Hasta La Creative!

“You save a dog. A dog saves you.”

That’s the poignant message of “First Days Out,” a four-minute online film for Pedigree by Almap BBDO in Brazil that follows Joey and Matt, two former inmates who begin to turn their lives around after they adopt rescue dogs.

Joey, who served 12 years for armed robbery, finds the world transformed, and in some ways unrecognizable, after his release. At first he’s alone, confused and frightened about his future, but a trip to the pound changes everything.

“Having a dog with me in this house was so much better,” he says. “Sadie became my family.” Soon, he’s training kennel dogs for adoption.

Matt, who served two years for burglary, is initially estranged from his father and reluctant to connect with others. At one point, he draws a heartbreaking parallel between his own life (inside and out of prison) and the lives of the dogs in the animal shelter: “They all looked kind of sad, just like I was—just caged in.” After adopting Jeanie, he feels as if his “future’s bright again,” and he starts going on job interviews and brings the dog to meet his dad.

The immensely moving documentary, directed in a relaxed, naturalist style by Ricardo Mehedff via Hungry Man, is part of Pedigree’s new “Feed the Good” campaign, its first global push in several years.

“By nourishing the lovable innocence in every dog, Pedigree helps feed the good they bring to the world,” explains Leonid Sudakov, CMO of Mars Global Petcare.

That same theme informs all campaign elements, which include TV, print, online, in-store and social media. Of course, interpretations will vary. For example, a 30-second spot by Colenso BBDO in Australia, titled “Good Fight,” feels more like a typical “commercial” than “First Days Out.” Still, its quirky take on an a street fight about to happen is far from typical pet-food ad fare.

We chatted about “First Day Out” with Mehedff and his brother Alex, who produced it.

AdFreak: “First Day Out” sort of takes the “cute puppy” commercial in a fresh, more meaningful direction. Can you speak to that a bit?
Alex: Advertising is moving into this new territory of content storytelling. A more emotional engagement. With this in mind, we need to approach the narrative of the film differently. The creative [idea] behind this film is just brilliant. That moved us in a big way to get involved and tell a moving story.

Anytime you move away from the “typical” creatively—and hats off to the agency for this brilliant idea—it becomes a golden strategy. We’re happy to have been able to deliver up to par with the idea. We hope it will move people, engage emotionally with the audience … and place the brand in a very special place.

Take me through the process of putting the project together.
Alex: The process is just deep character research, where you cast real people and see what they can bring to the story. You definitely need a couple of weeks. If you rush this phase, you’re dead in the water.

Ricardo: We started nationwide, and were able to get many candidates. Some were inmates who had participated in dog training programs while in prison. This is how we found Joey. He’d done 12 years, and in the last four, he got into the dog training program that, in his owns words, changed his life. When he got out, he was truly alone, and since he spoke so well about dogs, Pedigree helped him adopt a dog for himself. And the incredible thing is, you could really see the change in his spirit and mood. Sadie really brought a smile to his face. The job he got as a dog trainer was directly related to his experience in the dog training programs in prison.

Matt never had any contact with dog training programs in prison. He was just a kid going through a rough patch with his father and having a hard time getting adjusted to life on the outside. Pedigree suggested that he adopt a dog and see what would happen.

What were the biggest challenges in making the film?
Ricardo: We found many other good characters in our research, but were limited to only shooting two of them. Then, shooting in a way that could capture the emotion and truth of their stories and experiences. I found that the best way to do this was to shoot them in the most naturalistic way, with as little interference as possible.

What surprised you most?
Ricardo: How the dogs really helped these guys. I thought it would be strong, but their connections were really intense.

From the first day I met Joey, he was always a very serious, soft-spoken guy. He was really nice, but very quiet. Almost never smiled. Sometimes I would kindly ask him to smile, but it just didn’t look right. The moment he adopted Sadie, he was became a different person, a natural smile formed. This guy truly loves dogs. And his facial expressions show this.

It must be tough not to make this kind of material seem overly manipulative.
Ricardo: That was my goal in making this film. I have a strong background in documentary filmmaking, having worked closely with Eduardo Coutinho, one of the most important doc filmmakers in Brazilian cinema. I direct and edit my films, so that really helps in the storytelling process. As I’m directing, I’m usually editing the film in my head.

This film was about capturing the magic that occurs between man and dog. I knew this magic exists. I just wanted to shoot it in a way that was non-invasive and let their relationship flourish and grow naturally.

