SANTA MONICA, CA – (February 17, 2010) –National advertising, branding and design agency Signal Theory created a broadcast, online and print ad campaign for the launch of the newest wildly popular Pokémon Trading Card Game (TCG) series: HeartGold & SoulSilver, which highlights two main characters -
Ho-Oh and Lugia.  

"For our inspiration, we looked at the Japanese movie 13 trailer featuring Ho-Oh and Lugia, and reinterpreted it to work for the TCG,” says Steve Hodowsky, Signal Theory’s creative director.  “That means a kid-friendly and -appealing piece that showcases the product’s detail and beauty.”

The :15 ad features both Pokémon characters and
3D trading cards flying through the air, as key game components are highlighted via a voiceover (to see the ad, please click here: http://signaltheory.com/PR/).  The music was supervised and sound design developed by Lem Jay; animation was created by ColourMovie.

"Building on Signal Theory's history of developing award-winning television spots for Pokémon, we wanted to do something special for the TCG’s first release of HeartGold and SoulSilver,” Hodowsky continues.  “We worked closely with our team of animators at ColourMovie to ensure that we came up with an ad that truly highlights the best of what the TCG represents."

The national campaign began airing February 13, and will run for more than three weeks on such broadcast and cable networks as: Cartoon Network, Disney XD, Nickelodeon, and ABC Kids; a simultaneous web campaign is running during the same timeframe, as well as select print ads. 

About Signal Theory
Signal Theory is a full-service advertising and branding company based in Santa Monica, California.  The agency partners with its clients to develop groundbreaking creative and innovative design solutions for clients throughout the U.S. and Europe. The Signal Theory team has 25 years’ experience in both the New York City and Los Angeles advertising communities. The firm is home to a number of truly creative individuals who like nothing more than to challenge conventional wisdom and bring fresh perspectives to a brand’s image and message.  Recent Signal Theory work includes television, print, outdoor, direct mail, and web creative for Pokémon USA, Shopzilla.com, and TV Guide magazine.  For more information please visit Signal Theory on the web at www.signaltheory.com.

About The Pokémon Company International, Inc.
Pokémon USA, Inc., a subsidiary of The Pokémon Company in Japan, publishes the Pokémon Trading Card Game outside of Japan and manages the property outside of Asia which includes licensing, marketing and publishing activities, an animated TV series, movies, the official Pokémon website and the online retail site www.pokemoncenter.com. Celebrating its 10th worldwide anniversary in 2006, Pokémon was launched in Japan in 1996 for play on Nintendo’s Game Boy® and has since evolved into a global cultural phenomenon. Pokémon was introduced in North America in September 1998 and today is one of the most popular toy and entertainment properties in the world. For more information, visit www.pokemon.com.