Hasta La Creative!

Clemenger BBDO Melbourne launched a new campaign for Transport Accident Commission emphasizing the importance of parental role models in determining childrens’ future driving behavior.

The 60-second “Strings” marks a drastic change in approach for Transport Accident Commission, which historically has relied on depicting car accidents to show the potential outcomes of poor driving decisions. “Strings,” on the other hand, the first work from Clemenger BBDO, doesn’t even have a car in it. Rather, it takes a simple but impactful approach to teach parents how their children are mirroring their driving behaviors. A child, attached to strings, mimics a series of driving gestures — such as checking his self phone for text messages, yelling at another driver and answering the phone. As the camera pans out, it is revealed his movements are controlled by his father in front of him, followed by the message, “What kind of driver are you raising?”

The shoot was not exactly easy to pull off, as Stephen de Wolf, Clemenger BBDO Melbourne creative director explains it involved “an intricate rig that linked our father and son, with professional puppeteers directing our talent,” with the spot filmed in a singled take, requiring “a perfectly timed and synchronised performance from both of them.”

Clemenger BBDO has carved out something of a niche for itself with thought-provoking driving PSAs such as “Local Legends” and “Mistakes,” so it’s no surprise that its Melborune division delivers a compelling take here for Transport Accident Commission.

Credits:

TAC

Amy Cockerell – Marketing Coordinator

Cherie Chandler – Marketing Project Manager

Samantha Buckis – Road Safety Project Coordinator

Samantha Cockfield – Senior Manager Road Safety

Clemenger BBDO Melbourne

James McGrath – Creative Chairman

Ant Keogh – Executive Creative Director

Stephen de Wolf – Creative Director

Jim Robbins – Senior Copywriter

Luke Thompson – Senior Art Director

Sharon Adams – Print Producer

Sonia Von Bibra – Executive TV Producer

Karolina Bozajkovska – Senior Agency TV Producer

Steve Pratt – Retoucher

Lee Simpson – Managing Partner

Naomi Gorringe – Group Account Director

Kate Joiner – Senior Account Manager

Patrick Nally – Account Executive

Production:

Tomas Mankovsky – Director (Blink)

Camilla Dehnert – Producer

Geoffrey Simpson – DOP/Cinematographer

Elodie Fouqueau – Editor

Lucinda Thompson – Designer

Duncan Horn – Flame Artist

Theodore Vidgen – Music Composer/Arranger

Stephen Boniface – Photographer (Match Photography)

Paul Le Coutier – Sound Designer/Engineer

Production Company – Finch/Blink (Co-production)

Post Production Company – Method Studio/Glassworks

Sound House – Flagstaff

Special/Visual Effects – Glassworks

BBDO New York introduces a new character for GE with the spot “Invention Donkey.”

Invention Donkey is a micro-sized donkey who grants invention-related wishes (sort of oddly specific, but okay). He introduces himself to a guy who has a little trouble with the wish part initially, asking for two best friends, DVDs and then a fun app. When Invention Donkey takes him to task for his lame wishes, he then comes up with “something to help power the planet.” Invention Donkey’s response involves a lot of hard work and planning, which, it is implied, GE has already put into finding a solution.

BBDO New York turned a lot of heads with its inventive and surreal advertising for GE last year, including “Childlike Imagination,” “What Would Happen,” “Ideas” and “The Boy Who Beeps.” The agency’s latest effort for GE is a slight change in approach, similarly surreal to past efforts but with a less serious tone (and a cute, tiny talking donkey). Like previous spots (particularly “Ideas”), it continues to celebrate the culture of invention at GE.

“We can show specific examples of things they’ve made of the last few years, but the pure essence of that place is teeming with inventors,” Tim Roan, BBDO New York creative director and copywriter, told Creativity. “They invent the big, important stuff. But a lot of the innovation most often covered or talked about is stuff like apps. That’s what people consider great contributions to mankind? So we’re trying to lead the witness to think a bit different about how the big, important, difficult stuff doesn’t happen with a snap of the finger. It takes unbelievable amounts of people, planning, foresight, and perspective.”

