DirecTV's NFL Sunday Ticket, which offers every game live on any digital device, turns average Joes into "the world's most powerful fans" in three goofy spots from Grey. These godlike guys grow freakishly tall, grill burgers using their bare hands as spatulas and ride around on lightning bolts and date adoring goddesses clad in sparkly bikinis and Mercury-winged caps. They're like the Titans—from mythology, not Tennessee—reborn as outsized, sports-obsessed, media-savvy fanboys. Meanwhile, regular dudes who still watch the games on cable are portrayed as nebbishy geeks.
Guys are hyper-competitive and love to brag about everything, so I can see where these ads would appeal to some. And they're visually memorable. That said, they seem a tad mean-spirited, portraying "powerful" football fans as boastful loudmouths who lord it over everyone in earshot. What? You've got the game on DirecTV? Well, good for you, big man!
Dodge Dart hits the bull's-eye with this spot from Wieden + Kennedy and Caviar director Keith Schofield that demonstrates how to make the vehicle in "100 Easy Steps." "Step 1: Study the competition," says the voiceover. "Step 2: Get angry—they're boring. 3: Make a car from scratch, the Dodge way." The remaining tongue-in-cheek instructions include driving the vehicle through a brick wall and putting pictures of it on schlocky promotional calendars, preferably surrounded by bikini gals and hunky firefighters rather than cuddly puppies—woof! (Those preferring a single step can take their cue from a previous Dodge spot and travel ahead in time to a date when the Dart of their choosing has already been made by somebody else.) W+K's campaigns for Dodge are underrated. The work's been consistently amusing and offbeat for the category, while staying on-brand and avoiding the kind of full-throttle, pedal-to-floor tomfoolery that could easily go off track. Credits below.
CREDITS Client: Dodge Dart Spot: "100 Steps"
Agency: Wieden + Kennedy, Portland, Ore. Creative Directors: Aaron Allen, Michael Tabtabai, Kevin Jones Copywriters: Justine Armour, Matt Rivitz Art Directors: Matt Moore, Gianmaria Schonlieb, Tyler Magnusson Producer: Erika Madison Account Team: Lani Reichenbach, Cheryl Markley, Jourdan Merkow Executive Creative Directors: Susan Hoffman, Joe Staples Agency Executive Producer: Ben Grylewicz
Production Company: Caviar Director: Keith Schofield Executive Producers: Jasper Thomlinson, Michael Sagol Line Producer: Eric Escott Director of Photography: Jeff Cutter
Editing Company: Joint Editor: Tommy Harden Post Producer: Ryan Shanholtzer Post Executive Producer: Patty Brebner Assistant Editor: Steve Sprinkel
Visual Effects Company: Method Studios Lead Flame Artist: Claus Hansen Flame Artist Assist: Sergio Crego Visual Effects Producer: Ananda Reavis
Music, Sound Company: Joint Sound Designer: Tommy Harden Song (if applicable): "Atlas" by Battles
Mix Company: Eleven Mixer: Jeff Payne Assistant Mixer: Ben Freer Producer: Caroline O'Sullivan
There's two ways to go with animal ads: funny and poignant. Understandably, most choose the former—animals, after all, can be pretty damn funny. But the poignant ads, when done well, can get even more attention. We've seen this time and again over the years—notably, with Purina's 2012 "Inside Every Good Dog Is a Great Dog" spot, which left viewers a blubbering mess. This new 60-second anthem commercial from Petco, by new lead agency Vitro, fits into that tradition, going beyond the laughs into what's special about the bond between man and beast.
The ad ushers in a "brand transformation focused on going beyond providing great products and services to becoming a purpose-driven company focused on nurturing the powerful relationship between people and their pets," says Petco. "The approach is to be the first in the pet care retail environment to inject the power of emotion into the retail experience." The new brand platform, called "The Power of Together," "seeks to showcase how the power of that bond with our pets is like no other, and therefore is at the heart of Petco's promise: to nurture that connection completely, mind and body," the company adds.
