Hasta La Creative!

Ameriprise Financial has split with lead agency R/GA and launched a creative review, Adweek reports. According to Adweek‘s sources, R/GA, which had been Ameriprise Financial’s lead creative agency since 2009, declined to participate in the review. Media buying and planning will remain with Initiative.

The agencies involved in the review are currently unknown, but final presentations have been set for the middle of February. According to Kantar Media, Ameriprise Financial spent around $38 million on measured media in 2013. R/GA’s current campaign for the brand centers around actor Tommy Lee Jones, who will likely part ways with the brand as well. Boston’s Pile + Co. is managing the review process.

Ogilvy & Mather, Paris have launched a new campaign for Dove haircare products entitled “Love Your Curls.”

As that title suggests, the campaign is aimed at women with curly hair. The campaign is based on Dove’s research finding that only 4 out of 10 girls with curly hair think that their hair is beautiful. “Love Your Curls” begins with interviews with girls who express their dissatisfaction with their curly hair, and that they think straight hair is prettier. It’s tough to watch girls so young dissatisfied with their appearance, but Dove’s research also unearthed a more promising statistic: that curly-haired girls are seven times more likely to love their hair if the people around them do. As the text “The best way to change how they feel about their curls, is to show them how you feel about yours” comes on the screen, girls and their relatives dance through the streets celebrating their curls. They then arrive at a sort of Dove sing-a-long where a group plays and sings a tune with the repetitive chorus, “We all love our curls.”

“The Dove Hair Love Your Curls film reveals an important issue, and Dove Hair has a responsibility to take that finding and instigate positive social change,” Rob Candelino, Unilever’s vice president of marketing for haircare, told Adweek.

Critics of Dove’s marketing tactics have suggested that the brand is manipulative and preys on customers’ insecurities, and will likely take similar issue with this latest effort, but Candelino defended the ad, telling Adweek, “We are a proud leader in redefining how beauty is portrayed and celebrated, and we have been committed to helping make beauty a source of confidence, not anxiety. Building on the scale of the Dove brand, the Dove Hair Love Your Curls campaign reveals the opportunity that all women have to set a positive tone for the next generation.”

W+K Amsterdam has launched an integrated campaign for Booking.com introducing the Booking Now app.

In a series of four 30-second spots which begin airing this Sunday, W+K Amsterdam borrows a trick from “Ship My Pants,” ending each ad with the almost-expletive filled, “The right room, right booking now,” in suggestive circumstances. Each spot presents a comical scenario where immediate booking is a necessity. In “Dead Bed” it’s a grandmother offering up the bed where her husband died peacefully, while the similar “Race Car Bed” borrows a gag from Grandma’s Boy. “Karate” and “Interview” change things up, presenting a couple who are pleasantly surprised by their daughter’s performance at a karate competition and a woman who arrives for a job interview a full day early.

In addition to the broadcast spots, the campaign also includes cinema, OOH and digital activations.

Deutsch LA recently launched a new ad for Dr. Pepper, introducing “Mop Dog.”

“Mop Dog” is a Puli — a Hungarian breed that develops natural dread locks or “cords” giving it a distinct, comical appearance — who roams around in search of a home. The dog walks past an owner taking her two (more normal looking) dogs for a walk and passes two shops with mops in the window before finally being taken in by a Dr. Pepper truck driver (who Breaking Bad fans may recognize as “Krazy 8?). From there it’s straight Puli cuteness as the dog tags along. For a moment it seems the driver is going to drop the dog off at an animal shelter, but, predictably changes his mind. The spot ends with the “Always Be One of a Kind” tagline.

While the ad could hardly be accused of originality, Deutsch LA handles the canine approach as well as most with “Mop Dog.” Saccharine as it might be, it’s hard to imagine that people won’t eat this one right up (who doesn’t love Pulis?), and we wouldn’t be surprised if Dr. Pepper’s “Mop Dog” makes a reappearance.

Merkley & Partners launched a 30-second teaser for Mercedes’ Super Bowl spot, featuring NFL legend Jerry Rice.

In the teaser for “The Big Race,” Rice discusses who will win the race between the Tortoise and the Hare with eight-year-old and “pet rabbit owner” Andrew Hunter. When Hunter reveals he doesn’t know the difference between a rabbit and a hare (they are both members of the Leporidae family, but belong to different genera), Rice tells him maybe he should “figure that out before debating the best wide receiver of all time.” Rice is then more than a little taken aback at Hunter’s response.

The ad is designed to mimic the buildup of anticipation leading to the Super Bowl, with Merkley & Partners having created its own version of the big game in “The Big Race.” Like with the Super Bowl, the weeks leading up to the event are filled with speculation and predictions. The teaser will air both on broadcast and online. Mercedes has also rolled out a social extension that includes Twitter accounts for the Tortoise and the Hare and a call for viewers to show their support by tweeting either #TeamTortoise or #TeamHare.

Drew Slaven, VP-marketing, Mercedes-Benz, divulged to AdAge that a specific Mercedes model will be a major factor in the brand’s Super Bowl spot. “There is a hero at the end of the race,” he added.

180LA recently launched a pair of spots shots in and around Tokyo for Expedia entitled “No Excuses” and “Someplace New.”