CREDITS
Advertiser: Mars
Agency: AlmapBBDO
Title: First Days Out
Product: Pedigree
General Director Creation: Luiz Sanches
Executive Director Creation: Bruno Prosperi, Renato Simões
Creation Director: André Gola, Pernil
Digital Creative Director: Luciana Haguiara
Creation: Pernil, André Gola, Fabio Cerdeira,  André Sallowicz,  Felipe Cirino, André Leotta
Rtvc: Vera Jacinto, Ana Paula Casagrande, Diego Villas Bôas
Producer: Hungry Man
Managing Partner: Alex Mehedff
Executive Producer: Rodrigo Castello e Renata Corrêa
Direction: Ricardo Mehedff
Photography: Grant Weiss, Mike Alex and Ricardo Mehedff
Line Producer: Mariana Barbiellini
Track: Big Foote
Assembler / Editor: Ricardo Mehedff
Post-production Supervisor: Rodrigo Oliveira
Finishing: Great Studio
Color Grading: Psycho N’Look
Assistance: Fernanda Antonelli, Pedro Fragata, Samantha Kechichian and José Maria Fafe
Planning: Cintia Gonçalves, João Gabriel, Daniel Machado, Augusto Veríssimo and Marília Rodrigues
Media: Flávio de Pauw, Brian Crotty, Fábio Cruz, Juliana Melo and Carolina Pimentel
Digital Media: Kaue Cury, Livia Novaes e Rogério Beraldo
Business Director: Rodrigo Andrade
Approval: Leonid Sudakov, Marina Sachs, Oduvaldo Viana, Fernando Manoel

Surf’s up—so let’s suit up business-style and catch a wave!

That’s the thrust of a new project by TBWAHakuhodo and Quiksilver, which have teamed up to introduce True Wetsuits in Japan. These 2-millimeter-thick neoprene suits help guys look smashing at the office—or while hanging ten, shooting curls or whatever the hell people do on surfboards these days.

The well-dressed dude in the two-minute clip below certainly seems to be having fun, playing hooky at the beach and texting work that he’s stuck in traffic. Such a rebel. He’ll make CEO in no time.

So, why is Quiksilver selling such an item? In the making-of video, Tokyo salaryman Masashi Yuki explains: “It takes too much time to put on a wetsuit and then take it off again, you know?” Quiksilver brand director Shin Kimitsuka adds, “As your lifestyle changes, you have less time to go surfing. I thought it would be interesting to offer this product as a new solution to deal with this issue.”

These made-to-order suits are, at present, available only in Japan and exclusively in men’s styles. Delivery takes two months, and jacket, pants, shirts and ties are included for about $2,500 total. That’s a bargain! At Barney’s, some sportcoats alone will run you more than that. And think how much you’ll save on dry cleaning!

Warren Buffett is known for many things, but singing hasn’t been one of them—until now.

Buffett played “I’d Like to Buy the World a Coke” on a custom ukulele (presented to him recently by Wieden + Kennedy) in a video Wednesday that opened the company’s annual meeting as it celebrates its 100th birthday. 

Odd? For sure. But certainly on brand. The billionaire investor and philanthropist does love Coke. Not only does he own $16 billion in Coca-Cola stock, but he told Fortune in February that he’s “a quarter Coca-Cola” and drinks five 12-ounce servings of the soda daily.

The custom ukulele, which has a sound hole in the shape of the classic Coke bottle, was made by Portland-based luthier Mark Roberts. Crafted in five weeks out of European Carpathian spruce from Romania, reclaimed Honduran mahogany and Malagasy ebony, the red ukulele was given to Buffett last month at his Berkshire Hathaway office in Omaha.

“He picked it up and practiced the song, changing the key a few times,” said Thomas Harvey, account director at W+K. “You can see him tuning up and singing at the start of the film. The whole process only took about 30 minutes.”

Maybe you saw the billboard, or the documentary about Frank La Rant, or the lookbook. If so, you were probably disappointed to learn that Plastique, the high-end plastic pants supposedly designed by La Rant, aren’t real. And that the whole thing was a spoof by Fruit of the Loom.

The spoof by Crispin Porter + Bogusky originally came from the brand’s TV ad in which Fruit of the Loom purportedly tested its boxer briefs by having people wear transparent plastic pants. (If anything would make underwear ride up, it would presumably be that.)

From there, CP+B launched a full-scale high-fashion parody—poking fun at underwear brands like H&M that pretend to be all glamorous in selling the most basic attire out there. The campaign included fashion ads, outdoor, digital, a web experience, social media accounts, and even men in Plastique parading around SoHo and Rodeo Drive.

“Throughout the campaign, Fruit of the Loom held the position that they didn’t really get how you could call plastic pants fashion,” the agency says. “But it was very clear that they were behind (and underneath) this entire story, giving this long time underwear maker the innovation and style cred they deserved.”

