Hasta La Creative!

When Jack Black was a kid in Hermosa Beach, Calif., he left a special message for the Tooth Fairy: Rather than money, he wanted Farrah Fawcett’s phone number.

That’s just one of the funny anecdotes packed into this Google Play ad from BBH Los Angeles. In the three-and-a-half-minute animated clip, Black dishes on growing up in the Southern California beach town in the 1970s and 1980s.

It’s part of a series called “California Inspires Me,” created with California Sunday magazine (the regional print offshoot of non-fiction event series Pop-Up Magazine), which Google is using to promote Black’s catalog of movies on Google Play (as well as the availability of the entertainment he cites as inspiration—the Steve Miller Band, Journey, Styx and, naturally, Fawcett’s Charlie’s Angels).

There’s even a nod to Fast Times at Ridgemont High. And for those of you looking to geek out on more details, there’s a second website with more quotes.

Overall, Black’s profile takes a theme that could feel a little parochial and gives it broad appeal. And the clip itself is well-paced and beautifully illustrated—graphic artist Nicholas Menard puts a new spin on the actor’s colorful storytelling, like a description of Hollywood as a “throbbing dream” that can’t but influence nearby communities.

Also, keep your eyes peeled for an excellent flow-chart on the relationship between getting laughs and feeling loved. But mostly just sit back and enjoy a neat bit of entertainment, even if it is technically advertising, too.

CREDITS
Client: Google Play
Global Director of Marketing: Brian Irving
Marketing Manager: Zena Arnold
Product Marketing Manager: Robin Gonterman
Director: Nicholas Menard
Animator: Anne-Lou Erambert
Music: Shannon Ferguson
Sound Production: Mooj Zadie

Agency: BBH LA
ECD: Pelle Sjoenell
CD: Josh Webman
Design Director: Florencio Zavala
Art Director: James Beke
Copywriter: Tyree Harris
Business Director: Derek McCarty
Account lead: Raquel Castro

California Sunday
Chas Edwards, Publisher and President
Derek Fagerstrom, Producer / California Inspires Me
Whitney Lynn, Project Manager
Noelle Kaplan, Account Executive

Axe has been trying to move away from its narrow, misogynistic views on relationships and sexuality for some time. But this BBH London spot is easily the Unilever brand’s most inclusive yet.

Airing first in Australia (where the brand is called Lynx) before rolling out to other global markets, the hair-care spot packs a lot into 60 seconds. As our hero flips through TV channels at home, we get brief scenes that take place inside each show—with the protagonist in the lead role.

Around the 30-second mark, though, we get a scene that would be remarkable for many brands—and astounding for Axe. “Kiss the hottest girl,” the voiceover advises the Axe user, “or the hottest boy!” And in the vintage scene, we see the guy do just that.

Even better, they don’t make a big deal of it. And it’s not even mentioned in the press release. (Nick Gill, executive creative director of BBH London, says he’s “enormously proud” of the ad—because it’s “witty, exciting and full on filmic invention,” not because it’s revolutionary in any way.)

The spot has been getting press just for the gay kiss, and no wonder. Axe has been proudly regressive for years. It’s a shock to see it suddenly get this progressive.

CREDITS
Client: Axe/Lynx
Agency: BBH London
BBH Creative Team: Jack Smedley, George Hackforth-Jones
BBH Interactive Art Director: Vinny Olimpio
BBH Creative Director: David Kolbusz, Nick Gill, Gary McCreadie, Wesley Hawes
BBH Team Director: Cressida Holmes-Smith
BBH Team Manager: Freddie Vereker
BBH Strategist: Tom Callard
BBH Strategy Director: Agathe Guerrier
BBH Business Lead: Helen James

Film Credits
BBH Producer: Glenn Paton
BBH Assistant Producer: Katie Burkes
Production Company: Biscuit Filmworks
Director: Noam Murro
Executive Producer: Orlando Wood
Producer: Jay Veal
DoP: Eric Schmidt
Post Production: Framestore
Editor/Editing House: Neil Smith and Saam Hodivala @ Work Post
Sound: Will Cohen @ String and Tins

Print Credits
BBH Producer: Sally Green
Photographer: Photographer: Alan Clarke
Typographer: Rich Kennedy

Local Agency Credits
Client: LYNX Australia
Marketing Director: Jon McCarthy
Senior Brand Manager: Johnny Hammond
Brand Manager: Lindsey Roberts
Digital Agency: Soap Creative
Media Agency: Mindshare
PR Agency: Liquid Ideas

BBH London targets millenial women with a new spot for Bailey’s entitled “Global Girls Night Out.”

