Apr
18
Apr
17
Ben & Jerry's Has Brought Back Apple's '1984' as a Burrito Anthem for Stoners
Posted in: Uncategorized
Parodies of Apple’s “1984” continue to surface at the oddest of times—such as 4/20, America’s unofficial day of marijuana appreciation.
Ben & Jerry’s has created the spot below to celebrate the Brrr-ito’s bold assault on the despotic repression of … ice cream sandwiches. It’s admittedly a rather odd metaphor and cultural callback, but somehow it still works.
So check out the spot, then get ready to “have one rolled for you” on Monday.
Apr
17
Univision’s ‘Sábado Gigante’ Ends a 53-Year Run
Posted in: UncategorizedThe Spanish-language variety show “Sábado Gigante” will end in September, Univision Networks announced Friday.
Apr
17
PR Pro Calls Advertising Week Organizer ‘Abusive’ in Twitter Rant
Posted in: UncategorizedAdvertising Week (the annual industry gathering, not to be confused with our sister publication Adweek) has faced charges of sexism in the past.
Way back in 2005, for example, the org encountered a problem stemming from this ad, created pro-bono by DDB New York to promote the event:
There was a bit of a scandal, of course, though Executive Director Matt Scheckner and others defended the work at the time. It was awkward given the fact that the organization’s stated reason for being is to improve perceptions of the advertising industry.
It would, however, seem that the org, and Scheckner in particular, still have media relations problems based on a (supposed) interaction this week with Brooke Hammerling, founder of New York-based PR firm Brew Media Relations.
Hammerling took issue with Scheckner’s behavior in a recent exchange:
In my 20 years in this biz I have seen a lot of men treat women badly. But never have I seen behavior like @lordscheckner. #shameful
— Brooke Hammerling (@brooke) April 15, 2015
The context of the back-and-forth was unclear, though we can surmise that Hammerling and her team were contacting Scheckner regarding a member of their client list (which includes a fair number of tech brands).
Seems Scheckner didn’t take kindly to the pitch:
Sorry i was busy responding to his aggressive email. He was abusive to team members, called them names, laughed at them, hung up on them.
— Brooke Hammerling (@brooke) April 15, 2015
But he wanted us to know how important he is b/c he has “SALMA FUCKING HAYAK “(@salmahayek) speaking at his event. #classy
— Brooke Hammerling (@brooke) April 15, 2015
He told my team “you cannot talk to me. I am the NFL and you are Division 2 College football”. I agree. He is the NFL. #classy
— Brooke Hammerling (@brooke) April 15, 2015
Again, some context would be helpful. But Scheckner does appear to be a fan of Deutsch’s recent work for Sprint:
He’s not sexist though as he just told me in email he would laugh at me if I were a goat. Nothing to do with me being a woman. #IAMAGOAT
— Brooke Hammerling (@brooke) April 15, 2015
Hammerling has not yet responded to a subsequent query.
But it’s nice to know that, contrary to prevailing opinions, the ad industry is no longer run by middle-aged men who have problems relating to women in professional settings.
Not that advertising and PR will ever truly get along…
Apr
17
Vintage Pictures in Contemporary Landscapes
Posted in: UncategorizedHebe Robinson est une photographe norvégienne qui vit et travaille à Oslo. Dans sa série « Echoes », l’artiste a eu l’idée ingénieuse de replacer de veilles photos sur leur lieu d’origine. Le concept relie alors le passé et le présent, l’histoire et le destin, la maturité et les changements qui se produisent dans la société. Des détails en images.
Apr
17
As it Battles Beats, JBL Inks First NBA Player Endorsement
Posted in: UncategorizedJBL has found its point guard as it takes on Beats in the sports-endorsement game. Portland Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard will become a “brand ambassador” for the Harman International-owned audio brand as part of a new deal.