Credits:

Agency: BBDO New York

Client: GE

Title: Invention Donkey

Chief Creative Officer, Worldwide: David Lubars

Chief Creative Officer, New York: Greg Hahn

Executive Creative Director: Michael Aimette

Creative Director, Copywriter: Tim Roan

Creative Director, Copywriter: Levi Slavin

Art Director: Cesar Finamore

Group Executive Producer: Diane Hill

Head of Music Production: Rani Vaz

Global Director: Brandon Fowler

Senior Director: Peter McCallum

Account Manager: Tessa Cosenza

Account Executive: Will Langenberg

Production Company: Radical Media

Executive Producer: Gregg Carlesimo

Line Producer: Robin Buxton

Director: Steve Miller

Editorial: Mackenzie/Cutler

Editor: Ian Mackenzie

Assistant Editor: Nick Divers

Executive Producer: Sasha Hirschfield

VFX: Framestore

VFX Supervisor: Theo Jones

Head of 3D: Andy Rowen Robinson

Director of Animation: David Hulin

Head of Production: Sarah Hiddlestone

Compositing: Raul Ortega

Producer: Raven Sia

Sound Mix: Mackenzie/Cutler

Engineer: Sam Shaffer

Earlier this month, BBDO New York launched an extension of Twix’s “Left Twix Vs. Right Twix” platform featuring Nick Lachey as spokesman for both Left Twix and Right Twix. Now, the agency has released the follow-up with the final round of ads for the campaign.

In the above spot, “Left Twix Parts Ways With Nick Lachey,” a Left Twix spokesman explains that the company has decided to drop Lachey following the leak of a video in which Lachey admits he can’t tell the difference between Left Twix and Right Twix. Of course, since they’re “unoriginal idea-stealers,” Right Twix also decides to fire Lachey. Two shorter ads then see Lachey setting the record straight, claiming the superiority of Peanut Butter Left Twix and Peanut Butter Right Twix in the two spots. It’s basically more of the same formula for the campaign, but the whole firing of Lachey approach is not a bad way to cap off his involvement with the brand and fits well with the overall tone of Twix’s advertising.

Credits:

Agency: BBDO New York

Client: TWIX

Title: Nick Lachey vs. Nick Lachey

Chief Creative Officer, BBDO Worldwide: David Lubars

Chief Creative Officer, BBDO New York: Greg Hahn

Executive Creative Director: Gianfranco Arena

Executive Creative Director: Peter Kain

Creative Director: Peter Alsante

Creative Director: Andre Massis

Director of Integrated Production: David Rolfe

Group Executive Producer: Amy Wertheimer

Executive Producer: Alex Gianni

Executive Art Producer: Betsy Jablow

Managing Director: Kirsten Flanik

Global Account Director: Susannah Keller

Group Planning Director: Crystal Rix

Senior Planner: Alaina Crystal

Account Director: Lisa Piliguian

Account Director: Phil Brolly

Account Manager: Ashley Gill

Account Executive: Aparna Joshi

Celebrity Talent Acquisition: The Marketing Arm

Production Company: O Positive, LLC

Director: Kenny Herzog

Executive Producer: Ralph Laucella

Line Producer: Ken Licata

Editing Company: No 6

Executive Producer: Corina Dennison

Editor: Jason Macdonald

Martin Schoeller Studio

Photographer: Martin Schoeller

Producer: Lisa Hooper

Retoucher: Jim Lewis

Stripping away someone’s name goes a long toward dehumanizing that person. UN Women and Impact BBDO Dubai poignantly drive home that point in a two-minute film that was timed for Mother’s Day in the Middle East on March 21.

