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 Wed, Jul 8 1992 Date: Wed, 8 Jul 92 05:13:09 EDT Message-ID: 07-08 0000 DECISIONLINE: Advertising USA TODAY Update July 8, 1992 Source: USA TODAY:Gannett National Information Network SUBARU TAKES CRANKY APPROACH: Subaru, the anti-hero of car advertisers, is appealing to consumers of the '90s - in their own words. Ad agency Wieden & Kennedy drew notice last year for determinedly unpretentious ads for the carmaker. A new wave of TV ads features the voice of a cranky, skeptical car buyer who complains about "roads filled with drivers with their learner's permits." SUBARU SALES ARE UP: Subaru ads are apparently working. Though the ads have drawn mixed reviews, Subaru says sales of the its Legacy sedan rose 12% for the first five months of 1992 vs. the first five months of 1991. In the 26 markets where Subaru is concentrating its advertising, sales are up 27% for the same period, says Chris Wackman, Subaru's vice president of marketing. CBS WINS FOR 3RD STRAIGHT WEEK: CBS won the TV ratings race for the third consecutive week, with help from some summer series. "Raven," starring Lee Majors, came in at No. 19; "Grapevine" tied with CBS' "Major Dad" and "Rescue 911" at No. 21; and "Bodies of Evidence" tied with NBC's "Seinfeld" at No. 24. ABC made a strong showing on Tuesday night to vault it into second place for the week. (For more, see special Ratings package below.) `MAGIC' TO BE IN PEPSI AD: Pepsi has produced a new TV commercial starring Earvin "Magic" Johnson, who retired from professional basketball because he has tested positive for HIV, the AIDS virus. The Pepsi ad will be his first with a major corporate sponsor since November, when the former Los Angeles Laker announced he had HIV. Pepsi is throwing a preview party for the ad Sunday. PERT TAPS OLYMPIC HOPEFULS: Olympic decathlete Dave Johnson has turned up in a Pert Plus ad. Procter & Gamble tapped Johnson and Olympic middle-distance runner Suzy Hamilton to push Pert Plus. But the company insists it is not trying for an Olympic tie-in. The pair were signed in March, well before the Olympic trials. But the ads, by agency Leo Burnett, will run on some NBC affiliates during the network's Olympic broadcast. REEBOK MAKING DAN, DAVE ADS: Last week, Reebok bounced back from Dan O'Brien's failure to qualify for the Olympic team in an ad that coupled footage of his unsuccessful pole vault - and Dave Johnson's attempt to console him - with the message, "Accountants are predictable. Bankers are cautious. Politicians are tentative. But athletes are glorious." Reebok is making more Dan and Dave ads to run during the Olympics. CONVERSE AD DRAWS FIRE: Athletic shoe maker Converse's second ad starring NBA Rookie of the Year Larry Johnson as Grandmama pays homage to the U.S. basketball team. But because Reebok, not Converse, is the team's official supplier, the ads have drawn fire from the U.S. Olympic Committee. In the ad, Grandmama reads a children's story about the men who "snatched up all the (Olympic) gold and brought it home." SHARKS TO ATTACK TV VIEWERS: Starting Sunday, The Discovery Channel begins its annual "Shark Week" - seven nights of shark documentaries and features. The programs are traditionally the cable channel's highest rated of the year. But Discovery is no longer alone. Also preying on bored summer viewers is "Shark Terror: The Miniseries." Hosted by Stacy Keach, six hours swim into syndication this month on 130 stations. FCB GAINS CLIENTS: FCB International, a subsidiary of ad agency Foote, Cone & Belding Communications Inc., Tuesday said it has acquired the clients of the former JMA agency in Perth, Australia. The firm's Perth operation, FCB:Shorter, will be merged to form a new unit, Jenkin Shorter:FCB. FCB holds a majority equity position in the new company. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed. SPECIAL PACKAGE ON RATINGS: ABC COMES IN SECOND: ABC's Tuesday night lineup was tops with sitcom watchers, helping to put the network in second place in the weekly TV ratings race. "Roseanne" was the most watched show of the week; "Coach" was No. 3; "Home Improvement" came in at No. 5. ABC's news special, "Who is Perot," ranked No. 13. `SIMPSONS' BEATS `WORLD': NBC was in third place, although Monday night's rebroadcast of "Return of the Jedi" ranked No. 2. In their first head-to-head competition, Fox's "The Simpsons" outperformed NBC's "A Different World." "The Simpsons" tied with "Doogie Howser" at No. 1. "A Different World" tied with "L.A. Law" at No. 52. FOX WINS SATURDAY SLOT: On Saturday, Fox's "Cops 2" at No. 78 won the 8:30 p.m. time slot, beating out CBS' "Celebrate the Spirit," ABC's "Julie" and NBC's "Home Fires." "Celebrate the Spirit" tied with "Home Fires" at No. 80 and "Julie" tied with ABC's "Perfect Strangers" at No. 94. In the evening news race, ABC was first with a 8.7 rating. CBS (8.0) was second and NBC (7.3) was third. (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