Mr. Lillard is the first player signed by Harman since the company inked a multiyear sponsorship with the NBA last year that made it the league’s official headphone, speaker and audio partner. The first-of-its-kind pact marked a significant move by the company to gain some sports credibility in a category dominated by Beats by Dre.
Harman did not disclose the terms of its deal with Mr. Lillard, other than to say it was a multi-year agreement. The pact was negotiated separately from the NBA sponsorship and will likely to be followed by more player deals. Harman wants a “portfolio of players” so “we can really be integrated and authentic to the sport,” said Harman Chief Marketing Officer Ralph Santana.
Apr
17
3D-Printed High Heels – The 'Re-Inventing Shoes' Project Explores 3D-Printing For Shoe Design (GALLERY)
Posted in: Uncategorized
(TrendHunter.com) ‘Re-Inventing Shoes’ is a project, conceived by United Nude, that aims to explore the usefulness of 3D printing in the world of shoe design and manufacturing. The project called on world-…
Apr
17
TV Goes A La Carte Lite: Verizon Fios Rolls Out Customizable 'Skinny Bundle'
Posted in: UncategorizedVerizon is putting its FiOS TV service on a crash diet.
The upstart operator on Sunday will begin offering subscribers what it’s characterizing as a “skinny bundle” of cable network packages, a new wrinkle that will allow consumers to choose from seven pre-fab options. A person familiar with the offering confirmed reports reported the service earlier.
Each of Verizon’s “Custom TV” channel packs is composed of cable networks that are stacked together in a genre-specific silo. For example, the Entertainment pack includes ratings-heavy outlets like TNT, USA Network, FX and Discovery Channel, while a Kids offering is composed of the top draws among the footy-pajamas set (Cartoon Network, Nickelodeon, Disney Channel, etc.).
Apr
17
Submerged Luxury Homes – Dubai's Floating Seahorse Homes Offer Views of Underwater Marine Life (GALLERY)
Posted in: Uncategorized
(TrendHunter.com) The Floating Seahorse developments are the latest example of the over-the-top opulence that Dubai has become famed for. These submerged homes, technically classified as boats, are going to be…
Apr
17
Sagmeister & Walsh NYC studio was robbed & robbers caught on camera
Posted in: UncategorizedSagmeister & Walsh, known not just for their impeccable style but also for stripping naked to announce things, have gotten robbed. Their studio was invaded and the value of the loss is substantial since it’s not just computers and gear, but also work in progress that’s been taken. The bold thieves made their way into the studio and carried out printers, laptops, computers and more – completely unaware of the brilliant webpage Sagmeister & Walsh have. When it launched, ages ago Stefan Sagmeister explained that he wanted the simple live webcam site, because what better way to show the clients what’s going on in the studio, but letting them just look for themselves? This web camera captured the thieves in action, and if you’ve seen them or know anything about them, please contact the NYPD.
Via Creative Review.
Apr
17
BBDO NY Launches Spring HyperMade Effort for Lowe’s
Posted in: UncategorizedA video posted by Lowe’s Home Improvement (@loweshomeimprovement) on Apr 9, 2015 at 5:16pm PDT
BBDO New York launched a spring effort for Lowe’s, made up of 15-second HyperMade videos hosted on the brand’s Instagram page, inspired by popular Pinterest projects.
In “Urban Garden,” (featured above), for example, a young couple demonstrates how easy it is to complete such a project with the proper equipment from Lowe’s. The couple’s rooftop balcony goes from nearly plant-free to full-fledged garden over the course of 15 seconds. Other videos in the campaign champion projects such as creating a privacy wall and turning an old mailbox into a gardening toolbox. There are also step-by-step project instructions on Lowe’s Tumblr and Pinterest pages to accompany the videos, for those inspired to give it a go for themselves. The campaign follows a similar effort last December, which saw the agency utilizing Vine and Instagram to demonstrate simple DIY projects.
