Hasta La Creative!

Breathe Right decided to capitalize on all the attention surrounding potential Triple Crown winner California Chrome’s nasal strip, handing out 50,000 of their own nasal strips (for human use) to those attending Belmont Stakes on Saturday, and also tapping Grey New York for a new broadcast spot.

Grey New York had a very limited amount of time to put that spot together. Written last Wednesday, the spot was awarded production on Thursday, cast Friday, underwent pre-production on Sunday, was shot Monday, and edited Tuesday. The 30-second spot, entitled “The Bedtime Stakes,” will air on NBC Saturday during the race. “The Bedtime Stakes” shows a congested jockey getting ready for bed with a Breathe Right nasal strip. An announcer calls the action as he goes “into the first stretch,” “tucks back into bedpost position,” and goes in “for the final turn.” Sure, it’s more than a little cheesy, and the rushed production may show a little, but leveraging the California Chrome nasal strip controversy is a smart strategy, and, coupled with the Belmont giveaway, should at least get the brand some attention. Credits after the jump. continued…

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Danish digital agency Konstellation recently created “HappyBeerTime” for Carlsberg, a “‘plug & party’ solution that runs from an HDMI stick and uses Instagram to bridge bar-goers off-line socializing with their online social media behaviors to extend happy hours, generate organic bar promotion and create user-generated content for Carlsberg Group.”

The initiative is simple and efficient. When the Google Chrome Cast-esque HDMI stick is inserted into an HDTV, a clock begins counting down for Happy Hour and bar goers are given the opportunity to add time to the Happy Hour countdown by uploading pictures to Instagram and tagging them with the hashtag #HappyBeerTime and the name of the bar.

“At Konstellation we always seek to create new digital playgrounds for our clients’ customers by tapping into people’s existing behaviors,” said Thomas Pries, founding partner and chief creative officer of Konstellation. “#HappyBeerTime is a good example of our approach to innovation, as people already instagram their way through their nights out. Our additions to this existing behavior are simple: an HDMI stick and hashtags. Bar-owners plug in the HDMI stick, and bar-goers use specific hashtags that, when added to their Instagram photos, result in instant rewards – prolonged Happy Hour, and of course, more beer sales.”

You can view video ofHappyBeerTime in action above, and a list of credits after the jump. continued…

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Today McCann announced the addition of James Dawson-Hollis and Bill Wright as executive creative directors, strengthening the leadership team under global creative chairman Rob Reilly.

Dawson-Hollis and Wright join McCann from Ogilvy West in Los Angeles, where the pair served as co-chief creative officers, working on accounts such as Qualcomm, HTC, Nesquik, and Arco gasoline.

Prior to Ogilvy, Wright helped turn Crispin and Porter from a small Miami agency into “one of the world’s most talked-about advertising agencies.” While there, he worked on accounts including Burger King, Miller, IKEA, Coke Zero, Virgin Atlantic Airways, Slim Jim, Molson Canadian, Reddi Whip, and MINI Cooper.

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Saatchi & Saatchi New Zealand created a flaming billboard to launch Sealord’s new line of hot smoked salmon.

The billboard was constructed using Manuka wood branches (the same type used in Sealord’s smoked salmon), which were then set on fire to replicate Sealord’s traditional smoking process. Sealord’s billboard reads, “Smoked: Just Like Our New Manuka Salmon,” although it’s pretty hard to read through all the smoke and fire. As you might recall, this is not the first burning billboard we’ve covered, but it is the first non-steakhouse-related burning billboard we can recall, so there’s that. The campaign also includes the above online video documenting the creation of the billboard, as well as pre-rolls and digital banners.

“When we learned about the wonderful artisan techniques involved in the creation of this delicious salmon, we were inspired to try and find a way to make this process the hero,” explained Saatchi & Saatchi New Zealand executive creative director Antonio Navas. Credits after the jump. continued…

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TDA Boulder has a new ad for Firstbank highlighting the bank’s free checking entitled “Bargain Dummy.” If ventriloquism freaks you out, stay clear of this one.

In the spot, Firstbank’s free checking is contrasted with a less promising free giveaway. A man at a yard sale holds up a ventriloquist dummy and asks, “How much is this?”

“Oh, that’s free” replies the seller. When the man inquires what’s wrong with it, the woman replies, unconvincingly, “Nothing.” As the man walks away with the dummy on his shoulder, the dummy’s eyes shift and look around. “Free isn’t always a good thing,” says a voiceover, accompanied by eerie music, “except when it comes to free checking at Firstbank.”

The creepy 30-second spot is aimed at the 16-39 audience and will run on all broadcast networks, with an emphasis on sports and primetime, as well as more than 20 cable channels, including AMC, ESPN, Comedy Centeral, and USA Network. “Bargain Dummy” will also live online on sites such as EPSN, Pandora, Hulu, Yahoo, and Tremor, where it is sure to creep out unsuspecting site visitors. The geo-targeted online buy includes Colorado, Pheonix, Arizona, and Palm Springs, Califronia. Stick around for credits after the jump. continued…

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Who needs a single channel dedicated to show tunes when you can have an entire network? This line of logic sparked the creation of BwayTunes.com.