The campaign plays off the "co" in Petco, positioning humans and their pets as companions, collaborators and copilots in life. The $10 million-plus campaign includes TV as well as social and email, followed by experiential in-store events and other engagement in 2014.
If anyone out there considers themselves a card-carrying A.1. steak sauce enthusiast, you'll soon have the actual card to prove it. The venerable steak sauce and Crispin Porter + Bogusky have launched the A.1. for Life campaign, which rewards hard-core A.1. brand loyalists with perks like a VIP card that can get you steak sauce whenever you want it, wherever you are. Not bad. The campaign also offers swank Major League Baseball seats and—for the simple cost of your dignity—tickets to any Live Nation concert in America. (You have to upload a video of yourself singing an "A.1. Love Song" to get those.) Finally, you could win a belt buckle, watch or fedora with secret hatches for smuggling sauce packets around town. This seems like the most natural fit, because I feel like anyone who would call themselves an A.1. enthusiast also owns a fedora and wears it with casual clothes.
Stimorol Sensations, a South African gum that appears to be the same thing as Trident Layers, claims to be the most indulgent gum in the universe. In its latest spot by Ogilvy Cape Town, an office drone pops the layered gum, slips away into an indulgent fantasy of synchronized swimmers and fruit waterfalls that cop a feel, and, of course, walks across water to play a saxophone duet with a parrot. The whole thing was put together using an indulgent set that included 30 tons of pink goo. Check out the behind-the-scenes video for shots of the set and a delightfully unenlightening interview with the quirky director, Trevor Clarence. Credits below.
CREDITS Client: Stimorol Sensations Agency: Ogilvy & Mather, Cape Town, South Africa Executive Creative Director: Chris Gotz Associate Creative Director: Tommy Le Roux Creative Group Head: Prabashan Panther Agency Producer: Anthea Beylis Art Directors: Reijer van der Vlugt, Matthew Pullen Copywriters: Justin Osburn, Dean Paradise Production Company: Your Girlfriend Director: Trevor Clarence Executive Producer: Linda Bogle Postproduction: Black Ginger Sound Design: We Love Jam Voiceover Artist: Adam Behr
Here's a brilliant spot starring two god-fearing guinea pigs arguing over whether their house is possessed by an angel or a demon. The ad is just one execution in a tiny, Web-only BBDO campaign starring talking animals for AT&T Digital Life, a technology and security solution that lets you control electronics in your home while you're away. The insight that advanced technology probably seems like magic to our pets is delightfully simple, and the voice acting and writing for these adorable guineas is spot on—particularly when Kim threatens to get on Carl "like a bum on a pork chop" if he doesn't stop his "rantin' and ravin'" about devils. The other two spots, about a skeptical cat and a turd-eating dog, are OK, but somehow lack the timing and charm of Kim and Carl. In fact, I could see the guineas in a series of their own. But next time, double-check the set design. That's totally a hamster wheel, and you don't want to kill your stars.
Rich Silverstein is apparently not an easy boss to have. The notoriously demanding co-founder of Goodby, Silverstein & Partners in San Francisco is looking for a new executive assistant, as his current assistant is leaving. And judging by the Craiglist help-wanted ad, and the crazy-fun accompanying website, you should almost certainly NOT apply for this job. Here's how the Craigslist ad starts out:
Have you ever looked greatness in the eyes—and cried because it was so damn beautiful it hurt your feelings? If not, you should really get to know Rich Silverstein. Rich has been inducted into halls of fame—yes, plural. His achievements read like a novel, albeit one written by Stephen King. You've probably heard stories. And they're every bit as true as they are misleading. He is tough and expects greatness. But he holds himself to the same impossible standards. The success he's had is the stuff of Mad Men. And the stuff of madmen. Rich Silverstein answers to nobody. And that nobody could be you.
Then there's a list of prerequisites for the job (one of them is that you must not be "an agency spy. Or ever have written for AgencySpy"), along with a link to work4rich.com.
