Aether Systems Launches $15 Million Advertising Campaign

As part of its new branding strategy, Aether Systems Inc. (Owings Mills, MD), has launched a $15 million national advertising and branding campaign. The campaign, "Wireless Solutions for a Portable Planet," marks the first sustained nationwide advertising effort for the company. Print ads recently began running in national business and news magazines, and a 30-second television commercial will debut on broadcast and cable television this week. Baltimore, MD-based Gilden Advertising developed the campaign.

The new TV spot, which provides a fast-paced and witty look at the power of wireless information, will debut on network television on tonight on ABC-TV's prime time programs, "Spin City" and "20/20 Wednesday." The following night, the campaign will also air on NBC's "Must See TV," with spots appearing on "Friends," "Frasier," and "ER." In addition to NBC and ABC prime time, spots will air on CBS and ABC late night and on cable networks such as MSNBC, CNN, and CNBC. Print ads are already running in the Wall St. Journal, Time, Newsweek, and Forbes.

Three print ads, "Hands," graphically illustrate the individual's relationship to the wireless world. The television campaign, "Office to Go," offers a lively and entertaining look at how wireless access to critical information can provide a competitive advantage and empower today's mobile professional. The ad features a group of young executives on the go who use wireless data devices to win a new business deal over a stodgier, boardroom-based company relying on traditional business communication tools.

To create the campaign, Aether and Gilden conducted extensive research, including focus groups. Research revealed that people would respond to Aether's services if they understood that their lives would be simplified and empowered if they could get vital information anytime, anywhere. The result is the "Wireless Solutions for a Portable Planet" campaign, dynamically illustrating the power of wireless and mobile computing.

Edited by Ellen Jensen