Hasta La Creative!

To promote Snickers Bites, BBDO New York went retro. Bites give hungry customers a bag full of tiny pieces of Snickers bars, a pretty big switch for the consistent candymaker. But what if Snickers had thought of the idea decades ago?

There are two spots, “Intercom” and “Leisure Suit,” that attempt to answer the question, showing goofy scenarios dated to the 70s about follies that prevented Snickers employees from making Bites many years ago. “Intercom” is clearly the better of the two, as a forgetful man with some vague decision-making responsibilities at the company tries to tell his secretary to remind him to create Bites. Unfortunately, there’s static, which the secretary blames on the Soviet Union. “Leisure Suit” is little more than 30 seconds of lazy guys in afros pretending to be stoned. There’s no reason for the laziness, and the jokes are dumb. However, the premise does lend itself to future self-contained episodes, so BBDO can always take a mulligan and create some better spots in the future. ”Leisure Suit” and credits after the jump.

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On Sunday, February 2nd, M&M’S character Yellow will win a victory for sidekicks everywhere, finally starring in his own Super Bowl ad, created by BBDO NY. Mars Chocolate North America announced today that “M&M’S will debut a new 30-second commercial in the first half of Super Bowl XLVIII about M&M’S® Peanut, with Yellow taking the lead role in the Big Game for the first time.”

“It’s about time we remind the world how irresistible M&M’S Peanut really is,” said Seth Klugherz, senior director, M&M’S Chocolate Candies, adding the fun fact that  “Each M&M’S Peanut is literally 1 in 100 – meaning we have to sort through 100 different peanuts, just to find one that’s lucky enough to make its way into a bag of M&M’S Peanut.” This makes me wonder: where do all the reject peanuts go?

The Super Bowl spot is the latest in M&M’s “Year of Peanut” campaign, “a yearlong effort to showcase the irresistibility of M&M’S Peanut” that kicked off “with a star-studded event on New Year’s Eve in Atlanta.” M&M’s integrated “Year of Peanut” campaign will continue following the Super Bowl, with “multiple English and Spanish television, print and digital ads, in-store displays, consumer promotions, public relations and social media.”

As you can see for yourself above, BBDO’s Super Bowl teaser doesn’t give a whole lot away. You’ll have to keep your eyes peeled during the first half of the Super Bowl for Yellow’s moment in the spotlight, as the 30 second ad itself will remain a secret until the big game.

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A year after the Red M&M belted out Meat Loaf's "I'd Do Anything for Love (but I Won't Do That)," it's Yellow's turn to take the spotlight during the Super Bowl.

The Mars candy brand just released a teaser for its 30-second spot, set to air in the first half of the Feb. 2 broadcast. Not much is revealed, aside from some aerobics and an abduction via tranquilizer dart.

The spot, from BBDO New York, will promote peanut M&M's.

"It's about time we remind the world how irresistible M&M's Peanut really is," Seth Klugherz, senior director of M&M's Chocolate Candies, said in a statement. "Each M&M's Peanut is literally 1 in 100—meaning we have to sort through 100 different peanuts, just to find one that's lucky enough to make its way into a bag of M&M's Peanut."

CREDITS
Client: Mars/M&M's
Title: "Abduction"

Agency: BBDO, New York
Chief Creative Officer: David Lubars
Executive Creative Directors: Tim Bayne, Lauren Connolly
Senior Art Director: Eduardo Petersen
Art Director: Jamie McCelland
Copywriter: Roberto Danino
Senior Producer: Regina Iannuzzi
Producer: Sofia Doktori

Senior Account Director: Susannah Keller
Account Director: Carrie Lipper
Account Manager: Tani Nelson
Account Executive: Alyce Regan

Production Company, Visual Effects: Laika, House
Executive Producer, President: Lourri Hammack
Director: Kirk Kelly
Producers: Zilpha Yost, Julie Ragland
Editing House: PS260
Editors: Maury Loeb, Ned Borgman
Assistant Editors: Matt Posey, Colin Edelman
Senior Producer: Laura Patterson

Em se tratando de comerciais do Super Bowl, tudo é possível. No caso da Bud Light, isso inclui uma encenação registrada ao longo de uma noite, por 58 câmeras escondidas, 412 atores, 5 estrelas da música, quatro celebridades – o que inclui Arnold Schwarzenegger, Don Cheadle e Reggie Watts – e um cara que não suspeita da noite inesquecível que está prestes a vivenciar em Whatever is Coming.

