Kids get bored in the backseat. But instead of suffering through an often fight-inducing game of “Slug Bug,” or anesthetizing them with a tablet movie, what if you could teach them how to make you a better driver?
We can tell you’re into that.
Tom Jones’ 1971 hit “She’s a Lady” was a braggadocio anthem to all the men who’d found the right kind of woman—the kind who has “style and grace,” but, and this is important, “always knows her place.”
Of course, the Paul Anka-penned song wasn’t really about a woman—the titular lady could be anyone—but about a man. That man, in 1971, as second-wave feminism was spreading, had managed to find a lady who would rather go to dinner with him than join NOW.
In any case, that’s exactly why H&M’s use of the song—a new version from duo Lion Babe—in this new ad is so wonderful. H&M has created a feminist anthem soundtracked by a classically misogynist song, for a spot meant to redefine how you think women should look, act and think, where they stand in society, etc.
If you’ve ever hankered for a T-shirt collection featuring classic, awful stock photos—like Happy senior couple piggybacking at the beach, or Firm handshake between business associates—then you’re in luck. Try some Adobe Stock Apparel on for size.
As we’ve mentioned before, very few companies explore the topic of divorce, or its ramifications for families, in their advertising. It’s just too depressing, the thinking goes, even if it’s also, of course, relatable to so many millions of people worldwide.
A few brands have taken the risk—Honey Maid, of course, and also Ford, which rolled out this beautiful and sad short film earlier this year.
Now, it’s Ikea’s turn. Check out the spot here.
There’s a better way to do nothing, according to a new star-studded campaign from boot and shoe company Ugg.
Academy Award winner Jeff Bridges and New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady anchor a series of ads set in a posh Los Angeles living room, relaxing in their wool-lined slippers, and looking great while they’re at it.
A lot of agency-client splits are unpleasant or downright acrimonious. But ad agency Rinck‘s breakup with Gorton’s Seafood has been quite amicable—so amicable, in fact, that Rinck just unveiled a thank-you music video to Gorton’s, inspired by Johnny Cash and filmed in an 1850s textile mill in Maine.
Rinck handled Gorton’s website, social media, PR, promotions and digital media for more than nine years. That relationship is now ending, as Gorton’s is consolidating agencies. But Rinck is OK with that, as you can see in the video, where the agency does a rendition of “We’ll Meet Again,” a 1939 Vera Lynn song that Cash covered in 2002.
Hyundai drivers are weird, weird people who do weird, weird things because of football, according to Innocean USA’s amusing new ads for the NFL sponsor.
In “Choices,” a Pittsburgh Steelers fan has to clean up baby mess in his Hyundai Santa Fe. But what if he misses a crucial play while deciding whether or not to wipe up the vomit with his Terrible Towel? Thanks to his car’s 8-inch Touch Screen with Sirius XM recording feature, he won’t miss anything. As for the vomit, well, you can see for yourself.
It isn’t often in advertising that we get a happy ending that isn’t totally fictional and “brought to you by.“ But here one is, in all its furry glory!
In early May, we wrote about Glimpse Collective’s Kickstarter quest to replace all the ads in a London Underground station with images of cats. By the end of that month, U.K. animal rescue center Battersea joined forces with them, offering its cats up as models, in hopes that nice Londoners would experience love at first sight.
Despite that endorsement, things weren’t looking good. In the last few days of their campaign, Glimpse—which created the Citizens Advertising Takeover Service, or #CatsNotAds—had raised $17,487, just over half of its objective (£23,000, or nearly $30,500). The company appealed to agency heads to provide rescue funds, and we closed our minds and hearts, awaiting the inevitable snuffing-out of a beautiful dream.
But this week we discovered God exists, and loves us. On Monday morning, commuters passing through London’s Clapham Common Tube station were accosted by feline friends.
Everybody’s trying to get in with an esports team … even Geico.
In an unexpected web series released in August, Geico-sponsored Team SoloMid (TSM) have moved into a new neighborhood. Convinced that the pro players are actually hackers, a nosy next-door neighbor named Russell drops in to investigate. (A dolly stacked with Geico swag also makes an appearance, but that’s pretty much the brand’s only imposition in episode one.)
Don’t lose business because you’re still using tedious pen-and-paper legal instruments, says a new ad from Adobe.
Geico has tapped Ice T as the latest cameo in its ongoing “It’s Not Surprising” campaign. And while that may be a surprising follow-up to guys like Marco Polo, he breathes comical new life into the ongoing shtick.
