MARS ADDS STARBURST ESCAPE
&M Mars here has begun airing two television commercials inviting viewers to "escape" from the mundane by indulging in Starburst Fruit Chews.
The commercials, featuring Gena Lee Nolin of "Baywatch" and MTV's Eric Neiss, are running on MTV, VH-1, Fox and the three major networks -- ABC, NBC and CBS.
COCA-COLA IN OLYMPIC DRIVE
ATLANTA -- Coca-Cola here is looking to "unleash the power" of its Powerade drink with a new flavor, a new sports bottle, new advertising and an Olympics-themed under-the-cap promotion.
The flavor -- Tidal Burst -- is a blend of sour fruit flavors. The new bottles -- available since May 1 -- are 24-ounce plastic containers with Olympics graphics.
The under-the-cap promotion, "Raise the Bar," offers consumers a one-in-four chance to win a prize or discount. One hundred grand-prize trips for two to U.S. Olympic training centers will be awarded. The event runs through the end of August and prizes will be redeemed through October.
Advertising is running on cable and network television stations during events such as the National Basketball Association playoffs and through the Olympic Games. Ads will also run in two issues of Sports Illustrated this month. The campaign focuses on the drive needed to become an Olympic athlete.
GATORADE PUTS TEETH INTO ADS
CHICAGO -- Gatorade here has launched a new wave of print, television and radio ads that extend and amplify its successful "Life Is a Sport. Drink It Up" campaign.
Consistent with the campaign theme, the new ads communicate Gatorade's ability to quench consumers' emotional and physical thirsts.
Gatorade, which is owned by Quaker Oats, is rotating nationally three television spots and three separate radio spots. They began airing in April and will continue through September. Basketball great Michael Jordan is featured in one TV and one radio commercial.
Gatorade has also introduced new packaging specially designed for supermarket shelves. The Big Grip is a 1-gallon jug of the sports drink. Powdered Gatorade is now packaged in canisters shaped like its traditional orange sideline coolers, but much smaller; the canisters began shipping in April.
SUNSHINE'S BRIGHT ON CHEEZ-IT
WOODBRIDGE, N.J. -- Sunshine Biscuits here kicked off the celebration of its Cheez-It brand's 75th birthday with an event April 11 in New York City's Times Square.
Sunshine has scheduled events for the next two months. Boxes of Cheez-Its hitting store shelves this month will bear an on-pack entry form. Seventy-five consumers who mail in the forms will win $500 gift certificates, allowing them to hold their own Cheez-Its parties.
In May, consumers can enter a drawing to win such prizes as a trip to Disney World, Konica cameras and money by sending in their "cheeziest" photos.
In June, Sunshine is co-oping with retailers to give a free 2-liter bottle of Coke to shoppers who purchase two boxes of Cheez-Its.
As part of the celebration, Sunshine introduced the Big Cheez-It, a cracker twice the size of the original Cheez-It. The Big Cheez-It started to be rolled out in the Eastern and Central areas of the country in April and will appear in the Western and Southern areas in August.
ANDES TO FLY WITH BUTTERBALL
DELAVAN, Wis. -- The new Dinner and Dessert promotion from Andes Candies here marks the first time the confectioner has partnered with another food manufacturer.
To kick off this fourth-quarter promotion, bags of Andes' Harvest Mix will be in- packed with a $2 rebate form good toward any Butterball turkey. The Harvest Mix is a 10-ounce bag of candy featuring three Andes flavors: toffee crunch, nut and honey and toasted coconut thins.
For Christmas, Andes Candies will distribute a decorative storage tin containing 10 ounces of creme de menthe thins and in-packed with a $2 rebate coupon for a Butterball turkey.
Shippers containing both the Harvest Mix and the Christmas tins will display tear pads with the telephone number for Butterball's Turkey Talk hot line that consumers can call to receive free holiday meal preparation tips.
The Andes-Butterball promo will be advertised in November and December issues of such magazines as "Good Housekeeping" and "Women's Day." A freestanding insert is scheduled to drop Nov. 17.