That's where things get truly cray cray, as the application process turns out to be a series of ludicrous Web challenges, including transcribing a fast talker's gibberish and memorizing a set of names in just two seconds.
You have until Sept. 6 to get past that step in the process, and then "Rich will handpick his favorites and invite them to the Google Hangout of the century." That should be a doozy.
Yes, that's right, you enjoy your current job just fine, thank you.
Credits below.
CREDITS Creatives: Zach Canfield Pablo Rochat Adaye Worku
Monistat used "granny panties" in a recent ad as a metaphor for how women feel when they have a yeast infection. Now, though, after supposed complaints from the granny-panty-wearing community, Monistat is backtracking. On a new grannypanties.org website, the pharma brand—perhaps inspired by maxipad maker Bodyform's faux contrition—has issued the following heartfelt apology that's anything but heartfelt:
To the makers and wearers of granny panties everywhere, we here at Monistat offer our sincerest apologies. By helping millions of women feel like their sexy selves faster, we've seen some unintended repercussions. We have painted your treasured unmentionables in an unflattering light, and as a result, the market for bloomers is dwindling by the day, and the international granny panty industry has fallen on tough times. And though there will always be some who choose to allow their undergarments to ride up to their lower back for all to see, this does not mean they should be judged. Their choice of comfort over conformity is a bold one. Those very hip-huggers helped pave the way for the g-strings, thongs, and boyshorts of today. But the days of 10-gallon skivvies and support that stretches for yards are coming to an end. And honestly, we're not all that sad to see them go.
Monistat, of course, manufactured both the controversy and the apology. But it's nicely executed by ad agency Allen & Gerritsen. Particularly amusing is the accompanying video on the website depicting a faux talk show, Box Talk with Kitty Montgomery, in which women square off from both sides of the granny-panty debate. Check out the video below.
Barton F. Graf 9000 says it wasn't involved in a stunt early Thursday when a guy in a horse suit appeared to be trying to poach staff for the agency outside Wieden + Kennedy in New York. W+K's Kevin Wang snapped this photo outside his agency's offices this morning, writing on Twitter: "Dude. BFG just took poaching to a whole new level." The message is pretty blunt, too. "I have no idea who it is or why they'd be doing it," Barton F. Graf's Eric Kallman tells AdFreak.
Barton F. Graf 9000 has been in major growth mode recently. As Gerry Graf told me in April: "We're bringing in creative technologists, people who know the social space. It's a chicken-and-egg thing. If we bring in the talent before we get certain assignments, then we end up getting those assignments. It's always a little bit of a risk, but it's worked out for us."
Be careful what you say about Taco Bell in Canada. The chain is liable to etch your angry rants on taco shells and force them down your throat. That's what happened in this stunt from ad agency Grip Limited in Toronto, which marked the long-awaited arrival of the celebrated Doritos Locos Tacos in the country by using a special laser to burn exasperated tweets from impatient customers right on the first batch of shells—and then invited those same customers to a "special fan event" where they literally ate their words.
Back in the U.S., meanwhile, Taco Bell has rolled out the new Fiery Doritos Locos Tacos, and is promoting them with two new spots from Deutsch LA. The first, titled "The World's Most Hottest Idea," shows various people discussing the spicy taco's flavor, oblivious to actual fires erupting around them. (Note the movie marquee in the last frame, "Gordy and Brian Take on Delaware," which refers to the creative team who created the spot.)
The other new spot, "No Pican," is the first commercial from the Deutsch LAtino multicultural marketing practice, and will target Latino audiences.
See those two spots, and credits for all three, below.
