ADVERTISING WATCH 1996-03-04

HALLMARK, CARSON SET PROMOTION

ny greeting cards by Hallmark here and Carson Products, Savannah, Ga., will run a joint promotion that begins this month and runs through June.

The nationally advertised promotion places two free Mahogany cards in 500,000 of Carson's Beautiful Beginnings No-Lye Relaxer Kits. Carson's Beautiful Beginnings hair care brand will support the promotion with extensive print advertising in Ebony, Essence and Sophisticates Black Hair magazines.

Additionally, a coupon will be packaged with the relaxer kit that offers $1 off the purchase of any Beautiful Beginnings product with the purchase of two Mahogany cards. Hallmark created the Mahogany line especially for African-American consumers.

COLGATE-PALMOLIVE SPINS ONTO WEB

NEW YORK -- Colgate-Palmolive here has launched a World Wide Web site.

The site is designed for consumers, retailers and dental professionals. Visitors can order products, learn about educational programs sponsored by Colgate, and read articles from dental journals.

The site also features investor information, maps showing the countries in which Colgate has operations, and Kid's World, which offers educational games for children. Colgate's Internet web site address is http:// www.colgate.com.

SARA LEE GOES OLYMPIC WITH DELI

ZEELAND, Mich. -- Sara Lee Premium Deli Meats here is dropping a freestanding insert May 19 giving consumers the opportunity to purchase an official 1996 United States Olympic fanny pack. Consumers send in their receipts for the purchase of one-half pound of Sara Lee deli meat along with the entry form from the FSI. Eight million FSIs will be dropped in select markets.

Two Sara Lee "sampling vans" will be traveling throughout the country from April through August, said a representative of the company's promotion agency, Glen Eagle Marketing, Cincinnati.

They will appear at state fairs and community events as well as retail locations. Staffers will hand out coupons, product samples and merchandise premiums.

TROPICANA GETS TELEVISUAL BRADENTON, Fla. -- A new advertising campaign for Tropicana Pure Premium brand orange juice debuted last month with three 30-second television spots on primetime network shows such as "Law & Order," "60 Minutes" and "Sisters." The commercials feature a young woman, a young African-American man and an older couple.

The spots will be followed by print ads in lifestyle, health and general interest magazines in April.

The campaign's tagline is "Tropicana Pure Premium. Perfect." Television spots feature music by the Grateful Dead's Mickey Hart, with black-and-white footage that gets splashed with vibrant color when characters drink the juice.

The brand is produced by Tropicana Dole Beverages North America here, a division of Seagram Co. Ltd.

SUNKIST LINKS WITH 5 A DAY

SHERMAN OAKS, Calif. -- Sunkist Growers has launched a television campaign linking its navel oranges with the 5 a Day for Better Health national produce marketing campaign.

The campaign consists of two 15-second television spots. One commercial shows viewers the variety of different produce items that can fulfill the recommended amount of five fruits and vegetables every day. The second commercial promotes Sunkist navels specifically.

The commercials are aimed at women 25 to 54, who are the primary grocery shoppers in more than 70% of U.S. households, according to Sunkist. Fifty percent of the commercials will air during prime time, 20% during the day and 30% during early morning news shows.

Both commercials, which hit the airwaves in January, will continue to air through mid-May.

MIDWEST SEEDS ORGANICS GROWTH

ST. LOUIS PARK, Minn. -- The Midwest Organic Alliance here has launched a program to help consumers identify organic foods, particularly those grown in the Upper Midwest.

The program, which is in place in dozens of supermarkets in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area, is being supported by a marketing campaign that includes shelf labels, billboard advertising and posters on the sides of buses.

To qualify to carry the Midwest Organic label, a product must have at least 95% certified organic content, and at least 50% of its content must have been grown in the region of Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, North Dakota or South Dakota, said organizers. The product must also meet a quality approval standard set by the alliance, among other criteria.

The alliance's stated mission is to encourage the reduction of harmful agricultural chemicals on regional land and educate consumers about organic food.