Hasta La Creative!

Anheuser-Busch InBev introduces Oculto, a new high-alcohol lager, with a roomful of men and women wearing masks inside a dark club in this spot from Mother New York.

The mood is mysterious and reminiscent of the party scene in Eyes Wide Shut. Not much happens, but Oculto’s ghoulish clear bottle appears prominently, and with good reason: It’s a cool piece of marketing in and of itself. The eye sockets of the skull light up when the beer is chilled. (Another shop, Antista Fairclough, worked on the packaging.)

Beyond this initial online ad, which was directed by Prettybird’s Melina Matsoukas and breaks Friday, the campaign includes events, social media marketing, outdoor ads and print ads, with a particular focus on the Miami market. The brand, which rolled out last month (on Friday the 13th, no less) is targeting 21- to 34-year-olds who are ambitious, free-sprited and “love the idea of a mashup,” said Harris Rabin, vp of global marketing on new brands at A-B InBev.

Oculto represents a new category for A-B—a 6 percent alcohol beer that’s infused with agave by being aged in barrels that are used to make tequila. The brewer’s marketing leaders are bullish about its prospects, though they declined to share sales expectations.

“This is obviously a big priority for the company. The level of investment is consistent with other big bets that ABI has made,” said John Steed, a marketing director at A-B InBev. Added Rabin: “For us, it’s all about unlocking the potential of nights out—those really special nights out with friends.”

Kraft has changed how it defines consumers who eat Velveeta, from age and gender (millennial males) to mind-set (fun people who like to indulge). As such, new ads for Velveeta Shells & Cheese feature a broadly appealing pair of prospectors from the 19th century instead of a cool dude who sells remote-control helicopters at a mall.

In one TV ad breaking today, the bearded prospectors, one older and one younger, marvel at the “liquid gold” they’re eating, and the young one asks the oldster how he found it. Then what looks like a campfire conversation in the woods pulls back to reveal a whole different scene entirely.

Future spots will also find humor in the odd placement of frontiersmen in a modern supermarket. The campaign also includes online ads, social media marketing and a new wrinkle for the brand, radio ads, said Tiphanie Maronta, a senior brand manager at Kraft.

The ads are the first for Velveeta from Crispin Porter + Bogusky, which inherited the brand from Wieden + Kennedy in an agency consolidation late last year. 

Common is a busy man these days, winning a Golden Globe (for the song “Glory” from Selma), getting nominated for two Grammys and an Oscar (also for “Glory”), and providing the voiceover for two stirring Microsoft ads on the Super Bowl.

As if that weren’t enough, he also found time to voice this new ad promoting the 2015 NBA All-Star Game in New York.

Created by the New York office of DDB, the spot mixes live action and animation, with flashes of NYC landmarks like the Statue of Liberty and the Brooklyn Bridge. The ad goes up online today and will appear soon on those TV screens in New York City cabs and on your living room screen as well.

In an Adweek exclusive, here’s a first look:

Oh, and if you think Common is perpetually holed up in some recording studio, think again: He’ll also play in a celebrity basketball game in the runup to the All-Star Game, which takes place Feb. 15 at Madison Square Garden.

CREDITS
Client: NBA
Agency: DDB, New York
Executive Creative Director: Joseph Cianciotto
Creative Director: Rich Sharp
Creative Director: Mike Sullivan
Art Director: Mina Mikhael
Copywriter: Turan Tuluy
Producer: Tiffany Campbell
Account Executive: Jackie Schultz
Design and Animation: Transistor Studios

Adman turned best-selling author James Patterson often creates TV ads to promote his books. But for the launch of his latest novel, Private Vegas, he turned to ad agency Mother for something decidedly different.

In what Mother New York creative chief Paul Malmstrom calls a “pretty absurd stunt,” the author is inviting one fan to experience “The Self-Destructing Book,” aka “The most thrilling experience money can buy.” This fan will have to pay $294,038 for experience, which includes getting a self-destructing version of the 416-page book, having a private dinner with Patterson, and witnessing—through gold-plated binoculars!—the epic demise of the book.

At the same time, via a web application, 1,000 more readers will gain access a free digital version of Private Vegas that will disappear after 24 hours in a cinematic and spectacular way. That aspect of the promotion plays on Patterson’s reputation for writing page-turners with short chapters and cliffhangers that keep you reading. What’s more, the digital version will include flourishes such as a splattering of blood when a character is killed.

The bigger stunt is supported by several videos that Mother created as well.

Asked why he hired an agency for a promotion that the former JWT creative director could have created himself, Patterson told AdFreak, “Well, I’d been writing some of the scripts, and I just thought we could get better talent on this thing, you know?”

The author added that he wanted to shake up the marketing aspect of publishing, which of course now competes with everything from TV shows to feature films to Internet content—some of which he creates himself.

