PEACE CORPS – PRESS RELEASE

New Television Spots Showcase Decision to Join Peace Corps

WASHINGTON, D.C., September 25, 2006 – Peace Corps this week unveiled the newest television public service announcements that will complement the award winning campaign “Life Is Calling. How Far Will You Go?”

The PSAs feature a series of Americans, from all walks of life and all backgrounds, who hear the calling to become Peace Corps Volunteers. From a woman in her cubicle who seeks a new endeavor to an older gentleman who sees the possibilities for his future while viewing a travel information board, the spots are meant to highlight the moment when potential Volunteers realize the difference they could make in the world.

Impactist_PeaceCorps_Globe

The new PSAs capture the moments when Americans hear the calling to become Peace Corps Volunteers.

“The Peace Corps is celebrating a 30-year high in Volunteers serving around the world, and we want all Americans to know Peace Corps service is an option for them,” said acting Peace Corps Director Jody K. Olsen. “These new public service announcements reflect the diversity of Peace Corps Volunteers today and the decision each of us makes when we hear ‘our calling’.”

The PSAs are narrated by Ricardo Chavira, who currently stars as Carlos Solis on the ABC show Desperate Housewives. Ricardo’s parents, Juan Chavira and Elizabeth Ries Chavira, were both Peace Corps Volunteers, serving in Peru from 1966-68. Ricardo narrated both the English and Spanish language version of the PSA.

“I grew up hearing about how my parents’ Peace Corps experiences shaped their careers and attitudes,” said Chavira. “I’m delighted to share in this legacy by working with the Peace Corps to support its mission of promoting world peace and friendship.”

The PSAs were filmed using an innovative technique that utilizes a digital still camera rather than a traditional film motion camera. The stills are then played in rapid sequence to give the illusion of motion-like quality. In addition, this technique allows extremely slow movement at the moment when potential Volunteers hear the call to join the Peace Corps, giving the PSAs a unique look.

The new PSAs will be distributed to network and local stations across the country and will be available in :15, :20/:10, :30 and :60 second versions. To view the :60 second version, please visit www.peacecorps.gov/psa/tv.

The PSAs were created by BBDO-Atlanta, produced by Hornet, Inc., and directed by Impactist. BBDO-Atlanta also created the television PSAs from 2003. Those PSAs, which included voiceovers by actors Matthew McConaughey and Eduardo Verastegui, won several national awards, including a gold EFFIE. The pre-eminent award in the advertising industry, EFFIEs are awarded for excellence in advertising and marketing effectiveness.

The Peace Corps is celebrating a 45-year legacy of service at home and abroad, and a 30-year high for Volunteers in the field. Since 1961, more than 182,000 Volunteers have helped promote a better understanding between Americans and the people of the 138 countries where Volunteers have served. Peace Corps Volunteers must be U.S. citizens and at least 18 years of age. Peace Corps service is a 27-month commitment.

WESTIN CAMPAIGN – PRESS RELEASE

WESTIN HOTELS STIRS THE SENSES WITH NEW
MULTI-MILLION GLOBAL AD CAMPAIGN

Experiential Campaign Brings To Life Westin’s New Brand
Positioning Of Personal Renewal

White Plains, NY – March 14, 2006 – Beginning today, millions of consumers will experience “This is How It Should Feel” – Westin Hotels & Resorts’ new multi-million dollar experiential advertising campaign that brings to life the brand’s new positioning of personal renewal. In a departure from the genre, Westin’s new global television, print and online campaign is devoid of room shots, sunsets or fluffy beds. Instead, the campaign communicates what guests will feel at a Westin — a relaxing, personal and renewing experience. The new campaign is the first to debut after a yearlong revamp of Starwood’s marketing and brand strategy.

“We have worked hard to redefine our brands and develop innovative signature services that communicate each brand’s unique positioning,” said Steven J. Heyer, Chief Executive Officer for Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE:HOT). “Westin’s campaign is illustrative of its new positioning centered on personal renewal, well being and restoration of the mind, body and spirit. We are not just in the business of selling beds or guestrooms, but rather experiences and memories. In the months to come, our other brands will introduce new creative executions that likewise tell their unique brand stories.”

Created by Deutsch New York, the campaign debuts the new tagline “This is how it should feel” and includes four television spots, a multi-tiered print effort and an online component designed to entice consumers with innovative executions. The first print ad to debut is a calming, scented execution highlighting Westin’s new signature White Tea scent, which will be introduced in hotels worldwide this spring as part of the brand’s Sensory Welcome program. The second magazine ad highlights relaxation and is simply a clear acetate page stating, “Clear your mind. Free your senses.” One television spot entitled “Breathe” literally encourages viewers to take a moment to breath and relax, while “Wake Up” demonstrates how it would be nicer to wake up to the sounds of birds chirping or waves breaking than to an alarm clock. The television spot “News” slowly replaces the jarring images, financial tickers and sounds of a business news show with calming imagery and the “Mask” spot blocks out the confusion of the outside world and allows the viewer to see only through the onscreen cool sensation of a mud mask and cucumber slices.

The online advertising plays upon the Westin guest experience using interactive components and sensory elements that promote relaxation and tranquility, including choosing from a specially developed soundtrack to play music based on your mood or dragging an interactive rake across a Zen garden.

“Westin’s new ad campaign marks a pivotal point for Starwood and its brands as we continue to move from a real estate focused company to a world class lifestyle company,” said Javier Benito, Starwood’s Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer.  “This campaign touches upon what a true Westin guest experience offers, not just a comfortable destination but rather an oasis from the stress of travel and everyday life.”

“The campaign was designed to engage consumers in a very different way,” said Kathy Delaney, Chief Creative Director/President, Deutsch NY. “To give them an ‘experience’ every time they came in contact with the campaign. It was a conscious decision not to discuss specific amenities. But to allow people to ‘feel’ the brand through the individual executions on a very visceral level.”

The global marketing campaign breaks today on cable stations such as CNN, Discovery Channel, Travel Channel, USA, TNT, TBS and Bravo, and in print titles including the New Yorker, Wired, Vanity Fair, Real Simple and Gourmet.

About Westin Hotels & Resorts
Westin Hotels & Resorts, with 121 hotels and resorts in 31 countries and territories, is owned by Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. is one of the leading hotel and leisure companies in the world with approximately 850 properties in more than 95 countries and 145,000 employees at its owned and managed properties. Starwood® Hotels is a fully integrated owner, operator and franchisor of hotels and resorts with the following internationally renowned brands: St. Regis®, The Luxury Collection®, Sheraton®, Westin®, Four Points® by Sheraton, W®, Le Méridien® and the recently announced Aloft(SM). Starwood Hotels also owns Starwood Vacation Ownership, Inc., one of the premier developers and operators of high quality vacation interval ownership resorts. For more information, please visit www.starwoodhotels.com.

About Deutsch Inc.
Deutsch Inc. is a full-service integrated marketing and communications company. Part of the Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE: IPG), Deutsch works with blue-chip clients including Johnson & Johnson, Chevrolet Motorsports and Major League Baseball, IKEA, Expedia, Novartis, T.G.I. Friday’s, Old Navy and Starwood Hotels & Resorts. Deutsch offers clients an array of services including advertising, direct marketing (directDeutsch), Interactive (iDeutsch), media buying and planning (deutschMedia), design (designDeutsch), public relations, promotions, and events (Deutsch PR and Promotions) and branded entertainment offering Media Bridge Entertainment (MBE).

Article Publish Date : 03/14/2006