New Campaigns

Client: Word Publishing, Nashville, Tenn. Agency: Coffee/Black Advertising, Dallas Creative Directors: Troy Scillian, Jim Sykora Art Directors: Scillian, Aaron Opsal Copywriter: Sykora Photographer: John Wong It is not so much the cover as the judgment of the content that keeps a lot of readers away from the client's faith-based tomes. So the inaugural image campaign for the Christian book publisher looks to show that its titles "are the kind of provocative and leading edge reading that appeals to everyone," according to the agency. Six print ads running in Publishers Weekly through the fall feature some unlikely matches between book title and reader: a tattooed biker pouring over Just Like Jesus; a cowboy absorbed in gospel singer Kirk Franklin's biography, Church Boy; and a nun delving into the born-again story of football star Deion Sanders: Power, Money, Sex. Even Santa Claus gets into the mix, when he cannot put down popular best-seller The Christmas Cross. All carry the tagline, "Our following will surprise you." The executions are also being used on posters for internal use at Christian bookstores and at book publishers' trade shows. Previous work for Word Publishing, a client of Coffee/Black since the creative boutique formed in 1996, have been for new title releases. --Glen Fest Client: Midway Home Entertainment, Corsicana, Texas Agency: DDB Needham Dallas. Creative Director: Jim Ferguson Copywriter: Kevin Sutton Art Director: David Ring Producer: Matthew Bonin What would the consequences be if an average video game scenario were played out in real life? That is the premise of a humorous 30-second television spot promoting Midway's Off Road Challenge for Nintendo 64. The commercial opens with a male teenager at the wheel of a beaten-up, dirty truck that is in a garage for its regular inspection. A mechanic rattles off the obvious damage--antlers lodged in the transaxle, a busted U-joint--as the visual alternates between the real-world truck and its video game counterpart enduring all manner of punishment. After the more serious problems are noted, the mechanic concludes, "Oh, and your left brake light's out." The young driver's response: "This thing has brakes?" The commercial is airing on cable stations including Nickelodeon and the Cartoon Network. The ad was also cut in a 15-second version and will be backed by more than $1 million in spending, according to the agency. "We wanted this spot to illustrate how Off Road Challenge offers kids something they can't get in real life but would really love," DDB chief creative officer Jim Ferguson said, referring to the tagline: "A license to drive like crazy." --Steve Krajewski

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