BY URSULA MILLER
The Cincinnati Enquirer
ABC Television has tapped Sound Images in Cincinnati to produce a series of music promos for top-rated shows Dharma and Greg, Drew Carey, Spin City, The Practice and a pilot airing this summer: Two of a Kind.
The project is Sound Image's first with a major TV network.
"To be able to do this for a bona fide top-three network is unusual, to say the least," said Jack Streitmarter, who founded Sound Images in 1975.
Unusual for a Midwest audio production company, that is.
The ABC project is broadening Sound Image's repertoire. The company has made its name in commercial or advertising music and as a recording studio for local and regional bands.
TV music is a "very different niche," Mr. Streitmarter added. Sound Images has completed six promos and is working on two more this week, all 20 to 30 seconds in length.
Using well-known tunes from past decades as a foundation, Sound Images has adapted parody lyrics to highlight ABC's hit series and its favorite personalities. Hey Hey Paula was transformed into Hey Hey Dharma for the Dharma and Greg show. For the Drew Carey show, Betty Boop's ditty, I Wanna Be Loved by You became I Wanna Be Loved by Lewis. The I Dream of Jeannie melody became Spin City is Moving to Tuesdays and The Practice's legal maneuvers and sexy lead characters were edited to Sound Images' version of Can't Get Enough of You, Baby.
Mr. Streitmarter said the producers for the shows in Los Angeles were initially surprised that Sound Images could find enough talent in Cincinnati to get the job done.
Northlich does PR for Homemade brand
Northlich Stolley LaWarre wants to help cool your summer blues. The Cincinnati-based public relations firm has launched a summer campaign for Homemade Brand Premium Ice Cream, a Midwest brand of the summertime treat produced by United Dairy Farmers.
The campaign illustrates how closely each flavor comes to its namesake, which, according to Northlich, is what sets the Homemade brand apart from the competition. For example, Homemade's natural strawberry flavor is made to taste like fresh strawberries, not strawberry-flavored ice cream.
The "What It's Like" ads are running outdoors, in city magazines and in regional editions of TV Guide and People throughout 10 Midwest markets this summer.
The ads are part of a larger integrated summer campaign being managed by Northlich, which also coordinated media buys and Homemade's first comprehensive public relations program. The ads coincide with Homemade's new packaging design.
Hogan, Nolan teams with Romi Machine Tools
Hogan, Nolan & Sites advertising and public relations has forged its newest client relationship with Romi Machine Tools Ltd., the U.S. marketing arm of Industrias Romi S.A., a Brazilian manufacturer of machine tools, plastic injection molding machines, high-precision adjustable boring systems, rough and machined castings.
Hogan, Nolan will support Romi's national marketing effort for its machine-tool line as it opens its U.S. headquarters in Erlanger. In addition to public relations services, Hogan, Nolan will produce Romi's advertising, sales collateral materials, direct mail and Web site.
Marketing alliance names executive director
Barbara M. Conry has been named the first executive director of "B-to-B World Class," an international business-to-business marketing agency alliance formed in May.
Richard A. Segal Jr., managing director of Cincinnati-based Hensley Segal Rentschler, made the announcement of Ms. Conry's appointment earlier this week.
Hensley Segal is the flagship agency in the alliance and its North American representative. The alliance, which counts firms in Germany, Hong Kong and Brazil as members, was created to better serve the needs of member agency clients to advance the business-to-business marketing specialty throughout the world.
Hensley Segal was named Advertising Age's Business Marketing "Agency of the Year" in 1997 and 1994. The firm's clients include General Electric, Hobart Corp., Johnson & Johnson, Makino and AK Steel.
