Beam Me Up, Scottie
-- McCain Citrus here has drafted Chicago Bulls basketball star Scottie Pippen to be its McCain Zippin! fruit-juice spokesman.
TV commercials featuring the Bulls forward will air this fall in three test markets: Chicago, Baltimore and Albany, N.Y. The campaign will be supported by radio and print ads, freestanding inserts and in-store promotions.
There also will be a Chicago-area sweepstakes for children in which 50 winners will get to spend a day with Pippen and attend a basketball clinic.
Nutty Ads Feature Furry Friend
MINNEAPOLIS -- General Mills here has kicked off an advertising crunch to trumpet the introduction of its new Honey Nut Clusters ready-to-eat cereal.
Ads, including a TV commercial that premiered in late September, feature a lovable squirrel in order to stress the cereal's "nutty" formulation.
Honey Nut Clusters is the new name of General Mills' former Clusters cereal. The company said it reformulated the cereal (sweetening it with honey) and changed the name -- plus upgraded the packaging and enlarged the box size nearly 2 ounces -- to help it stand out on the shelf among rival products, such as Post's Fruit 'n Fibre cereal.
Corona's Lime of Scrimmage
CHICAGO -- Barton Beers here, importer of Corona beers, has given Corona Extra a new mascot for this year's football season -- the Corona Limebacker.
The Mexican-made beer and the green-faced, helmet-wearing mascot will be promoted on in-store point-of-sale displays. The campaign also includes a 34-inch inflatable football, which has special plastic grommets so it can be hung from store ceilings, and weekly game-schedule placards.
Next Stop...the Red Zone
ATLANTA -- Coca-Cola Co. here is pitching its National Football League Red Zone game promotion with a national TV and print campaign plus local radio spots.
Also, a 75-second "Coca-Cola Presents the NFL Red Zone" commercial is appearing on more than 9,000 movie screens across the country.
To win prizes, consumers must match a two-digit number -- printed on game pieces under bottle caps and on the reverse side of pull tabs of specially marked cans of Coca-Cola Classic -- with the official Coca-Cola Red Zone number. The Red Zone number is announced at the conclusion of each ABC Monday Night Football game through Nov. 4, 1996. The grand prize is a pair of Super Bowl tickets for life.
Let It Snow, Says Inglenook
CANANDAIGUA, N.Y. -- Targeting active, young adults ages 25 to 40, Inglenook Premium Select wine, made by Canandaigua Wine Co. here, plans a multimedia, ski-themed promotional campaign this winter holiday season.
Inside stores, ski-boot footprint floor decals lead shoppers to an Inglenook endcap that features ski chair lift and snowboard rider displays, colorful winter-scene shippers showcasing a selection of premium wines plus a tear pad for the Ultimate Ski Sweepstakes promotion. The giveaway gives consumers the chance to win a Vail, Colo., ski vacation; ski equipment; and Warren Miller ski videos.
The advertising effort includes radio, TV and print spots, with Inglenook TV commercials appearing on eight Warren Miller ski programs on Fox Sports. Other consumer promotions include mail-in refunds, an Inglenook T-shirt offer and free World Ski Association memberships.
The Choice is Garlic
FULLERTON, Calif. -- Healthy Choice here is ladling out a hefty serving of advertising to promote the introduction of Garlic Lovers, a line of garlic-flavored pasta sauces.
The health-oriented brand, an arm of Omaha, Neb.-based ConAgra, began a $5 million TV commercial campaign last month. Backing the TV effort are freestanding coupon inserts in Sunday newspapers throughout the year.
Garlic Lovers sauces are available in four flavors: Roasted Garlic, Garlic & Mushroom, Garlic & Onion and Roasted Garlic & Sun-Dried Tomato. Healthy Choice now offers 12 pasta sauces in three lines, the other two being Smooth and Super Chunky.