Credits:
Chief Creative Officer, Worldwide: David Lubars
Chief Creative Officer, New York: Greg Hahn
Executive Creative Director: Lauren Connolly
Executive Creative Director: Tim Bayne
Sr. Creative Director: Mike Sweeney
Sr. Creative Director: Molly Adler
Associate Creative Director: Kim Baskinger
Copywriters: Jessica Rello and Talon Gustafson
Art Directors: Klane Harding
Group Planning Director: Emily Viola
Director of Integrated Production: David Rolfe
Executive Producer: Kristin Tomborello
Interactive Producer: Whitney Husnik
Senior Director: Jim Reath
Senior Director (Digital and Emerging Platforms): Bob Estrada
Account Supervisor: Tyler Harris
Production Company: Vanishing Angle
Directors: Adam Bolt and Hoku Uchiyama
Director of Photography: Frank Barerra
Executive Producer: Matt Miller
Post-Production: Vanishing Angle
Post Creative Director: Adam Bolt and Hoku Uchiyama
Apr
17
Anomaly Follows the Leaf for Pure Leaf
Posted in: UncategorizedAnomaly launched a new campaign for Unilver and PepsiCo’s Pure Leaf tea brand, featuring the brand’s first television spot, “Follow the Leaf.”
The 30-second spot opens on a woman drinking a bottle of unsweetened Pure Leaf in a kitchen full of potted plants (more leaves). “Pure Leaf is real leaf-brewed tea,” announces the voiceover. “Why? Well, because of the leaves.” From here the spot follows a bag of steeping tea laves, all the way back to being hand-picked. “It might be a little more work,” the spot concludes, “but that’s what you do for the love of leaves.”
The campaign’s focus on Pure Leaf’s unsweetened variety as an alternative to brands who “add unnecessary ingredients” seek to create an impression of authenticity (while ignoring the brand’s sweetened varieties, which add as much “unnecessary” sweeteners as others). It comes as tea is gaining popularity in the U.S., where more people are seeking alternatives to soda.
“We re-launched the Pure Leaf brand in 2012, and we’ve seen significant growth since then,” Linda Bethea, senior director of marketing for the Pepsi Lipton Tea Partnership, told Adweek. “The tea category has been growing, and we know there’s a huge consumer trend for realness and authenticity, and that’s exactly what Pure Leaf is offering.”
In addition to the broadcast spot, which also runs in a 15-second version, the campaign is supported by print, digital and a redesigned website.
Credits:
Title: Follow the Leaf
Agency: Anomaly
Creatives: Jane Cronk, Ben Dean
Executive Producer: Kennedy Davy
Account Director: Sacha Zivanovic
Strategist: Abby Leber
Apr
17
David Hasselhoff Reaches Peak Self-Parody in Promo for Kung Fury
Posted in: Uncategorized
Dinosaurs, fingerless gloves, punks, skateboards, hacking and traveling back in time to try to kill Hitler. It’s everything you ever loved about the ’80s in one film—now including David Hasslehoff.
Kung Fury is a film that was funded on Kickstarter and is due to premiere May 28 on YouTube. The epic trailer for the film is what got the project funded, so they haven’t released a new one. Instead, they’ve just put out a music video with David Hasselhoff who sings the lead track, “True Survivor.”
And it is going to make this film #TakeHoff.
Hasslehoff is resplendent in a mullet, fingerless gloves, Converse high-tops and a custom airbrushed Kung Fury letter jacket as he saunters, shoots, splits and sings his way through the epic scenes of the film.
The synth is strong with this one, and the time is right, as millennials have come to that point in their lives when they have money and are willing to part with it for anything that reminds them of their childhoods.
Even if Harrison Ford and David Hasslehoff happen to look really old now.
Apr
17
A Dog in Miami Architecture
Posted in: UncategorizedCe petit chien nommé « Q » est le protagoniste principal d’un livre du photographe américain Tomas Werner. « A Handbook for Dog Walkers » recense des portraits de cet adorable chien devant des façades aux couleurs et motifs typiquement floridiens. Un échantillon des images est à découvrir dans la galerie.
