John Sayles The Crafts Group of publishing giant Meredith wanted to alert potential advertisers to its new Crafts Showcase title and called on Sayles Graphic Design to make an impact. The agency responded with a clever media kit that captures the magazine's appeal to artistic do-it-yourselfers with appropriate style. "We wanted the kit to have a crafts feel, but a sophisticated one," said Sheree Clark, agency principal. "This is Meredith [behind the new magazine], after all. They don't do anything that looks chintzy. There had to be a very sophisticated style." Stitching around the logo on the cover helps achieve the arts and crafts feel, as does irregular cropping of photographs within the kit, said Clark. "It's sort of a crazy quilt approach, but controlled," Clark said. "This is magazine for people who really do craft work and are very serious about it." Images from the magazine, showcasing crafts, appear throughout the four-color kit. Uncoated paper stock throughout contributes to the aesthetic, as does embossing of the mission statement within the kit. Rate and mechanical information is included in a pocket folder under a diecut closure. The design of the media kit was carried over to Meredith's display booth and handle bags distributed at a recent trade show. Sayles recently completed a direct mail campaign for another Meredith specialty publication, Wood. For that effort, mailings consisted of corrugated boxes printed and varnished with woodgrain patterns. --Scott Hume Client: Chicago Fire, Chicago Agency: The Rosen Group, Chicago Creative Director: George Kusch Associate Creative Director: Renee Rosen Art Director: Colleen Durack The Rosen Group crafted this 30-second TV spot to help sell Chicagoans on professional soccer and on the Chicago Fire, the city's Major League Soccer franchise, during its inaugural season. Happily, the Fire has done a fine job selling itself, posting one of the league's best records so far in 1998. The boost in interest coming on the heels of the World Cup hasn't hurt either, but this spot generates plenty of excitement on its own. For starters, the agency negotiated rights to the high-energy Jimi Hendrix classic "(Let Me Stand Next to Your) Fire." Accompanying the music is a series of crisply edited action shots of professional and youth league soccer teams at play, given a sepia-toned tint to make it all look a little different from your average sports clips. "We wanted to express the excitement of the team and create memorable associations. Hendrix's 'Fire' provides an excellent conduit," said agency president Jerry Rosen. Steve Pastorino, the Fire's senior director of marketing, said the spot is designed to grab the attention of kids, "who will appreciate the fast pace and bold dynamic visuals." A second spot is due to break in August, perhaps in time for a championship run. --Scott Hume

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