“Give Mom Back Her Name” shows on-the-street interviews with various Egyptian men. Keeping with local custom, they refuse to speak their mothers’ names in public. (For men in Egypt and many other countries in the Middle East, there is a peculiar taboo of not disclosing one’s mother’s name in public, lest it become a subject of shame and ridicule.)

A young guy leaning out of a car window explains, “We feel it could bring us ridicule and embarrassment.” An older man adds, “If someone knew our mother’s name, we used to sob when we were kids.” For me, the most unsettling reaction comes from a youngish dude in a blue shirt who can’t stop giggling. It’s as if he’s struggling to process the request, and awkward laughter is the only response he can muster because the notion of naming his mother in public has, at least temporarily, short-circuited his brain.

Over time, we’re told, many women have their names largely forgotten, and they are referred to as the mothers of their eldest sons. Ultimately, the film asks viewers to change their social-media profile icons to their mother’s names and spread word of the initiative using the hashtag #MyMothersNameIs.

“The right to one’s own name not being associated with shame or embarrassment is one step closer to equality,” says Fadi Yaish, regional executive creative director at Impact BBDO. “It is a basic human right.”

The film—by the same group behind 2013’s lauded Google autocomplete campaign—contains an especially sweet and uplifting scene near the end. Spoiler: The blue-shirted guy, so vexed at the outset, stands in a busy street beside his mom and speaks her name. It’s a moving, redemptive moment that reminds viewers that change and progress are always possible.

According to Yaish, in its first 48 hours online, the film received 1.5 million views on Facebook and YouTube, and over 4 million impressions on Facebook alone. The most “shocking outcome,” he says, is that women in the region felt empowered and “spoke out across all media and on social platforms saying their names.”

AdFreak: What’s the one big takeaway from this film?
Fadi Yaish: Social taboos are man made, and they can be broken by starting a conversation.

Was it tough to make? Did anyone become offended and storm off?
Some people were angry, thought we are making fun of them and refused to participate. Some people did not know what to say. Some people spoke up. As you can see in the film, some people, especially the young ones, just simply were shocked we asked them this question. It was like moment of truth. They were thinking, “I should be able to say my mother’s name! Why can’t I?” It made them question and doubt.

Who is the target audience? Do you think it will get through to them?
The core target is Egypt, which will spill to countries that have the same problem—Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, Jordan. [The message] got through already, and to everyone. It is growing bigger every second.

Any big surprises?
The response of men in general was kind of expected. Because of the “moment of truth,” the real shame would be on us men—the fact that we took away the name of the person that gave us our names and gave us our lives. The surprise was women speaking up, and refusing to accept the current situation. Google the hashtag, and you will see women saying their names. This is amazing.

CREDITS
Client: UN Women
Agency: Impact BBDO Dubai
Executive Creative Director/Editor: Fadi Yaish
Art Director: Maged Nassar, Tameem Younes
Copywriter: Aunindo Sen
Graphic designer: Mohamed Said
Typographer: Mahmmad Al Mahdy
Production House: Bigfoot
Director: Maged Nassar, Tameem Younes
DOP: Ahmed Tahoun
Post Production: Lizard

BBDO New York debuted a new, movie-themed spot for M&Ms during Sunday’s Oscar broadcast entitled “Big Movie.”

The 30-second spot pretends to be a film trailer for M&M’s “Big Movie,” spending the majority of its duration lampooning common Hollywood action movie tropes. Then near the end the spot gains a bit of self-awareness, as when the voiceover guy admits the “Big Movie” is “just a commercial,” Red rolls his eyes and stops what he’s doing (which happens to be saving the other M&Ms from a ticking time bomb). It’s basically more of the same kind of goofy humor the brand has made its trademark over the years, and why not? The movie-themed nature of the ad serves not just to tie it to the Oscars but to promote it as a snack at the theater, which makes sense given the brand’s popularity in that context. In case the connection wasn’t obvious, the spot even ends with the line “Movies are better with” and a shot of an M&M.