Criado pela BBDO, o filme conta com alguns teasers que dão uma ideia do que vem por aí.

Post originalmente publicado no Brainstorm #9
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People who use cell phones in movie theaters are annoying. So annoying, in fact, that some other people argue that cell phone use in movie theaters should literally be punished by death, though that may be a bit extreme according to law enforcement and those that cherish human life.

For some reason, otherwise rational human beings have a tendency to abandon logic upon entering movie theaters. Perhaps it’s the cover of darkness that detaches individuals from their transgressions, as otherwise measured requests like “Hey, will you shut the fuck up?” are routinely answered with, “Why don’t you come over here and make me, fuckface?” Then children cry and Cars 2 is ruined for everyone, which wouldn’t have been such a big deal had we not spent $30 on concessions. (That’s where they get you.) Thus, our nation’s fine cinema chains are forced to accept the fact that humans loses empathy for one another once the previews start. That’s where America’s favorite anthropomorphic M+M’s come in.

Not only is this mini-movie from BBDO NY groundbreaking because it’s “the first time all six beloved M&M’S spokescandies have been featured together in one spot,” but it actually features accompanying fake movie posters (see after jump) plastered around theaters that will surely disappoint your children when you have to explain to them that it’s only an ad. (“But you said you wanted to see Cars 2! What the fuck!”) Credits after the jump.

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The iconic M&M's candies call for filmgoers to turn off their cellphones and respect their fellow theater patrons in this mock blockbuster action-movie trailer from BBDO that marks the first time all six characters have appeared in a single spot.

Speed and Die Hard-type flicks are among those deftly spoofed in the 40-second PSA, which will run in theaters nationwide. "Cellphones ruin movies. Please turn them off" is the tagline. Lobby posters starring the Red and Yellow M&M's are also part of the push.

Sugar-coating the theme in such fashion is pretty sweet, and the approach actually makes me want to see the M&M's cast in a feature for real. They're always hanging around movie theaters anyway, usually in the snack case. And judging by the "trailer," the Blue M&M could out-act Vin Diesel any day of the week (though an M&M's wrapper could probably do that, come to think of it).

Credits below.

CREDITS
Agency: BBDO, New York
Client: Mars/M&M's

Video Credits
Chief Creative Officer: David Lubars
Executive Creative Directors: Tim Bayne, Lauren Connolly
Senior Art Director: Eduardo Petersen
Senior Copywriter: Christopher Cannon
Senior Producer: Regina Iannuzzi
Junior Producer: Samantha Errico

Senior Account Director: Susannah Keller
Account Director: Carrie Lipper
Account Manager: Tani Nelson

Production Company: Traktor
Director: Traktor/Sam
Producer: Richard Ulfvengren
Head of Production: Rani Melendez

Visual Effects: Laika/House
President, Executive Producer: Lourri Hammack
Animation Director: Kirk Kelly
Producer: Zilpha Yost
Producer: Julie Ragland
Editing House: PS260
Editors: Maury Loeb, Ned Borgman
Assistant Editors: Matt Posey, Colin Edelman
Senior Producer: Laura Patterson

M&M'S 2013 Cinema "Teeth" Poster Creative Credits

Print Credits:
Chief Creative Officer: David Lubars
Executive Creative Directors: Tim Bayne, Lauren Connolly
Art Directors: Jonathan Bjelland, Vanessa Castaneda
Copywriter: Tifanni Lundeen

Executive Art Producer: Betsy Jablow
Print Production Manager: Michael Musano
Retoucher: Steve Lakeman

Senior Account Director: Susannah Keller
Account Director: Carrie Lipper
Account Manager: Tani Nelson

CGI Rendering: Laika
Animation Director: Kirk Kelly
Producer: Zilpha Yost

Illustrator: Michael Koelsch

This eerie safe-driving PSA from New Zealand employs an Outer Limits-style time freeze to impressive, heartbreaking effect as we watch two drivers, poised to collide in a matter of seconds, emerge from their vehicles and discuss the situation.

One driver, with his small son in the back of his SUV, has misread the other's excessive speed while pulling into an intersection. Both concede it was "a simple mistake." But as the oncoming car creeps ominously ahead, shattering the otherwise frozen backdrop, they realize with mounting horror that there may be nothing they can do to avoid the inevitable. They walk back to their cars, and we share their sense of anguish and helplessness.

