What’s New : Portfolio

K2 MERLIN SKIS
AGENCY : Cole & Weber, Seattle
CLIENT : K2 Skis, Vashon Island, Wash.
MEDIUM : skiing-enthusiast magazines
CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Michele Cournoyer
ART DIRECTOR: Bill Karow
COPYWRITER : Mark Waggoner
PHOTOGRAPHER : Joe McBride


Who exactly is the “we” of the headline? It turns out (as we read the body copy) that K2 is
speaking of its own obsession. “Two things get us out of bed every day. Going skiing. And developing new skis for going skiing. In that order.” But the ad makes it easy for readers to count themselves among that “we,” if only because they’d be glad to have come up with the joke about dreaming of a white Halloween, white Father’s Day and white Cinco de Mayo. Not until it has established this we’re-all-in-it-together rapport does the ad move on to a sales pitch for K2’s sidecut Merlin skis (whose shape is replicated by the copy’s dark background). The dream motif also makes readers more receptive to the visual image of a lone skier on untouched snow, when the reality of their own ski outings has more to do with lift lines and overpopulated slopes.

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SPYDER SKIWEAR
AGENCY : TDA Advertising & Design, Longmont, Colo.
CLIENT : Spyder Active Sports, Boulder, Colo.
MEDIUM : skiing-enthusiast magazines
CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Thomas Dooley
ART DIRECTOR: Matt Leavitt
COPYWRITER : Jesse Kersey
PHOTOGRAPHER : Brooks Freehill


Ads for outdoor gear routinely boast of features you’d never use unless you were scaling Everest single-handedly. And why not? People get a kick out of owning a sleeping bag that would keep them warm in Antarctica or a pair of boots that would keep their feet dry if they waded across the Amazon. An aura of illimitable derring-do is part of what they’re buying. Unless provoked, readers won’t bother themselves with thoughts of whether they’d make
practical use of these capabilities. That’s where this ad, fun though it is, may invite trouble. While the photo makes it clear what a squirrel would do with all that pocket space, it prompts a human to ask: What would I use those 957 cubic inches for? And would I want 957 cubic inches worth of stuff in my pockets as I’m hurtling down a mountainside?

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TEXACO TRUCK STOPS
AGENCY : Bates Southwest, Houston
CLIENT : Texaco, White Plains, N.Y.
MEDIUM : trucker magazines
CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Randy Curtis
ART DIRECTOR/ copywriter: Lynn Fredericksen
COPYWRITER : Debbie Copp
PHOTOGRAPHER : Joe Baraban


If you’re in the truck-stop biz, you think of truck stops as the most important places on earth. But you must never lose sight of the fact that your customers do not share that perspective. For truckers, a truck stop is a tool that helps them (or, if it’s a crummy one, fails to help them) in getting their jobs done. With any luck, it’s more a truck pause than a truck stop. This campaign is commendably attuned to its audience’s viewpoint. “No matter what fine town is next on your route, your ultimate destination is the most important. Home.” As such, Texaco’s truck stops are equipped “to keep you and your load heading that way.” While Texaco’s audience would roll its collective eyes at an ad that waxed lyrical about the open road, truckers will appreciate the headline’s touch of the mock-poetic.

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SONY DIGITAL ENTERTAINMENT
AGENCY : Lowe & Partners/ SMS, New York
CLIENT : Sony Corp., Tokyo
MEDIUM : 30-second TV
CHIEF CREATIVE OFFICER/ COPYWRITER: Lee Garfinkel
DEPUTY CREATIVE CHIEF/ART DIRECTOR: Gary Goldsmith
AGENCY PRODUCER : Bob Nelson
PRODUCTION COMPANY : Phil Marco Productions, New York
DIRECTOR : Phil Marco

Vintage film shows a dog standing on his hind legs and leaping over dogs who are standing on their hind legs. Subtitles comment on this variety-show fare: “In the 1940s, this was considered entertainment. People actually paid to see it. You, however, have more sophisticated taste.” That’s why Sony makes products “that play digital movies like Jumanji.” In another spot, a ’30s vaudevillian who makes singing sounds with his hands is compared unfavorably to a Sony MiniDisc player on which one can play back Fiona Apple songs, “Anytime. Anywhere.” The old film clips are amusing-and that’s not necessarily a good thing. After all, if we enjoy them, they’re not telling examples of the tedium from which Sony has liberated us. On the other hand, if they really are tedious, then what reason is there to believe the spots will hold our attention? As it happens, 20 seconds of jumping dogs (which, for us, has novelty value) looks at least as fun as two seconds of Jumanji (which looks quite ordinary). Nor does the prospect of omnipresent Fiona Apple fully persuade us to be grateful for the digital marvels of our age. Mainly, one comes away with the realization that people 40 years hence will deride the stupid things we now find entertaining. Does that make you want to rush out and buy some digital gizmo?




What’s New submissions should be in the form of proofs, slides or (for TV spots) videotape. Please list creative director, art director, copywriter, agency producer, production company (and its location), director and illustrator or photographer. Describe the media schedule, including break date for the ad. Preference will be given to the newest work. Materials cannot be returned. Send submissions to:
What’s New Portfolio, Adweek, 1515 Broadway, New York, N.Y. 10036.