This Agency Intern Recruitment Video Is a Glorious, Grotesque Celebration of 'Fresh Meat'

Advertising creatives love to harp on a good pun, but rarely do they push it so far into bat-shit territory that it turns into a form of genius.

A new summer intern recruitment music video from Mother takes the “Fresh Meat” metaphor to its event horizon—pounding its hook into a juicy, irresistible mess, just like any good pop song should. 

Enjoy a psychedelic trip through a world of dancing, flying, spinning raw cuts—hamburgers, chickens, steaks, and roasts, to name a few. There’s homage to Lady Gaga, in the form of a meat wig. There are affirmative lyrics aimed at boosting the self-esteem of sausages. There’s even a meat kaleidoscope. There is so much more (including, in all likelihood, Illuminati references)—but drenched in epic 1980s-style staging and visual effects, the whole thing is basically a Gen X butcher’s acid fantasy.

Sure, it’s a brazen grab for virality, but it’s so funny and rich in ostentatious insanity, who cares? It also probably helps that it’s a near-perfect metaphor for the advertising industry—you might walk in as a choice piece of wagyu, but once you’ve gone through the grinder, you’re sure to come out the other end as a sorry, charred, and over-salted beef patty.

Or maybe that’s just life, in general. 



These Forgotten Toys Want to Know What Love Is. They Want You to Show Them

If your once-loved, coldly discarded belongings could share their feelings of loss and exile, what would it sound like? Like Foreigner, that’s what.

In this Leo Burnett spot for British TV service Freeview, a bunch of “left behinds”—mainly unsold toys and figurines—spring to life after a parish rummage sale and sing along with Foreigner’s 30-year-old power ballad “I Want to Know What Love Is.”

The church’s janitor looks appropriately amazed, and kind of horrified, at this unexpected display of free entertainment. A voiceover attempts to explain the brand proposition: “Ninety-five percent of the nation’s top TV, no monthly cost. Entertainment—it’s even better when it’s free.”

The memorably offbeat clip was directed by Sam Brown through Rogue Films. It’s both charming and slightly unsettling, much like Freeview’s singing cat and budgie a while back. This vague creepiness, noted by several YouTube commenters, is actually a big plus. It makes the spot more compelling than if it had been only cute or sentimental.

The #SingingToys, as they’re known, really are a rag-tag lot. You’ve got, among others, a tattered teddy bear (cousin to this scruffy scamp, perhaps?), a worse-for-wear baby-doll, some menacing pro-wrestling action figures, a weird ceramic schnauzer (or maybe it’s a Scottie; here, it’s green) and what appears to be a wounded G.I. Joe.

Frankly, it’s not hard to see why they’d get left behind. Thankfully, at this magical time of year, there’s always hope that misfit toys can find a home.



Skeletor Is Waging a Twitter Takeover of @Honda. Here Are the Best Moments So Far

One of the universe’s greatest villians has conquered the Twitter feed of one the world’s most recognized automotive brands.

Yes, it appears that Skeletor, the nemesis of He-Man (both of ’80s Saturday morning cartoon fame) has manned the controls of Honda’s Twitter account, coinciding with the brand’s newest campaign featuring famous toys promoting the Happy Honda Days sales event. 

The exchanges are actually pretty hilarious and range from trolling He-Man to sharing his #ManCrushMonday. Take a look:

Here’s where it all went down…

Sexiest troll alive:

Sick burn on He-Man.

Takes one to know one:

Old joke, new delivery:

Very literal, here:

Ha! Skeletor’s on fire!

No brand is safe, even Charmin.



Adults Apparently Wanted Underoos So Badly, They're Already Sold Out

Never underestimate the power of nostalgia, even in the form of quasi-ironic undergarments.

Internet users of a certain age have been abuzz over the past 24 hours about a new line of superhero-themed Underoos sized for adults and available at Hot Topic.

