Ameriquest Mortgage Scores with Super Bowl Ads; Company Garners High Marks for Branding, Humor, Message

Business Wire, Feb 10, 2005

ORANGE, Calif. -- Ameriquest Mortgage Company received high marks for its two Super Bowl ads and for its sponsorship of the halftime show at last Sunday's Super Bowl XXXIX football championship.

In 2004, Ameriquest signed on as the Official Mortgage Company Sponsor of the NFL and a presenting sponsor of NFL programs such as the Ameriquest Super Bowl Halftime Show, Pro Bowl Balloting and NFL Opening Kickoff show. The sponsorship included the two Super Bowl ads, marking the first time Ameriquest advertised during the most-watched sports event in the country. More than 133 million people watched the Feb. 6 Super Bowl, the fifth-best figure in TV history, according to a report from Sports Business Daily.

Just as other top-notch companies have gained name recognition based on their Super Bowl ads, Ameriquest's ads ranked among the top three of last Sunday's broadcast. The commercials, created by ad agency DDB Direct LA, were named among this year's best in polls conducted by USA Today, ESPN, FOXSports.com, America Online and Cincinnati-based Intelliseek (which surveyed blog responses) among others. ESPN ranked the "mini-mart" commercial at #1, while USA Today noted, "Ameriquest, whose ad about a store customer's cell phone chat being misunderstood as a robbery, ranked No. 2." USA Today's online poll ranked "surprise dinner" at #1.

Attendees of Ad Bash I in Boston, hosted by a Massachusetts public relations firm, chose Ameriquest commercials as the "best overall brand." Intelliseek's bloggers chose the ads for "creating the most buzz." Variety gave the spots "creative kudos."

The New York Times noted the spots "cleverly used everyday events to demonstrate the consequences of jumping to conclusions, intended to underline the campaign's theme: Don't judge too quickly. We won't."

One of the commercials featured an ill-fated visit to the store by a cell-phone user whose conversation leads the proprietor to think he's being robbed. The other featured a white cat that changes the surprise factor of a romantic dinner when it tips a pot of pasta sauce.

MSNBC, which led its post-game report with the romantic dinner spot, called it "edgy and humorous" and said viewers were likely to remember the company's name because of the commercial. And CNN Money suggested Ameriquest could see "big payoffs" from the ads as a "company without wide name recognition that becomes a favorite" after advertising during the Super Bowl.

Fox Television affiliates widely rebroadcast clips from the commercials on post-Super Bowl news reports. In addition, the Early Show on CBS praised Ameriquest's efforts in elevating the tone of the half-time show, which featured legendary ex-Beatle Paul McCartney, while CNN Headline News praised Ameriquest for "having the guts to sponsor the halftime show" after controversy marred MTV's 2004 presentation. McCartney's stellar performance proved to be a big hit. The Boston Globe noted, "He was a master at work ... it was an exhilarating performance by any standard," while The Boston Herald proclaimed, "... every once in a while it's just nice to be reminded of one of the best bands in rock and roll history."

The early response to the commercials and the company's presentation of the half-time show reinforce Ameriquest's decision last year to launch a sports marketing initiative in an effort to build brand awareness with homeowners and demonstrate its leadership position as a premier mortgage lender.

"We are extremely pleased at the overall response to the family-oriented halftime show and to our commercials," said Adam Bass, senior vice president, Ameriquest Mortgage Company. "Sports and homeownership are both an important part of American life and Ameriquest -- as one of the country's leading mortgage companies -- brings together these two pillars of American values. We want to be the mortgage lender of choice for Americans from all walks of life."

About Ameriquest Mortgage Company

Ameriquest Mortgage Company, headquartered in Orange, Calif., is a national mortgage lender committed to helping people achieve their homeownership dreams and financial freedom. To fulfill that mission, Ameriquest originates and services home mortgage loans through more than 280 branch offices across the United States. Ameriquest and its affiliates employ more than 14,000 associates nationwide. For more information about Ameriquest Mortgage Company, visit www.ameriquest.com.