Hasta La Creative!

Agency SpecialGuest enlisted professional climber Alex Honnold to take on a route in Yosemite known as “Heaven,” in free solo fashion, meaning no rope or protective gear for an ad promoting Squarespace 7.

While Honnold is one of the world’s preeminent solo climbers, “Heaven” is no walk in the park, even for him. Before the ad was shot he’d only taken it on once without gear, and describes it as “the most severe route you’ll ever climb.” Since it also affords the best views in Yosemite, Honnold was happy to take on the challenge. A 30-second version of the spot debuted during the World Series last night, but we’ve included the full length version above.

The spot is part of a larger campaign promoting the launch of Squarespace 7 and Alex also helped inspire “Shift,” one of twelve new design templates in the latest version of Squarespace. As you may remember, he’s also not a stranger to advertising, having scaled the GS&P building this June for Stride Health. (more…)

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Last night after we left the office, we learned that another chapter in the history of independent agencies has closed with the acquisition of Minneapolis-based Olson by ICF International.

What is ICF? It’s a D.C.-based “provider of consulting services and technology solutions to government and commercial clients” that wanted to expand on the “customer engagement, e-commerce and system-integration” services it offers to clients in the public and private sectors.

The basic idea is that ICF, which was previously able to make recommendations to its clients regarding their marketing strategies, can now follow through on that advice via campaign execution.

It’s also worth noting that, while Olson still made the lists of top indie agencies before this week, its owner John Olson did sell to the private equity group KRG Capital Partners back in 2009.

(more…)

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

BBH London has released a new spot for KFC in the UK entitled “Fans.”

In the 90-second spot, two brothers support rival footie clubs — Stirling Albion FC and Dunfermline FC — and each attends a match with one of their parents. Both diehard fans are quite serious about the match but only one team comes out on top. But in heartwarming yet predictable fashion, KFC brings the family back together, and soon the boys are bonding over the new Colonel’s Brownie Bucket. While it may not exactly be breaking new ground, it’s a cute spot and well-executed enough to not seem over-the-top. (more…)

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Playstation teamed up with MOFILM for the latest installment in the ongoing “Greatness Awaits” campaign promoting the PS4, which debuted during Sunday Night Football’s San Francisco 49ers vs. Denver Broncos’ game.

While last year’s installment from BBH New York at least felt like it tweaked the formula a little bit, the latest iteration of “Greatness Awaits” struggles to differentiate itself from its past. The 60-second “Friendly Competition” opens with two buddies throwing it down on the basketball court. “What do you got?” asks one friend. “I’ve got Kevin Durant,” the other replies, and morphs into the gaming version of the NBA star. From here, the friends find themselves thrown into a series of games in a now very familiar formula, set to Daft Punk’s “Contact,” ending with Destiny and the “Greatness Awaits” tagline. Maybe it’s just that it’s been used so much, both in and out of this particular campaign, but the approach now feels somewhat stale and “Friendly Competition” does little to expand upon or revitalize it. (more…)

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

MUH-TAY-ZIK | HOF-FER has a new campaign for the Golden State Warriors entitled “DubTales.”

The Dubs is a nickname given to the club by fans, and the first installment in the “DubTales” campaign involves an obsessive fan/food truck owner talking up Stephen Curry. He boasts of Curry’s Herculean accomplishments such as, “the arc on his shot is so big, it fits two of each animal on Earth,” and “He makes it rain so much they’re asking him to end the California drought.” The campaign also invites fans to write their own “DubTales” to be featured on Golden State Warriors social channels, merchandise and even during games.

“In the last few years The Golden State Warriors have gone from a team that usually missed the playoffs to a contender with stars famous throughout the world,” said John Matejczyk, co-founder and executive creative director, MUH-TAY-ZIK | HOF-FER. “When you get that big, your highlights become the stuff of legend. #DubTales exaggerates and pushes those legends to incredible places.”

The campaign launched on October 13th to stoke excitement for the upcoming NBA season. New spots will continue to roll out throughout the season. (more…)

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

adam&eveDDB, UK enlists the aid of The Slow Mo Guys in a new online ad in support of YouTube, directed by Jack Driscoll, released in both 30 and 60-second iterations.

Since, in recent years YouTube has seen some fierce competition in a market they seemed to solely dominate for a long period (namely Vine), using one of its most popular channels to promote the service makes a lot of sense. It also helps that the schtick The Slow Mo Guys employ is pretty handily explained in under 30-seconds but engaging enough to capture people’s attention. The Guys also tout YouTube as an interactive community by showing how they take suggestions for their show. This format works well for YouTube, allowing its stars to champion the format while also gaining free exposure.

