Hasta La Creative!

AMC’s “Breaking Bad” didn’t truly become a runaway hit until its final season, after latecomers who caught up via Netflix expanded the crowd of live viewers. But why should a network wait until a show is nearing its end to find an audience?

MTV and the Disney Channel are now looking to develop audiences earlier, by making upcoming shows available to “binge view” before they even hit TV. While the move resembles the Netflix tactic of offering full seasons of shows like “House of Cards” and “Arrested Development” all at once instead of parceling new episodes out over time, it’s also a bit of twist.

Netflix lets its subscribers binge in the hopes of building, and feeding, their streaming habit on the Netflix platform. MTV and Disney are letting viewers binge digitally in order to ultimately build the shows’ TV audiences, introducing viewers to the characters and story in their apps for the benefit of their traditional media.

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Blockbuster is set to enter administration for the second time in a year, after the latest owner admitted it had been unable to turn the struggling DVD and video games rental business around.

Immensely popular/boring band Walk Off The Earth play the same bland song in three different styles for Red Urban’s new interactive VW spot, directed by Wendy Morgan.

Users can select to hear the song “Gang of Rhythm” in three different versions, each shot at a different location and paired with a different Beetle, and even switch back and forth while the song plays out. They can choose ”Playful” mode for the Beetle Convertible, “Soulful” mode for the Super Beetle, or “Powerful” mode for the Beetle GSR. The song sounds like it was written for a car commercial, so I guess it’s appropriate enough. That doesn’t make it any more listenable, though. Gimmicky attempts to use the Beetle in the music abound: In one version, it’s the sound of the car’s engine, while in another it’s one of the Walk Off The Earth dudes drumming on the car.

According to Christina Yu, ECDof Red Urban Canada, the collaboration was the band’s idea. “Volkswagen got a call from the band one day,” she says, “apparently they are big Volkswagen fans and wanted to collaborate…We thought it was a great idea, so immediately started developing the ideas for the video.”

One thing we can take from this is that interactive seems to be in at the moment, especially in work for car companies. WCRS had their virtual test drive for the BMWi3, and Campfire had that “Deja View” spot for Infiniti. This particular spot’s interactive element (or gimmick, depending on your stance) is a pretty sound one, and the fluidity with which you can switch between the different styles in the video is well-executed. If I had been able to stomach the music, I could have even enjoyed it. Credits after the jump. continued…

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Marks & Spencer is running a social media campaign to build anticipation for its ‘Alice in Wonderland’-themed Christmas ad, which revives its ‘Magic & Sparkle’ strapline and stars Helena Bonham-Carter.

We are now in the season of LeBron James commercials. He’s like Victor Cruz, only taller, better, richer, and not a Time Warner Cable lackey. If you happened to watch the opening night of the NBA season, you saw three different LeBron endorsements, including a new two-minute Samsung spot (:60 version with just the family after the jump) that gives viewers a glimpse into the family life of the best basketball player in the world.

If you care about such things, you may remember last year’s Samsung/LBJ launch, which also premiered on opening night as the Miami Heat were getting their first set of rings. That 2012 spot was more about LeBron and his friends ruling Miami in barber shops and ice cream trucks. This year’s version is all about LeBron and his family: his sons hanging out in the pool or on a driveway basketball court as his wife films from a Samsung Galaxy. ”The Next Big Thing is Here” flashes on the screen as LeBron’s son celebrates after swishing a jump shot. We get it, but it’s still fairly interesting to let two little boys take some of the spotlight away from the real star.

The spot is an easy watch, a relaxing tone that rubs off on the viewer. Life is good for LeBron, and even though I typically prefer product-focused ads to lifestyle ads, when the spokesman is one of the most famous people on the planet, customers may take notice. Smiles all around and credits after the jump.

continued…

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Colgate’s #brushswap promotion, which had to be scrapped after the brand couldn’t keep up with consumer demand, has been banned by the ad watchdog for making misleading claims.

(TrendHunter.com) Steve Rosenfield knows that in the digital age, it’s common for people to express their inner thoughts and opinions in a public space. From tweets that chastise cheating exes to shared articles on…

Paddy Power’s heady mix of subversion, mischief and sports chat is proving popular with the social-media crowd.

Are you in the content business? Or in the CRM business? Or in the brand engagement business?
Congratulations. You’re in advertising.

Perhaps if more advertising agencies, and advertising people, had the guts to admit what business they were in, they’d realize they have a simple purpose: working to increase sales and awareness for products and services. And perhaps then we wouldn’t see PR agencies or consulting firms itching to get into the advertising business because they see a revenue stream ripe for the picking.

It’s the subject of my new column on Talent Zoo.

The post When Did “Advertising” Become A Dirty Word? appeared first on AdPulp.

The new device comes as the bookseller, the nation’s largest bookstore chain, continues to face questions about its long-term viability.