“I wanted to do something big and exciting and different. Went to Mother and Mother came up with a few ideas, as mothers will. And we all decided that this was the coolest one,” Patterson said.

The destruction has nothing specifically to do with the plot of the ninth installment of Patterson’s crime series, which comes out on Monday. The $294,038 figure, however, does have special significance. When asked about it, Patterson deferred to Malmstrom, who laughed before explaining, “That’s the actual cost [of the campaign]. We added it all up, and that’s the exact sum. And we didn’t mark it up.”

The mini-wave of brands casting gay couples in TV ads this year continues to rise, with the likes of Honey Maid, Cheerios, and DirecTV all diving in. More power to them. But Ikea was the first marketer to feature a gay couple in a mainstream commercial. Twenty years ago.

The 1994 spot below, from Deutsch, ran after 10 p.m. in three markets where Ikea then had a significant presence: New York, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. The late-night airing ensured that the ad wouldn’t be seen during “family hour” programming. That concession, however, did little to quell the objections of the American Family Association and its leader, the Rev. Donald Wildmon.

Wildmon called for boycotts of Ikea stores, one of which, on Long Island, was the target of a bomb threat, which turned out to be unfounded. The retailer, however, continued to air the ad, which was part of a lifestyle campaign featuring different types of consumers (a divorced mom, adopting parents, empty nesters, etc.) that began in 1993.

The creative team behind “Dining Room,” including creative director Greg DiNoto, associate cd Kathy Delaney, copywriter Dallas Itzen and art director Patrick O’Neill, are no longer at Deutsch. But O’Neill, who later worked at TBWAChiatDay and now is chief creative officer at blood testing company Theranos, shared his memories of helping to create something that didn’t win awards but was truly groundbreaking.

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AdFreak: Where did the idea for “Dining Room” come from?
Patrick O’Neill: We would base a lot of our stories on the real people we would see. We’d go to the New Jersey store—in Elizabeth—and because [the ads] were based on real people, we would watch, observe and see how people use the product, who they were, what kinds of things they were buying. And we’d figure which stores were the best ones. And there were a lot of gay couples there. We thought, Why don’t we do one? Donny [Deutsch] thought it was a great idea and felt like it was a true representation of Ikea’s values, which is they’re always accepting of everyone.

So, that store was like your focus group or idea center?
It was. And we figured out where life intersected with furniture. … You had to understand what was going on in the culture at that time, I thought, versus just doing [ads] in a sort of timeless manner. Divorcees still go there, that kid still gets adopted, and gay couples still go there, you know [laughs]. It just wasn’t a typical depiction in media.

What was the shoot like?
A lot of the grips and all the people that were working on the set—you could feel that there was a lot of tension in the air because it was so unusual to see.

Did you shoot it at the store?
Yes.

Who was the director?
Paul Goldman. He had just started directing. [At Deutsch] he worked on the original “It’s a big country. Someone’s got to furnish it” campaign that was the year before.

How nervous was Ikea going into this?
They believed in it from the beginning. They were never nervous about it.

Did you have to test it?
No.

Did you think at the time that more people would follow in the footsteps of that ad?
I did.

Why didn’t that happen?
It’s interesting. I think the reason why people remember the ad was because it was done in a way where it was, “Wow, they really did it.” We weren’t mucking around. It was clear what was going on. And there were bomb threats. There was backlash. There were New York op-eds written about it. I mean, there were all kinds of things happening. In the years that followed—not too long after—Ellen [DeGeneres], she came out. Melissa Etheridge came out. A lot of women came out at the time. So, I think the culture started doing it without it being commercials. But as far as brands, I think they were nervous about it.

Does the groundswell we’re seeing now reflect what’s going on with state marriage laws?
Yeah. I think it’s also that the millennials and younger are very accepting of [gay] marriage. When that is legitimized by a large core of consumers, you can have that in communications because the approval rating for that is much, much higher once you get to a certain age group.

Would a different creative team have done the same thing?
No. … Look, the way we cast, and had them speak about their relationship, and the premise—it was all based on real stuff. I think the reason it turned out the way it did was all those people working together on it. We knew gay people, and I felt like the lone representative [laughs]. I felt a lot of responsibility making sure I didn’t let my people down.

How proud are you of this, ultimately, and is it still up there in your top three ads?
Well, I’m proud of it because it was the first one. It was scary in some ways. Everyone was true to the period, but there was no precedent. And it wasn’t a welcoming environment. So, that part of it makes me proud and happy to be part of.

There are fewer explosions and more dialogue in Barton F. Graf 9000’s new ads for the Clash of Clans mobile game. In the process, we see a softer, less violent side of featured character the Wizard.