Credits:

Advertising Agency: BBDO, New York, USA
Chief Creative Officers: David Lubars, Greg Hahn
Executive Creative Directors: Tim Bayne, Lauren Connolly
Associate Creative Directors: Christopher Cannon, Eduardo Peterson
Executive Producer: Regina Iannuzzi
Producer: Samantha Errico
Global Account Director: Susannah Keller
Account Director: Carrie Lipper
Account Manager: Alyce Regan
Account Executive: Mariano Pintor
Production House / Director / Senior Producer: Traktor
VFX House: House Special
VFX/CG Supervisor: Kirk Kelly
Animation Lead: Kevin Phelps
Compositing Lead: Rex Carter
Senior Producer: Zilpha Yost
Edit House: PS 260
Editor: Maury Loeb
Assistant Editor: Matt Posey
Senior Producer: Laura Lamb Patterson

BBDO New York released a new ad for Foot Locker featuring Cleveland Cavs star Kyrie Irving entitled “Acting.”

Irving is hanging with some friends, who admire his signature sneaker, now available in a variety of colors. They note that between the season going well, Irving’s appearance in the All Star Game and the sneaker release, he seems to have it all going on. Irving replies that he’s also taken up acting, and plays them a clip of his appearance on a popular crime drama series.

The ad’s humorous approach follows the formula BBDO has set in its “Foot Locker. Approved” campaign well. It’s content and release are also timely, with the NBA All Star game quickly approaching. And while Irving’s supposed acting ability is the butt of the joke here, anyone who has seen him play Uncle Drew” knows that his comedic chops aren’t bad for an NBA player.

Credits:

Agency: BBDO New York

Client: Foot Locker

Title: Acting

Chief Creative Officer, Worldwide: David Lubars

Chief Creative Officer, New York: Greg Hahn

Executive Creative Director: Chris Beresford-Hill

Executive Creative Director: Dan Lucey

Copy Writer: Mike Motch

Art Director: Austin Mankey

Director of Integrated Production: David Rolfe

SVP, Executive Producer: Anthony Curti

Executive Producer: Tricia Lentini

Graphic Designer: Jessica Andrew

Worldwide Senior Director: Troy Tarwater

Account Director: Janelle Van Wonderen

Account Manager: Nick Robbins

Assistant Account Executive: Sam Henderson

Production Co – O Positive

Director: Jim Jenkins

Executive Producer: Ralph Laucella

Executive Producer: Marc Grill

Director of Photography: Jeff Cutter

Editorial – No6 Editorial

Editor: Jasopn MacDonald

Executive Producer: Corina Dennison

Producer: Malia Rose

Assistant Editor: Zach Patton

Sound– Sound Lounge

Sound Mixer: Tom Jucarone

Online – No6

Flame: Ed Skupeen

Assistant Flame: Mike Grosshandler

Color – CO3

Colorist: Tim Masick

Recently-retired soccer star Landon Donovan stars in BBDO San Fransisco’s first work for Wells Fargo, who awarded the agency lead creative duties after over 18 years with DDB last March.

The new work is not such a departure from what DDB was doing for the brand, retaining the “Done” tagline and emphasis on how easy to use the bank’s SurePay app is. Donovan brings star power to the ad while mocking his own newly-retired status. In the 30-second spot, he joins a local recreational team and nobody knows who he is. When he’s required to pony up for his uniform (which reads “Don Ovan”), he uses SurePay to send the money instantly. It will be interesting to see where BBDO San Francisco goes from here, either continuing in this vein or breaking from it, and whether Donovan’s celebrity presence marks the beginning of a trend or is just an anomaly. We’ve included DDB’s “Job Interview” spot, which debuted last May, for comparison below.

This new Foot Locker ad from BBDO debuted last night but, because it wasn’t a campaign launch and only ran in local markets, it didn’t earn nearly as many headlines as its competitors.