Apr
17
Epsilon Hints at Changes To Its Conversant Business
Posted in: UncategorizedEpsilon is going through changes as it continues working towards integrating Conversant, the company formerly known as Valueclick, which it purchased it for $2.3 billion in September. That acquisition was in part about Conversant’s ability to make cross-channel targeting — specifically in mobile — more viable for the data-services company. Today, Epsilon is dead set on updating what Conversant has to offer to help clients make better use of their first-party data.
That means de-emphasizing the less-valuable aspects of Conversant’s business that have become commoditized. In an earnings call yesterday, Ed Heffernan, president-CEO of Epsilon parent company Alliance Data Systems, discussed plan to move Conversant into the modern digital-data era.
“It’s a very deliberate transformation,” he said. “We’re going to be focused on those businesses where that real rich first-party data will be driving the offerings and the more commodity-like businesses we will be de-emphasizing.”
Apr
17
Joakim Noah Confuses Children in Latest Foot Locker Ad
Posted in: Uncategorized
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, fans of superheroes and sub sandwiches can combine their passions at Subway, and Samsung Mobile compiled favorable comments from Forbes, Mashable and Wired for its Galaxy S6 Edge. And Microsoft premiered its HP Spectre x360, the convertible laptop you can fold over and use as a tablet. The spot, “What You’ve Been Waiting For,” shows the laptop performing some Gabby Douglas-level flips as it falls through the air.
And NBA star Joakim Noah, of the Chicago Bulls, returns in the third installment of “Joakim Noah Says the Joakimiest Things to Kids” for Foot Locker. In this episode Noah tackles the topics of color perception and lying eyes.
Apr
17
Adam & Eve DDB Takes Everything for Hertz
Posted in: UncategorizedAdam & Eve DDB launched a new spot for Hertz entitled “Cleaned Out.”
The ad opens on a tearful mother and father saying goodbye to their son as he gets in a Hertz van, presumably headed for college. When they go back inside, however, they gradually realize that their son has taken the kettle, the microwave, the television and pretty much everything else he could grab. It’s a funny way to deliver the “You can take everything with Hertz Van Rental” message that functions as the tagline. The pacing for the spot, directed by Guy Shelmerdine, is key, with the first sign that everything isn’t right coming when the mother goes to hang her coat up and it falls to the floor (as the son has taken the coathanger) and gradually building from there until the father wonders what exactly the son wants his grow bags for. It’s not easy to make an ad for a van rental entertaining or memorable, but Adam & Eve DDB manage to pull it off here.
Credits:
Client: Hertz
Title: Cleaned Out
Creative Agency: Adam & Eve DDB
Agency Producer: Richard Adkins
Chief creative officer: Ben Priest
Executive creative directors: Ben Tollett, Richard Brim
Creative directors: Matt Woolner, Steve Wioland
Copywriter: Frances Leach
Art director: Christopher Bowsher
DOP: Rob Hardy
Production Company: Smuggler
Director: Guy Shelmerdine
Producer: Molly Pope
Executive producers: Chris Barrett, Fergus Brown
Editor: Andy McGraw, Stitch LA
Post-production: MPC
Apr
17
About That Crazy Viral Sizzler Video…
Posted in: UncategorizedGood God, we’re not sure why this promo video resurfaced, but leave it to Sizzler to remind us of Cross Colours, the Fresh Prince, and Z. Cavaricci with the 1991 masterpiece above.
Of course we weren’t the only media outlet to inquire about the origins of this artifact, and we received a response from Kristina Van Bruggen, VP of marketing for Sizzler USA:
“We’re very humbled by the thousands of wonderful posts from our customers. Sizzler is and has always been a special place for American families. We are thrilled this video is touching so many people and stirring such positive feelings about our country. Sizzle on, America, sizzle on!”
The video was originally shown to employees at an annual gathering to promote franchise sales.
