Path: bloom-picayune.mit.edu!snorkelwacker.mit.edu!news.media.mit.edu!americast.com!americast.com!usa-post Newsgroups: usa-today.ads From: usa-post@AmeriCast.Com Organization: American Cybercasting Approved: usa-post@AmeriCast.com Subject: ads Tue, Jun 16 1992 Date: Tue, 16 Jun 92 05:20:20 EDT Message-ID: 06-16 0000 DECISIONLINE: Advertising USA TODAY Update June 16, 1992 Source: USA TODAY:Gannett National Information Network BARTLES & JAYMES PAIR RETURNS: An ad campaign breaking this week for the monthly magazine Golf Illustrated uses spokesmen who look like they'd be more at home cutting the grass on a golf course than playing on it. The pitchmen are Dave Rufkahr, an Oregon rancher, and Dick Maugg, a California building contractor - better known as the rustic pair who pushed Bartles & Jaymes wine coolers for seven years in high-profile ads. (For more , see special Golf package below.) LOTTERY ADS GET CANCELED: The Maryland Lottery has decided to scratch a plan to run $2 million worth of radio and TV ads in Washington, D.C. Problems began when D.C. Lottery officials bought $17,000 in Baltimore radio airtime for its ads. Maryland officials, fearing that D.C. lottery ads would hurt the Maryland sales, dug up an 1800s ban on other states from advertising their lotteries in Maryland. BILLBOARD BAN BILL CONSIDERED: A bill to partially ban the advertising of alcohol and tobacco on outdoor billboards in Baltimore has been introduced in the city council. It would ban billboards in business districts next to residential areas and restrict them to manufacturing areas. Sponsors are concerned that the billboards have an influence on youngsters. MARTINDALE TO PRODUCE NEW SHOW: Wink Martindale is producing a new show for syndication next fall called "Why Didn't I Think of That?" - a program he says is about "ordinary people solving everyday problems with ingenuity and humor." Sample stories from the pilot include a kid who came up with a motorized spaghetti fork and a smoker who designed a hat to use in non-smoking restaurants. `IN LIVING COLOR' TO KEEP BITS: Damon Wayans says he won't be on Fox's "In Living Color" next season, but that won't necessarily mean an end to the outrageous "Men On" segments with Antoine and Blaine that Wayans does with David Alan Grier. Grier says the popular bits may return occasionally and Wayans' part won't be recast. "I wouldn't do it with anybody else, I know that." BENSON TO STAR IN SCI-FI MOVIE: Robby Benson will star in the upcoming Sci-Fi Cable Channel's first movie, "Homewrecker," this fall. He's a computer dweeb who installs a feminine side in a Pentagon computer. There's one small problem: The computer gets jealous. T-REX TO AIR THIS FALL: A new syndicated cartoon series from the producers of "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" airs this fall. The series, called "T-REX" features five dinosaur brothers who, according to the press release, "are standup nightclub comics in their ordinary lives but transform to the crime-fighting superhero group T-REX." TRIALS DO WELL FOR NBC: NBC's Olympic Trials in gymnastics and boxing, promoted on the NBA Finals, achieved commendable ratings. Saturday's four-hour women's gymnastics Trials received a 5.0 overnight rating - beating CBS' baseball (3.3) and ABC's Wide World of Sports (3.5). On Sunday, NBC's 4.3 overnight for the men's gymnastics and boxing Trials topped golf on CBS (2.8) and ABC (2.7). MCCANN-ERICKSON GAINS ACCOUNT: GE Capital, General Electric's financial services subsidiary, has named McCann-Erickson of New York its new ad agency. It succeeds incumbent Marquardt & Roche of Stamford, Conn., on GE Capital's $2 million to $3 million account. Della Femina, McNamee and Hill, Holliday were the other finalists. BATMAN, DIET COKE TEAM UP: Coca-Cola USA and Warner Bros. have teamed Batman with Diet Coke again in a new spot. Ad agency Lintas of New York created the ad that is set to air Friday, the same day that "Batman Returns" hits the cinemas. Batman and Diet Coke also were paired for ads to promote the original Batman movie. SPECIAL PACKAGE ON GOLF: CONSUMER AWARENESS IS HIGH: After being dropped from Bartles & Jaymes wine coolers ads last year, Dave Rufkahr and Dick Maugg are back. Now they are spokemen for Golf Illustrated. The golf monthly thought of them after Dave appeared on "Entertainment Tonight" to say they weren't ready to retire. Says GI publisher Ernie Renzulli: "They're very believable, fun - and their (consumer) awareness level is high." PAIR IS TAKING LESSONS: Dave Rufkahr and Dick Maugg are taking golf lessons. Dave has played a little, says a hopeful Renzulli, while Dick "has the better build to be a golfer." We'll see. GI plans to use them as more than just spokesmen in the $5,000,000-plus ad campaign, which will include TV ads starting next month. They might appear at trade shows and tournaments and may even go along on ad sales calls. ADS ARE PART OF CHANGES: Consumers will see a new side to Dave and Dick, who will leave behind the mythical Frank Bartles and Ed Jaymes. They'll, essentially, play themselves as they learn about golf from reading the magazine. The new ads are just the latest innovation from GI, which ceased publication late last summer before revamping and reopening under new ownership in January. (End of package.) Advertising Editor: Ed Kelleher. (1-919-855-3491) Making copies of USA TODAY Update (Copyright, 1992) for further distribution violates federal law. This article is copyright 1992 Gannett News Service. Redistribution to other sites is not permitted except by arrangement with American Cybercasting Corporation. For more information, send-email to usa@AmeriCast.COM