CREDITS Client: Taco Bell Canada Campaign: "DLT Eat Your Words" Agency: Grip Limited, Toronto Creative Directors: Ben Weinberg, Pat Andrews Copywriter: Trevor Gourley Art Director: Julia Morra Social Content Strategist: Patrick Tomasso Director of Client Services: John Miller Account Director: Cheryl Gosling Business Manager: Liliana Coimbra Producer: Liz Crofton Production House: Data Armada Editor: Duane Vandermeulen Music, Sound: Imprint Music Postproduction: Grip Limited Chief Marketing Officer: David Vivenes Director of Marketing: Michael Van Horne Marketing Manager: Veronica Castillo
—————
Client: Taco Bell Spot: "The World's Most Hottest Idea"
Client Credits President: Brian Niccol Chief Marketing, Innovation Officer: Chris Brandt Brand Creative Director: Tracee LaRocca Senior Manager, Brand Experience: Aron North Manager, Brand Experience: Ashley Prollamante
Agency: Deutsch, Los Angeles Group Creative Director: Brett Craig Creative Directors: Jason Karley, Josh DiMarcantonio Senior Art Director: Gordy Sang Senior Copywriter: Brian Siedband Director of Integrated Production: Vic Palumbo
Executive Producer: Paul Roy Senior Producer: Mila Davis Music Supervisor: Dave Rocco
Production Company Arts and Sciences, Los Angeles Director: Matt Aselton Director of Photography: Nigel Bluck Executive Producer: Marc Marrie Managing Director: Mal Ward Line Producer: Scott Kaplan First Assistant Director: Craig Pinckes
Editorial Company Cut and Run, Santa Monica, Calif. Editor: Jay Nelson Assistant Editors: Luke McIntosh, Sean Stender Senior Producer: Amburr Faris Executive Producer: Carr Schilling
Post Facility MPC, Santa Monica, Calif. Colorist: Ricky Gausis
Visual Effects Company Method, Santa Monica, Calif. Visual Effects, Online Artist: Jason Frank Visual Effects Assistant Artist: Patrick Vollkommer Creative Director: Claus Hansen Producer: Stephanie Alllis
Music, Composer Massive Music (Music festival scene only) AFM Stock Music (Airbrushing scene only)
Sound Design Company 740 Sound Design, Los Angeles Sound Designer: Rommel Mollina Associate Producer: Jeff Martin Executive Producer: Scott Ganary
Audio Post Company Lime Studios, Santa Monica, Calif. Mixer: Rohan Young Assistant: Patrick Navarre Executive Producer: Jessica Locke
End Tag Mnemonic: Method Studios, Santa Monica, Calif. Executive Producer: Robert Owens
Additional Deutsch Credits: Chief Executive Officer: Mike Sheldon Account Management Credits: Group Account Director: Walter Smith Account Directors: Amanda Rantuccio, Christi Johnson Account Supervisor: Steve Scutellaro Account Executive: McKenna Pickett Account Planners: Chief Strategic Officer: Jeffrey Blish Group Planning Director: Christian Cocker Traffic, Business Affairs: Director of Business Affairs: Abilino Guillermo Senior Business Affairs Manager: Ken Rongey Business Affairs Manager: Nestor Gandia Director or Broadcast Traffic: Carie Bonillo Broadcast Traffic Manager: Sarah Brennan
—————
Client: Taco Bell Spot: "No Pican"
Client Credits: President: Brian Niccol Chief Marketing, Innovation Officer: Chris Brandt Brand Creative Director: Tracee LaRocca Senior Manager, Brand Experience: Aron North Manager, Brand Experience: Ashley Prollamante
Agency: Deutsch, Los Angeles Group Creative Director: Brett Craig Creative Directors: Jason Karley, Josh DiMarcantonio Art Director: Luis Farfan Senior Copywriter: Armando Samuels Senior Copywriter: Natalia Cade Director of Integrated Production: Vic Palumbo Executive Producer: Paul Roy Producer: Ilene Kramer Music Supervisor: Dave Rocco
Production Company Cortez Brothers, Marina Del Rey, Calif. Director: Esteban Sapir Director of Photography: Travis Cline Executive Producer: Ed Rivero Head of Production: Ashlee Cohen Line Producer: Asori Soto First Assistant Director: Mariano Andre
Editorial Company Beast LA, Santa Monica, Calif. Editor: Kevin Garcia Assistant Editor: Gabriel Ordonez Executive Producer: Jerry Sukys Head of Production: Darby Walker Producer: Mary Stasilli
Post Facility CO3, Santa Monica, Calif.; Method Studios, Santa Monica Colorist: Sean Coleman @ CO3 Online, Visual Effects Artist: Tim Rudgard @ Method Studios Assistant: Louis Schachte @ Method Studios Executive Producer: Robert Owens @ Method Studios Producer: Stephanie Allis @ Method Studios
