Hasta La Creative!

DeVito/Verdi went the goofy route with their new campaign for Coco’s Bakery, featuring two 30-second spots created in conjunction with production company Backyard.

In one of these spots, “Cowboys,” two tough-looking cowboys marvel at an Angus steak, which they agree is “the real deal right there.” The two drop the stereotypical manliness, however, when the waitress arrives with Coco’s signature pie (they’re big fans). Another spot, “Big Baby,” misses its mark and crosses the line to creepy as two guys attempt to take advantage of Coco’s “kids eat free” deal. Stick around for “Big Baby” and credits after the jump. (more…)

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Phoenix-based agency Riester teamed up with Backyard Productions to create “Farm,” a new spot for Voskos Greek Yogurt.

In addition to having the word “farm” in the title, Riester’s 30 second spot also has a similar (perhaps Chipotle-inspired) approach to Chobani’s “Farmland” spot. Like that ad, “Farm” emphasizes the natural ingredients they put in their Greek yogurt (in this case Voskos), while employing pastoral shots of cows and fresh fruit. Unlike the Chobani spot, “Farm” doesn’t spend time taking down the competition, instead launching into the brand’s virtues, via the cheery voiceover and footage of a girl picking fruit with her family and enjoying a cup of Voskos while sitting on a fence. It’s a slightly simpler tactic than Chobani’s, foregoing the takedown of competitors for more of an emphasis on wholesomeness. The brand’s “Happiness in Every Spoonful” tagline exemplifies the slight difference in approach — whereas Chobani takes a stab at competitors (while opening themselves up to scrutiny), Voskos just wants to let you know that their yogurt tastes good and will make you happy. Credits after the jump. continued…

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While yours truly languishes in the humidity shrouding NYC as of now, we’ll be receiving daily Cannes reports from one Chris Zander, managing director/partner at Venice, CA-based prodco, Backyard. As he awaits his flight to the French Riviera, Zander, who will be be going rogue in a sense for the duration of this year’s Cannes Lions, tells us in his first submission, why go in the first place? Consider this an introduction post more than anything if you will. Stay tuned and you can follow Zander at @realchriszander.

Tonight, I’ll be on Delta 82 to Nice with half of the advertising world.  The next five days will be a whirlwind of dinners, drinks, villa parties, networking, late night dancing and late morning jogs.  This year my travel partner will be Kris Mathur, my good friend, Backyard’s esteemed executive producer, and the real Most Interesting Man in the World.

If you want the Cannes Ad Festival updates, you are in the wrong place.  I won’t be buying a delegate pass.  I tried going “official”  one year, and went to multiple sanctioned events.  It wasn’t for me.  I discovered that short list screenings were a perfect opportunity to catch up on sleep.

My guess is that at least half of the annual attendees are in Cannes as unofficial delegates.  Walk around the Gutter Bar before the sun comes up next Sunday morning, and you may see one or two happy people carrying around Gold Lions…maybe.  Trust me: if the crowd was limited to the award winners and delegates, the festival wouldn’t be nearly as fun, crowded, and colorful, and almost everybody would be asleep by midnight.  There would be nobody in the street to pose for pictures with the Leopard Ladies.  The energy level would be severely reduced, and the opportunity to be taken on day trips to Saint Tropez would we greatly diminished.

continued…

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