Terminix Stops Pests Before They Become a Monster Problem

DALLAS and MEMPHIS, Tenn., March 9, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Terminix, the nation's largest pest-control provider, announced the launch of their 2011 "Seeing Is Believing" integrated ad campaign. Taking dramatic center stage is a 30-second TV commercial entitled 'Flying Monster' created by Publicis Dallas. The TV spot brings to cinematic life the havoc pests can wreak on homeowners, comparing pests to monsters. The Publicis creative team went through an extensive character development process and enlisted the talent of award-winning visual effects house Dvein, in Barcelona, Spain, to create monsters that are truly original. The integrated campaign also includes digital, DM and radio.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110309/DA62535)

Brad Cumings, Chief Marketing Officer, Terminix, stated, "We want to assist homeowners in proactively protecting themselves from the financial and health issues associated with pest problems. A monster attack is a very clever visual metaphor to communicate that message."

Shon Rathbone, EVP, Executive Creative Director, Publicis Dallas, stated, "We thought it was important to create monsters that were unusual and unsettling. Something from the dark corners of the imagination."

Terminix gives consumers the power to protect their home and family so they don't have to deal with a pest or termite invasion that can lead to health risks or costly damage. This campaign emphasizes the real destruction termites can cause and the harmful diseases that pests can carry. Termites are attacking 1 in 30 homes in the U.S., causing homeowners an average of $8,600 in damage, and cockroaches are known carriers of 33 infectious diseases including staph, strep and E. coli.

'Flying Monster' Commercial Description: Hideous, flying monsters are used as a powerful metaphor for flying termites. The monsters fly in over a serene neighborhood like a squadron of fighter planes. They dive down, and crash and chomp their way through the houses, leveling them to the ground. Over the action the announcer delivers the message, "If there were something that devoured 1 in 30 homes, causing up to $8,600 in damage you'd expect it to look like this." As the monsters plow into the last house we see tiny termite swarmers emerge from the other side. The announcer closes the thought, "Not this." The idea is simple. You'd think something that destroyed your home or made you sick would be this huge terrifying creature, but in reality it is a tiny cockroach or termite.

About Terminix

Terminix, a division of the ServiceMaster Company, is the nation's largest pest control provider. Headquartered in Memphis, Tenn., Terminix services more than 3 million customers in 46 states and 14 countries. Terminix provides pest control services and protection against termites, rodents and other pests threatening human health and/or safety. To learn more about Terminix, visit their Web site at www.Terminix.com

About ServiceMaster

With a network of more than 5,100 company-owned and franchise locations, Memphis-based ServiceMaster is one of the world's largest residential and commercial service networks.  The company's high profile brands are TruGreen, TruGreen LandCare, Terminix, American Home Shield, ServiceMaster Clean, Merry Maids, Furniture Medic and AmeriSpec. Through approximately 27,000 corporate employees and a franchise network that independently employs over 31,000 additional people, the ServiceMaster family of brands serves more than 8.5 million customers every year and hold market-leading positions in residential and commercial lawn care and landscape maintenance, termite and pest control, home service contracts, furniture repair, home inspections, residential and commercial cleaning and disaster restoration. More information about ServiceMaster can be found at www.servicemaster.com, or follow us at http://twitter.com/ServiceMaster.

About Publicis Dallas

Publicis Dallas, an integrated marketing communications agency, is a part of Publicis Worldwide in the USA, the North American regional operating unit of Paris-based Publicis Worldwide, the largest global agency network within holding company, Publicis Groupe S.A. Publicis Worldwide creates contagious ideas that change the conversation to the advantage of client businesses and brands. Publicis Dallas clients include Nestle, GSK and ServiceMaster brands TruGreen and Terminix.

SOURCE Publicis Dallas