New Campaigns

Client: BMW Motorcycles, Woodcliff Lake, N.J. Agency: Merkley Newman Harty, New York Creative Director: David Corr Copywriter: Troy Torrison Art Director: Alison Brown Photographer: Julian Broad Merkley Newman Harty breaks its first work for BMW Motorcycles this week, positioning the brand as the "favorite motorcycle among the most passionate riders." The series of spare, black-and-white spreads avoids the "artificial beauty" typical of motorcycle ads, said Marty Cooke, Merkley's chief creative officer. It instead uses actual riders, not models, to portray the "reality of riding." In one ad, a simple closeup of a soaked enthusiast is paired with the headline, "Does riding in heavy rain count as bathing?" Another shows a rider strapping his helmet on, with the headline, "6 a.m., Saturday morning. I hate it when I oversleep." The agency uses the familiar BMW roundel with the word "Motorcycles" underneath as the tagline. The campaign is targeted primarily at "re-entry buyers," affluent and well-educated baby boomers who have owned motorcycles in the past. "Our intent was to incorporate intelligent and emotional user imagery [into] advertising that will position BMW as a third choice vis-ˆ-vis Harley-Davidson and the Japanese 'ninjas,'" such as Kawasaki and Yamaha, said Cooke. The client enjoyed a sales increase of 25 percent in 1997, moving 6,103 machines, its most ever. The campaign breaks in September motorcycle publications and lifestyle magazines such as Playboy and Esquire. Merkley won the $3-5 million account early this year following a review. Former agency Fallon McElligott Berlin in New York's last work for the client was a TV spot for the F650. It featured a motorcyclist who races through the streets of Prague, Czechoslovakia, to watch an old episode of Get Smart. There was no tagline. DeWitt Media, New York, handles media buying. .....--Hank Kim Client: Maybelline, New York Agency: Gotham, New York Co-Creative Directors: Al Colello, Patty Abel Copywriter: Chris Kelly Art Director: Rob Kinney Photographer: Matthew Rolston Account Supervisor: Lisa Falcone Account Executive: Patty Daly Gotham's fall campaign for Maybelline is themed "Gypsy chic"--how agency creative chief Lynn Giordano describes "hippies with a sheen of new glamour." This year's theme embodies fashion's current fascination with exotic, Bohemian styles, Giordano said. "Gypsy" is meant to embody the unconventionality of fall fashions, while "chic" speaks to the glamour of the new line, Giordano said. Colors that the client predicts will be big this fall include deep wine tones, plums, indigos and golds. The ad features three shots of model Christy Turlington by photographer Matthew Rolston. Copy reads: "Audaciously rich, extravagantly plush. It's the wild side of romance." The ad goes on to tempt consumers to "fall for color so deep, so shamefully dark, it's nearly decadent." The tagline remains: "Maybe she's born with it. Maybe it's Maybelline." The ad will appear in the fall fashion preview issues of Glamour, Cosmopolitan, Allure and Vogue, among others, as well as at the point of purchase. About $1 million is budgeted for the effort. Last fall's campaign centered around the theme of "Velvet crush," playing off that season's emphasis on chocolates and browns. Revlon and Cover Girl lead the category, with sales in the 52 weeks ending June 28 of $617 million and $548 million, respectively, and market shares hovering around 20 percent. Maybelline is third, at $453 million and a 16 percent share, per Information Resources. All three brands are growing. .....--Justin Dini

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