Aleve

We know there will be plenty of laughs and a soupcon or two of true emotion in the long lineup of Super Bowl ads on Feb. 5, but it also looks as if there will be a bit of mystery -- always an interesting ingredient. In this instance, that ingredient has been provided by Energy-BBDO/Chicago, which has produced a 30-second commercial for health care giant Bayer's Aleve pain reliever.

The new spot will mark the first time Aleve has joined in the Super Bowl of Advertising.

It's always nice to have new entrants in the ad lineup. But, boy, did we start scratching our head when we discovered that EnergyBBDO had tapped Leonard Nimoy as the star of Aleve's debut Super Bowl commercial, part of an integrated "good news" campaign newly launched to promote the brand. The campaign's overarching theme is that Aleve can positively influence people's lives by helping them cope with arthritis pain.

Millions of people no doubt remember Nimoy as Mr. Spock in the "Star Trek" adventures. It's been quite a while since Nimoy was front and center in that role, but maybe EnergyBBDO believes the world was ready to hear from the actor again, albeit in a vastly different showcase. In some B-roll behind-the-scenes footage provided to us (we were not allowed to see the entire spot), Nimoy said he was eager to do the commercial because he uses Aleve, and apparently likes it.

The question remains. Does Nimoy retain enough of his galvanizing presence as a performer to make this Aleve spot pop in a crowded lineup of big-budget Super Bowl commercials? The snippet we did see suggests the story line has to do with Nimoy being unable to go on with some sort of stage appearance because "it hurts." What hurts and what sort of appearance he's being asked to make remain to be discovered.

Still, we're sure the many fans who admired Nimoy from his "Star Trek" work will be cheering him to go on and be victorious in this Super Bowl of Advertising.

$5 BIL. ON LINE IN ESCALADE'S SHINING MOMENT

Thanks in part to some sharp advertising, Cadillac has been one of the few bright spots in the General Motors portfolio recently. Cadillac has had a presence in the Super Bowl of Ads for the past couple of years with commercials tied to a "Breakthrough" tagline, but that is not expected to be used this year.

Cadillac is going in a different direction for its 2006 Super Bowl commercial from Leo Burnett/Detroit. It's a fashion runway concept to showcase the totally revamped 2007 Escalade sport- utility vehicle. We question the wisdom of spending some $5 million on a Super Bowl spot to promote an SUV, if only because that style of vehicle seems to have suddenly lost much of its allure for consumers as gasoline prices have skyrocketed. We hope Cadillac brass know what they're doing.

In the 60-second "Chrome Couture" spot, the Escalade has been inserted into a glamorous fashion show where we see a number of models attired in makeup, jewelry and fashions with what the agency terms "hints of chrome" as a prelude to the moment when the Escalade -- with its own splashy chrome accents -- makes its appearance on the runway.

It will be interesting to see how this concept plays out with the Super Bowl's male viewership.

AD NOTES

- Elysia Borowy-Reeder joins the Milwaukee Art Museum as director of marketing and communications on Feb. 7. She most recently was associate director of marketing at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago.

- The entire staff of Hadrian's Wall/Chicago is celebrating its fifth anniversary with a five-day trip to Rome to visit various sites associated with the Emperor Hadrian, including his temple, tomb and palace. HW Managing Partner Steve Carli said the agency's goal "is to create a culture that makes our employees' friends jealous." Fans of the agency can follow the group's Rome adventure, which began Wednesday, via postings on the agency Web site, www.hwadvertising.com.

- Abelson-Taylor/Chicago has been named direct-to-consumer agency of record for two Amgen brands, Aranesp and Neulasta. Both products are used in the treatment of chemotherapy-induced conditions.

- On March 1, Miller Brewing introduces a 12-bottle fridge pack for its Miller Lite and Miller Genuine Draft brands.

- David Curran, vice president of sales for the Midwest for the Captivate Network is assuming the added responsibilities of overseeing the Southeast region sales efforts. Curran joined Captivate in January 2005 as director of sales.

- Andrea Christman has joined Tom Dick & Harry/Chicago as an assistant account executive. She previously was with Colliers Turley Martin Tucker/Indianapolis.

- The Chicago Association of Direct Marketing and its production, creative exchange and database marketing special interest groups are co-sponsoring a second Wednesday luncheon on Feb. 15, called "List + Offer = Client: If It Were Only So Easy." Panelists include Peter Schmitz, a consultant with Amberleaf; Ken Rochon, creative director, CFM Direct, and Kathy Wilson, director-server product marketing, EFI. The luncheon will be held at the 410 Club, 410 N. Michigan.

e-mail: llazare@suntimes.com

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