Visual Effects Company Method Studios, Santa Monica, Calif. (graphics adapted from previous Taco Bell spots) Visual Effects Artist: Tim Rudgard Visual Effects Assistant Artist: Louis Schachte Producer: Stephanie Allis
Music, Composer Elias Arts, Santa Monica, Calif. Executive Producer: Ann Haugen Producer: Katie Overcash Composer: Jack Shenker Creative Director: Brett Nichols
Sound Designer 740 Sound Design & Mix, Los Angeles Sound Designers: Rommel Molina, Nicholas Interlandi, Michael Dillenberger Executive Producer: Scott Ganary Associate Producer: Jeff Martin
Audio Post Company Tono Studios, Santa Monica, Calif. Mixer: Juan Felipe Valencia Executive Producer: Noel Miranda Producer: Monica Sotelo
Additional Deutsch Credits: Chief Executive Officer: Mike Sheldon Account Management Credits: Group Account Director: Walter Smith Integrated Account Supervisor: Steve Scutellaro Account Directors: Amanda Rantuccio, Mildred Grijalva, Christi Johnson Account Executive: McKenna Pickett Account Planners: Chief Strategic Officer: Jeffrey Blish Senior Account Planner: Pearl Owen Traffic, Business Affairs: Director of Integrated Business Affairs: Abilino Guillermo Senior Business Affairs Manager: Ken Rongey Director of Broadcast Traffic: Carie Bonillo Broadcast Traffic Manager: Sarah Brennan
The techies at Goodby, Silverstein & Partners' GSP BETA Group have whipped up a new app, which the agency is now promoting in decidedly offbeat fashion. The app is called Touch Room, and it's designed to help you not just see and hear but touch your loved ones from afar. The concept is simple: You both enter a virtual room, and when your fingers touch the same spot, your phones vibrate. It's a sweetly quirky idea that deserves some sweetly quirky advertising—provided in the video below by Jeff Goodby himself, who sings, in a warbly voice, an original song he wrote about the app while strumming an acoustic guitar. As for the visuals, well, it seems Touch Room will be particularly useful for people with freakishly long, extendable, ET-like fingers. GSP BETA Group is an in-house group of developers, UX specialists, producers, creatives and other makers that use technology to find creative solutions to problems. Download the app here. Credits below.
CREDITS Ad Agency: Goodby, Silverstein & Partners' BETA Group Campaign: Touch Room Live Date: Aug. 27, 2013
Music, Lyrics: Jeff Goodby Chief Digital Officer: Kalle Hellzen Creative Developer: Chris Allick Art Director: Pablo Rochat Copywriter: Caroline Cappelli Director of Interactive Production: Ellie Hardy Group Executive Interactive Producer: Michael Phillips Director of Business Affairs: Bess Cocke Senior Business Affairs Manager: Judy Ybarra Business Affairs Manager: Heidi Killeen Co-Director of eLevel: James Horner Shot By: Marco Svizzero, Alvin Shen, Juli Lopez Postproduction Producer: Ava Rant Editor: Marco Svizzero Audio Engineer: Nic DeMatteo Video Creative Direction: Stevie Laux Director of Art, Print Production: Suzee Barrabee Copyediting Director: Ryan McDermott
Plenty of ad agencies have skeletons in their closet, but Keiler apparently has a ghost haunting the attic of its early 18th century Connecticut farmhouse offices. Naturally, they've put the snarky specter in charge of the Farmington shop's first official Twitter account. (That's scary and difficult to believe—not the ghost part, but the fact that they waited until now to try Twitter!) The ghost could be a sea captain, tavern owner or wheelwright—no one's really sure—but staffers have heard mysterious footsteps and slamming doors around the place for years, especially after hours, so they decided to incorporate the lore into @KeilerGhost. (Besides, social media's largely about transparency, so having an actual ghost writer makes sense. And lots of agency feeds read like they're written by dead people, so this one should fit right in.) Some examples of the phantom's wit: "I've seen a lot of advertising trends come and go in 200 years. But this stock photography thing has got to stop." "Like bad media placements, ghosts generally appear when nobody's looking." "I'm a friendly ghost until I have to sit through an ad just to watch a YouTube video." Hmmm, might be time to give up the ghost. Sorry, that was mean-spirited. Boo! Via MediaPost.
