Hasta La Creative!

If you’re not a fan of U2 and you use iTunes, then you were probably delighted to learn that Apple has released a special U2-album removal tool that instantly deletes the freebie “Songs of Innocence” from music libraries.

Smooth move, Apple — but I have to say, why stop there? While you’re at it, I’ve got some ideas for other removal tools you should consider introducing:

A Bono removal tool. I’m mean, The Edge, Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen, Jr., all seem alright. My theory is that maybe if people didn’t have to hear Bono’s braying, they might like U2 more.

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Typically, agencies need to shove their clients to dip their toes into digital advertising waters. But with some of the most cutting-edge technology tools used in marketing — such as robotics and virtual reality — it’s the agencies preaching caution.

At the Ad Age Digital Conference, a quartet of ad agency executives that work intimately with emerging technologies advised careful consideration for brands diving into these new physical platforms. Some clients will demand to deploy a new gizmo simply because it’s new, said Damian Gutierrez, associate partner with the Control Group.

“If it didn’t fit the brand, fit the concept, we have to be conscious about pushing them,” added Aron Hjartarson, executive creative director for Framestore.

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(TrendHunter.com) If you’re looking for a way to get motivated while you write then these comical pencil designs covered with hilarious coarse language might be just what you need to get you to put pen to paper….

(TrendHunter.com) The modern luxury jewelry designs of Eugenie Niarcho come together in a debut collection that addresses missing link when it comes to such fine accessories. Although classic elegant pieces are…

After an inexplicable quite period, we have a resurgence of giant ears in advertising, thanks to this incredibly silly McKinney campaign for Sennheiser’s Urbanite headphones.

A scraggly-bearded guy with a German accent (the brand’s from Germany) who calls himself “the Urbanite” dons a headphone costume and gets romantic with … a giant ear.

“Unt no pleasure is verboten,” he explains in a 90-second introductory spot that shows tender caresses, a sensual oil massage and a candle-lit bath. The tagline is, “Let your ears be loved,” and the salient product benefit—that Urbanite headphones lovingly pamper your ears, providing an incredibly enjoyable listening experience—resonates with crystal clarity.

Giant ears skateboard through a park and hang out in bars in a second video promoting a New York City scavenger hunt. Our smitten hero finds them “erotish.” (Thankfully, he’s not wielding a giant Q-tip.) Through this Sunday, folks who find one of 1,000 golden ears secreted around town will receive free headphones.

The self-consciously wacky approach is designed to get away from technical descriptions and focus on real-world benefits to appeal to millennials, client exec Stefanie Reichert tells MediaPost. It recalls ESPN Radio’s hideously overgrown anthropomorphic ear from a few years back, and follows closely behind this exceedingly abnormal spot for Normal’s 3-D printed earphones.

In Sennheiser’s spots, the theatrical black backgrounds and minimal props enhance the inspired lunacy. Amusingly daft and highly sharable, the work speaks volumes about the brand proposition, and I hope we’ll hear more from the Urbanite soon.

L’agence Ruf Lanz a imaginé pour le restaurant végétarien suisse HILTL une série de visuels adorables d’animaux, montrant différents carnivores chaleureux en compagnie de proies. Une campagne appelée « It’s never too late to become a vegetarian » sympathique à découvrir dans la suite.

Every weekday, we bring you the Ad Age/iSpot Hot Spots, new and trending TV commercials tracked by iSpot.tv, a company that catalogs, tags and measures activity around TV ads in real time. The New Releases here ran on TV for the first time yesterday. The Most Engaging ads are showing sustained social heat, ranked by SpotShare scores reflecting the percent of digital activity associated with each one over the past week. See the methodology here.

Among the new releases, Subaru sends multiple generations of a family on a sweet ride down memory lane, while Starbucks suggests that “Sometimes the best way to connect is to get together.” And Samsung debuts an ad featuring lovebirds Kristen Bell and Dax Shepard and their little bundle of joy — a Samsung Galaxy Tab S.

As always, you can find out more about the making of the best commercials on TV at Ad Age’s Creativity.

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TV might be in a death spiral, but film is not dead. That was the statement from Old Navy’s global CMO Ivan Wicksteed during his presentation on expanding the retailer’s marketing through digital content at Ad Age’s Digital Conference San Francisco. Mr. Wicksteed talked at length about how content works for Old Navy, and how he thinks content and programmatic will intersect in the future.

For the retailer’s recent campaigns, including one featuring comedian Amy Poehler, content has played a central role in its marketing and is being sought out by consumers far more than traditional advertising. Some of the content working best for Old Navy are outtakes from Ms. Poehler’s TV-commercial shoots. After his presentation, Mr. Wicksteed expanded on why Old Navy’s content with Ms. Poehler is resonating better than the TV spots she appears in.

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