In “Preparation,” he looks into his bedroom mirror, peels back his hoodie to reveal a massive black pompadour and psyches himself up for another long day on the battlefield. In “Magic,” he halts his fireball throwing in the middle of the battlefield to pull a white rabbit out of his hoodie—but don’t worry, he hasn’t turned into a kids’ party magician.

The spots have more than 6 million views each since being posted to YouTube page on Thursday. They’ll break on TV this weekend. (Last year’s 60-second spot has 22 million YouTube views.) Rounding out the campaign are five outdoor posters, each with a different character and headline. “Look into the eyes of my moustache,” says one with a close-up of Barbarian’s face, “and know despair.”

See all the work below.

CREDITS
“Preparation”
Client: Supercell
Brand Marketing Lead: Ryan Wener
Marketing Art Lead: Lauri Manninen
Senior Game Artist: Taneli Oksama
Game Lead: Tommi Suvinen
Brand Marketing: Christina Lee
Marketing and Video Artist: Red Killion
Agency: Barton F. Graf 9000
Chief Creative Officer/Founder: Gerry Graf
Executive Creative Director/Partner: Scott Vitrone
Executive Creative Director/Partner: Ian Reichenthal
Copywriter/Art Director: Kate Overholt Placentra
Copywriter/Art Director: Matt Rogers
Head of Production: Josh Morse
Producer: Erica Kahr
Account Director: Kate Faux
Account Supervisor: Michael Andreozzi
Mix: Heard City
Audio Engineer: Evan Mangiamele
Music Supervisor: Good Ear Music Supervision

“Magic”
Client: Supercell
Brand Marketing Lead: Ryan Wener
Marketing Art Lead: Lauri Manninen
Senior Game Artist: Taneli Oksama
Game Lead: Tommi Suvinen
Brand Marketing: Christina Lee
Marketing and Video Artist: Red Killion
Agency: Barton F. Graf 9000
Chief Creative Officer/Founder: Gerry Graf
Executive Creative Director/Partner: Scott Vitrone
Executive Creative Director/Partner: Ian Reichenthal
Copywriter/Art Director: Joseph Ianno
Copywriter/Art Director: Matthew Smith
Head of Production: Josh Morse
Producer: Erica Kahr
Account Director: Kate Faux
Account Supervisor: Michael Andreozzi
Production Company: Psyop
Director: Fletcher Moules, Dan Vislocky
Managing Director: Neysa Horsburgh
Executive Producer: Amanda Miller
Producer: Shannon Alexander
Mix: Heard City

Out-of-home: Barbarian, Wizard, Hog Rider, Wall Breaker, P.E.K.K.A.
Client: Supercell
Brand Marketing Lead: Ryan Wener
Marketing Art Lead: Lauri Manninen
Senior Game Analyst: Taneli Oksama
Game Lead: Tommi Suvinen
Brand Marketing: Christina Lee
Marketing and Video Artist: Red Killion
Agency: Barton F. Graf 9000
Chief Creative Officer/Founder: Gerry Graf
Executive Creative Director/Partner: Scott Vitrone
Executive Creative Director/Partner: Ian Reichenthal
Senior Designer: Matt Egan
Designer: Toga Cox Creative
Director: Dave Canning
Creative Director: Dan Treichel
Copywriter/Art Director: Joseph Ianno
Copywriter/Art Director: Matthew Smith
Head of Integrated Production: Josh Morse
Account Director: Kate Faux
Account Supervisor: Michael Andreozzi
Art: Psyop
Creative Director: Fletcher Moules
Executive Producer: Amanda Miller
Producer: Shannon Alexander
Lead Technical Directors: Stephen Delalla (3D), Matt Lavoy (2D)
Modelers: Jon Balcome, Luis Sanchez
Texture Artist: Yuo Tengara
3D Character Poses: Chris Meek, Dan Vislocky
Lighters: Stephen DeLalla, Yuo Tengara
Compositor: Matt Lavoy
Designer/Retoucher: Jacqueline Jocson, Edmund Liang
Studio: Box Graphics

Faced with the task of marketing itself, Colossal Media has gone big and deliciously cheesy with giant fake ads popping up on the sides of buildings in Brooklyn, N.Y. 

It’s a familiar canvas for the outdoor ad painter, which is based in Brooklyn and works for the likes of Stella Artois, Comedy Central, Vans and Red Bull. Each house ad—created with help from another Brooklyn shop, Doubleday & Cartwright—includes a phone number (1-844-COL-OSAL), which connects to a gravelly voiced and, at times, profane message about Colossal.

Perhaps the most absurd (and effective?) ad resembles a missed-connection poster and aims to reunite a bespectacled nerd in a plaid sweater with a woman he saw “sipping Kombucha by the L train.” Why? Because they share the same hairstyle, they wear the same cut of Levi’s, and he wants to paint her. Sounds like a perfectly good justification for a 40-foot-wide ad on a brick building in Williamsburg.