See more from the campaign below.

Call it branded oral surgery.

In a ridiculous, hilarious and, yes, very real campaign from Ogilvy Argentina, Salta beer has designed tooth implants for the country’s rugby players who have lost teeth in games. And very special implants they are—they function as bottle openers.

Check out the video below, which really goes into detail about how this is done. In other words, be warned—it’s not for the squeamish.

CREDITS
Client: Salta
Agency: Ogilvy & Mather Argentina
Executive Creative Directors: Javier Mentasti, Maximiliano Maddalena
Head of Art: Diego Grandi
Creative Directors: Juan Pablo Carrizo, Patricio Elfi
Art Director: Bruno Franchino
Copywriters: Horacio Sormani, Damian Martinez, Alejandro Juli
General Account Director: Natalia Noya
Business Intelligence Director: Carolina Coppoli
Head of Planning: Rodrigo Garcia
Responsible for the Client: Nicolás Rubino
Head of Production: Valeria Pinto
Agency Producer: Alejandro Travaglini
Production House: Huinca Cine
Director: Fernando Roca
Executive Producer: Diego Turdera
General Production: Merlina Scalice, Cristian Izzi
Postproduction House: ControlZ
Postproducer: Cristian Martino
Director of Photography: Martin Nico
Editor: Rulo Gomez
Locution: Juan Antonio Middleton

A wedding day is among the happiest moments in a person’s life, a milestone to look back on for years to come—which makes it all the more strange that people are still denied the right just because they love someone of the same sex.

“Nobody’s Memories,” a new ad from FCB for LGBT advocacy group PFLAG Canada, imagines—and laments—the joys missed by couples unable to legally marry in years past. They’re seen walking down the church steps to applause, piling into the wedding car, sharing a bite of cake at the reception, and the myriad other little images and traditions associated with the big day.

It’s a simple, powerful illustration of why the right to gay marriage matters in societies that purport to pride themselves on ideals like freedom, equality and the pursuit of happiness. (The fact that whole thing looks like it was shot through various Instagram filters, much of it with shaky homestyle hand cams, could border on distracting, but actually sets the right, intimate tone).

Same-sex marriage is currently legal in Canada, as well as 36 states in the U.S., Washington D.C., and some 15 other countries around the world. But with the U.S. Supreme Court currently hearing arguments on the constitutionality of other states’ bans on the right, the spot certainly makes for a timely reminder of what’s at stake.

And for anyone who’s having trouble wrapping their head around it, it’s also a good cue to remember that gay marriage, in fact, does not spell the end of the world.

CREDITS
Client: PFLAG Canada
Title: Nobody’s Memories

Agency: FCB Toronto/FCB Chicago
Creative Director: Jon Flannery Chief Creative Officer & Jeff Hilts Creative Director
Writer: Krystle Mullin
Account Team: Cynthia Roach, Rebecca Gorveatt
Print Producer: Victor Carvalho
Media: Initiative Shannon Pluem, Ryan Ghaeli

Production Company: Lord + Thomas, Duckpond Creative
Executive Producer: Katie Roach, Josh Greenberg
Line Producer: Carra Greenberg
Director: Ben Flaherty
Editing House: LORD&THOMAS
Editor: Ilsa Misamore
Music House/Sound: RMW
Sound Engineer: Jason Ryan
Executive Producer, Audio: Jared Stachowitz

Extra Space Storage—which offers storage space for your old drum set and boxes of Beanie Babies, not your digital files—created this ad, believe it or not, about the joys and woes of parenting.

In “10 Things I Wished I’d Known Before Having a Baby” (created by Utah agency Issimo), parents run through pieces of advice like “Take time for yourself” and “Be prepared for the unexpected.” It gets increasingly emotional (watching the parents choke up stirs up some feelings) and ends with the No. 1 poignant piece of advice—about love.

It’s an interesting (strange?) angle for a storage company to take. But it’s clearly resonating, having already topped the 1 million view mark on YouTube. And Extra Space Storage quietly ties it together with simple copy: #makeroomforlife.

Not everyone thinks having a so-called beach body means being a svelte, bikini-clad model. Now, British people are creatively reminding one advertiser of that.

U.K. fitness brand Protein World has been running billboards in the London Underground featuring a skinny woman in a revealing swimsuit, alongside the incendiary tagline, “Are you beach body ready?”

Summer is around the corner – Lets get beach body ready!!pic.twitter.com/COD2NQlo9o

— Protein World (@ProteinWorld) April 14, 2015

Unsurprisingly, a number of people have taken exception to the implied standard for beauty, and have been hijacking the campaign as a canvas for messaging about positive body image—by posting new versions online.

