07/22/06: ML ROGERS ART DIRECTOR CONNECTS BLOG HITS TO WARM BODIES.: New York City — Bryan Murphy sees his day job, art director at ML Rogers, New York, as all about thinking up virtual world ideas that move real world people. On his own blog, he decided to see just how far he could push it.

The "Find Bryan Murphy Project" was born, and announced on his personal site. The idea was to spend a day uploading instant camera-phone images of wherever in Manhattan he was, and challenge his blog readers to find him. The real world involvement grew bigger than expected.

Yahoo! got interested early on, and took part by contributing "I Found Bryan Murphy" tee shirts, plus a Dell laptop and an MP3 player for Bryan to offer as swag. Web hits started climbing. Murphy estimates typical readership on his "very ordinary" blog hovers in the hundreds. In the week prior to "Find Bryan Murphy Day," Saturday 7/22, while the blog posted clues, hits shot into the thousands. On the night before, ABC News called, wanting to follow him around.

At 8AM Saturday, Murphy slipped out from a Starbucks (one blog reader was already scouting his home) and began his wanderings, posting new photo clues about every 10 minutes. By 9:30, he'd been found, outside the Metropolitan Museum of Art. And by 5:00 he'd been found over 30 times, each spotter receiving a tee shirt and an official Bryan Murphy hug.

Blog hits, meanwhile had shot up to the ten-thousands, and even further after ABC and NBC aired news items. "It all began as such a simple little thing," Murphy says. "At work every day, it's my job to come up with ideas that create buzz and get people excited. It was fun to do that for myself."

ML Rogers president Mike Rogers says, "It's gratifying to see what Bryan made happen. I'm wondering if there's a blog site for bird seed." (Scotts Miracle-Gro line of Morning Song bird seed is an ML Rogers client.)

For more information on the "Find Bryan Murphy Project" visit:

The "Find Bryan Murphy Project" on Bryan Murphy's blog:ilovebryanmurphy.com

The ABC WorldNews coverage of Bryan's project.

NBC News and Time Out New York television coverage of Bryan's project.


ML Rogers is a New York based advertising and marketing agency with clients including Scotts Miracle-Gro, CIT Group, Centerra Wine (formerly Canandaigua), Blistex, Aamco, Chipita (foods), and Wall Street Access.

07/11/06: ADWEEK - ML ROGERS EXPANDS WITH SCOTTS: NEW YORK - ML Rogers said it has been hired to provide advertising for Morning Song, a unit of agency client Scotts Miracle-Gro.

Scotts acquired Morning Song, a manufacturer of wild birdseed, last November.

The account was awarded based on ML Rogers' existing relationship with Scotts; there was no incumbent and no review. The agency's first work for the client will include television, radio, print and nontraditional efforts. The launch date has not been finalized.

"ML Rogers has an excellent track record of creating advertising that leverages growth for us. Their work was key in helping us to transform potting mixes and garden soils into a $1.5 billion retail category," said Bob Bernstock, Scotts president and COO, in a statement.

Morning Song billings were not disclosed; the company registered no measured media expenditure last year, per Nielsen Monitor-Plus. Scotts spent close to $80 million last year on ads. The client is based in Naperville, Ohio.

ML Rogers is an independent New York advertising and marketing agency. Its other clients include Aamco, Blistex, Centerra Wine, Chipita Foods and Wall Street Access.

05/10/06: ADWEEK - THE GAME: MING IS MORE THAN JUST 'STUFF': YAO MING is 7-foot-6, which makes the star of the NBA's Houston Rockets a BMOC: Big man on court and in commercials in this country and in his native China. But Ming is not just about selling "stuff."

Ming has parlayed his athletic skills, amiable personality and good timing into about $15 million in yearly endorsements. He is the highest-profile athlete from China to become a pro star in the U.S., and his impact in the NBA has been a catalyst in helping U.S.-based marketers either gain entry or expand their presence in China in anticipation of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. Among his portfolio, Ming reps such companies as Reebok, McDonald's, Visa and Garmin International.

