Itll be Big Walter E. Smithe Launches Smithe and the City Campaign Theme Inspired by LongAnticipated Movie Opening May 30

Chicago area television viewers will soon glimpse a trio of decked-out "fashionistas" strolling the Magnificent Mile and sipping fancy drinks, while a catchy piano/xylophone mix plays in the background. They'll walk. They'll talk. They'll laugh. They'll hail a cab. They'll see their logo on the side of a passing Chicago Transit Authority bus. Sound familiar

But it's not the girls from "Sex and the City" that viewers will see. It's the boys from Walter E. Smithe (www.smithe.com), the Itasca-based furniture retailer with 13 showrooms throughout Chicagoland and northwest Indiana.

Walter, Tim and Mark Smithe, the ubiquitous Smithe ("with an e") brothers, are rolling out all-new "Smithe and the City" commercials on local television stations beginning May 15. Timed to precede the May 30 release of the long-anticipated "Sex and the City" movie, the parody-themed spots are the latest in the company's long line of memorable advertising campaigns borrowing from such wide-ranging inspirations as the rock band U2, last year's cicada invasion, and homemaking guru Martha Stewart.

"'Smithe and the City' was a fun commercial to shoot," says Tim Smithe, aka the middle brother, overseer of the company's sales and marketing, and frequent creator of its advertising concepts. "Like the HBO series, we'll feature plenty of beauty shots - both of Chicago landmarks and of the Smithes in colorful designer garb.

"It's all about Chicago, though, and showcases some of our favorite old and new landmarks in the city where we were born, and where our company was founded."

True to its movie inspiration, the Smithe campaign will have fashion, including designer duds on all three brothers. It will have cocktails: Smithemopolitans, a cosmopolitan-like concoction with a secret ingredient known only to the Smithes. It will have music, including a jazz-themed remix of the company's familiar "you dream it, we build it" jingle.

And of course, it will have furniture, with gift certificates and rebate giveaways at all showrooms May 15 through June 11. "Furniture is fashion for the home," says youngest brother Mark Smithe, who invites consumers to check out the new "sexy, swanky" Thomas O'Brien Collection now available at all Walter E. Smithe locations.

The company is continuing the "Sex and the City" theme with a series of special events, including a May 30 cocktail hour at Rockit Bar & Grill (www.rockitbarandgrill.com), 22 W. Hubbard, Chicago, where the brothers will bartend from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. The first 100 people in attendance will receive a free Smithemopolitan.

And, by visiting www.smithe.com between May 15 and May 30, consumers can register to participate in private in-store "Smithe and the City" parties where they can sample Smithemopolitans, receive "Sex and the City" movie tickets, and meet the Smithe brothers.

"Like the movie, the campaign will be Big," promises Smithe "big brother" Walter.

About Walter E. Smithe

Walter E. Smithe is a four-generation, family owned and operated furniture retailer that originated in 1945 on Chicago's northwest side. Today, from its Itasca, Ill., headquarters, it operates 13 showrooms throughout Chicagoland and northwest Indiana. The company's "you dream it, we build it" approach allows consumers to customize their furniture purchases with thousands of different upholstery fabrics and leathers, and a variety of special treatments. Design services from more than 300 company designers are included with every purchase.

Contact: Cindy Martin

CLM Communications

847-864-9540

cindy(at)clmcomm.com

Itll be Big Walter E. Smithe Launches Smithe and the City Campaign Theme Inspired by LongAnticipated Movie Opening May 30

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Itll be Big Walter E. Smithe Launches Smithe and the City Campaign Theme Inspired by LongAnticipated Movie Opening May 30

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