Hasta La Creative!

Tribal DDB–sorry, Tribal Worldwide as it’s now known–collaborated with Volkswagen, electronic vets Underworld, production company B-Reel and director Anders Hallberg to create “Play The Road,” a 2:47 video showing the Volkswagen Golf GTI turned into a musical instrument by a new iPhone app.

The video, filmed over two nights in London, shows precision driver Thomas Wulff utilizing the new app to create new music, recorded by Underworld but “controlled by the speed and steering of the car itself.” It’s a cool idea, and while the music created isn’t exactly mind blowing, it really does seem to sync with the driving experience well. Of course, having a precision driver like Wulff showing your car off doesn’t hurt either. At the end of the long spot, Volkswagen plays on their usual “Drivers Wanted” tag, changing it to “Musicians Wanted.” So far, the iPhone app used in the ad has not been made commercially available. Although Volkswagen UK was offering visitors to their Facebook page a chance to win the opportunity to experience the app , the competition now appears to be closed.

If you’d like to learn more about “Play The Road” and how it was developed, Tribal worked with director Ed Sayers to create “”How We Reinvented Driving Music.” It’s an interesting look at the new technology, and those involved with creating it. Be forewarned though, it may just make you want the app more. We’ve included it, along with credits, after the jump.  continued…

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Just days after announcing his resignation from Saatchi & Saatchi New York, Con Williamson has landed a new gig at Erwin Penland, where he takes on the role of chief creative officer and work with clients including Denny’s, an account the agency took over a few months ago. Initial word last week was that Williamson would be starting a new shop, but that is not to be obviously. The 15-year creative says in a statement regarding his move, “I immediately connected with [Erwin Penland president] Joe [Erwin[]when we met over a year ago and instantly related to Erwin Penland’s sense of purpose, its entrepreneurial drive and more than anything the team’s conviction. They aren’t just talking about ‘changing the game’ or ‘being digital,’ the agency is already doing these things. We want to shake things up together and I’m glad to have the opportunity to do it with amazing people from the leadership team down.”

Along with the hiring of Williamson, who also spent time at the likes of what was Euro RSCG as well as Fallon/Duffy and JWT during his 15-year creative career, Erwin Penland has also appointed fellow Saatchi NY alums John Cornette as SVP/ECD and John Dunleavy as managing director for the agency’s New York office;/director of account management for the entire agency.

(pictured l-r, Cornette, Erwin, Williamson and Dunleavy)

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Nope, Campbell Mithun’s not moving out of its home turf in Minneapolis but the agency will be settling into new Twin Cities digs come Q4 of next year. The 80-year-old, IPG-owned agency has just signed a lease to be the lead tenant in the 510 Marquette building and will occupy approximately 65,000 square feet on the 10^th-13^th floors as well as the rooftop and penthouse. So, why the move? Well, according to CFO Steve Arndt (above), the goal is to offer a more “employee-centric” environment in a space that has, yes, “no ceiling tiles” and adopts the now-popular open floorplan model. Campbell Mithun is working with Julie Snow Architects on the new office, which you can see in barebones form via the b-roll clip of staffers below. If you care for further explanation on the move, this time from CM CEO Rob Buchner, you can check out the brief :30 clip after the jump.

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The winter holidays are usually presented as a series of idyllic, perfect family moments. But most of us know better.

Red Tettemer O’Connell + Partners teamed up with Sprout, the 24 hour preschool channel for parents and kids, to create “Holiday MOMents,” which they describe as “a site for moms to customize and share their very own moments with kids and their moms.” Read: awkward moments. The campaign was built around “consumer insight” (brought to you by Captain Obvious) showing how stressful and overwhelming the holiday season can be for moms with young children.

The site allows users to choose from a list of templates, including “Holiday Cheers and Tears,” ““’Tis the season to be messy,” “The Hostess with the MostStress,” and “Post Dinner Nap Time the New Family Tradition.” Visitors to the site then upload their imperfect holiday moment, and instantly have an honest holiday e-card on their hands. It’s a simple, fun idea tailored perfectly to Sprout’s audience. (Although I can’t help thinking fathers might feel a bit left out.)