Before my untimely passing, I was not an adman. But I have learned this much from living with one: Your logo is already plenty big.
Here's a nice little Twitter activation from Nike and BBDO Argentina. The marketer had Burrito "The Mule" Martinez, star forward for the Boca Juniors soccer team, wipe out all of his 92,000 Twitter followers and start over from zero with the goal of regaining all the followers he erased. "Today I erased my 92,112 followers with the idea of winning them back by playing every match as if it were my first," he wrote in his first message back. (He's back up to 32,000 followers or so—so people apparently aren't too annoyed at having to re-follow him.) The stunt also ties in thematically with Nike's recent TV spot "Baptism" (below) in which veteran Boca Juniors players shave their heads—a ritual usually reserved only for rookies—to demonstrate their ongoing allegiance to the club.
There isn't a public event that Apple and Samsung users can't spoil by fighting with each other, according to Crispin Porter + Bogusky's hyperbolic but still amusing campaign for the Windows Phone—which continues with the spot below, again directed by Roman Coppola and set to air Sunday during MTV's Video Music Awards.
Coppola directed the earlier spot, "The Wedding," which was a big success (more than 6 million YouTube views), and he brought back many of the same actors for "The Recital." In the new spot, Apple and Samsung users again jockey for position to get the best photos, and are soon ridiculing, head-butting and otherwise trying to take each other down. (On the plus side, at least they seem interested in the school play and aren't just falling asleep.) The spot pushes the Nokia Lumia 1020 with 41 megapixels and reinvented zoom, which apparently helps you get better pictures and also just be a nicer person.
There's less snappy dialogue this time, though it's a fun moment at the end when the woman who's literally spouting Apple's recent advertising copy gets thumped to the floor.
Credits below.
CREDITS Client: Microsoft Spot: "The Recital" Agency: Crispin Porter + Bogusky Worldwide Chief Creative Officer: Rob Reilly Executive Creative Director: Dan Donovan Creative Directors: Dave Swartz, Dave Steinke Associate Creative Directors: Paul Sincoff, Kyle Jones Art Director: Jeff Hunter Copywriter: Aaron Cathey Integrated Head of Video: Chad Hopenwasser Executive Integrated Producer: Sloan Schroeder Senior Integrated Producer: Laura Keseric Production Company: Directors Bureau, Los Angeles Director: Roman Coppola Executive Producers (Production Company): Lisa Margulis, Elizabeth Minzes Producer (Production Company): Francie Moore Director of Photography: Chris Soos Postproduction: NO6LA, Santa Monica, Calif. Visual Effects: Method, Santa Monica, Calif. Executive Producer, Design: Robert Owens Producer: Ananda Reavis Editor: Jason McDonald Music Company: JSM Music Junior Music Producer: Chip Herter Arrangers: Joel Simon, Doug Katsaros Sound Design Company: Henry Boy, Brooklyn, N.Y. Sound Designer: Matthew Hedge
Taking "a trip to Belize" doesn't sound fun, at least the way the phrase was used on Breaking Bad last Sunday. But the small Central American country took the reference in stride and is out to prove that a visit to Belize isn't, in fact, a one-way trip to oblivion—by offering free vacations to Vince Gilligan and eight members of the AMC show's cast.