Now, Ming will be the face of international wildlife conservation organization Active Conservation Awareness Program WildAid, beginning with a 30-second TV spot, its first work from new lead agency ML Rogers, New York. The spot breaks this week on Fox and CBS and also on CCTV-1 in China. ACAP WildAid, which has its U.S. headquarters in San Francisco, will follow with other TV spots, print and outdoor, in which Ming will play an ongoing role; and is "developing content" with National Geographic Channel and other networks. Terms of the deal with Ming were not disclosed. His agent is Bill Duffy, president at BDA Sports Management, Walnut Creek, Calif.

In the spot, Ming literally uses his shot-blocking ability to save an elephant. We first see the elephant, then a gun being locked and loaded. Ming is shooting hoops, but turns into a superhero when he races off the court, flies through the air and knocks down the bullet before it reaches its intended target. Voiceover: "You don't have to play ball to be a great shotblocker." Ming adds, "When the buying stops, the killing can, too." The spot was filmed in both English and Chinese.

The effort ties in with ACAP WildAid opening an office last month in Beijing. WildAid said that previous campaigns have received up to $10 million in donated airtime. Regarding Ming as a spokesperson, NBA commissioner David Stern has said on numerous occasions, "Nobody was more of a global icon than Michael Jordan. But Yao . . . is a symbol of [China's] renaissance and their determination to compete on a world stage." VIEW MORE

04/20/06: ADWEEK - ML ROGERS ENGAGES ECD: NEW YORK Eric Steinhauser has joined ML Rogers as executive creative director, replacing Mike Rogers, the agency's president, in the role, the shop said. Rogers remains president of the independent New York shop that he launched in 2004 after Wolf Group closed its doors. (Rogers had been ecd of Wolf's New York office.)

"ML Rogers is a young agency with tremendous opportunity," said Steinhauser, 48. "Clients are looking for agencies where they can count on the people they meet being the ones working on their business. I'm excited about taking that hands-on role."Rogers said he conducted a two-year search and interviewed dozens of candidates before selecting Steinhauser. "It is rare to find someone of Eric's award-winning talent who has the skills and credentials in both packaged-goods and financial services," Rogers said. Before joining ML Rogers, Steinhauser was executive creative director for two years at JWT in New York, where he guided efforts for Merrill Lynch, Novell, Domino's, Lipton and Kraft. He also has worked as a creative director at Young & Rubicam in New York on the shop's AT&T business. ML Rogers' clients include Scotts Miracle-Gro, Centerra Wine, Blistex and Aamco. Steinhauser is the son of Bert Steinhauser, a legendary art director at Doyle Dane Bernbach from 1955-80. Bert Steinhauser created iconic campaigns for Heinz ketchup, Chivas Regal Scotch whiskey and Clairol hair dye. He was inducted into the Art Directors Hall of Fame in 1988. He died in January 2002.

12/21/05: ADWEEK - ML ROGERS PLANTS SMITH & HAWKEN ON PBS: NEW YORK Smith & Hawken will bow its first television ad this spring when it co-sponsors Cultivating Life on PBS with Target.

The Spot, by New York independent ML Rogers, will promote the brand's introduction into Target stores nationwide among higher income TV viewers, the agency said.

The shop landed the S&H project four months ago and completed production of the 15-second spot this month, said Peter Compatello, account director at ML Rogers.

S&H is a division of ML Rogers' seminal client, Scotts Co., for which the shop handles lawn-care brands Miracle Gro, Ortho, Roundup and Turf Builder.

In the spot, a family enjoys conversation and evening dining with friends in its well-appointed backyard as the camera luxuriates over the outdoor teak furniture, wrong iron accessories and strung lighting.

The spot is tagged, "The art of outdoor living," a line that may change in print and point-of-sale materials, said Compatello.

The upscale garden and outdoor furnishings brand is now available in 57 S&H stores nationwide. As of March, the products will be sold through Target, which operates more than 1,300 stores in 47 states.

04/05/05: ADWEEK - ML ROGERS' SMILES ACROSS EURO BORDERS: NEW YORK ML Rogers this week broke its first European work for Chipita that focuses on the Greek bakery's 7 Day packaged croissants.

Three television spots for the 7 Days "mother brand" feature the Louis Prima recording of the standard, "When You're Smiling," and show the baked goods bringing people together.

In one spot, a young man and an old man arrive at a kiosk at the same time and each buys a 7 Days croissant. They exchange a knowing glance and a smile and after the young man leaves, he returns on his scooter to give the older man a lift. Another as shows a young mother sharing mini-croissants with her baby. A third brand spot is a montage of Europeans smiling and various 7 Days products.