Below are some other executions provided by the agency:

 

When Sobieski’s “Truth in Vodka” campaign began seven years ago, it skewered pomposity in the category. Since then, the effort has broadened to call out nonsense in any realm—and amen to that.

Topical targets in recent outdoor ads from lead shop Marty Weiss and Friends range from spy in exile Edward Snowden and social media to the World Cup. Weiss, the man behind memorable TV ads for Guinness and the Nynex Yellow Pages, proves once again that outdoor needn’t be a dull medium. You just need to have something witty—and pithy—to say.

This year’s ads, which target 25- to 29-year-olds in 17 cities, will continue throughout the summer before taking a break and returning in late fall. The brand’s media agency is Horizon Media.

More images below.

After years of the hard sell, some regional and national retailers are actually trying to build brands. Last month, Men's Warehouse jettisoned its bearded chairman from its advertising (after jettisoning him from the company) in favor of a music-driven approach. And last week, Sleepy's put its first outside agency to work with playful new ads. Now, Burlington gets a brand makeover in a character-driven campaign from Silver + Partners.

Directed by Harold Einstein, TV ads feature adults in public spaces oddly voicing their internal thoughts about their clothes and what they represent. And while the clothes don't make the man (or woman), they may reflect his or her personality—at least according to the campaign. Each ad segues from a series of verbal thought balloons to pop-up images of clothes and a male voice that says, "Style says it all." Oh, and there's a bit of hard sell via on-screen copy that notes, "Up to 65% off department store prices every day." The tagline: "Style is everything."

The effort broke this week and follows a similar push by the retailer for back-to-school clothes in ads featuring kids speaking their minds—via internal voices, this time—as they view themselves (and their clothes) in the mirror. Best of that bunch: a boy in a striped shirt and jeans who thinks, "I'm about to go ninja in here," before he strikes a karate pose.

CREDITS
Client: Burlington
Campaign: "Style Says It for You
Agency: Silver + Partners
Chief Creative Director: Eric Silver
Creative Director, Copywriter: Ashley Marshall
Creative Director, Art Director: Jaclyn Rink Crowley
Managing Director: Michael Stefanski
Account Director: Lauren Pollare
Senior Producers: Chris Thielo, Terry Brogan
Production Company: Station Film
Director: Harold Einstein
Managing Partner: Stephen Orent
Executive Producer: Eric Liney
Editorial: The Now Corporation
Editor: Jesse Reisner
Executive Producer: Nancy Finn
Post, Finishing: Suspect
Managing Partners: Rob Appelblatt, Tim Crean
Director: Hoon Chong
Creative Director: Colin McGreal
Director of Photography: Evan Cohen
Producers: Tsiliana Jolson, Kevin Daly, Alexander Decaneas
Lead Animator: Damien Cho
Lead Flame Artist: Brendan O'Neil
Telecine: Co3
Colorist: Tim Masick

CREDITS
Client: Burlington
Campaign: Back to School
Agency: Silver + Partners
Chief Creative Director: Eric Silver
Creative Director, Copywriter: Ashley Marshall
Creative Director, Art Director: Jaclyn Rink Crowley
Managing Director: Michael Stefanski
Account Director: Lauren Pollare
Senior Producer: Chris Thielo
Production Company: Coverdale
Director: Amir Farhang
Executive Producer: Andy Coverdale
Editorial: The Now Corporation
Editor: Jesse Reisner
Executive Producer: Nancy Finn
Post/End Tag Animation: Hornet Inc.
Designer: David Hill
Executive Producer: Jan Stebbins
Producer: Cathy Kwan
Post/Finishing: Suspect
Producers: Tsiliana Jolson
Telecine: Co3
Colorist: Tim Masick
Audio Mix: Sound Lounge
Mixer: Tommy Jucarone
EP: Vicky Ferraro

As the NBA pivots from the conference semifinals to the league championship series, its ads naturally have shifted from memorable moments in the playoffs ("Big is now") to images from past NBA Finals ("Forever is big"). Dirk Nowitzki of the Dallas Mavericks and Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers star in the first two NBA Finals ads, which were created by Goodby, Silverstein & Partners. Each execution freezes on a key shot each star took en route to a team championship. The action then shifts to the same frozen image as it appears on a cake, in action figures, etc. The latest spot, from the NBA's production arm, NBA TV, celebrates past winning teams with a montage that dates back to the old Minneapolis Lakers of the 1950s. Lots of basketball icons here, from the Celtics' Bill Russell and the Knicks' Willis Reed to the Lakers' Magic Johnson, the Bulls' Michael Jordan and the Heat's LeBron James, who smiles broadly amid a sweet spray of champagne. Daniel Meiseles was executive producer on this celebratory ad, known as "Finally Forever."