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It's obvious to anyone paying attention that consumers love flat-panel displays—those who are aware of them, that is. Unfortunately for the consumer electronics industry, only a small percentage of potential flat-panel purchasers are either aware of the devices or aware that prices have been steadily dropping while performance improves.

Samsung Electronics has launched a $5 million advertising campaign that may change the picture for all involved. Begun this past March and scheduled to run into October—think new Fall season, World Series, and Monday Night Football—the campaign hypes Samsung's latest flat-panel TV products, a category which includes LCD monitors and plasma display panels (PDPs). The campaign will reach fever pitch in August, when all Samsung's new flat-panel products will be available at electronics retailers. A parallel print ad blitz is reinforcing the company's electronic media efforts.

The message: "Samsung is committed to the flat-panel TV category," according to the company's visual display group marketing manager Jonas Tanenbaum. The company is the world's largest maker of LCD panels, but its "DigitALL" ad campaign may have some overflow effect for other makers, such as Fujitsu, Hitachi, Marantz, Philips, Pioneer, Sharp, and Zenith.

Samsung is concentrating its coverage on its many HDTV flat-panel models, which range from 15" to 63" measured diagonally. New LCD televisions include 15", 17", and 24" high-def widescreen models, the LTM1575W, LTM1775W, and LTM245W. As the summer progresses, larger models will be introduced, including a 29" widescreen model, the LTM295W, and a 40" 16:9 LCD TV, the LTM405W, both due in August. Already on the market are several enhanced-definition PDPs, including the 42" SPL4225.

Samsung is also aggressively marketing two high-def plasma screens, the 50" HPL5025 and the 63" HPL6315.