The ads, which will air in Greece, Cyprus, Russia, Bulgaria and Albania, among other countries, feature almost no language, but are tagged "Baked to make you smile."

Campaign spending is undisclosed. The New York independent agency won the $15-20 mllion account in January, after topping Publicis Groupe's Publicis and independent Taxi, both in New York, and the incumbent, WPP Group's JWT in Athens, Greece, in a review, according to sources.

01/21/05: ADWEEK - ML ROGERS WINS $15-20 MIL. CHIPITA ACCOUNT: NEW YORK ML Rogers has landed pan-European creative duties on Chipita International's estimated $15-20 million account after a review, sources said.

The other finalists were Publicis and independent Taxi, both in New York, and the incumbent, WPP-Group's JWT in Athens, Greece, according to sources.

ML Rogers, a New York-based independent that also works for Aamco, CIT Financial and The Scotts Co., is led by Mike Rogers, former executive creative director at The World Group in New York.

Chipita, which markets a line of pastries and other snack foods, had wanted to hire a U.S. agency because executives believe the best packaged-goods advertising is created in America [Adweek, Oct. 25].

The client, located in Metamorfossi, Greece, is expected to set up a local network to distribute Rogers' ads, sources aid.

The review was managed by New York consultancy Roth Associates, which did not return calls. ML Rogers could not immediately be reached for comment.

05/03/04: ADWEEK - ARBOR MIST REMIXES WINE AND ROMANCE: NEW YORK Despite the fact that Wolf Croup went out of business, the spirit of the New York shop lives on in new $11 million campaign from former client Arbor Mist, which taps a creative concept developed at the defunct agency.

Steering the creative is former Wolf Group creative director Mike Rogers, who started ML Rogers, New York, when Wolf shuttered on Jan. 31.

The thriving Arbor Mist has used an established ad formula where eager men compete for women's attention as well as some of their Arbor Mist. But last year, the brand tried a different approach. One ad showed a man mixing a drink with Arbor's Wine Blender as Richard Strauss' "Also Sprach Zarathustra," the theme from 2001: A Space Odyssey, played.

The push was successful. The Wine Blenders line sold an impressive 600,000 cases out of the gate, per Impact Databank. But this year a new 30-second spot returns to the original concept to introduce two new flavors: Island Fruits Pinot Grigio and Arbor Mist Wine Blenders Sangria.

The spot, called "Hoops," shows guys approaching women at a backyard barbecue. They ask what it's going to take to get an Arbor Mist and literally end up jumping through hoops. "It introduces both of the new products in a humorous, Arbor Mist kind of way," said Josie Pagani, marketing director for Arbor Mist parent company Canadaigua Wine.

The ads, which target women 25-49, will appear nationally on cable and network TV for a nine week summer run, including a prime-time buy.

: ADWEEK - SCOTTS GOES GREEN IN BLUE STATES: NEW YORK - In the past decade, there has been a flood of organic products ranging from milks to soups to cleaning products. Now, Scotts thinks the time is right for a mass-market organic fertilizer supported by a television advertising from ML Rogers. The new line, called Organic Choice, includes not just fertilizer, but potting soil and garden fill. Scotts will back the launch with a $5-6 million campaign breaking this week in organic-friendly areas of the country that correlate closely to the "blue states" in the 2004 electoral map.

A TV spot shows a pregnant woman in her garden. "Other women do ice cream and pickles," says the thirtysomething blonde. "I like a big, ripe tomato." The ad goes on to claim that the tomatoes grew twice as big as ones grown in "ordinary topsoil." The woman concludes: "All natural and twice as big. Kind of like me." The campaign will rely totally on TV, which the company believes is still the most effective medium to promote its products. Organic Choice uses three key ingredients—sphagnum peat moss, bark binds and a natural source of manure—to get results similar to inorganic products, said Bob Bernstock, Scotts' president, North America. The formulation took a long time to achieve, he said. "We have a philosophy that we won't launch a natural or organic product unless we can offer it at a parity price and the efficacy will be equally good to other products, and there's a good return for our retailers," Bernstock said. Bernstock said the foray into organic products was driven by the market and by "a corporate commitment to make Scotts greener."In keeping with the company's usual media plan, Scotts will blitz the airwaves from now until mid-June.