"Many of us are big fans of the show and can't wait to see what happens over the last six episodes," the tourism board (with help from ad agency Olson) wrote in its invitation. "While we hope that some of our favorite characters don't get 'sent on a trip to Belize' in the show, we do hope you will take us up on the following offer—we'd like to send all of you on an ACTUAL trip to our country after the season is over."
As Olson explained to us in an email, this is certainly a better response to the unflattering mention than just freaking out about it.
Barry Sanders has always been good at the vanishing act. He did it most famously in 1999 by retiring from the NFL at age 30, when he was just 1,457 yards short of the league rushing record. He does it again, comically, in this new Pepsi MAX ad from TBWA\Chiat\Day in Los Angeles and director Matt Dilmore. In the ad, Sanders, getting a shave at a barber shop, is about to reveal the real reason he retired—but suddenly he goes up in a puff of smoke, and reappears in the living room of some gamer who has "unlocked" him while playing Madden NFL 25, thanks to a code on a Pepsi MAX cap.
Sanders' involvement with Madden NFL 25 goes beyond the new ad. Though he's been retired for almost 15 years, the 45-year-old was recently voted by fans to be the cover athlete of the game's latest edition. "Being on the cover of Madden introduces you to so many new fans that never saw you play," he said recently. "It's been a thrill for me, and I just never saw it coming."
Credits below.
CREDITS Client: Pepsi MAX Spot: "Disappearing Sanders"
Agency: TBWA\Chiat\Day, Los Angeles President: Carisa Bianchi Chief Creative Officer: John Norman Creative Director, Copywriter: Zach Hilder Creative Director, Art Director: William Esparza Senior Copywriters: Anne Sanguinetti, Kathleen Swanson Art Directors: Kristina Krkljus, Jenn Tranbarger Group Account Director: Grace Kao Management Supervisor: James Aardahl Account Executives: Erik Wade, Rohit Bal Planning Director: Neil Barrie Planner: Drew Phillips Executive Producer, Producer: Anh-Thu Le Associate Producer: Stephanie Dziczek Director of Business Affairs: Linda Daubson Senior Business Affairs Manager: Laura Drabkin Talent Payment Manager: Maryam Ohebsion Broadcast Traffic Coordinator: Eugene Gandia
Production Company: Epoch Films Director: Matt Dilmore Executive Producer: Melissa Culligan Head of Production: Megan Murphee Line Producer: Geoff Clough
Editing: Cut + Run Editor: Graham Turner Assistant Editor: Russell August Anderson Executive Producer: Michelle Eskin Senior Producer: Christie Price
Visual Effects: Framestore Flame Artist: Trent Shumway Executive Producer: Kati Haberstock Producer: Mary Nockles
Chrissy Teigen, whom you may remember from her Sports Illustrated and Maxim appearances, was surprised by a Skittles waterfall during a recent photo shoot that was actually an ad stunt by Olson. It's generally a faux pas to dump candy all over someone without telling them first, but Chrissy took it in stride. She may have even welcomed it as a break from what was essentially the same retro pin-up photo shoot (with the same retro one-piece) that every other twentysomething girl in the country has been doing recently. "Surprise the Rainbow" is still a potentially dangerous piece of advice, though.
Officer Baby says, "Put your hands against the waaaah!"
Samsung invents the mustachioed-baby-plays-cop-and-chases-a-vacuum-cleaner trope with this spot by The Viral Factory in London. Thankfully, the little lawman doesn't actually speak, but he's got a flashing blue light on his walker, so you know he means business as he takes off after a Samsung Motion Sync vacuum pushed around the house by his mom.
There's '70s-style cop-show music, action-movie camera angles and even a few "crashes"—though the infant enforcer just harmlessly knocks into some cartons, toys and plastic baskets. It's immediately clear that he's OK, and that's probably a good thing, given the beating this client-agency team took a while back for the cartoon violence in its "computer/puppy" spot.
The petite patrolman's convincing "Where'd that vacuum go?" expression around the 40-second mark is topped only by his brilliant use of the facial-hair disguise. He's a lock to make detective, probably in Seattle. (Perhaps he could investigate why there just happens to be a fake mustache lying around.)
