Levi Strauss & Co. is going back to its roots in the form of a new ad campaign called “Go Forth.” In new print and TV ads, Levi’s pay homage to the pioneer spirit. It states ‘I am the new American pioneer, looking forward, never back. No longer content to wait for better times… I will work for better times. ‘Cause no one built this country in suits.’

It hearkens back to a time when people pulled themselves up by their bootstraps to get through hard times, digging in and forging ahead all while wearing bluejeans. Yet Levi’s also wants to “refresh and reinvent the idea of a pioneering spirit for the times in which we live,” according to executive creative director Susan Hoffman.

The newly launched web site, Go Forth, features a “new” declaration of the U.S. It also allows site visitors to write their own declaration, stating, “Take up your pen, you general of the new revolution. Add your words, your images, your voice to a new declaration, redefined in the spirit of today’s America. An America in which we hold these truths to be self-evident…” The video ad (shown below) features what is believed to be an original recording of Walt Whitman reading his poem “America.”

Interestingly, Creative Review reports that Levi’s used photographer Ryan McGinley, the same photog who shot recent Wrangler’s ads as well.

One has to wonder what backlash, if any, will result from minorities who weren’t exactly embraced during pioneer days. It’s doubtful that they would want to celebrate times of forced labor, broken treaties, and stolen land. What are your thoughts?

Here’s the video ad with Walt Whitman’s poem:

image: levi.com/goforth

Gillette has launched a new marketing campaign. The modernized version of their “The Best A Man Can Get,” the new campaign is titled “The Moment.” Before launching the campaign, Gillette conducted extensive research to get a deep understanding of men, their confidence and their doubts.

The new Gillette campaign will feature regular everyday men, as well as Gillette’s top pitchmen — Tiger Woods, Roger Federer and Derek Jeter — as they experience moments of doubt and overcome them to succeed.

The effort includes a 30 second TV spot which debuted during the Men’s Fitness Ultimate Athlete Event on June 20, 2009. The campaign also offers print ads, point-of-sale marketing and digital advertising. Look for the TV ads from Gillette during sporting events, primetime and cable programming.

Gillette has an extensive line of high-performance grooming products including: Gillette Fusion, Gillette Series Shave Gels, Gillette Styling, Gillette Clinical Strength Ultra Comfort anti-perspirant and deodorant and Gillette Hydrating Body Washes.

Image: Gillette.com (screen capture)

“This new campaign is a natural progression of our successful ‘The Best A Man Can Get’ campaign. It supports our strategy to build our global leadership in men’s grooming and strengthen the emotional bond we have with more than 600 million men who start each day with Gillette,” says Peter Clay, Vice President, Brand Franchise Leader, Gillette.

On the Gillette.com website, visitors can watch videos, enter sweepstakes, fill out surveys, get shaving and styling tips, and read product information.

That noise you hear? It’s me sighing. Hardee’s/ Carl’s Jr. are at it again. Not to be outdone by Burger King’s Super Seven Incher ad, Hardee’s has introduced their “Name Our Holes” campaign. No joke. The product? Cinnamon-Sugar Biscuit Holes.

What exactly are these “biscuit holes” anyway? Hardee’s press release describes them as deep-fried balls of biscuit dough, rolled in cinnamon-sugar and dipped in icing. And the company was stumped when it came to naming the creation. And that’s when the “fun” started, apparently.

Brad Haley, Hardee’s executive vice president of marketing was quoted as saying “They really are irresistible and it’s almost impossible to eat just one. But what to call them was a big challenge. One of my favorite options was ‘Biznuts,’ a cross between ‘biscuits’ and ‘donuts,’ since the closest thing to them are donut holes. But there were many other suggestions that were very funny. Unfortunately, I can’t repeat them here.”

Right. Their tag line goes even further, stating that they “sound so wrong, but taste so right.” Where do we even begin? What is it with these fast food companies recently? Do we really need ball and blow job jokes to sell food? Seriously?

Oh, but wait. It gets even better. Hardee’s made a promotional video (see below) about naming the product. And if you think ‘Biznuts’ is bad, just wait to hear what others came up with. And if that’s not enough, there’s a web site with a naming contest. Yes, Hardee’s wants you to name their balls.

We only wish we were kidding. The site is called Name Our Holes. No, really. It may sound like a bad porn site, but it’s for fast food, people.