"This campaign aims to reframe the way people look at their speed when they're driving," the New Zealand Transport Agency says. "We usually get to learn from our mistakes, but not when driving—the road is an exception. Even the smallest of mistakes on the road can cost us our life, or someone else's."

The spot, by Clemenger BBDO, marks a departure from the agency's recent work for the client, which successfully used humor and charm to highlight the dangers of driving while stoned. Here, the tone is intensely serious, and the riveting results are memorable and stand up to repeat viewings. Amid the terrifying prospect of a side-impact crash, this ad's power hits you head on.

The Economist and AMV BBDO, the publication’s UK agency, teamed up to create a moving interactive film paying tribute to South African national hero and tireless anti-apartheid crusader Nelson Mandela. Mandela, in case you’ve lost all contact with the world for several days, died of a lung infection on December 5th, at the age of 95. The film is being released in anticipation of tomorrow’s memorial service for Mandela.

Entitled “The Long Walk Is Over,” the video shows a series of individuals walk into a large field and place objects, such as photos, flowers, clothing and placards, on the ground — accompanied by voiceover from British poet, Benjamin Zephaniah. At the film’s conclusion, the camera pans out to show these items forming a large likeness of Nelson Mandela‘s face. After the film has concluded, small boxes with years appear around the items in the portrait. Users can click on these dates to learn more about a given period in Mandela’s life via excerpts from The Economist archive, with links to the full articles.

The Economist‘s chief marketing officer, Susan Clark, says, “We are proud to offer this film to help tell the story of Nelson Mandela, to show turning points in the life of a man who made his mark on the world in so many ways. The fact that Nelson Mandela read The Economist during his time at Robben Island is something that we are particularly proud of and this video is a way for us to pay tribute to him and his life.”

You can watch “The Long Walk Is Over” above, although we recommend heading over to www.mandelaswalk.com for the full interactive experience, if you have the time. And if you’d like an even better picture of Mandela’s life and his struggle for equality in South Africa, why not read his famous “An ideal for which I am prepared to die” speech?

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Pantene Philippines has launched a powerful campaign pointing out how identical behavior often earns men and women different labels in the workplace.

In this spot by BBDO Guerrero in Manila, a lovely cover of "Mad World" by Tears for Fears plays while each scene displays a double-standard in a working environment. A man is the "boss" while a woman is "bossy." A man is "persuasive" while a woman is "pushy." He's "neat" but she's "vain." He's "smooth" but she's a "show-off." "Don't let labels hold you back. Be strong and shine," says the copy at the end.

There's nary a shampoo bottle in sight, although glossy hair certainly features here. But the video delivers, and the #whipit campaign has inspired discussion on both the YouTube video and Facebook.

• "Too bad they couldn't find a male equivalent of 'bitch.' This is the one I hear the most about strong women in the workplace."
• "Sell product by convincing your target market that you are more invested in contributing to emotionally charged, globally relevant women's image issues than you are in advertising your product."

While it is disappointing that they used only light-skinned models—a long-standing trend in the Philippines—it's a potent spot with an important message criticizing gender stereotypes. Oh, and Sheryl Sandberg is a fan.

Não importa o quanto a gente seja (ou esteja) conectado. Em algum momento, sempre bate aquela solidão. No caso de muitas pessoas, isso costuma acontecer durante as festas de fim de ano, razão pela qual a Ikea lançou a plataforma online No Empty Chairs at Christmas. Criada pela BBDO de Zurique, a ferramenta se propõe a unir pessoas que estão sozinhas neste fim de ano, com dois tipos de perfil: anfitriões e convidados.

Como uma espécie de rede social, os usuários fornecem algumas informações básicas, para que seja possível encontrar as melhores combinações: idioma, localização, com ou sem crianças… A criação do perfil permite que os participantes também façam o upload de suas fotos e escrevam um pequeno texto.

A ideia, entretanto, não é criar casais, mas grupos de pessoas com algo em comum que possam compartilhar alguns momentos no Natal, preenchendo aquelas cadeiras que normalmente ficariam vazias…

Apesar de ser uma iniciativa bacana, não deixa de ser um risco ir sozinho à casa de alguém que não se conhece. É por isso que há um disclaimer nos termos e condições, alertando que a Ikea não se responsabiliza pelas decisões dos usuários de receber ou ir à casa de alguém. As inscrições vão até 26 de dezembro. Quem sabe depois disso, a agência não lança um video-case contando os resultados…

Post originalmente publicado no Brainstorm #9
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