This is a well-made spot, but the concept seems kind of random and weird, and it's tough to hang in for the whole two minutes. The focus is never really on the $600 vacuum cleaner being advertised. I guess the unit looks spry and maneuverable, though not as cute as the kiddie constable. Once the pursuit is finished, he's all tuckered out and ready for ba-ba and nap time—just like a grown-up police officer.
EA Sports goes back to the future with this dumb-in-a-funny-way spot by ad agency Heat for Madden 25. In the '80s, we're told, two guys playing an early version of the football video game decided to spawn offspring whom they'd be able to use in the game somewhat. Thus were born current Houston Texans running back Arian Foster and Seattle Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch. (The fathers, "Darian Foster" and "Marshawn Lynch Sr.," are played, of course, by Foster and Lynch themselves.) It's a somewhat convoluted concept that comes across as well done, right on target for sports and video game obsessives, and a nice way to celebrate the Madden franchise's 25th anniversary—even if the kids' gym workouts are over the top in a way that feels a little like Old Spice's Terry Crews was their personal trainer. Credits after the jump.
CREDITS Client: EA Sports' Madden 25
Agency: Heat Creative Directors: Warren Cockrel, Anna Rowland Senior Art Director: Mark Potoka Senior Copywriter: Ben Salsky Content Producer: Vera Kacurova Account Director: Eddie Garabedian Senior Strategist: Daniel Teng
Production Company: Hungry Man Director: Wayne McClammy Executive Producer: Dan Duffy Line Producer: Rachel Curl
Post Company: Arcade Edit Editor: Christjan Jordan Executive Producer: Damian Stevens
Visual Effects Company: The Mill Visual Effects Supervisor: John Leonti
Music Company: Beacon Street Studios Composer: Andrew Feltenstein
Mountain Dew's "Living Portraits" series is one of the most innovative and intricate short-form campaigns of the year. Who'd've thunk it, especially after the brand's high-profile ad missteps a few months ago? Created by BBDO and Psyop, each 30-second "Living Portrait" spotlights a different Dew endorser—Nascar driver Dale Earnhardt Jr., skateboarder Paul Rodriguez and snowboarder Danny Davis. Fun, freaky symbolism is used to capture the essence of each and, for lack of a better term, mythologize their lives. The spots all take a similar approach, with the endorsers seated on stylized thrones and the shot slowly pulling back to reveal bedazzling details.
Davis sits on ornately sculptured ice, slurping Dew and strumming a guitar. The camera pulls back to reveal a wintry jam session with members of his crew, the ice sculptor, birds of prey and wolves in attendance. A yeti plays drums. Snowboarders soar in a rainbow sky. A cute, briefcase-sized eyeball lounges by the fire, diggin' Danny's vibes.
Components move at different speeds, mixing 3-D layering and 2-D animation with live action and matte effects. Yet there's no discord, and the elements combine to create harmonious representations of the endorsers' lives and achievements.
Fans can visit Mountain Dew's website to unlock the secrets behind each portrait's imagery. The outsized eyeball in Davis's spot refers to FrendsVision, where the snowboarder and his crew share information about the Frends brand and disseminate clips of themselves "performing skits, snowboarding, playing music and entertaining the public the best way they know how." So, basically, the eye opens onto another ad. I didn't see that coming.
And we learn that the crew is jamming around a "peace fire," because "Danny lives his life preaching peace." That's a bit precious for me—sounds like an overblown piece of you know what—and I wonder if perhaps the symbols should have been left unexplained, adding to the mystery, allowing fans to debate their deeper meaning.
The yeti's presence isn't explained at all! Smelling a Pulitzer, I sent an email, and a rep for Mountain Dew parent PepsiCo explained: "The Yeti was included as it's part of mountain folklore." Rock on, noble yeti! That furry dude really keeps the beat.
This is site is run by Sascha Endlicher, M.A., during ungodly late night hours. Wanna know more about him? Connect via Social Media by jumping to about.me/sascha.endlicher.
