Hasta La Creative!

Today brings word that PMK*BNC will absorb the Baltimore-based social marketing agency Spokes in order to create a new all-digital unit called Vowel.

Based in New York, Vowel will be run by PMK*BNC COO Joseph Assad, and its offerings fall heavily on the marketing side of the agency equation: video and other digital content creation combined with social media management, analytics, “influencer marketing” and media relations.

Spokes’ co-founders will assume leading roles in the new entity: Jeff Diamond will be SVP and Matt Kennerson will be senior developer. Their shared portfolio includes work for Intel, UNIQLO, Virgin Mobile USA, and Rdio.

The team at Vowel also includes “senior-level staff with vast editorial and content experience” writing for publications like Blackbook, Billboard and People.

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W+K Amsterdam have a launched a new, global World Cup 2014 campaign for Powerade, “the official sports drink of FIFA.”In addition to television, the campaign also includes print/out of home, digital, and online documentary films (more on that later).

“There’s Power in Every Game” centers around Andrés Iniesta, the Spanish star who scored the winning goal in the 2010 World Cup. He takes center stage in the 60-second spot (featured above), which also features five amateur athletes from around the world. Each of these athletes has “overcome challenges in their lives and in the process have lifted their teammates, rallied supporters and inspired communities through their dedication and achievements in the sport” — which exemplifies the campaign’s #PowerThrough message.

Each of these amateur athletes will be featured in their own documentary, starting with the inspirational story of Nicolai “Nico” Calabria. Debuted at the Kicking + Screaming Football Festival in New York last week and being released as a television spot in addition to its online release, the two minute film tells Nico’s story growing up with one leg and defying expectations to succeed as an athlete. Incorporating an impressively-edited mix of home video footage and live action film, it’s a powerful telling of Nico’s story, and well worth a watch.

“Nico’s story is one of unwavering determination,” said Brynn Bardacke, global group creative director for Powerade. “He truly embodies what we mean when we say there’s power in every player and power in every game.”

Stick around for “Nico & Powerade,” along with credits, after the jump. continued…

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Back in January, high school student Muthana Sweis tweeted to Netflix, “Hey @netflix, if this gets 1,000 retweets will you go to my junior prom with me?” One day later, he already had 1,000 retweets and Netflix said yes.

This of course begs the quetion, “How does Netflix take someone to prom?” The agency involved isn’t allowed to claim credit for the stunt, but they came up with a pretty clever answer. Netflix gave Sweis a series of three choices to make: suit, ride and driver — all, of course, coming from movie and TV references. Sweis went with James Bond’s suit from Skyfall (good choice), the 55 Buick from Grease (dude, you could have had the Breaking Bad Winnebago, what were you thinking!?), and Danny from Grease for the driver (apparently the guy really likes Grease). To see how it panned out on prom night, check out the video above. It seems like Sweis had a very memorable prom experience.

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W+K have just unveiled their latest FIFA World Cup 2014 spot for ESPN, raising excitement for the event with just about 2 months left until it kicks off in Brazil on June 12th.

Entitled “I Believe,” the 60-second spot attempts to pump up Americans for the event, which has gained popularity nationally in recent years. Shots of Team USA in action and crowd footage are accompanied by a chant of “I believe that we can win.” Given the odds against the American squad, “I believe that we can make it past group stage” seems a bit more realistic. Around the 53 second mark of the ad, a Nike “Just Do It” stadium billboard is clear in the background of the in-game action. Given that Nike is (of course) a W+K client, we can’t help but wonder if this was an intentional (and rather slick) move on W+K’s part.

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And now for some more BBDO news: the agency’s ongoing relationship with Anheuser-Busch got a bit fruitier today as its Chicago office won the Bud Light Lime account from Steve Stoute’s Translation.

This move comes less than a year after Bud Light made the same switch; Energy BBDO will run the account.

From AB’s official statement:

“…we are moving Bud Light extensions work to BBDO now to gain synergies.”

And yes, “Translation continues to be a valued creative partner and collaborator on our successful Budweiser Made in America program.”

Just not in Chicago.

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Toronto-based Grip Limited have a new campaign for Testicular Cancer Canada that’s, well, ballsy.

The agency employed risque humor to raise testicular cancer awareness and get more guys to self-examine regularly. Built around the tagline, “No one’s going to check them for you,” Grip’s two TV spots, directed by Matt Swanson, show men receiving testicular exams from unexpected sources, resulting in some pretty ridiculous (and funny) situations. In the first, and more successful spot, “Cop,” a guy is pulled over for a broken taillight. “Let me see your driver’s license,” says the cop, “….aaaand your testicles.” The humor in the spot comes from the resultant avoidance (and non-avoidance) of eye contact and awkward looks during the exam. “Mechanic” is basically the same idea, but with a mechanic in an auto body shop instead of a cop. It could just be that I viewed “Cop” first, but something about it just wasn’t as funny. Nevertheless, both spots make admirable use of humor to make a message that’s all too often forgotten memorable, an admirable accomplishment, especially when you consider the prevalence of testicular cancer.