RTO+P have also created a holiday giveaway campaign called MerryThon, which you can find on Sprout’s Facebook and Pinterest pages. The campaign, which started Wednesday and will run until December 24th, features a different prize given away every day. Also part of MerryThon is a daily craft or activity featuring one of Sprout’s popular characters. Sprout’s holiday campaign will also feature mobile and display ads. Credits and an additional “Holiday MOMent” below.  continued…

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Today, Southeastern Conference commissioner Mike Slive and ESPN senior vice president Justin Connolly debuted a new brand campaign celebrating the planned launch of the SEC Network. Both national television spots and previews of print ads “were revealed as part of a series of SEC Network programming announcements made at a press conference prior to the SEC football championship game at the Georgia Dome, in Atlanta.” The new campaign, developed along with North Carolina agency McKinney, is called ”Take It All In,” which may or may not be a reference to butt chugging.

The campaign includes “a series of print, TV and online ads that not only focus on the overarching SEC Network, but also on each of the 14 schools of the SEC.” The full “Take It All In” campaign will roll out next year, leading into the launch of the network in August.

The debut TV spot, called ““Not Just a Casual Fan” (which, come to think of it, would have made a better campaign title), can be viewed above. It, in Justin Connolly‘s words, ”bring fans the grandeur of the SEC in a celebratory, immersive and real way.” As the title of the spot suggests, it features die-hard fans both old and young, many of them ridiculously dressed. This is a solid tactic, since these are the kind of rabid SEC fans who might shell out for the new network. It’s just too bad they didn’t think of all the implications to their tagline/campaign title. Or maybe they did. Credits after the jump. continued…

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LA-based agency David&Goliath has crafted a new campaign promoting VIZIO’s M-Series Smart TV and VIZIO Sound Bar, complete with the new tagline, “Beautifully Simple.”

The TV campaign contains three new spots: “So Easy,” “My Station” and “Tiny Dancer.” Each of these was directed by Michael Downing, with cinematography by Masanobu Takayanagi (who has worked on Silver Linings Playbook and Babel). Together, the spots form a kind of narrative, beginning with “So Easy” (featured above). This spot, and the campaign as a whole, play on the fact that children often understand new technology better than their parents. In “So Easy” a young girl helps her dad through problems with his laptop and smartphone. The father then jumps at the opportunity to help his daughter pick a program on VIZIO’s M-Series Smart TV. A cute idea, that is unfortunately followed by the theme-line ”So easy, even an adult can figure it out.” This wouldn’t be a problem, if it wasn’t for the fact that Geico ruined the lines “So easy, even a…” for everyone, forever.

The next spot, “My Station,” is probably my favorite of the bunch, featuring the dad discovering his daughter’s Pandora station. “Tiny Dancer” concludes the series by upping the cute factor, as well as the father’s competence with the M-Series Smart TV. David&Goliath’s approach of creating a series of ads meant to be viewed in a certain order is interesting, and they pull it off by making each of them able to stand alone as well. I just wish they’d get rid of that theme-line.

Clearly targeted at dads, the campaign will run through the college football season on ESPN’s networks and Hulu into early 2014. Stay tuned for the final two spots, as well as credits, after the jump.  continued…

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How do you take attention away from the fact that you were recently declared the worst cellular network in a consumer report? If you’re Sprint, apparently you get agency DigitasLBi to work with you to create a gesture-based, interactive retail experience. Because that’s the future: being able to shop online without having to use a pesky mouse and keyboard. But where to unveil such a creation? What is an event where people would see the Sprint name and not know any better?

Sprint will unveil the new “Shop. Hands Free. In 3D.” experience during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champion’s Week in Las Vegas, tomorrow, Dec. 6. This follows on the success of the pilot unveiling, during NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race weekends at the Chicagoland in Septmber, and Kansas Speedways in October. NASCAR fans seemed pleased with the Sprint’s new magical technology, as evidenced in the above video.