As you may expect from that title, the ad follows several groups of friends from around the world as they celebrate a girls night out. It’s a simple concept, but BBH executes it rather well, with perfect pacing and an inspired soundtrack choice in girl group The Go-Gos hit “We Got The Beat.” The spot begins with each group getting ready and heading out for the night and ends with scenes of them enjoying Bailey’s at their respective bars.

According to The Drum, the 60-second spot “was directed by thirtytwo at Pulse Films with an all-female agency team and predominantly female production team.” In addition to the broadcast spot, the global “Here’s To Us” campaign is supported by a print component shot by fashion photographer Steve Heitt.

“Baileys was due a shake-up, a reintroduction to a new generation of women, a meaningful role in a girls night out – the brand having had been hidden at home for far too long,” Caroline Pay, creative director at BBH London, told The Drum. “We had a lot of fun shooting this, and I really hope that comes across on screen.”

“Here To Us” will debut in the UK, US and Western Europe before expanding globally.

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BBH London has crafted an ambitious online spot for British Airways entitled “The Welcome of Home.”

The four minute long ad tells the story of a Canadian woman named Chitra visiting her grandmother in India, and bringing along a bit of a surprise. It is an emotional journey, perhaps a bit too saccharine for some, dealing with themes of family, love, culture and the true meaning of home. “No matter how many years I’ve been away, home will always be India,” Chitra says at the spot’s conclusion, before the message, “We know how important home is appears onscreen.” There’s little overt branding in the ad until its conclusion, with BBH London instead tying British Airways to the idea of home and the emotional tone of the ad. It’s well produced and, unlike a lot of long-form ads, doesn’t feel stretched beyond its limits. Still, getting people to sit through a four minute long ad for an airline is an uphill battle, making the attempt perhaps too ambitious for its own good. (more…)

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Christmas storytelling is an annual rite of advertising one-upsmanship in Britain. But how can you weave a heart-warming tale while still keeping your product front and center?

U.K. grocery chain Waitrose has found one solution by focusing on something that differentiates its staff. Employee shared ownership in the company, which would normally be the driest of dry topics, takes a charming turn in the store’s new holiday spot from BBH London. A real employee, Adejumoke Sanusi of Ilford, was even cast to play herself.

The ad follows the story of an introverted young woman tackling a holiday baking challenge for school. Unlike the fantastical whimsy of advertisers like John Lewis, this ad is far more grounded in the reality of why you’d actually need to turn (time and again) to a helpful grocery clerk. 

It likely won’t leave you wiping tears from your eyes, but on the other hand, you’ll probably at least remember what was being advertised.

By the way, the soundtrack comes from an interesting source: Members of the public joined a “Donate Your Voice” effort to create the track, a cover of Dolly Parton’s “Try.” The song is available for purchase on iTunes, with proceeds going to three U.K. charities.

CREDITS
Client: Waitrose
Marketing Director: Rupert Thomas
Head of Marketing: Rupert Ellwood
Manager, Advertising: Jo Massey
Marketing Manager, Advertising: Libby Langridge

Agency: BBH London
Creative Team: Fred Rodwell and Andy Parsons
Creative Director: Ken Hoggins & Martha Riley
Strategist: Melanie Arrow
Strategy Director: Tom Roach
Business Lead: Sian Cook
Team Manager: Emma Johnston-Donne
Team Director: Kayleigh Chapman
Producer: Glenn Paton
Assistant Producer: Sarah Cooper

Production Company: Park Pictures
Director: Tom Tagholm
Executive Producer: Stephen Brierley
Producer: Fran Thompson
Director of Photography: Rob Hardy

Postproduction: MPC
Visual Effects Producer: Amy Richardson
Visual Effects Supervisor: Jonathan Box
Colorist: Jean-Clément Soret

Editor/Editing House: Tim Hardy at Stitch
Sound: Sam Ashwell at 750mph
Music Supervisor: The Most Radicalist Black Sheep Music
Music Producer: David Kosten
Music Publisher: Carlin Music
Music Label: BMG Chrysalis

BBH London has released a new spot for KFC in the UK entitled “Fans.”

