New Campaigns: Southwest

Client: Motel 6, Dallas


Agency: The Richards Group, Dallas


Creative Director/Art Director: Jim Baldwin


Copywriter: Mike Bales


Producer: Sheri Gallaway





With a $600 million renovation of its properties under way, Motel 6 could not be faulted for hitting the airwaves with a flashy campaign to brag a little. Flashy, however, does not describe the chain’s previous advertising nor the newest campaign, which includes the chain’s largest TV effort in the last decade. The campaign, which features longtime folksy spokesman Tom Bodett, consists of five 30-second TV spots and one 10-second execution, plus seven radio ads. One TV spot, ‘Pyramid,’ opens on a shot of the Egyptian landmarks as Bodett remarks, ‘The ultimate in extended stays. You get a chamber filled with untold treasure and servants to keep you company. Problem is, to stay there you gotta be dead.’ He concludes by explaining, ‘We’re renovatin’ nationwide and fillin’ our chambers with lots of treasures too.’ The spot ends with the tagline, ‘Now renovating nationwide.’ The TV spots began airing nationally last week on cable and syndicated programming.–Steve Krajewski





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Client: Jones Intercable, Albuquerque, N.M.


Agency: Kilmer & Kilmer, Albuquerque


Creative Directors: Richard and Brenda Kilmer


Copywriter/Director: Don McKinney





A series of television, print and outdoor executions for Jones Intercable is, in essence, a campaign for a campaign. With Jones battling the influx of satellite competition, the cable TV system needed to place more in-demand programming on their subscribers’ screens. The idea was to have viewers vote for their favorite channels, with ballots going out to households and some of the country’s top cable networks producing 72 hours of preview shows to hype themselves. Winners will, of course, enter or remain on Jones’ lineup. A series of ‘Vote’ commercials features an obviously underwhelmed couple pouring through choices like the ‘All Surveillance Channel’ and ‘The Checkers Network.’ ‘I should have voted,’ the man sighs. Produced in both English and Spanish, the ‘Vote’ spots and outdoor executions like ‘Making TV Safe for Democracy’ will run through June when the survey concludes. –Glen Fest





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Client: Children’s Medical Center, Dallas


Agency: Hadeler Sullivan Ewing, Dallas


Executive Creative Director: Michael Ewing


Creative Director/Art Director: Tom Marcantel


Copywriter: Stuart Feigley


Director: Jim Beresford





As much as kids like happy endings, their parents prefer them to an even greater extent. Hence, Hadeler Sullivan Ewing decided to target mothers and fathers with brief stories about kids who have been treated successfully at Children’s Medical Center. The lone 30-second spot in the campaign allows ‘Jenny’ a chance to tell her story to viewers and classmates on her first day back to school: ‘My eyes were crossed. I went to Children’s, and now I’m better.’ Three 10-second TV executions tell about other children who are back to everyday activities like running, screaming, swinging and teasing their siblings, thanks to the medical care at Children’s. Also included in the ad effort are outdoor and print work. HSE account supervisor Kim Hart said the campaign continues the ‘For the Love of Children’ theme. –G.F.





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Southwest