The rapper takes a break from his packed film and TV career to appear as The Martin Agency’s latest punch line. The first ad has a pretty basic setup: Neighborhood regulars, passing by a lemonade stand, lean toward the kids and conspiratorially ask, “Is that iced tea?” “Nope, it’s lemonade,” they reply, with growing frustration.
Michel Gondry famously directed four classic music videos for the White Stripes:
“Fell in Love With a Girl”
“Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground”
“The Hardest Button to Button”
“The Denial Twist”
Now, much to Jack White’s surprise, Gondry has added one more.
Lots of young sports fans imagine themselves playing in the big leagues. Now, sports gear brand Wilson is promising to help them feel closer to the pros with a new Bluetooth connected football, and accompanying app, that can measure stats and offer strategies—making backyard games feel more like stadium epics.
Anyone who watched an NFL game on Sunday saw a short teaser commercial about 100 times where Cheetos spokescat Chester Cheetah and Burger King mascot the King were seen sitting together at a BK restaurant, all exciting about … something.
That something wasn’t made clear, although the King did put a handful of Chicken Fries on the table, hinting at the possibility of a forthcoming Cheetos Chicken Fries menu item, to go along with the Burger King Mac n’ Cheetos introduced over the summer.
McDonald’s is celebrating its “all-time favorites” with a campaign that tells us just how much everybody loves Chicken McNuggets and strawberry milkshakes—without saying it outright.
Each print ad, from Leo Burnett London, features a dead-simple shot of a classic McDonald’s food item, just above a search bar with a couple of letters typed in. What you’re meant to notice is that the first autocomplete result is always the product’s name … because people are way more interested in French fries than French kissing!
Most gritty sportswear ads celebrate working hard and being your best. Not this one. This spot reminds you that you’ve made some enemies, and they’re coming for you.
Starting today, protective gear brand Unequal and Dallas agency 3Headed Monster are rolling out a campaign called “Coming for You,” featuring the intense workout regimens of athletes waiting for their opportunity to break you in half. The spots will air on ESPN and online.
In the campaign’s football-themed ad, we see a player who’s taken on the ominous nickname The Butcher since you, the viewer, tweeted to him: “You’re so soft, you smell like dryer sheets. #weaksauce #scoreboard.”
Ow! Our heartstrings!
Real kindergarteners and first graders star with their moms in Oscar Mayer’s back-to-school campaign from Olson Engage.
Our story beings with three young mothers prepping their kids for the first day of school. “It can be heart-wrenching,” says one mom, while another adds: “It makes me a little sad … That’s my baby. The time’s going by too fast.” There’s a tremor in her voice, but she won’t really get teary-eyed until after the big reveal.
Ever want to fling something at your creative director? Now you can, and it’ll look like a compliment!
This year, Ogilvy & Mather London is hosting Cream, a global showcase of fresh creative talent. In a campaign called “#InYourFace,” it incorporates actual cream pies into the mix.
Cream’s 2016 private viewing will happen at Ogilvy London’s offices next Thursday (Sept. 15), when 20 creative teams will get on stage to hit a roomful of (invite-only) senior creative directors—not with pies, but with “all their talent and creativity.”
The World Surf League catches a whole new wave with “Beach Breaks,” a series of comedy shorts from agency Zambezi and director Peter Miller.
Unlike past WSL efforts that focused on the inherent drama and chaos of surfing, the new work casts the league’s athletes, announcers and executives in skits designed to appeal to both long-time fans and those just discovering the sport.
“The WSL felt like they were succeeding in showing the best competitive surfing in the world, but were missing out on some of the offbeat characters and unique fun that is at surfing’s core,” Zambezi senior art director Chris Rutkowski tells AdFreak.
In seven 30-second clips running on WSL broadcasts and the league’s social platforms, the league “stayed true to the laid-back image of surfers with honest, sometimes self-deprecating humor to make the surfing world as inviting as possible,” Rutkowski says.
The U.S. is the only industrialized country in the world with no minimum paid vacation leave, which at least explains the in-office purgatory many people suffer over the summer. The U.K., however, scores No. 7 for average number of paid vacation days (37!), making it a little less clear why one in three Brits would shirk that time to fill out more TSheets.
That’s “progress” for you, I guess. But it’s obviously also bad business for an airline like Virgin Atlantic. So, with a hand from adam&eveDDB, it’s launched #GetOutOfOffice.
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