Hasta La Creative!

Ad Age “Media Guy” columnist Simon Dumenco’s media roundup for the morning of Tuesday, May 9:

What can you make of a media scan that swerves from a defensive president to Snapchat to a fake sex-change operation to chicken nuggets to sick children to a fired Citigroup trader? Um, maybe you should just jump ahead to the year 2049 (see No. 7, below). Anyway, let’s get started …

1. Via The Guardian: “Trump mocked for adding one of his own tweets to Twitter banner”; subhead: “Social media quick to ridicule US president after he changed his header to feature tweet denying collusion with Russia.” Speaking of Trump-Russia stuff, this explainer via Matthew Rosenberg of The New York Times is helpful: “6 Takeaways From Monday’s Senate Hearing on Russia.” Here’s a sample:

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Anomaly New York launched a “Live Like The Captain” campaign for Diageo rum brand Captain Morgan with a 30-second  “Captain, Captain” spot featuring copy that is just about as simple as can be.

In fact, it’s basically just one word: captain. A man walks into a crowded bar in full captain gear and the only word anyone can seem to say is “captain,” as the title is used both as a greeting and to order drinks. When another man introduces himself as “Just Dave, actually” he is quickly corrected.

As The Drum points out, the spot (which reminds us of a certain scene in Being John Malkovich) features appearances by real-life Captain Morgans: cricket captain Eoin Morgan and Leicester City star Wes Morgan, as well as BT Sport pundit and retired former Manchester United star Rio Ferdinand.

“This ad sees us re-defining what it means to be a captain,” Diageo category director Anita Robinson told the publication. “Captain Morgan knows that in today’s serious times, fun is essential. We know that humour connects with our target audience and we expect that our well-loved UK sports stars will ensure the campaign resonates with them and seeds the ‘Captain, Captain’ exchange in bar and beyond.”

The “Live Like The Captian” campaign launched in the U.K. yesterdat and also features digital support from VaynerMedia. It will continue to roll out globally throughout this year and 2018, with further support from OOH, social and experiential initiatives.

Uniqlo is seeking a creative agency partner in the U.S., according to people with knowledge of the matter. The review comes as the Japanese apparel brand looks to increase awareness and amplify marketing efforts in the states.

In March, Uniqlo, owned by Fast Retailing, hosted a New York-based preview of its upcoming fall and winter lines, including new designer collaborations. At the time, Yuki Katsuta, senior VP-global research and design, said “marketing is critically important in the U.S.,” noting that the strategy goes beyond increasing its store count and is more about communicating Uniqlo’s brand identity.

Representatives from Uniqlo did not respond to inquiry for comment about the creative agency search.

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