W.B. Doner & Co. today launches its first advertising for Florists' Transworld Delivery, a little more than three months after landing the account.
The first 30-second spot, "Office," focuses on FTD's Everyday product line. It introduces a new tagline, "Some of life's best moments come FTD," delivered by longtime spokesman Merlin Olsen. Doner presented the line during its pitch to land the account in late June, said Greg Gerfen, management supervisor heading the FTD account at Southfield, Mich.-based Doner.
After winning the account--succeeding Grey Advertising, New York, which had resigned--Doner was asked to develop a new campaign for the Downers Grove, Ill.-based company by early August, in time for FTD's annual florists conference, Gerfen said.
Initially, the spot will run exclusively on cable networks. It is possible that "Office" or future spots could be rotated into broadcast network timeslots at some point, according to Gerfen.
A second 30-second spot, "A Little Brighter," focuses on holiday products and will break in December, Gerfen said. It also features the new tagline and Olsen's voiceover.
FTD spent $16 million on advertising in 1996, according to Competitive Media Reporting.
Doner also is completing work on print executions for the campaign that will be offered in November to FTD florists on a co-op basis. The 22,000 FTD florists in North America can customize the ads and run them where they choose, Gerfen said.
"Office" will run through next year, although it may be modified to feature different products. The spot makes a generic pitch for FTD, ending with a close-up of the Everyday bouquet.
"Our goal with this advertising is to demonstrate the special moment people experience when they receive an FTD arrangement," said Bob Norton, FTD president and chief executive officer.