Hasta La Creative!

For the 2014 Strategy Agency of the Year Awards in Toronto, Zulu Alpha Kilo decided to take a look at how a sixties adman might fare in today’s agency world. Hint: Not so well.

The video opens with the adman, Dick, being told that he’s being let go due to his unacceptable behavior around the office. When he questions what exactly he did wrong, we’re treated to a montage of Dick’s antics, which include blowing cigarette smoke in the face of a pregnant coworker, exposing a testicle, questioning the need for agency partners, having sex with a prostitute on his desk and, of course, constantly drinking on the job. It’s a funny look at how much the agency climate has changed since the Mad Men era, with a slight twist ending, and well worth a look if you have a few minutes to spare.

Despite being fired, Dick somehow appeared at the awards show last night…

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When last we heard from classic American brand L.L. Bean in 2008, the company had just awarded AOR duties to GSD&M’s Idea City. We weren’t aware that an agency review had been scheduled, but this afternoon we received word that the account now belongs to Erwin Penland.

The agency’s duties will be comprehensive: EP is set to handle digital, retail and creative while also helping the brand develop its marketing strategy.

In explaining the company’s choice, CMO Steve Fuller writes that “Erwin Penland’s roots align perfectly with the L.L.Bean brand.” We take that to mean that creatives at the shop based in our home state of South Cackalacky (yay ‘Cocks) are closer to the brand’s core demographic than, say, those who never leave Manhattan.

CCO Con Williamson will lead the account with the help of Chief Client Officer Joe Saracino, ECD John Cornette and SVP/Account Director Kat Shafer. (The press release does not mention any of EP’s three recent creative hires.) Williamson writes that the win is a “chance to do amazing work for a classic American brand” and calls the pitch “a true all-agency effort.”

We would tell you to check out GSD&M’s Christmas 2011 campaign for hints of what’s to come, but someone made the videos private. Why bother?

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W+K has a new ad for Nike, promoting the launch of its new LEBRON 12 sneaker today with a celebration of LeBron James’ return to Cleveland directed by the Malloy Brothers.

Yes, that’s right: another LeBron James ad about the star’s return to Cleveland. This follows on the heels of Translation’s spot for Sprite (which we wrote about yesterday) and R/GA’s “Re-Established 2014? for Beats, which deal with the exact same subject, as well as the recent Kia spot from David&Goliath, also starring James. Nike’s new spot will run tonight during the Cavs first home game, when it’s theoretically possible that ads featuring James will run back-to-back-to-back.

So there’s a bit of an oversaturation issue with this message, to put it mildly. But how does W+K’s version compare to the others we’ve seen? It might actually be the most melodramatic of the bunch. It opens on James giving a pep talk to his team about giving their all for the city of Cleveland. Soon the entire city is in a huddle, chanting, “Forward! Together!” It’s well-shot, in black and white, but the message comes across as a bit over-the-top, all the more so given the story’s overexposure. The spot will continue to run through November.

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Sofia Coppola (The Virgin Suicides, Lost in Translation) is the latest marquee Hollywood director enlisted for Wieden+Kennedy’s “Dress Normal” campaign for Gap, following David Fincher‘s efforts in August and taking the reigns of four holiday  spots — a pair each for broadcast and online.

The ads spin the “Dress Normal” tagline by showing some abnormal (and often cringe-inducing) family holiday moments. But then what’s more normal than pondering the family you’ll never understand? Each spot ends with the message “You don’t have to get them to give them Gap” preceding the tagline. It’s an interesting approach, positioning Gap as a gift for those family members you have no idea what to give to, but it sits well with the “Dress Normal” tagline and Coppola and company do a good job of making it work in most of the ads.

In perhaps the most successful of the spots, “Gauntlet” a girl returns home to her large, boisterous, and often odd family. Perfectly set to the Johnny Cash song “I Got Stripes,” she makes her way through the house greeting her relatives with an awkward expression on her face that says a lot about the effort she’s putting in to deal with these people. It feels like a telling glance into the lives of a particular family, which is the approach taken throughout these efforts and, along with some great song selections, what makes them charming. The other broadcast spot, “Mistletoe,” documents a particularly cringe-worthy moment under the mistletoe at a holiday party. It’s almost hard to watch, but then that makes it fit the “You don’t have to get them to give them Gap” all the more.

In addition to the two online ads — “Crooner” and “Pinball” — the campaign is supported by print and OOH elements, as well as digital banner ads launching on Gap’s social media channels and GapGiftGuide.com on November 3rd. (more…)

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Publicis Kaplan Thaler has released a new campaign for Crest testing “The Effects of Halloween Candy” on children.

The test is performed by a deadpan moderator who basically lets a group of children in Halloween costumes (the highlight being the little girl dressed as a piñata) binge on candy and records the results. And the results are? “It seems when presented with candy kids exhibit a pathological fixation bordering on psychosis,” according to the moderator. Oh, also, “Piñata has anger issues,” and one little boy threw up in the toilet. Whether you find this cute or annoying (or both) will depend largely on your tolerance for loud children. But then, this is targeted squarely at parents, with the payoff tagline being “Thanks to Crest their teeth are covered” following the message “Halloween candy may have an effect on your kids but not on their teeth.” Now where can we get a piñata costume? (more…)

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Halloween tends to lend agencies a certain leniency with how over-the-top, ridiculous and gory they can make their ads. Even so, Superior’s new ad for Lithuanian mineral water brand Vytautas stretches the limits of appropriateness for even this holiday, and is easily the most fucked up Halloween ad you’ll see this year.