(From the perspective of Nationwide and Ogilvy, that could be a good thing.)

Damian Lillard of the Trail Blazers appeared in several recent campaigns for both Adidas and Foot Locker, but this one marks the debut of his first signature shoe and features a few celebrities who, unlike Lillard, are already well past their expiration dates:

We’d hoped Humpty Hump might get the gig; here’s a bit of behind-the-scenes action on set via The Oregonian.

Credits:

Agency: BBDO New York

Client: Foot Locker

Title: Signature Celebrity

Chief Creative Officer, Worldwide: David Lubars

Chief Creative Officer New York: Greg Hahn

Executive Creative Director: Chris Beresford-Hill

Executive Creative Director: Dan Lucey

Creative Director/Writer: Jessica Coulter

Creative Director/AD: Eli Terry

Director of Integrated Production: David Rolfe

Executive Producer: Anthony Curti

Music Producer: Melissa Chester

Graphic Designer: Jessica Andrew

Worldwide Senior Director: Troy Tarwater

Account Director: Janelle Van Wonderen

Account Manager: Nick Robbins

Assistant Account Executive: Sam Henderson

Production Co – O Positive

Director: Jim Jenkins

Executive Producer: Ralph Laucella

Executive Producer: Marc Grill

Director of Photography: Jeff Cutter

Editorial – No6 Editorial

Editor: Jasopn MacDonald

Executive Producer: Corina Dennison

Producer: Malia Rose

Assistant Editor: Zach Patton

Sound – Heard City

Sound Mixer: Phil Loeb

Online – No6

Flame: Ed Skupeen

Assistant Flame: Mike Grosshandler

Color – CO3

Colorist: Tim Masick

Jennifer Hudson stars in BBDO New York’s regional Super Bowl ad for American Family Insurance, entitled “Dreams Made Real,” alongside “a cast of five actual dreamers who are hoping to realize their own ambitions.”

The spot, which launches the brand’s “Dream Fearlessly” campaign is set in a 1940s diner, with Hudson and company performing a version of Chicago group the Five Stairsteps’ 1970 hit “O-o-h Child.” At the beginning of the 60-second spot the text “You’re about to see dreams become real” appears onscreen, followed by the performance and a director yelling cut. The “undiscovered performers” take the spotlight for the beginning of the ad, handing off the lead to Hudson at around the midway point.

The ad breaks this Sunday with a regional Super Bowl placement in 70 different markets, supported by digital, print and radio. There’s also a social component calling on viewers to tweet their dreams with the hashtag #DreamFearlessly. The ad will continue to air during “other high-visibility television programs throughout the year,” including regional broadcast spots during the Grammy and Academy Awards.

“Our mission is to inspire, protect and restore dreams,”said Telisa Yancy, marketing vice president at American Family. “We take this very seriously and hope that people will walk away from this commercial recognizing that we are committed to be the champion of dreams. We thank Jennifer for helping us deliver this important message.”

Credits:

The Cast of Five Dreamers:

Rashawn Thompson, teaching artist – Chicago, IL

Megan Schemmel, paralegal – Chicago, IL

Kyle Hustedt, entertainer, freelance designer and bartender – Chicago, IL

Dominick Basso, substitute teacher and boys gymnastics coach – Mundelein, IL

Lou Leonardo, Human Resources manager, Chicago, IL

Agency: BBDO New York

Client: American Family Insurance

Title: “Dreams”

