Fair's ad campaign a hit

The Utah State Fair mascots promise the 150th is pretty much going to be the best fair ever.

With quirky movie icon Napoleon Dynamite promoting the 2005 State Fair with buddy Pedro on billboards, buses, radio and television, fair organizers promise the fair will stay true to their spokesman: "Sweet."

The Fairpark is to open at 3 p.m. today with a ribbon-cutting by Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. scheduled at 5 p.m. near the sesquicentennial exhibit. The historical exhibit features photos, ribbons and memories from fairs past. Despite the 150th status, it's Napoleon Dynamite, not historical significance, that's perking up national attention.

"That film is such a phenomenon. This whole ad campaign has become a phenomenon as well," said Denise Stanger, fair marketing director. "Honestly, I thought it would be popular, but I didn't realize the national attention it would stir. It's taking a life of its own."

National media are focusing on the ads — from a column in USA Today to an article in AdWeek. Using similar taglines, costumes and the original actors Jon Heder (Napoleon) and Efren Ramirez (Pedro), the radio and television spots have become a particular favorite.

Napoleon starts one television commercial by revisiting fair rides that weren't so great. "In days of yore, the Utah State Fair didn't have sweet rides. Like the Scrambler, RockoPlane, the Octopus. . . . Instead, they had the box of wonders." Pedro then duct tapes Napoleon into a cardboard box and rolls him through a field, over a fence and down a set of bleachers. "This is pretty much the worst ride ever!" he whines.

Fans will recognize Napoleon's trademark pencil drawings, doodled on lined paper. They might even recognize the fair theme, "All your wildest dreams will come true," the slogan of Pedro's class president election campaign in the movie.

The ads have had special appeal to 14- to 24-year-olds, the target demographic of fair directors.

"We want those young adults and teens to get excited about the fair this year," said Rick Frenette, fair general manager. "When you've been around 150 years, you have to do something different to generate excitement. We do have a lot of the same old things, but we do have a lot of new, exciting and modern things. This advertising campaign shows we have progressed with time."

The fair's campaign is especially successfully because of the popularity of the movie in Idaho, where the movie was made, and Utah, where most of the crew met at Brigham Young University. The cult status of the movie and its characters is what drives the ads, Frenette said.