Fidelity Brings Back Peter Lynch
BOSTON—Peter Lynch, the financial guru dropped last fall after a long run as Fidelity Investments’ pitchman, returned last week to tout the mutual funds company in an ad in The Wall Street Journal. “The road to successful investing is long. And every so often, it’s bumpy,” reads the headline in the execution from Hill, Holliday, Connors, Cosmopulos, Fidelity’s lead agency. Lynch reassures investors reeling from tumbling stock indexes. The tagline, “See yourself succeeding” from the current national ad blitz does not appear. “Peter will continue to do special ads from time to time, and ‘See yourself succeeding’ remains the company’s main theme,” said a Fidelity spokesman.
Arnold Plays ‘April Fool’ Prank on Big Tobacco
BOSTON—Arnold broke an “April Fool” spot over the weekend for The American Legacy Foundation’s anti-smoking initiative. Shot in the lobby of Arnold’s corporate headquarters in Boston, the commercial features a bogus tobacco industry executive announcing that all cigarette brands are being pulled from the market.
Gillette Relaunches the ‘Coppertop’
BOSTON—Gillette will relaunch its Duracell battery in June with product improvements adapted from the M3 technology introduced last year in its Duracell Ultra line. A $100 million global campaign from BBDO, New York, will promote the copper-and-black battery, renamed under its popular nickname, Coppertop, and the tagline “Quality that lasts.” The new repackaged products will be in stores in June, backed by Coppertop’s first new ads in four years and a 40-percent increase in spending over 2000.
Marshalls Launches Hispanic Agency Search
BOSTON—TJX Cos.’ Marshalls chain of clothing stores has launched a review for the Hispanic portion of its advertising account. That work has been held for three years by Publicis Sanchez & Levitan, Miami, which is not participating. “As Marshalls continues to grow in markets with large Hispanic populations, it is important for us to ensure we have the best agency partner possible,” said Kerry Hamilton, Marshalls vice president of marketing, in a statement. Spending is estimated in the $2-4 million range. Hill, Holliday, Connors, Cosmopulos, Boston, remains lead agency for the Framingham, Mass.-based chain, which operates more than 500 stores in nearly 40 states as well as Puerto Rico.
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BOSTON—DDB, Los Angeles, has added the $4 million Hong Kong Tourist Association business; Irma S. Mann, Strategic Marketing, Boston, had handled … Cronin & Co., Glastonbury, Conn., has been selected for public relations efforts for the Connecticut and Western Massachusetts McDonald’s Operators Association. The co-op, which comprises 154 stores in the two states, chose Cronin after a review that included several undisclosed agencies. Cronin is currently helping the co-op launch its new Fruit ‘n’ Yogurt Parfait snack and will handle grant administration for the company’s Ronald McDonald House Charities.
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