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Fort Worth Star-Telegram (Fort Worth, Texas)

Mar. 16--FORT WORTH -- With its successful Kirstie Alley commercials long gone and its disappointing Thom Filicia campaign over with, Pier 1 Imports is letting its products do the pitching in new broadcast and print advertisements intended to emphasize the company's merchandise.

The TV portion of the campaign begins Monday, with a series of 15-second spots advertising sale events at Pier 1. A pair of 30-second ads is set to make its debut Tuesday night in North Texas, during American Idol. The longer spots incorporate animation, beginning with abstract images based on the colors and patterns of a Pier 1 product. Created by artists from Stockholm, Sweden, and London, the animated segments evolve to reveal the items that inspired them: an Indian rug in one, a Tibetan-themed nightstand in the other.

The company's new tag line, "Life More Interesting," will also be used in radio, newspaper and magazine ads designed to help separate Pier 1 from its rivals. The differentiation efforts extend to Pier 1's stores, which promise to stock fresh merchandise more often, and to the chain's buyers, who are searching for items that customers would have a hard time finding at Target, Pottery Barn, Crate and Barrel or Linens 'n Things.

Competition has contributed to a year and a half of weak sales at Pier 1. The trouble worsened as the company, which changed ad agencies in late 2004, stayed off television while it reworked its approach.

"We have more media weight behind this new campaign than anything we've ever done," said Phil Schneider, Pier 1's executive vice president of marketing. "We have really high expectations and really believe it is going to help the turnaround of our business."

The TV spots will air during 11 of the top 15 prime-time network shows and on 10 of the top 15 cable networks, Schneider said. The campaign was created by Deutsch Inc. in New York. OMD, a division of the Omnicom Group, is handling scheduling and placement of the ads.

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