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 Thu, Jul 9 1992 Date: Thu, 9 Jul 92 05:13:14 EDT Message-ID: 07-09 0000 DECISIONLINE: Advertising USA TODAY Update July 9, 1992 Source: USA TODAY:Gannett National Information Network SPRINT AD TAKES SHOT AT QUAYLE: This is one calling plan that won't be signing up Vice President Dan Quayle: A new Sprint ad has Candice Bergen - that controversial single mother Murphy Brown - talking about having babies. Sprint's Most plan gives discounts for the most frequently called numbers. The ad, from agency J. Walter Thompson, airs Thursday. It was made before Quayle's statements about single mothers. (For more, see special Sprint package below.) BROWN MAKES AD FOR BUSH: Floyd Brown's new "interactive" commercial in support of President Bush provides information he says is not readily available to the American public. The spot - which touches on Gennifer Flowers, marijuana, and the draft - includes a phone number for more information. Brown made waves in 1988 with an ad that used Willie Horton, a murderer released on furlough in 1984. AD WILL AIR ON FRIDAY: A Floyd Brown ad in support of President Bush's re-election begins airing Friday in New York and will continue airing on CNN throughout next week. "We believe before (delegates) nominate Bill Clinton, they should take a serious look at him," says Brown. "I don't know if they know enough." Brown says the new ad is more powerful then his controversial Willie Horton ad that ran in 1988. `RAVEN' MAY GET PICKED UP: CBS' summer series "The Raven" may get picked up for midseason. Producer John Ashley expects a decision from CBS within two weeks. So far, "Raven" has won its time slot in both outings and placed in the top 20. The show, an action-adventure about a guy (Jeffrey Meek) searching for his long-lost son in Hawaii with a grizzly drifter (Lee Majors), will remain in Hawaii. OLYMPIC TEAM BOOSTS TNT: TNT got a 4.9 rating for the U.S. Olympic basketball team's qualifying game against Puerto Rico Friday. For the two Olympic games it showed, TNT averaged a 5.3 rating, translating into about 3 million ratings. By comparison, TNT's NFL games averaged a 6.4 rating and its NBA games averaged a three rating. YOPLAIT TO TARGET KIDS: Yoplait plans to rollout Yoplait Trix low-fat yogurt this fall. It will come in strawberry, banana bash, triple cherry, raspberry rainbow and rainbow punch flavors. DDB Needham Worldwide will handle the ad campaign, which will consist of print ads and free standing inserts. It is targeted at kids ages 6 to 11. ADS BLAMED FOR BANKRUPTCIES: Misleading advertisements are among the reasons consumer bankruptcies have been increasing, Barbara Clore, president Associated Industries Credit Union, said Wednesday. She testified before the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Economic and Commercial Law. "Attorney advertising will undoubtedly continue, but false and misleading advertising should be stopped," Clore testified. MY EVERYTHING CREAM HITS MARKET: Flori Roberts Cosmetics has begun rolling out a new skincare product called My Everything Cream. It is being supported by a $1 million print and television advertising campaign. The campaign is being handled in-house. MONUMENT COMMISSION PICKS CME: The Vietnam Monument Commission says it has selected Campbell-Mithun-Esty Advertising (CME) as its agency of record. CME will exclusively handle the marketing, advertising, and public relations aspects required for completion of a Michigan Vietnam Memorial Monument. CME is a $1 billion agency. Its clients include Chrysler Corp.'s Jeep and Eagle Division. SPECIAL PACKAGE ON SPRINT: AD SHOWS MOTHERS-TO-BE: In a Sprint ad which airs Thursday, fathers, mothers and mothers-to-be talk about who they call most. "Since I found out I was pregnant, I've been calling everybody," says one woman. Cut to spokeswoman Candice Bergen, who rolls her eyes and says, "Gee, seems like everybody's having a baby these days." The star of "Murphy Brown," Bergen's character on the show had a baby. AD WAS ORIGINALLY INSIDE JOKE: When the Sprint ad was shot in May, it was just an inside joke, referring to Bergen's hit TV show, which drew big ratings with Murphy Brown's pregnancy. "It had that little wink and smile in it," says Jorge Rodriguez. Then Vice President Dan Quayle lambasted the show for glorifying single motherhood. VIEWERS WERE NOT OFFENDED: Sprint quickly surveyed consumers to find out if the ad would offend. Fewer than 4% of those surveyed said yes. The ad "really should be topical in nature, but harmless in terms of any polarizing effect," Rodriguez says."We'll get people to do a little bit of a double take." Rodriguez says. (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