Lima, Peru, gets about half an inch of rainfall per year. Yet the atmospheric humidity is around 98 percent. UTEC, the country's major university of engineering and technology, took this peculiar problem and—with help from ad agency Mayo Draftfcb—devised a unique solution: a billboard that draws moisture out of that humid air and turns it into potable drinking water. Check out the case-study video below to see how it works. The billboard wasn't just a nice gesture, either. It served as a recruitment tool to get more students to apply to the university.
On a related note: Burt's Bees is capturing rain water with a billboard of its own—the same interactive board from Baldwin& that delighted Minneapolis last year with its "hydrating" coupons. In the video below, see how the ad is continuing to give back with an interesting second act as a prototype for a rain catchment system.
Which way to the bar car? John Jameson returns in another fun, rollicking tall tale from TBWA\Chiat\Day, this time rescuing comely lasses and barrels of his namesake Irish whiskey from a speeding 19th-century train. The Iron Horse engine, however, shoots over a cliff and falls into the sea, where it smashes a Prussian ship and sends the would-be invaders sinking to the bottom. Poor Prussians, I bet they got swallowed by a giant octopus. Kidding, of course. I know the octopus is fictional, just like Prussia. (I'm not seeing it on the Google Maps, people! Oh, there it is in Pennsylvania.)
With a sold-out inventory of spots costing $1.7 million per 30 seconds, this Sunday's Academy Awards presentation on ABC is looking to be quite an epic advertising event. But one brand will use its pricy piece of time to promote something even more epic. Grey Poupon is reviving its famed "Pardon me" ad campaign from the 1980s and '90s, though the new version by Crispin Porter + Bogusky seems to contain quite a bit more automotive combat and evasive driving. During the Oscars, watch for the 30-second teaser trailer below, which will be your sign that the full 2-minute ad is live on GreyPoupon.com. Then check out the March 4 issue of Adweek for the full story behind the ad's creation and execution. In case you need a reminder of how this all got started, we've added the original 1981 ad after the jump.
UPDATE: The full two-minute short film is now live. See below.
Here’s a creative way to highlight an issue as mundane as cramped working conditions. Instead of using computer-generated special effects, agency Dare creates optical illusions through custom set design in new ads for the British Columbia Children's Hospital Foundation. The skewed perspectives and furniture are properly disorienting (it's like they put a hospital in Willy Wonka's house), and the spots illustrate the hospital's current space issues in a way that might have proven too distracting with digital effects. Check out one ad below, watch another after the jump, and read more about the effort over at Adrants.
Miracle Whip is spreadable, and so is the Kraft brand's superlative, spot-on send-up of "We Are the World"-style social-benefit music videos, which is approaching 250,000 YouTube views in about two weeks. This new installment of the condiment's "Keep an open mouth" campaign, launched last year by mcgarrybowen, finds a delicious assortment of mostly-has-been C-listers (Z-list in Don Dokken's case) belting out a heartfelt anthem that begins: "In this world there's lots of turkey, but also a lot of fear. People making up their minds, before the facts are clear. And when it's time to make a sandwich, ugly judgment rears its head. If it's tangy, creamy, different, chances are it won't get spread." The inspired silliness succeeds because the performers poke fun at their public personas while, against all odds, actually sounding great together. Wynonna asserts, "Some say country is too twangy, and its lyrics aren't too smart," and the Village People lament, "Disco's good for dancing, but not considered art." Lance Bass tears up, and Tiffany tears it up on vocals—her pipes almost steal the show, though Susan Boyle shines on the infectious "Open your mind, open your mouth" refrain. The spot's respectful of their faded celebrity, and everyone's in on the joke, so we're laughing with them instead of at them. As for past Miracle Whip booster Lady Gaga, she's still too big a star for such shenanigans—but given fame's fleeting nature, I'm sure her turn will come.
It's a dispute petty enough to be a subplot on The Office. WNEP-TV, the ABC affiliate for the show's hometown of Scranton, Pa., is refusing to run a TV spot for Dunder Mifflin paper products during the Oscars. Why? Most likely because the fictional brand is too connected to rival network NBC. A de-fictionalized version of the show's paper brand has been sold in real life since 2011 by Staples-owned Quill.com, thanks to a licensing partnership with NBCUniversal. A Quill.com representative tells Adweek that WNEP won't air the Dunder Mifflin ad "apparently because of the brand’s NBC ties." WNEP declined to comment on whether it had rejected the ad, citing corporate policy. A similar ad just ran during the Super Bowl, apparently thanks to Scranton's CBS affiliate, WYOU-TV, being less finicky about the brand's background.
