Lowe Lintas & Partners is launching a $100 million ad campaign for Sun Microsystems even as the client continues to evaluate potential conflicts at the newly merged IPG shop.
The work continues to position Sun as the leader in Internet technology with the line: “We’re the dot in .com.”
Previous ads featured everyday images illustrating the “dot,” in the line. New print ads ape film posters with copy points replacing credits. The “Hollywood” motif seeks to reflect Sun’s irreverent “personality,” according to the client and agency.
One ad, showing a close-up of a man’s face, reads, “†bercoder: the man who can build anything.” Copy explains, “He’s free from the doldrums of re-engineering one good program to fit a trillion platforms, thanks to Forte development tools and Java technologies from Sun.”
Another ad, one of 10 that broke last week, resembles the Jaws poster. Next month, TV, outdoor and banner ads will follow. The campaign, created by Lowe’s San Francisco office, is designed to run for 12-18 months, said Tracey Stout, vice president of advertising and global brand programs at the Palo Alto, Calif., client.
The work arrives three months after the merger of Lowe & Partners, which has had Sun’s corporate products and services account since 1997, and Ammirati Puris Lintas, the agency for Dell’s home and small-business products. That raises questions about conflicts; Stout said Sun is still “carefully looking at” merger-related issues.
“We’re doing a real solid due diligence,” she said, noting that in recent times, “it’s not quite as easy to [sort out] conflicts as it once was.” Stout said she hoped to reach a final resolution within the next month.
Five TV spots will support the print, with some resembling film trailers, said Howard Portrate, Lowe Lintas executive vice president and group account director. Sponsoring a movie festival is another possibility, Trout said.
The budget tops Sun’s past ad-media spending. In 1999, through October, Sun spent about $33 million, per Competitive Media Reporting. In 1998, the figure was $32 million.
Lowe Lintas Scripts $100 Mil. Sun Ad Campaign