The company’s PR even attributed the work to Multi Image Productions, now known as Multi Image Group. Yes, the company is still around — and now, according to their website, they specialize in ” integrating live events and online experiences, digital and social media, and immersive environments that engage, inspire and move audiences.”
We can all have a laugh at their vintage work, but their current client list includes Sprint, Volvo and, yes, Bud Light.
On that note, here’s some more recent work for Sizzler.
Breakfast pizza isn’t anything new as you can see, but Sizzler is trying its damndest to bring it into the mainstream.
We wish them the best of luck in their efforts.
Apr
17
Humana Launches Creative Review
Posted in: Uncategorized
Louisville, Kentucky-based health insurance company Humana has launched a creative review with an eye on digital expansion, Adweek reports.
Rapp has handled Humana’s creative business since 2010, when the company decided to consolidate its creative and media accounts with Omnicom Group. It is unclear if the incumbent is participating in the review. According to Adweek, the review began last month and the field has now been narrowed to a small group of contending agencies. The review, which is being managed by Santa Monica-based Select Resources International, is expected to conclude late next month or in early June. Humana spent approxiamtely $80 million on measured media in 2014, according to Kantar Media. The insurance company expects to increase spending on digital media following the review.
Apr
17
W+K Amsterdam Gets Virtual in S7 Airlines Project
Posted in: UncategorizedYou may recall that, way back in the halcyon days of July 2014, we reported that Russia’s S7 airlines had decided to go abroad for its advertising needs by signing W+K as its AOR.
No one at the agency would confirm the win at the time (which may have had something to do with the fact that even the world’s largest PR firms no longer want to be mentioned in the same sentence as Vladimir Putin).
W+K Amsterdam definitely won the business, though — and its “Imagine” campaign for the client debuted last month.
The agency’s most recent work, a short film titled “The Imagination Machine,” makes use of Mark Zuckerberg’s favorite tech trend to allow locals to go on their dream vacations without leaving the comfort of the virtual reality booth.
It’s certainly an interesting project, though we don’t know if we can agree with Professor/CCO Cottam’s assertion that one can visit one’s “dream place” with the right amount of concentration.
The backing of a major international airline always helps.
Credits:
Wieden+Kennedy Amsterdam
Executive Creative Directors: Mark Bernath & Eric Quennoy
Creative Directors: Daniel Schaefer & Szymon Rose
Art Director: Vasco Vicente
Copywriter: Evgeny Primachenko
Head of Content: Joe Togneri
Head of Interactive Production: Kelsie Van Deman
Broadcast Producer: Judd Caraway
Planner: Nick Docherty
Group Account Director: Kirk Johnsen
Account Director: Nick Campion
Account Executive: Yulia Prokhorova
Head of Studio: Jackie Barbour
Creative Technologist: Kees Plattel
Studio Artist: Noa Redero
Project Manager: Stacey Prudden
Business Affairs: Kacey Kelley
INTERACTIVE PRODUCTION
EXPERIENCE DESIGN & PRODUCTION TELLART
Executive Creative Director: Matt Cottam
Creative Director: Paul Skinner
Art Director: Ivor Williams
Producer: Charlie Ledbetter
Design Lead: Christian Ervin
Senior Designer: Zaza Zuilhof
Senior Technologist: Pierluigi Dalla Rosa, Kuan-Ju Wu
FILM PRODUCTION
PRODUCTION COMPANY WIEDEN+KENNEDY AMSTERDAM / OPERATOR AMSTERDAM
Producer: Pavel Ananich (Operator)
Agency Producer: Judd Caraway (W+K)
Director: John Filipe (W+K)
Editing: John Filipe, Robin Pijpers (W+K)
FILM & INSTALLATION SOUND DESIGN
PRODUCTION COMPANY WAVE STUDIOS
Sound Editing: Alex Nicholls-Lee, Juan Pablo Thummler
Sound Design and Mix: Alex Nicholls-Lee, Randall Macdonald
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