Authors Featured in New Barnesandnoble.com TV Ads

Barnesandnoble.com launched a new TV advertising campaign with a series of 30-second television commercials starring authors Scott Adams, Tom Clancy, Stephen King and Frank McCourt.

The ads for the “virtual bookstore” campaign are characterized by an all white space, an ether world where millions of books are easily accessed. Customers are guided by an employee through a book lover’s paradise where they can pull the exact titles they are looking for. The author’s presence represents a crossover between reader and writer. As the customer makes their choice, they are virtually transported into the author’s world to interact with them one- on-one. Spending was not disclosed.

“Our ‘virtual bookstore’ campaign is intended to introduce people to the wonders of shopping online, in particular, to our vast selection of titles, which is larger than any other online bookseller,” said Steve Riggio, vice chairman of Barnes & Noble Inc. “We were the first bookseller to advertise on television in 1975 and believe this campaign will be as well received as that one was, and equally memorable.”

“Our challenge was to dramatically communicate barnesandnoble.com’s depth of selection in a way that captures the imagination of book lovers,” said John Rindlaub, vice president, marketing for barnesandnoble.com. “The use of authors also allows us to demonstrate a more personal online experience for our customers.”

The campaign, created by TWBA/Chiat/Day, will air nationally on cable and spot television and is currently being supported by a national print, radio and in New York, an outdoor campaign.

Barnesandnoble.com said it offers 4.6 million titles, including an online database of over three million out-of-print, rare and hard-to-find books.