In the 30-second “No Excuses” a young woman rattles off a list of excuse for not using her vacation days to travel (“I just don’t have the money to travel right now,” “If I had friends to go with I’d go, but I don’t want to travel by myself,” etc.) while she is shown taking a trip to Tokyo and having a blast. “There are no more excuses: find the hotel you want and the flight you want, and we’ll find the savings to get you there,” concludes the voiceover. The spot is well put together, with the fun Tokyo locations timed to break down the woman’s arguments.

Tokyo also functions into “Someplace New” which laments that 85 percent of people who travel go someplace they’ve already been before asking, “Where’s the fun in that?” Again, the city’s distinct personality — and specifically the iconic Robot Restaurant — helps give weight to the persuasion.

“I wanted our hero’s journey to be seen as an enlightening experience: She found the courage to do this trip, and was rewarded,” said Cap Gun Collective director Tom Haines. “Expedia wanted to show a different way of thinking about travel, and I was really attracted to that message. It really gave us the opportunity to tell an interesting, more emotional story.”

Credits:

Client: Expedia
Senior Director, Brand Marketing: Vic Walia
Brand Marketing Manager: Jessica Eichner
Media Director: Elizabeth Dorrance

Agency: 180LA
Chief Creative Officer: William Gelner
Creative Directors: Dave Horton, Matthew Woodhams-Roberts
Copywriter: Ben Bliss
Art Director: Marcus Brown
Head of Production: Natasha Wellesley
Senior Producer: Erin Goodsell
Head of Account Management: Chad Bettor
Associate Account Director: Brooke Stites
Account Manager: Mackenzie Walen

Production Company: Cap Gun Collective
Director: Tom Haines
Executive Producer: Jason Botkin
Producer: Benjamin Mann
Director of Photography: Steven Annis

Editorial Company: Melvin
Editor: Dave Groseclose
Producer: Brian Scharwath

Music Track: “Genesis” by Grimes

VFX and Finishing: The Mill
Colorist: Adam Scott

Goodby Silverstein & Partners launched a new campaign for Cisco Systems, touting the Internet of Everything, entitled “Building Tomorrow Today.”

In “The Last Traffic Jam,” the agency imagines a recreation of a traffic jam in a museum presented as the “scourge of 20th century city life.” Near the conclusion of the spot, the voiceover assures viewers, “…one day soon, we’ll see the last one ever,” since “Cisco is building The Internet of Everything for connected cities today that will confine the traffic jam to yesterday.”

It’s an intriguing approach. After all, who wouldn’t want to see the traffic jam turn into a museum relic? Other ads in the campaign will reportedly follow a similar approach, presenting “last” scenarios (including “the last product recall,” according to Campaign). It will be interesting to see where Goodby Silverstein & Partners takes the idea next.

Credits:

Digitas LBi thanked passengers on behalf of Delta for “An Amazing Year” in a spot which debuted late last month.

“165 million people,” the spot begins with voiceover delivered from Donald Sutherland, “that’s how many of you chose to fly with us this year. That’s how many of you we want to thank.” Delta crew then goes on to craft paper airplanes out of boarding passes, which in turn create a larger model of an airplane, completed by a “backdrop of airy light.” It’s a visually interesting homage to passengers, and Sutherland’s instantly recognizable voice is voiceover gold, as usual, adding to the warm tone of the spot.

“Our goal was to shoot an elegant, tasteful and restrained visual narrative while creating a sophisticated art installation — something that might actually belong in a museum setting,” said director Sam Ciaramitaro. “Handheld, close-up shots that focus on the sincere and honest performances of the real-life Delta employees, combined with the strength of Donald Sutherland’s narration resulted in a very warm piece.” (more…)

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Yesterday, McDonald’s aired “Signs,” the latest in Leo Burnett’s brand refresh for the fast food giant, which aired during NFL Divisional Playoff games and the Golden Globe Awards yesterday.

Following on the heels of “Archenemies,” Leo Burnett’s latest continues to celebrate the love, this time focusing on the lovin’ between McDonald’s and local communities. The ad shows customized messages on McDonald’s signs (you know, the ones that say “Billions Served” by default), beginning with “Thank You Veterans” and also featuring “We Remember 911,” and “Boston Strong” while also offering some more personal signs, such as “We Believe In You Crystal.” At the end of the version running online, viewers are invited to explore the stories behind the signs at mcdonalds.tumblr.com.

(more…)

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Johannes Leonardo explores the meaning of the term “superstar” and celebrates Adidas’ original Superstar shoe from 1969, while trotting out a slew of celebrities, in a new 90-second spot entitled “#OriginalSuperstar.”

Those celebrities aren’t just current and former athletes; NBA player Damian Lillard makes an appearance, along with David Beckham, but so do Pharrell Williams and Rita Ora. It’s a sign of the brand moving away from an athletic-wear image and hyping up its fashion cache. “If you think a superstar is standing on stage, filling up stadiums, and selling out concert halls,” Ora begins at the opening of the spot, and the rest of the 90 seconds follows the same basic formula. Each celebrity begins their own “If you think a superstar…” statement before passing it on to the next, until Pharrell finally concludes, “…then I am not a superstar.”

Over the course of the 90 seconds the repetitive, onanistic approach becomes a little grating. The self-congratulatory statements hint at the question “What is a superstar?” but, ultimately, the ad doesn’t say anything of substance on the (rather facile) subject. This would be a bit more excusable in a quick 30-second spot, but ninety seconds of celebrities musing about nothing in particular begs the question, “Where have we seen that before?”

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.