New Campaigns

Client: Funtasia, Durham, Winston-Salem and Greensboro, N.C. Agency: West & Vaughan, Durham, N.C. Chief Creative Officer: Bill West Creative Director/Art Director: Robert Shaw West Copywriters: Francis George, Ian Reichenthal Designer: Francis George Illustrator: Marc Inman Guests at Funtasia amusement parks will not find themselves reeling from roller coasters or other "extreme" rides. The parks offer tamer diversions like miniature golf, go-carts and batting cages. So how does an agency jazz up such offerings to appeal to kids? With a little sex, violence and language--on the light side, that is. West & Vaughan created a series of four circus-like posters and ads to attract teens and pre-teens to Funtasia this summer. "A hole-in-one is a helluva lot more satisfying if your ball flies into a dinosaur's mouth and shoots out his butt," reads the poster on behalf of miniature golf. For go-carts: "Not as exciting as the real thing, but then again, your chances of hitting a wall and bursting into flames are much lower." The batting cages execution appeals to libido-laden boys: "The only place you can take a date and be guaranteed a home run." --Katy Eckmann Davis Client: Generations Family Health Plan, Chapel Hill, N.C. Agency: Craig Jackson & Partners, Chapel Hill Creative Director/Art Director: Tom Gardner Copywriter: Craig Jackson Illustrator: Tim Gabor A werewolf, a laughing man and matching sheep are among the illustrated cast of characters in a direct mail campaign for Generations Family Health Plan. The series of five postcards, developed by Craig Jackson & Partners, uses lengthy sarcastic headlines to set Generations apart from managed healthcare's "monster companies, mad doctors, eerie behavior [and] shocking mergers," per copy on the back of the werewolf piece. "No one has to tell you that the managed care market is in turmoil," body copy continues. "What's the best way to stop it? Don't be a part of it. As a Generations broker, you can offer your clients an alternative to the monsters of managed care." Another postcard, featuring a drawing of a man laughing hysterically, pokes fun at big companies that claim to be "different." "We don't want to spoil their fun or anything, but we may be the only managed care firm that can back it up," flip-side copy states. A third card pairs two sheep with a headline about genetic engineering as applied to managed care companies--"How else could science explain so many perfect clones?" Generations' point of difference is its smaller size and local ownership by WakeMed and University of North Carolina Hospitals. The six-week campaign, aimed at healthcare insurance brokers, launched in early June. --K.E.D. Client: Viking Range Corp., Greenwood, Miss. Agency: The Ramey Agency, Jackson, Miss. Creative Director/Copywriter: Shawn Wood Art Director: Mark Moore Agency Producer: Lesa Trotter Director: Bruce Wolf In three television spots for Viking Range Corp., The Ramey Agency positions the client's line of commercial-style equipment for home kitchens as objects of desire. In "Couple," viewers see various breakfasts being prepared in a Viking Range-equipped kitchen while hearing a man and woman who just woke up having a playful argument over who gets to cook. The idea is that the drudgery of preparing the morning meal is eliminated because the couple has a Viking Range kitchen. A second spot, "New York City," uses some of the same visuals while the announcer talks about the many places the kitchen could be before revealing it is on a sound stage in New York. Consumers can get the appliances where the production company did, as the final frame flashes the client's Web address so viewers can locate their local Viking Range dealer. The campaign marks the first time the client has taken its message to television. The spots are running exclusively on cable TV's Food Network and will do so through the balance of 1998. A print version of the effort broke in March of this year. --Jim Osterman

Brand Marketing

New Campaigns

Adweek Staff

About

Subscriptions

Events

Publications

WORK SMARTER - LEARN, GROW AND BE INSPIRED.

Subscribe today!

Adweek Staff