In the 90-second spot, two brothers support rival footie clubs — Stirling Albion FC and Dunfermline FC — and each attends a match with one of their parents. Both diehard fans are quite serious about the match but only one team comes out on top. But in heartwarming yet predictable fashion, KFC brings the family back together, and soon the boys are bonding over the new Colonel’s Brownie Bucket. While it may not exactly be breaking new ground, it’s a cute spot and well-executed enough to not seem over-the-top. (more…)

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BBH London has a new campaign for Audi, taking aim at upper-level executives with a minimalist approach.

The spot opens on a gramophone on a desk playing a stuffy record entitled “Presence: How to Obtain It.” A speaker on the record describes antiquated notions of what leads to presence: “an unyielding handshake never fails,” “Don’t ask, tell,” etc. Then the Audi A7 Sportback backs up and lifts its sportback, tipping over the gramophone, leading into the tagline “Presence. Redefined.”

The simple, straightforward approach is a welcome change of pace from the typical, lavish luxury car advertising, often involving celebrity endorsements (see Jaguar), letting the vehicle speak for itself. It is supported online by a digital partnership with The Economist, which includes an online hub hosting branded content. Should the ad prove effective, it could mean a more scaled-back approach for the brand (at least with this particular vehicle) in the future. (more…)

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The Barn at BBH, “a training program for emerging advertising talents” has a new social campaign hijacking popular dating app Tinder for Social Tees Animal Rescue, a non-profit animal charity that rescues animals from kill shelters and “provides them with a safe haven and veterinary care until they are placed in a proper home.”

Social Tees Animal Rescue and The Barn at BBH hope that some of the 10 million users browsing through Tinder daily looking for love will love fall in love with their dogs’ profiles instead and bring one home for adoption. Since some Tinder users are not into the whole commitment thing, BBH has set up “the option to foster an animal for two weeks or to adopt for good.” It’s a cute idea, and it has already proven successful.

The Barn at BBH began populating Tinder with animal adoption profiles on July 31st and received over 1,500 matches in the first 24 hours. The goal of the campaign is to raise awareness about pet adoption and the 7.6 million dogs sent to animal shelters yearly in the U.S., in addition to finding individual homes for the pets involved. Check out the video above for a better look at the campaign, and stick around for credits after the jump. (more…)

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And you thought beans were the musical fruit.

This memorable ad from BBH New York humorously suggests that Mr. Sketch scented markers get their smell from actual fruit farts—as we see a blueberry cutting a squeaker inside a fantastical Roald Dahl-esque odor-extraction lab.

The flavorful flatulence infuses one of the venerable Newell Rubbermaid brand’s blue marker pens, and we’re led to believe this same method applies to apple, raspberry, cherry, lemon and other scents in the Mr. Sketch line.

“We wanted a simple, entertaining concept that people would get right away,” BBH group creative director Gerard Caputo tells Mashable. “And since the name of the product isn’t intuitive to the benefit, we wanted to do a little education.”

Smells like a gold Lion to me! At any rate, the ad should amuse kids of all ages, even if the pungent manufacturing process on display doesn’t pass the smell test.

Infiniti Motor Co. will meet (or has already met) with seven agencies before selecting finalists to pitch for its global creative account, Adweek reports.

The meetings took place this week, and leave Infiniti “on track to complete its search by August,” according to Adweek. Infiniti’s initial request for proposal reported that the brand spends approximately $450 million annually. Among the agencies in the running are Publicis, FCB, Havas Worldwide (pitching with sister shop Arnold), Bartle Bogle Hegarty, M&C Saatchi and Crispin Porter + Bogusky, according to Adweek‘s sources. Interestingly, also pitching is Goodby, Silverstein & Partners, partnering with incumbent Omnicom agency TBWA. After the initial meetings, Infiniti will narrow the field to three or four agencies, a cut that “could come as soon as next week.” Infiniti’s RFP noted that “alternative approaches are paramount as Infiniti cannot outspend its competitors in broadcast,” and identified the U.S., China and Hong Kong as priority markets.

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