Superior teamed up with director Tadas Vidmantas, who was responsible for this spec ad, which Adweek named “the single craziest commercial of 2012? for the ad, which debuted online yesterday. In the spot, a man is visiting his friend, who lies unconscious in a hospital bed and enjoying a Vytautas. Then he gets the idea to replace the friend’s IV with a bottle of Vytautas, reviving and, uh, arousing the friend as a nurse walks in. What happens next is unexpected, to say the least, and involves flying buttons causing considerable damage. You really need to see it for yourself above because it kind of defies description. And, yes, this is a real ad (not a spec). According to Adweek, there’s even a (slightly tamer) broadcast version for Lithuanian television. The bar for Halloween craziness in advertising has officially been raised, or lowered, depending on your point of view. (more…)

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To show the everyday street harassment faced by women Rob Bliss Creative documented one woman’s ten hour walk through New York City for Hollaback, a nonprofit which aims to end street harassment.

The woman, Shoshana B. Roberts, (a volunteer) walked behind Rob Bliss, who carried a hidden GoPro camera in his backpack, which captured over 100 instances of catcalls and other forms of verbal street harassment (to say nothing of the undocumented winks, leers and whistles). Shoshana, wearing jeans and a crewneck t-shirt, faced endless unsolicited comments as she passed through the streets, ranging from demands that she smile to shouts of “Damn!” and “Hey beautiful.”

Despite the fact that Shoshana silently continued to walk without responding, several men were startlingly persistent. At one point a man actually harassed her for not responding to his catcall, saying, “Someone’s acknowledging you for being beautiful. You should say thank you more.” Another guy continually asked to talk and give her his number and questioned if it’s because he’s ugly that she wouldn’t respond. In one disturbing instance, a man greeted her and then walked beside her for a full five minutes.

The video has generated quite a bit of visibility for Hollaback, with well over four million views since being uploaded yesterday. Since this is the Internet, you can’t deliver a message like this without the misogynist trolls coming out full force and, indeed, the YouTube comments are filled with such asshats, with comments ranging from blaming her moderate attire to pointing to the most moderate calls from strangers as evidence that no street harassment took place while ignoring the more flagrant offenses and sheer volume of harassment. Of course, the backlash is a sign that the video delivers a message such people find threatening or just don’t want to hear. (more…)

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Red Tettemer O’Connell + Partners is launching “Planet of Triumphs” — a new online community for Planet Fitness members to celebrate their accomplishements — with a digital and social campaign.

“Planet of Triumphs” was created with the insight that Planet Fitness’ “Judgement Free Zone” allows its members to accomplish feats both great and small that they might not have been able to do in a setting where they had to worry about how they would be perceived by others. Built on the “belief that every achievement deserves to be celebrated,” the community encourages members to share their stories and accomplishments while both giving and receiving encouragement from other Planet Fitness members. Members can submit their stories via photos and videos using a selection of templates and enter to win win weekly prizes and a chance to be named “Triumph of the Week.” Those who submit before December 16th could also be given a walk-on spot in a 2015 Planet Fitness commercial.

RTO+P introduces the program in the video above, in which Planet Fitness members share their stories. Their accomplishments range from getting on a treadmill for the first time to undergoing such a transformation that people no longer recognize you. The video celebrates these accomplishments while introducing “Planet of Triumphs” and emphasizing Planet Fitness’ all-inclusive mentality. The program is also being promoted through paid digital and social media. (more…)

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McCann New York teamed up with production company Private School Entertainment to create a gun safety PSA for the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence entitled “Conversations.”

The 30-second spot, directed by David Kerr, was first introduced in Pittsburgh as part of a pilot project but is just now being aired nationally. It examines the kinds of awkward conversations parents have with other parents. “My son…playing…you know…” one mother awkwardly fumbles to another at the opening of the spot. Rather than finish the sentence, the ad skips to the same women engaging in other unfinished awkward conversations such as “The boys got into some of Frank’s old…magazines.” At the end of the spot a voiceover delivers the message, “Awkward conversations come with being a parent, but one might save your child’s life. Ask if there’s an unlocked gun in the house before sending your child over to play.”

The ad functions as a sort of follow up to another gun safety PSA from McCann: the sex-toy battle of “Playthings.” Not only is the style of awkward humor reminiscent of that spot, the actresses used (Iris Almario and Anna Vocino) are also the same. Interestingly, that ad was initially created for the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence, and filmed at the same time as “Conversations,” but the group turned it down, fearing it was too provocative. Dan Gross, president of the Brady Center, told The New York Times that the Brady Center then offered it up to another gun-safety organization, Evolve. Evolve had great success with the video, which eventually racked up over 6 million views on YouTube.  (more…)

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360i and Oreo collaborated with designer Lori Nix and production company Dream Machine Creative directors for a Halloween campaign in which the brand will release a new “nomster” made out of Oreo and other confections every day.

The mad scientist creations were crafted and then filmed in a 32-by-64 inch “Oreo Laboratorium” set, designed to evoke Frankenstein, with over 100 props (many of them handmade). It’s a pretty adorable way to get the brand on people’s mind for Halloween, and its “snackable” size (the first video is 11 seconds) make it perfect for sharing on social media. The brand also offers people the chance to “Name the Nomsters” and will feature the best names in custom digital content later in the day. Oreo’s first “nomster” creation was unveiled today, a fusion of Oreo and candy corn to make a bat-like creature. So far naming suggestions include Dunkfluffula, Count Candy Corneo and Vamporeo. (more…)

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