It’s the brainchild of Jim Russek, ECD at theater advertising agency AKA-NYC, and Erik Hartog, a Wall Street strategist. Together, they approached 7Digital, known as a formidable stalwart in the music and content digital space with many licenses and connections with record companies.

Millions of show tunes, tens of millions of fans…hundreds of millions of dollars?

Their strategy after the jump…

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With the 2014 World Cup in Brazil now just over a week away, Innocean has kicked off Hyundai’s World Cup campaign, entitled “Because Futbol.”

In the campaign, two new in-game 30-second spots featuring the redesigned 2015 Hyundai Sonata will accompany digital, social, CRM, and retail executions. The spots will air on ESPN and Univision “as part of Hyundai’s exclusive whistle-to-whistle automotive advertising sponsorship of the World Cup series broadcasts on the networks.” The creative theme behind both “Avoidance” and “Boom” is fan passion, with Innocean likening fans loyalty to their team to Hyundai’s number one ranking in customer loyalty. In “Avoidance” a passionate fan leaves the office having recorded the day’s match. Seeking to keep himself in the dark on the game’s outcome, he goes through all sorts of trouble to avoid interacting with those who would spoil the surprise. “Boom” looks at a completely different aspect of fan passion. The campaign also includes a “#BecauseFutbol” site, built on the Tumblr platform, which “inspires and engages fans with unique content and tools developed by dozens of leading Tumblr artists and content creators.” Tumblr artist content will also be featured on the Times Square Billboard in New York during the days leading up to the World Cup.

“Soccer fans are more than just supporters of the game – they are die hard, loyal fanatics for their teams and countries,” said Steve Shannon, vice president, marketing, Hyundai Motor America. “As the industry leader in customer loyalty, Hyundai knows a thing or two about passion. This year’s World Cup campaign shows what being a ‘true’ fan really means; and how for 30 days people come together, lives change, emotions rise and unexpected moments happen.”

Stay tuned for credits and “Boom” after the jump. continued…

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72andSunny has a new campaign for longtime gay rights supporter YouTube, entitled “ProudToPlay.” The star-studded campaign celebrating diversity in sports is set to run through the end of June, which is LGBT Pride Month, reports AdWeek.

In addition to gay athletes such as Jason Collins, Michael Sam and Robbie Rogers, the spot also features clips of Nelson Mandela, President Obama and Kobe Bryant talking about the unifying power of sports and the importance of gay rights. Set to Katy Perry‘s “Roar,” the “#ProudToPlay” video clocks in at two minutes, ending with a rainbow soccer ball YouTube logo tying the spot to the impending World Cup in Brazil (as does some of the footage used). “#ProudToPlay” is already getting a lot of attention. Since its launch yesterday, the video has racked up almost 3 million views (and an unfortunate but completely expected rash of homophobic comments).

“We applaud the courage and openness of athletes at all levels who have come out and admire their teammates, friends, families, and supporters who are all proving that it doesn’t matter who you are or who you love—what matters is that you put forward your best effort,” YouTube wrote in a blog post. “We stand with our community in the belief that youth everywhere should all have the same opportunities to grow up and pursue their dreams and passions, on or off the field.”

For the remainder of the month, YouTube will be sharing a collection of videos about the LGBT community and sports on the YouTube Spotlight Channel, and invites users to upload their own videos “talking about what being #ProudToPlay means to you.”

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As a follow up to last year’s “Feeding Without The Drama” campaign, Boston-based Full Contact advertising has launched a new, integrated campaign for Tommee Tippee’s new and improved pacifier line.

The new campaign, “Naturally Soothing,” includes pre-roll and digital spots, which will run on parent-focused sites, including Babycenter.com, FitPregnancy.com and TheBump.com. With the new campaign, Full Contact “aims to playfully disrupt a low-interest category where many Moms struggle to find what they want and loyalty is low.” The spot, which has both 30 and 15-second executions, highlights the pacifier as “accepted by more babies on their very first try.” Babies are depicted in a variety of “naturally soothing” settings, such as chilling on a beach, relaxing by the fire, and getting the full spa treatment (complete with cucumbers over the eyes), with music to accompany the scenarios. Check out the 30-second spot above and stick around for credits after the jump. continued…

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Multi-cultural-focused ad agency UniWorld Group has officially rebranded, simplifying its name to UWG, which comes on heels of the second anniversary of the leadership of the agency’s new chairman and CEO, Monique L. Nelson, whose focus has been to turn the outfit into an “insight-driven, storytelling agency” for its clients. Some of those on the roster include the USMC, Colgate Palmolive and Lincoln.

In a statement, Nelson  says, “This is a very exciting time. Not just for UWG, but for the industry. The landscape is changing every day, and we have to be nimble and ready to act. As marketers, our clients look to us to tell their story to consumers. We can’t do it without studying and understanding cultural trends that help us tell our clients’ stories with passion, depth and integrity.” Along with its headquarters in Brooklyn, UWG also houses its Culture Labs incubator in Detroit and Atlanta.

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