So how does it work? Well, according to the announce, “…users move their hands through the air above a Leap Motion controller, which displays their actions onto a large screen ahead.” But wait, that’s not all. There’s a podium. A branded podium. To appeal to Nascar fans, DigitasLBi created “an eye-catching branded podium to house the technology.” Those who tried out the shopping experience then “supply their email addresses to receive their picture from the virtual photo booth as well as a link to the items they browsed.” Combining technology used in next-gen gaming with a theme park-esque photo service, that’s their strategy, because Sprint is “more than just a wireless company,” according to Sprint Program Manager Lane Allison.

Perhaps I’m being a bit hard on Sprint. After all “Shop. Hands Free. In 3D.” is sort of an intriguing prospect, if only for the novelty value. It’s just that this does absolutely nothing to repair Sprint’s damaged reputation. Since most people now view Sprint as something of  a joke, maybe that’s what they should be working on. Or maybe Sprint is just for NASCAR fans now.

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I’m not sure we’ve ever featured a Namibian ad here on Agency Spy, so here’s one. This spot by Advantage Y&R for MTC is just brimming with friendliness. The agency imagines the interaction fueled by the cell network as spreading hugs across the country. It’s a cute idea, and the production — by Fly On The Wall — rises to the occasion. The music they chose fits perfectly, too. The 90 second ad begins with a young man at a bus stop getting a text, then turning and hugging the old woman next to him. Soon everyone is hugging, from a guy in a chicken suit hugging a security officer to two boxers hugging in the ring. The spot ends with the young man from the opening scene sharing a hug with his girlfriend, who has just arrived on a bus, adding some nice closure to the scenario.

With the dwindling energy that comes with the shortening days, and the leftovers in the fridge starting to run out, this just might be the kind of happiness spreading video you need to get you through the middle of the week. It’s pretty hard not to smile watching this one, and on the Wednesday after Thanksgiving that is much appreciated. Credits after the jump. continued…

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We received a few tips about this today, so let’s just clarify things for a sec. Sources familiar with the matter tell us that Hill Holliday has had to cut a few staffers, specifically in the creative department. From what we’ve been told, the cuts affect less than two percent of staff at the Boston-based, IPG-owned agency. Sources say that the reductions were made as part of a strategic restructuring reshuffling of talent at Hill Holliday, which of course has taken the lead on Cadillac creative but is also in the midst of the Liberty Mutual review. Regarding the latter, word from sources is that a decision is expected to be made by month’s end/early January. Hill Holliday, which also works with clients including Dunkin Donuts, has handled the Liberty Mutual account since 2005.

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Two things Google has historically absolutely excelled at are creating groundbreaking products and figuring out how to monetize them. One such product is Google Maps, which allows your business to pay Google-licensed photographers to come inside your office and photograph it for Maps’ Street View feature.

Now, if you’re in a super-hip business like an advertising agency (where art students-turned-art directors bring the skinny-jeans heat), your office is probably designed to look simultaneously forward-thinking and client-friendly. (This goes double if you’re in close proximity to Silicon Valley.) How better to impress stodgy CPG brands looking to get millennials addicted to their brand of high-calorie salted snacks? How better to convince tech startups backed by high-rolling investors that you’re as cool as they are? Well, SF-based agency Muh-Tay-Zik/Hof-Fer did the pay-for-Street View thing, and they decided to play with Google Maps’ strict “no faces” policy.

Should you visit Google Maps, visit these coordinates to take a tour of Muh-Tay-Zik/Hof-Fer, and visit their delightful ski-masked staff. There’s even a dog with a ski mask, but it doesn’t have any ideas cut out, so it’s kind of sad. He’s probably pretty scared, huh?

And now some tips for one-upping these guys should your agency go the same route and be bored:

1. Scary clown masks

2. Replace all human heads with dogs heads via putting dogs on your shoulders

3. Kanye-style sequined masks

4. All bears and sunglasses

5. Embrace the blurred out faces, but all pose as though you’ve been caught in the midst of a lewd act

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