Philips' Digital Products Get Tailored Ad Service From Conde Nast Books

Brandweek, Nov 2, 1998 by Tobi Elkin

Philips Electronics is joining with select Conde Nast magazine titles for the first time on specially tailored advertising that leverages its global brand theme, "Let's Make Things Better," via a sweepstakes that touts Philips' latest digital electronics for respective readers.

The section's theme, "He Makes Things Better," created by Conde Nast's in-house ad group, profiles three men from the worlds of interior design, fitness and TV their contributions to their particular professions and unique perspectives. The four-page sections are pegged to themed contests, managed by Conde Nast, running through Dec. 31.

Ads featuring Vicente Wolf, the interior designer and photographer, break in December issues of Architectural Digest, Ban Appetit, The New Yorker and Conde Nast Traveler. Wolf is pictured in a stylish, minimalist apartment leaning against a radiator with a Philips 42-inch flat TV in the background. Copy reads: "It takes a certain kind of genius to transform an empty space into a personal statement. Vicente Wolf--interior designer, photographer, model, author and all-around globetrotter--does just that with a little help from Philips." The Wolf ad is pegged to a "Design Your Own Interior" sweeps, inviting readers to choose a Philips product from among those pictured in the ad (the flat TV, 32-inch SVGA TV, Web TV Plus, Fellini LCD Projector) that would "make things better" in their lives.

An ad featuring Michael Gostigian, Olympic pentathlete and personal trainer, breaks in December issues of Vanity Fair, Details, GQ and Sell showing Gostigian at the gym, sitting next to a stack of CDs and a Philips dual deck CD recorder. The ad also features his tips on swimming, fencing and music. A "Move to the Music" contest is tied to Gostigian's ad, offering readers a shot at winning a dual deck CD recorder, an audio shelf system, personal CD and radio cassette players.

Christopher Lloyd, executive producer of NBC's Frasier, will be featured in Conde Nast titles in early 1999.