Chief Creative Officer, Worldwide: David Lubars

Chief Creative Officer, New York: Greg Hahn

Executive Creative Director: Michael Aimette

ACD/Copywriter: Judd Counsell

ACD/Art Director: Anne Lac

Group Executive Producer: Anthony Nelson

Senior Producer: Darbi Fretwell

Producer: BreeAnn Stuart

Executive Music Producer: Rani Vaz

Senior Account Director: Jim Santora

Senior Account Director: Amy Hefti

Account Manager: Sara Plotkin

Production Company: RSA

Executive Producer: Tracie Norfleet

Director:  Jake Scott

Director of Photography: Chris Soos

Line Producer: David Mitchell

Production Supervisor: Jason Groves

Music Production: Search Party

Music Supervisor: Randall Poster

Music Producer: Meghan Currier

Music Producer/Arranger: Stewart Lerman

Music Arranger: David Forman

Editorial Company: NO6NY

Executive Producer: Corina Dennison

Producer: Malia Rose

Editor: Justin Quagliata

Assistant Editor: Ryan Bukowski

VFX Artist: Ed Skupeen

Recording Studio: Heard City

Mixer/Sound Designer: Philip Loeb

Senior Producer: Sasha Awn

Telecine:  Company 3

Colorist: Tim Masick

Producer: Rochelle Brown

Graphics House: Imaginary Forces

Designer/Animator: Griffin Frazen

Executive Producer: Sarah Roebuck

When Snickers teased its Super Bowl spot from BBDO NY with footage of Danny Trejo combing his hair and seemingly playing Marcia Brady, the brand promised that they would release the ad in its entirety if it generated 2.5 million social media engagements before the big game on February 1st. With over 2.8 million views on YouTube alone, the video easily cleared the hurdle, and Snickers has now released “The Brady Bunch” in its entirety.

As expected, the ad follows the formula of the brand’s “You’re Not You When You’re Hungry” campaign, with Trejo playing Marcia Brady. Footage from the teaser is not part of the ad, which rather uses actual footage from The Brady Bunch, inserting Trejo into perhaps the show’s most well-known episode — the one where Marcia gets hit by a football. The spot opens on the scene immediately following nosegate, with Trejo (as Marcia) complaining that she can’t go to the school dance looking like that. As expected, the antidote to her grumpiness is a Snickers, but the ad also manages a surprise via a celebrity guest appearance which we won’t disclose here.

While we’re not sure we’d go so far as to call this “one of the funniest Super Bowl ads ever” (as Adweek did), it’s certainly a highlight within the “You’re Not You When You’re Hungry” campaign and promises to be one of the most entertaining ads of this year’s bunch (and a fan favorite) come Sunday. Snickers released a “The Making of The Brady Bunch” feature along with the ad, which we’ve featured below.

Credits:

Client: Snickers
Spot: Brady Bunch

Agency: BBDO New York
Chief Creative Officer, BBDO Worldwide: David Lubars
Chief Creative Officer, BBDO New York: Greg Hahn
Executive Creative Director: Gianfranco Arena
Executive Creative Director: Peter Kain
Director of Integrated Production: Dave Rolfe
Group Executive Producer: Amy Wertheimer
Executive Music Producer: Melissa Chester
Group Planning Director: Crystal Rix
Planner: Alaina Crystal
Managing Director: Kirsten Flanik
Global Account Director: Susannah Keller
Account Director: Joshua Steinman
Account Manager: Tani Corbacho
Account Executive: Jocelyn Choi

The Marketing Arm: Celebrity Talent, Intellectual Property, Music Rights Acquisition
Director, Entertainment: Brad Sheehan

O Positive: Production Company
Director: Jim Jenkins
Executive Producer: Ralph Laucella
Executive Producer: Marc Grill
DP: Trent Opaloch

Arcade: Editorial
Producer: Kirsten Thon-Webb
Editor: Geoff Hounsel
Assistant Editor: Healy Snow

The Mill: Post-Production Effects
Creative Director: Ben Smith
VFX Supervisor: Nick Tanner
Executive Producer: Verity Kneale
Producer: Carl Walters
Senior Compositor: Nathan Kane
Colorist: Fergus McCall

Q Department: Music House
Sound Lounge: Audio Mix (Tom Jucarone)
Lime Studios: Voiceover Record (Loren Silber)