Some of the critiques amount to simple graffiti, adding copy like, “Yes, everybody is. Love your body the way it is.” Others have gotten more inventive—like a pair of women who photographed themselves in their own bikinis in front of a copy of the ad, and pointed out that best way to get a beach body is to “take your body to the beach.”

One particularly clever satirist even cooked up a fake response ad from soap brand Dove—ever the body-image opportunist—under the umbrella of the brand’s famous Campaign for Real Beauty tagline. (“Though we think ALL bodies are beach-ready, this image was not created or sanctioned by Dove,” reads one tweet from Dove U.K. A second further explains, “We agree with 2/3 of UK women who’d prefer to see more women of all shapes & sizes.”)

The incredibly charming Protein World, for its part, seems to be relishing the backlash, taking to Twitter to blast the “insecurities” of detractors, brand them “terrorists,” and whine about a nation of “sympathizers for fatties”—while also crowing that the campaign has tripled sales and that the company has granted its public relations team a bonus. (A Change.org petition petition to remove the ads has reached 45,000 signatures, but the company’s CEO is holding out for 1 million).

In other words, the brand doesn’t want you to think it’s being persecuted for an honest, well-intentioned misstep, and would rather be crystal clear that the whole thing is an ongoing, brazen and snide attempt at trolling that is playing out pretty much exactly as intended.

Or maybe its execs just sat out in the sun too long.

Via Work That Matters.

@ElectricAlley @ProteinWorld @RossalynWarren sales have tripled and the PR department has got a bonua #Winning

— Arjun Seth (@arjun_seth) April 26, 2015

McDonald’s in France makes some of the most spare, striking outdoor ads anywhere. For the past couple of years, the OOH ads have shown just the menu items, with almost no branding at all—first in closeup photography, then with simple drawings of the products.

This summer, the brand, working with TBWA Paris, is evolving the campaign by adding emojis to the images. (Emojis are now a requirement of every ad campaign everywhere, by the way.) The product drawings are now made up, pointillist style, of tiny emojis—reflecting the emotion stirred by the products.

For example: The Big Mac is made up of hundreds of little thumbs-up signs; the fries are made from smiley faces; the sundae from musical notes; and the Happy Meal from heart symbols. (Those are the only four menu items highlighted this time. The Happy Meal is new to the campaign, while the Quarter Pounder, Filet-O-Fish and Chicken McNuggets have been dropped from the ads.)

McDonald’s says the “pictograms” campaign has “placed the brand at the heart of the pop culture.” Indeed, the marketer clearly believes the work is practically high fashion. This year’s campaign includes a McDonald’s collection at Colette, the Paris fashion and lifestyle store, consisting of six products bearing the campaign’s imagery—T-shirts, tote bags, scarves, iPhone cases, notebooks and postcards.

See the rest of the images below.

The outdoor ads:

 
The Colette collection:

The best marketing embodies, rather than just projects, the message it’s trying to deliver. And 360i’s new tourism campaign for New Orleans is a good example of that.

Three TV spots all use the same voiceover script, but completely different characters and locations, to cleverly communicate the point that you can have all sorts of diverse experiences in the city.

Check out the ads below, directed by Henry Mason and produced by Chelsea Pictures, with an original score by David Torkanowsky and renowned New Orleans musicians:

The ads, for the New Orleans Tourism Marketing Corporation, must be played sequentially to make the most sense, and that’s the plan on TV and digital (via Facebook) in 35 target markets.

The campaign continues the “Follow Your NOLA” theme and showcases the city as a unique, one-of-a-kind experience. It will also use radio, influencer marketing, mobile and live events to court travelers. On mobile, the upgraded followyournola.com will feature curated itineraries for each of the TV ads, as well as celebrity itineraries by Anthony Bourdain, Emeril Lagasse and John Besh.

NOTMC is also getting social influencers to create their own ideal New Orleans trips and share them on Instagram, YouTube and their own blogs.

“New Orleans has an incredible range of experiences and attractions for people of all mindsets and interests—that’s the insight at the heart of ‘Follow Your NOLA.’ Our challenge was to bring this to life with stories that live up to the beauty and creative spirit of the city itself,” said Pierre Lipton, chief creative officer at 360i.

“The result is an integrated campaign with digital at the core. Our videos and TV executions illustrate visitors’ top interests discovered through social listening; the mobile site showcases itineraries featured in the spots; social influencers bring their own NOLA trips to life online; display and mobile ads target the right people at the right time; and the events bring the NOLA experience to life across the country.”