I swear, if another fast food company tries to one-up this and starts talking about the female anatomy, I am so boycotting that fast food company for good. And people wonder why we’re an empire in decline. Sigh.

images: pitchengine

On Monday, Ancestry.com launched a new marketing campaign that will showcase the stories of five Americans who have used the website to make amazing discoveries about their family history. The “My Story” campaign aims to inspire people to dig into their own heritage using Ancestry.com.

Image: Ancestry.com

Running for at least the next year, the campaign features five 15-, 30- and 60-second TV spots that showcase the heartwarming stories. The TV commercials will appear on AMC, CNN, Fox News, History Channel, Lifetime Movie Network, Hallmark and other cable networks.

Ancestry.com is the world’s largest online resource of family history. They recently announced that since July 2006, more than 1 billion people have been added to more than 10 million user-generated family trees on the site.

The five Americans featured in the “My Story” campaign include:

• Alton Woodman - A New Yorker Finds Answers about His Father
• Cary Christopher - Man Discovers His Great Grandfather was a War Hero
• Jim Lane - South Florida Man Connects Father to His Own Mother
• Peggy McDowell - Chicago Cook Meets Like-Minded Cousin
• Cathryn Darling - Washington Woman Confirms Father’s Passing

“What is truly amazing is that these miraculous discoveries are happening every day,” said Cheyenne Richards, vice president of marketing, Ancestry.com. “We literally went through thousands of incredible member-submitted stories before we chose these five. That’s the inspiration behind our new My Story campaign - to convey how life-changing a family history discovery can be.”

You can check out the clips on Ancestry.com’s YouTube Channel. The story of Alton Woodman is in the video below.

Bausch & Lomb, best known for making contact lenses, is launching a multimillion dollar online marketing marketing campaign to pitch their SofLens® daily disposable contact lenses. The campaign targets adults from 25 to 34 and plans to educate the consumers on the benefits of daily disposable contacts.

One of the benefits mentioned — having a new pair of lenses every day. That can come in handy, especially if you don’t like to clean your contacts, or just plain forget to.

There are other benefits as well, according to the company. These new contacts are supposed to help reduce blur, halos and glare, especially in low-light settings. They even have a simulation where you can see the reported difference in a nighttime scene with and without the lenses.

They call this new design High Definition Optics. We guess since everything else is HD, your contact lenses should be, too. It would be better if it would turn my lousy television into a higher end HDTV.

But the lenses are also supposed to have a slow-release moisture formula that helps keeps lenses moist throughout the day. As someone who suffers from allergies and dry eyes, that alone makes me want to try a sample. If I could go back to contacts again, at least occasionally, I would.

By going to the SofLens® site, you can sign up for a free trial, learn more about the lenses and locate an eye doctor nearby. And the lens demo, of course. Let us know what you think.

image: bausch.com

Tampa-based La Bonita Ole announced the launch of their “Save The Tortillas” campaign on Friday. With the present state of the 17-year-old tortilla company in danger, President and CEO Tammy Young is launching the effort to save her business.

La Bonita Ole filed voluntary Chapter 11 bankruptcy in July 2008. And through the bankruptcy, they have been able to stay afloat. But control of the company could be shifted away from Young by SunTrust Bank, who plans to sell the company.

Image: Newscom

“We do believe, had we been in a normal banking environment, our company probably wouldn’t be in the situation we are now,” said Young. “We had growing pains that prompted us to borrow money for capital. Thankfully, SunTrust provided that need through an unsecured $1.0M loan. When the world financial crisis hit, SunTrust and all other banks evaluated their loan portfolios. SunTrust determined they needed La Bonita Ole, Inc. to find funding to remove their unsecured exposure. The company has made and continues to make every agreed upon payment since the first day of all of its loans with SunTrust.”

Young hopes the Save The Tortilla campaign will generate enough public support for La Bonita Ole before the judgment court date — August 19, 2009. Young hopes the judge and SunTrust would decide to allow the loans to stay in the SunTrust portfolio.

Using a freshly created microsite at savethetortillas.com, as well as many social media channels, the campaign aims to raise awareness and invite fans to show their support through petitions and more. The campaign is using YouTube, Twitter and Facebook.

Image: savethetortillas.com (screen capture)

Young started the company in 1992 with $13,000 in savings. The company now supplies retailers in 28 states and does over $12 million in sales. I don’t know if the plea to the public through this campaign will be able to save her company, but you have to appreciate the effort, ingenuity and use of social media to her attempt.

