Whole new look breaks Zenith from its past.(Chicago Tribune)

Companies _ and their ad agencies _ always have a lot riding on new campaigns.

Zenith Electronics Corp., which emerged from bankruptcy in 1999, may have its whole future on this one.

In a new $30 million campaign geared as much to the all-important retail trade that has seen Zenith come and go and come back again as it is to consumers, the venerable television company is laying out a new theme and digital direction in its marketing under the tagline: "Zenith: Digitize the Experience."

The campaign, from Cramer-Krasselt Chicago, marks the Lincolnshire, Ill.-based company's first major return to national television in 15 years, back when it was still using "The quality goes in before the name goes on," even as it rang hollow with consumers.

That tagline _ a stalwart from the Roaring `20s, way back in the last century _ had become something of an anchor around its neck as well as the butt of jokes.

So as Zenith's parent, LG Electronics, moves it aggressively into high-definition television (70 percent of its product line is digital, compared with 5 percent a year ago), the new campaign is as much about a separation from its past as it is an introduction to a new line of products.

"We need to let the consumers know that Zenith has come up with something new and different from the past," said Wayne Park, senior vice president of sales and marketing for Zenith.

Zenith will be the first company to aggressively promote a line of high-definition television sets, the next generation of television that has been slowed by the high costs and the hurdles broadcast stations around the country face in adding the digital signals.

One of the goals to being first is to encourage consumers, as well as retailers, to again view Zenith as a leader, instead of a troubled also-ran.

"It's a pretty bold move," said Sam Caputo, director of advertising for Zenith. "We wanted to present high-definition that was not done in a traditional …