“Testicular cancer is the most common cancer in men ages 15-29”, explained Testicular Cancer Canada founder Cheryl Perry explained . “If you try to sit these guys down and teach them something, they might tune you out. But if you make them laugh, they’ll remember what you’re saying”.

In addition to the TV spots, the integrated campaign, which is timed to coincide with Testicular Cancer Awareness Month, also features radio advertising from Pirate Toronto and an online testicular cancer “remote scanner.” As you might have guessed, the remote scanner asks dudes to place their balls on their phone screen only to display an error message telling them to check their balls themselves. Stick around for credits and “Mechanic” after the jump. continued…

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“So what do you think, you gonna take it?” asks a BMW salesman in KBS+P and production company O Positive’s new spot for the BMW 3-Series. This sends the man into a reverie of past regrets, from dumping a nerdy Brooklyn Decker in high school to passing up a chance to get in on the ground floor of Twitter. The 60-second spot, directed by David Shane is certainly memorable, showing the 3-Series in the beginning of the spot and linking passing up the opportunity to own it to some pretty poor decision making skills. Spoiler alert: the guy decides to buy it. “Regrets” is well produced, paced, and acted, effectively using humor to make a lasting impression. Just one thing though: Does anyone else find nerd Brooklyn Decker hotter than runway Brooklyn Decker, or is that just me?

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Team One runs through a list sins encouraged by the Lexus F performance line in their new spot, “Temptation.”

According to the 60-second spot, the Lexus F, “Provokes lust, unleashes wrath, incites envy, and elicits pride.” Absent are two of my personal favorites, sloth and gluttony, which Team One decided (understandably) don’t really do much to sell luxury performance vehicles. Greed is skipped over because they’re trying to get people to shell out a lot of money for a car here.

The spot, slickly produced by RSA, does a better job of tying the vehicle to certain sins than others. Lust is embodied by a couple making out in the rain, after which the Lexus F happens to exit a garage, not doing much to show how it “provokes lust.” Oh wait, it’s because the guy stops making out for a second to check out the Lexus F. Ugh. The rest of the sins are dealt with a bit better, with “unleashes wrath” tied not to actual anger but the car’s power, and envy and pride dealt with in more obvious ways. Perhaps most importantly, “Temptation” makes the Lexus F look good, even if its concluding line, “Temptation comes in many heart-pounding forms, but only one letter” is a bit weak. Stick around for credits after the jump. continued…

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Saatchi & Saatchi Thailand have just announced winning Virgin Active duties in Thailand, adding to the agency’s business growth momentum.

“We’re so pleased to be working with Virgin Active,” said Mark Cochrane, CEO of Saatchi & Saatchi Thailand. “They want to become the most loved fitness brand in Thailand, and with the power of Lovemarks thinking we’re really excited to be fuelling their journey. They are great people, and have a great dream.”

Virgin Active is launching their flagship location in Bangkok this month, but Saatchi & Saatchi have confidentially been working on the launch for several months prior. They will be responsible for advertising, design, branded content, PR and activation, and overseeing all social media activity. “We have really concentrated on creating a seamless launch experience for potential members that is rich with surprise and delight at every turn,” said Cochrane. “Together, we’re excited to build ‘the happily ever active movement’ and help Virgin Active become a Lovemark in Thailand.”

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Las Vegas-based SK+G Advertising, which you may remember from the first season of The Pitch and currently works with clients including the Borgata and Andre Agassi Foundation, has landed a new creative leader in Marc Lineveldt, who joins the agency as ECD. Lineveldt joins SK+G after serving in a similar role at Atlanta-based Fitzgerald+CO. It seems SK+G spent some time in its search for a new ECD. In a statement, agency managing partner John Schadler says, “We conducted an extensive and committed search for the perfect ECD candidate who would bring a worldly point of view, honed by experience, which will enhance the company’s position, expand our opportunities for growth and reinforce our pursuit of creative excellence. Marc brings with him an impressive range of achievements and we feel the timing is optimal as we are embarking on taking our business to the next level with continued expansion and global reach.”

During his 24-year ad career, Lineveldt has also served as a co-ECD at TBWA\Hunt Lascaris in Cape Town, and has held creative positions at the likes of Y&R and Saatchi.

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