In another Office-esque twist, Dunder Mifflin's ad has found a new home during the Oscars broadcast on ABC affiliate WUTR in Utica, N.Y.—home of Scranton's rival branch in the show. As for the new spot itself, "The Battle" is a fairly straightforward follow-up to the brand's "Paper Fight" Super Bowl debut, featuring more white-collar grunts attacking one another with paper weaponry. It's like the perfect metaphor for an ad-placement spat. PR agency Olson is leading strategy on the campaign, and both ads were created through crowdsourcing platform Tongal.
While TNT has set the bar pretty high for interactive stunts in public spaces (in Holland, at least), there's still something charming about this "Best Bus Stop Ever" video from mobile firm Qualcomm. When commuters responded via mobile to a Qualcomm URL advertised on a bus shelter, the site triggered a real-world experience, such as a woman offering a ride in a Lamborghini for those who responded to the ad labeled "In a hurry?" Another ad with the headline "Seen it all?" triggered a dog sled team to arrive, and a response to "Bored?" sent in a bus of circus performers to terrorize entertain the crowd. Hat tip to The Presurfer.
Billy Corgan makes his advertising debut in this bizarre, low-budget and cobranded ad for Resistance Pro Wrestling and Chicago furniture retailer Walter E. Smithe. By way of explanation, the Smashing Pumpkins frontman has been a wrestling fan for years, and opened Resistance Pro as his own wrestling promotion firm in 2011. As if the connection between Smashing Pumpkins and smashing skulls wasn’t confusing enough, this ad also isn’t altogether clear what's being sold. It’s technically an ad for the Chicago furniture shop, which is known for its zany local commercials, but Corgan’s wrestling site gets prominent billing, too. The Chicago Tribune reports that Walter E. Smithe donated $50,000 to animal-rescue group PAWS Chicago as compensation for Corgan’s appearance. The Smithe brothers, who appear in the ad as Corgan’s musical chairs competitors, say they hope the spot will help them launch a new furniture line aimed at 24- to 40-year-olds. Via Rolling Stone.
Christmas may be 10 months away, but Sony knows it’s never too early to start building buzz for its long-awaited holiday release, the PlayStation 4. Beating rival Microsoft in the race to announce the new generation of game consoles, Sony today unveiled the first legitimate details of the PS4, including some of the launch titles that could be crucial in making the device a sales success right out of the gate (unlike the PS3, which initially saw sluggish adoption due to its combination of high sticker price and low game selection). What will the PS4 cost? No idea. What does the console look like? Good question. For now, Sony would rather focus on showing you how amazing these new games are going to look. So why disappoint them? After the jump, we’ve gathered up the 10 trailers that are supposed to leave you panting for a PlayStation 4. Even if you don’t plan to wait in line for one, you’re going to want to watch these:
Sony PlayStation 4 Announcement Trailer
Here's a quick wrapup video from Sony's announcement event, with highlights of several games and features:
Destiny
A sneak peek of the new project from Bungie, creators of the Halo franchise. Destiny will be available on current consoles, the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, but is also being developed for the new PS4:
DriveClub
Sony describes DriveClub for the PS4 as a "next-generation, socially connected racing game that captures the heart and soul of car culture." The realism of the gameplay footage is pretty staggering:
Deep Down (Working Title)
Fantasy RPGs are a staple of video gaming, so it's no surprise that Sony has one lined up for the PS4 (even if it doesn't have an official name yet). In this trailer, you get to see some hot, hot man-on-dragon action:
Infamous: Second Son
Popular anti-hero game series Infamous returns on the PS4. Notice that the security camera footage show's the date of Sony's announcement event, Feb. 20, 2013:
Killzone: Shadow Fall
Another longstanding PlayStation franchise that's set to return on the PlayStation 4:
The Witness
Indie game icon Jonathan Blow, creator of Braid, has created a colorful and intriguing new title for the PlayStation 4:
Watch Dogs
Trailers for this open-world epic have been around for a few months, but here's some pretty incredible footage from the PlayStation 4, with narration from the game's lead designer:
Knack
Just so you don't think the PS4 will be all murder and mayhem, here's a trailer for a clever game with younger players in mind:
PlayStation 4: See the Future
This five-minute clip featuring the brains behind the PlayStation 4 is probably a bit too geeky for most casual gamers, but if you're curious to hear about the philosophical changes that will separate the console from its predecessors, it's worth a watch:
So what do you think? Assuming the price is right, are you intrigued enough to consider picking up a PlayStation 4 this holiday season?
It's relatively easy to feel comfortable walking mostly naked on a beach if you're in the tropics. It's less easy when you're in Ireland. Huby Harton, an Irish singer who's probably been told a thousand times that he looks like the guy from the Southern Comfort ad, decided to embrace the resemblance—and re-enacted the classic Wieden + Kennedy spot one winter's day on Dollymount Strand in Dublin to promote his latest album. Hey, whatever's comfortable. The video made it to Southern Comfort's Facebook page today.
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