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

With the release of Activision’s Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare coming up on November 4th, Ant Farm has released a 60-second gameplay trailer, the last piece in the long advertising onslaught for the game, which kicked off with a reveal trailer starring Kevin Spacey (who voices a character in the game) back in May. 

Lines from Spacey’s in-game character hold together the trailer, along with gameplay footage and quotes from advanced reviews of the title, such as Forbes‘ “…transcends the line between game and film…” The spot highlights the changes from previous iterations in the franchise, touting a more important plot and improved multiplayer while putting the game’s improved graphics on display. Fans of the franchise have probably already put in their pre-orders but emphasizing the changes in the franchise could bring some newcomers on board.

“We’ve been partners with Activision on the Call of Duty franchise from its infancy, and over the years we’ve had the fantastic opportunity to see it grow to become the massive pop culture phenomenon it is today,” said Rob Troy, chief creative officer at Ant Farm. “This year, the graphics and the multiplayer aspects of Advanced Warfare took a huge leap forward, so the creative aspects behind this campaign needed to pay homage to that.” (more…)

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

New York-based Partners & Spade handled the creative for Whole Foods’ first-ever national brand campaign, entitled “Values Matter.”

The campaign focuses on the sustainability and fair trade practices of the grocery chain, summing up the brand’s philosophy with “To us, value is inseparable from values.” That line is likely also meant to defend the brand from its image as being unaffordable (as exemplified by the oft-repeated reference to the chain as “Whole Paycheck”), explaining to viewers that Whole Foods views “value” in the big picture, while implying a cheapness to the “value” offered by most grocery stores, who don’t place the same emphasis on quality and sustainability. The ad ends with the tagline, “America’s Healthiest Grocery Store,” a title the chain earned in Health magazine.

Other ads in the campaign — such as “Beef” and “Produce” — have a more specific focus. Broadcast spots will air during prime time shows such as Modern Family, Scandal and The Voice, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Jimmy Kimmel Live, and Saturday Night Live, and during World Series and NFL games. Media buying and planning was handle by Austin-based GSD&M.

“Not everyone knows what makes Whole Foods Market different from other grocers, or the fact that no other retailer has standards as demanding or as transparent as ours,” said Jeannine D’Addario, Whole Foods Market’s new global vice president of communications. This campaign will distinguish what makes our brand special, our food different and our quality superior.” (more…)

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Last month, Grey New York debuted a new campaign for DirecTV, introducing the world to Super Creepy Rob Lowe and Less Attractive Rob Lowe in the process. Now the agency is back with a follow-up effort, this time contrasting DirecTV spokesman Rob Lowe with cable subscriber Painfully Awkward Rob Lowe.

The new 30-second spot follows in the same cringe comedy formula as its predecessors. Like Less Attractive Rob Lowe, the new character has made some questionable choices about his appearance, including winged hair, a fanny pack and khakis hiked up to Urkel height. He also doesn’t do well around other people, as, after commenting that you have to wait forever for cable providers to show up he notes, “I hope it isn’t a girl…or a guy.”

With the success of the previous ads, it was only a matter of time before Grey rolled out a successor, and it looks like we can expect more from the campaign as well. According to Adweek, there are “at least two more spots from Grey New York” on the way, begging the question, which Rob Lowe will we see next? (more…)

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Agency Don’t Panic collaborated with production company Unit 9 to explore sightings of superheroes in remote locations in India, Kenya and Mexico in a new PSA for Save the Children.

“She flies with the clouds and she gives water,” says one girl. “He came and destroyed the mosquitoes,” says a small boy. “She came and now we have a new baby sister,” another child adds. “Every child deserves a superhero,” reads text at the end of the ad, when it is finally revealed that the “superheros” in question are, in fact, Save the Children workers. It’s a touching message, as the PSA displays just how important a role Save the Children plays in the lives of children in need, who see their efforts not just as extraordinary but even magical.

The PSA is part of Save the Children’s “Race for Survival” campaign, timed to coincide with the UN International Day for the Eradication of Poverty. It follows in the footsteps of previous collaborations between Don’t Panic and Unit 9 for Save the Children, including “Most Shocking Second a Day” and “Reverse.” The two companies also collaborated for the memorable “Everything Is Not Awesome” effort for Greenpeace, which led to the end of Lego’s partnership with Shell.

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.