In fact, of the eight sets announced yesterday—Superman, Wonder Woman, Batman, Batgirl, Harley Quinn, Captain America, He-Man and Skeletor—the only two left in stock as I write this are Harley Quinn and Batgirl, both available only in large. (The Batman underwear literally went out of stock and then vanished while I was typing this.)

It’s doubtful we’ll need to wait too long to see these return. With such an immediate and voracious response from wistful children of the ’80s (and probably a fair share from the ’90s or beyond), the resurgent Underoos will likely be back in stock before you know it.

Surely the next batch will have Green Lantern and Aquaman, catering to a more discerning man-child. And maybe, for the honor of love, She-Ra will even get the respect she deserves. Until then I guess we’ll just have to settle for Amelia Earhart and Marie Curie.

Here’s an image via i09 that includes the Captain America and He-Man Underoos no longer in stock:



Delta’s New In-Flight Safety Film Is One of the Most ’80s-tastic Videos Ever Made

Dudes, strap yourselves in and get ready for the most righteously rad 1980s-style flight safety video ever.

Delta graces Gen X nostalgiasts with this five-and-a-half-minute opus from Wieden + Kennedy in New York, packed with sweet memories celebrating the finest of the decade. Spoiler alerts ahead: It's got Alf, Atari and the Rubik's Cube. It's got the Energy Dome (better known as that ridiculous hat the guys from Devo wore). It's got tons of glam hair, and pastels and spandex. It's even got a poor sucker trying to wind a cassette tape back into the cartridge—and for you Airplane! fanatics, a nice little easter egg.

Overall, it doesn't quite have the insane '90s-esque vim of Virgin's song-and-dance flight-safety number, but it is a nice addition to Delta's growing collection of offbeat videos—and at least everyone isn't dressed like a Lord of the Rings extra.

Credits below.

CREDITS
Client: Delta

Agency: Wieden + Kennedy, New York
Executive Creative Directors: Scott Vitrone, Ian Reichenthal
Creative Directors: Sean McLaughlin, John Parker
Copywriter: Greg Rutter
Art Director: Alan Buchanan 
Head of Content Production: Lora Schulson
Producer: Cheryl Warbrook
Account Team: Nathan Stewart, Dipal Shah, Jasmina Almeda
Director of Business Affairs: Sara Jagielski, Quentin Perry

Production Company: Arts & Sciences
Directors: Matt Aselton, Azazel Jacobs
Executive Producer: Marc Marrie
Managing Director: Mal Ward
Line Producers: Zoe Odlum, Dina Oberly
Director of Photography: Corey Walter

Editorial Company: Mackenzie Cutler
Editor: Ian Mackenzie
Post Producer: Evan Meeker
Editorial Assistant: Nick Divers

Visual Effects Company: MPC
Lead Flame, Compositor: Marcus Wood
Producer: Philip Whalley

Telecine Company: Company 3
Colorist: Tim Masick

Mix Company: Mackenzie Cutler
Sound Designer: Sam Shaffer

Song: Black Iris
Artist: Chill Pill 80s


    



Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About the 1980s in One Coked-Up HTML5 Website

Bonkers candy. Betamax. McRib sandwiches. Madonna. Michael Jackson. Reaganomics. Mountains of cocaine. … Man, the '80s rocked. Or sucked, depending on your point of view. Thanks to Mullen's ExploreThe80s.com, folks of a certain age can relive that glittery, gluttonous era in all its gaudy glory. (And Generations Y and Z can experience those years for the first time. Damn their youthful swagger and '90s nostalgia!) The highly interactive HTML5 site promotes National Geographic Channel's upcoming series The '80s: The Decade That Made Us by serving up all sorts of mini factoids about those years. There's little depth, yet the experience is addictive and kind of overwhelming … just like the '80s! The retro-futuristic, arcade-style audio and visuals are especially evocative, recalling a simpler, yet amazingly complex and malleable time when the entire world looked and sounded like Tron.