David Lindquist

david.lindquist@indystar.com

The stage is set for Jennifer Eichler's second act in TV advertising.

Known to viewers as the exuberant "Watson's Girl" in the 1990s and early 2000s, Eichler appears in a new campaign for Mister Quik Home Services.

In a commercial that debuted Monday, Eichler connects her past work with swimming pool company Watson's to the residential repairs of Mister Quik.

“I still love pools, but the last thing I want is a pool around my water heater," she says in the ad, which closes with Eichler reciting Mister Quik's "Dial the number, spell the words" tag line.

Eichler's "Watson's Girl" ads made her a celebrity in four cities where the company sold pools, tanning beds and billiards tables:

>> She posed as a mermaid on the cover of Indianapolis Monthly magazine.

>> She was designated as "Memphian You'd Most Like to Go Out With" on the cover of Memphis magazine.

>> She served as grand marshal for the annual Elvis Parade in Kansas City.

>> She helped open a Planet Hollywood restaurant in Nashville, Tenn., where Tom Arnold reportedly became miffed at all the attention directed at Eichler.

But more than five years have passed since Eichler, a 1996 graduate of Cathedral High School who studied telecommunications at Ball State University, appeared in a commercial.

Being a "full-time mom" to two daughters has been her focus since Watson's changed its name to Family Leisure and adopted a marketing strategy that didn't feature a spokesmodel in swimwear.

Eichler said she's worked behind the scenes on ads for Family Leisure, a company led by her stepbrother, Kevin Prefontaine. In the Watson's days, Eichler appeared on camera with her stepfather, Andy Prefontaine, who opened the first Watson's in Indianapolis in 1985.

For Eichler's daughters, ages 11 and 8, the Mister Quik ad is providing the new experience of hearing classmates say, "I saw your mom in a commercial."

"It’s weird, because they know who their mom is and what I’ve done in the past," Eichler said. "But they were so young then."

Eichler said her daughters do modeling work for the Indianapolis-based Helen Wells Agency.

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Regarding her Mister Quik comeback, Eichler credits Angela Goodwin-Volpert, an advertising account executive at WTHR-13, as the catalyst.

“She’s been my biggest advocate," Eichler said of Goodwin-Volpert. "She'd say, ‘You need to be on TV. I don’t understand why you aren’t.’ "

Tracy Paul, founder of Cornerstone Advertising, said Goodwin-Volpert's lobbying for Eichler clicked with his creative team when crafting the Mister Quik campaign.

“Jennifer really grew up with our target audience, and she's now part of that group,” Paul said. “She has two kids and is doing all the things our customers are doing.”

Paul said Eichler's fans can look forward to seeing her in a social-media role and making public appearances on behalf of Mister Quik.

Eichler said Mister Quik's independent business model and close-knit staff are reminiscent of her Watson's background.

She said she enjoyed hearing owner Brad Huff tell the story behind his company's name.

"That’s what he heard when he took phone calls: 'How quick can you be here?' " Eichler said. "I had to smile because that’s the type of life I’m living. I would ask the same question: ‘When can you be here?’ "

In less than 24 hours, Eichler said the reaction to her Mister Quik work far outpaced what she heard when she made a 2011 ad for Eppley Plastic Surgery.

“I don’t know what the magic is for Mister Quik, but it’s working," she said.

Call IndyStar reporter David Lindquist at (317) 444-6404. Follow him on Twitter: @317Lindquist.

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