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Out To Launch

by Amy Corr, Wednesday, Jun 18, 2008 4:00 PM ET

Caribou Coffee ads poke fun at Starbucks. Fuse defines music. Taco Bell's Frutista Freeze stops people in their tracks. Let's launch! The Travel Channel launched two TV spots promoting the show "Passport to Great Weekends with Samantha Brown." In "Prank," Brown returns to the office following a weekend getaway to find two co-workers wrapping everything in her office in tin foil, unaware that she would be in. "They'd never do this to Bourdain," says Brown as ping-pong balls fall at her feet. I bet they'd foil Andrew Zimmern, though. See the ad here. Brown poorly attempts conversation with her co-workers while waiting for the elevator in the next ad. Her definition of working over the weekend is much different than her colleagues. Watch the ad here. Moroch created the campaign. Nike created a print ad that ran last week in USA Today, the Seattle Times/Post Intelligencer and the Cincinnati Enquirer that commemorates Ken Griffey Jr.'s 600th home run. "As long as I have fun playing, the stats will take care of themselves," reads the animated ad featuring Griffey Jr. surrounded by fans holding baseballs for him to autograph. See the ad here. Here's hoping the same stat rings true for the Mets. Judging by their stats, they are not having fun playing. Wieden+Kennedy Portland created the campaign and handled the media buy. Fuse, the music network that actually plays music videos, launched a print, TV, online and outdoor campaign called "Music Is," depicting the emotional relationship that people develop with music. "Music is heartache," reads one print ad, showing a woman sitting in her car listening to music. "Music is a memory," says another ad, featuring a pile of Polaroid pictures. See print ads here, here, here and here. File this first Fuse TV ad under "remove from rotation ASAP." "Therapy" begins with a home completely underwater. The water begins to recede until we're left looking at a young girl who's crying in bed. Her tears were immense, and they eventually stop. Taking the recent floodings in Iowa into consideration, I'd remove this from rotation. Remaining ads, such as "Adrenaline," "Joy," "Balloon" and "Time Travel" are fun and light-hearted, reminding viewers how connected we are to certain songs throughout our lives. "Soulmates" is my favorite of the bunch, finding your soul mate in life and through music. The Brooklyn Brothers created the campaign and Initiative handled the media buy. Everything is green nowadays, even makeup. Physicians Formula launched a print campaign in People, Self, Shape, Vogue, Lucky, Health, Glamour, InStyle and Allure touting its Ecocertified Organic makeup. A woman takes the term "being green" seriously in one ad, where she's covered with leaves. Remaining ads target women with different forms of problematic skin and offers solutions to each issue. The ad for bronzer actually has a portrait of what my skin looks like sans makeup. They say pale, I say porcelain. See the ads here, here, here, here and here. Looney Advertising created the campaign and WMI handle the media buy. Freeze. Really. Taco Bell took to the streets of Philadelphia to promote its Frutista Freeze tropical beverage. Playing off the word freeze, performers outside Citizens Bank Park donned beachwear covered in frost that went well with their blue-tinted skin. The actors stayed "frozen" for hours. They must not have had a Frutista to drink beforehand, as I'd have to find a bathroom. While the large-bladdered actors stood in place, brand ambassadors distributed more than 11,000 buy-one-get-one free coupons. See the performance here and here. LevLane Philadelphia executed the stunt. Caribou Coffee launched a local print and outdoor campaign in Minneapolis/St. Paul, Columbus and Cleveland, Ohio, that perks, I mean, pokes fun at Starbucks, notoriously known for its burnt coffee taste. "Burnt and bitter is no way for a coffee bean to go through life," says one ad. The same can be said for people. Ads ran locally in Minnesota Monthly, Cleveland Magazine, Columbus Magazine, Dublin Life, People, Town & Country, Travel & Leisure, Harpers Bazaar and Health. See the ads here, here and here, created by 22squared. Steel company ArcelorMittal launched a worldwide corporate ad campaign that reveals its secret ingredient: boldness, a force for sustainable performance. Running internationally in Time, Newsweek, The Economist, The Wall Street Journal and The Financial Times, four corporate ads focus on recycling, clean energy, appliance design and safety improvements made on cars, each using boldness as an ingredient for success. "Chores + Boldness = Pleasure" reads one ad, showing a man doing laundry. Moving on... another ad combines boldness with wind to generate wattage. See the ads here, here, here and here. TBWA/Corporate in Paris created the campaign, Thoburns handled the offline media buy, and Vanksen handled the online media buy. Benetton promotes the Birima micro-credit programme in Senegal, a co-operative credit society founded by the Senegalese singer Youssou N'Dour in its global ad campaign. Print, outdoor and in-store ads use the slogan "Africa Works" and feature Senegalese workers that have benefited from micro loans. Creative portrays a fisherman, decorator, musician, jewellery-maker, farmer, tailor and a boxer with the tools of their trade. See an ad here. Fabrica created the campaign. Amy Corr is managing editor, online newsletters for MediaPost. She can be reached at amyc@mediapost.com.