Hasta La Creative!

Ogilvy Cape Town crafted a new spot for Volkswagen from over 50 hours of one girl’s childhood video footage, entitled “Moments.”

The approach is designed to show the significance of the Volkswagen’s safety systems. After playing through grainy video footage of the girl growing up, ending with her graduation, the footage rewinds to show “The moment that mattered most.” That moment is so seemingly insignificant that most viewers probably won’t even notice it the first time around, but the ad puts the footage into new perspective. It’s an affective approach, as the viewer is then forced to consider the significance of it and how Volkswagen’s safety systems (namely a rearview camera) were an important factor.

Credits:

Chief Creative Officer: Chris Gotz
Art Director: Monique Kaplan
Copywriter: Oskar Petty
Production House: Deliverance Post
Editor: Anthony Lee Martin
Director: Robin Goode at Giant Films

Bobblehead Bret Michaels sure drives a hard bargain. Must be the frozen stare and the defiant stance. You should probably take him along on your next car-buying venture. You want the leopard-print steering wheel cover, don’t you?

The former Poison frontman trots out his cheeky sense of humor, along with his ceramic mini-doppelganger, for a digital video series promoting Nissan’s commercial vehicles. The shorts are a follow-up to a campaign that launched last summer featuring Michaels in the Arizona desert surrounded by Nissan trucks, pyrotechnics, bandana-clad crash test dummies and hot chicks.

The work, from TBWAChiatDay, also introduced the look-alike bobblehead that has since become a fan favorite. The agency, responding to Twitter and Facebook requests, just launched five “BobbleBret” videos, taking the doll off the dashboard. Michaels’ power ballad version of the sappy Lionel Richie/Diana Ross duet “Endless Love” returns as the melodramatic soundtrack.

Among other unlikely scenarios, the new snippets show Bobble Bret’s silent negotiating skills at a Nissan dealership and his rock-star-sized tantrum in a green room. No brown M&Ms, he said!

Find all the videos at NissanToughLove.com.

On April 30, to coincide with the first day of the NFL draft, Arizon Senator Jeff Flake’s office put out a press release shaming the Jets for “federally funded feel-good moments” that “fans may have assumed were genuine gestures to thank and recognize soldiers.”

He cited the “statement of work” for a 2012 marketing contract between the New York Jets and the New Jersey Army National Guard, listing what the Jets will deliver in return for about $100,000: along with online banner ads and spots on the stadium video board, a “Hometown Hero” tribute to a pair of soldiers during each home game. “Their picture will be displayed on the video board,” the document says, “their name will be announced over the loud speaker, and they will be allowed to watch the game, along with 3 friends or family members.”

On May 7, Mr. Flake’s senior Senate colleague from Arizona, John McCain, released an “America’s Most Wasted” report targeting a “$225,000 deal between the New England Patriots and the Massachusetts and New Hampshire Guard” that includes “the ‘True Patriot’ program, in which the team recognized members of the Guard during half-time at home games.”

Continue reading at AdAge.com

In today’s race market, the competition doesn’t end with the barbed wire, mud pits and fire jumps. Oversaturation — from Color Runs to Urbanathlons — demands race coordinators work to stand out among the crowd. Spartan Race has a well-toned leg up on others: a high-profile partnership with NBC Sports Group.

According to Colby Connell, Spartan Race’s vp-marketing, registration is trending up just over 30% year-over-year since the brand introduced commercial promotion on television with NBCSN last year. The space for racing has gotten very crowded, Mr. Connell said, and TV is proving a strong brand differentiator for Spartan Race.

Mr. Connell said that while TV is difficult to track, the company noticed spikes on web and social channels when the show was aired nationally and regionally. Spartan Race founder Joe De Sena said NBCSN brought a level of legitimacy to the race.

Continue reading at AdAge.com

Rainey Kelly Campbell Roalfe/Y&R launched a new spot for Marks & Spencer, offering up a “Taste of the British Isles.”

The spot is an ode to the chain’s locally sourced and/or British inspired offerings, from summer fruits and veggies to a juicy burger and British beer. Eschewing any narrative, RKCR/Y&R lets the food do the talking with 40 seconds of stylish food porn. While the resulting ad may not be groundbreaking, it is visually dazzling and more than a little hunger-inducing. Part of the ongoing “Adventures In” campaign for the brand, the spot will be followed up by 20-second ads focusing on summer occasions, such as “Adventures in Seaside” and “Adventures in Teatime.”

Credits:

Animation
Typography: Tivy Davies

Creative Agency: Rainey Kelly Campbell Roalfe/Y&R
Account Director: Leigh Roberts
Art Director: Chris Hodgkiss
Copywriter: Pip Bishop
Creative Agency: RKCR/Y&R
Creative Director: Mark Roalfe
Producer: Alex Shillingford

Digital Production Company
Photography: Karen Thomas

Music and Sound
Sound Design: Parv Thind @ Wave

Offline
Editor: Bruce @ The Quarry, Bruno @ Food Film

Production Company: Food Film
Producer: Francesa O’Brien
Director: Michael Roulier, Phillppe L’Homme