In December, 192 nations will attend the UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen. To raise awareness, the UN has partnered with a coalition of advertising agencies to create the “Hopenhagen” campaign. They hope to empower global citizens to engage in the conference and encourage government leaders to make the right environmental decisions.

UN launches Hopenhagen campaign to promote the UN Climate Change Conference

The campaign focuses on the need to shift from just “coping” with global problems to “hoping” and ultimately acting to face challenges head-on. The concept of Hopenhagen came from the idea that the UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen is an opportunity to protect people and the planet and to power global green growth in order to adjust the fate of the planet.

The Hopenhagen web site encourages visitors to leave a message about what gives them hope for a better planet. You can leave a note, filling in this sentence: “__________ gives me hope.” And you can then watch others’ messages scroll by on the screen.

The web site is slated to be the campaign hub. Right now, there are just the scrolling messages, a short blurb about the Conference, and links to the creative content of the campaign. But a bigger, splashier launch is planned in September when more content about climate change will be offered to visitors.

Let’s hope that the site offers concrete information and ways for individuals to make changes in their own lives, families, and neighborhoods. Otherwise, it’s just a pretty site with inspiring messages, but no real call to action.

image: hopenhagen.org

Though it hasn’t appeared in the U.S. yet, this ad for Burger King’s “BK Super Seven Incher” is causing some controversy. Not subtle in its possible interpretations, the advertisement reads in big letters “IT’LL BLOW YOUR MIND AWAY.” The ad, which has been seen in Singapore Burger King restaurants, takes things to another level in the details at the bottom.

Image: Burger King

Fill your desire for something long, juicy and flame-grilled with the NEW BK SUPER SEVEN INCHER. Yearn for more after you taste the mind-blowing burger that comes with a single beef patty, topped with American cheese, crispy onions and the A.1. Thick & Hearty Steak Sauce.

Yearning. Blowing. Long and juicy. Add the woman’s open mouth to the equation and it’s not hard (no pun intended) to realize where this ad is headed.

What do you think of the BK advertisement? Would it make you “desire” the sandwich?

Small local businesses are the target for Yahoo’s new self-serve ad product. Yahoo wants businesses who normally advertise via search - or maybe don’t advertise online at all - to try using display ads. And My Display Ads is made just for them.

“This just opens up access to small advertisers, which we think is important to the overall market,” said Yahoo Sales Senior VP Joanne Bradford in AdAge.

The self-serve ad program boasts over 800 templates for advertisers to choose from — or they can use their own. Choices include flashing ads, animated pictures, scrolling text, and more.

Advertisers can purchase ads based on CPM (cost per thousand) impressions or CPC (cost-per-click) auctions. Ad inventory will include both Yahoo and its media partners.

The product description reads, “Display advertising isn’t just for the big companies, anymore. Yahoo! My Display Ads offers an easy, affordable way to create banner ads and run them across the Yahoo! network in a matter of days.” And it’s targeted to those with budgets under $2500.

Yahoo worked with AdReady, a firm that provides advertisers with tools to create their own ads. The program is currently in a pilot stage, but you can check it out here and here.

image: Yahoo! My Display Ads (screenshot)

Fujifilm announced their new long-term marketing campaign — “Every Picture Matters” on Monday. The campaign centers around a freshly launched microsite at everypicturematters.com. The website offers a consumer guide for taking pictures. It also showcases Fujifilm’s company history and includes information about their digital cameras.

Image: everypicturematters.com

“’Every Picture Matters’ is a contemporary take on the timeless value that we all place on photos. It reflects the fresh approach Fujifilm has taken in developing our newest digital cameras, which consider our customers’ lifestyles as never before,” stated Todd Schrader, Fujifilm U.S.A electronic imaging division VP. “We want to market our 2009 camera lineup in the same kind of fresh and engaging way.”

The campaign also includes a variety of ads - print, online and outdoor - which feature their FinePix Z33WP waterproof digital camera. Fujifilm will also use airplane-drawn ads over popular beaches encouraging consumers to “Dive into summer. Make a splash this summer. Live Waterproof.” The FinePix Z33WP waterproof digital camera takes pictures in up to ten feet of water.

Everyone is using digital cameras these days and companies are putting more and more emphasis on how easy it is to take quality pictures. Fujifilm is using the same strategy with their helpful tips on their website and easy-to-use products.