Hasta La Creative!

Agency Cutwater teamed up with production company Cap Gun Collective for a series of comedic shorts promoting Intel’s Chromebook.

Set in a coffee shop, the shorts are based around the premise of computer problems happening in the real world. Unfortunately, the scenarios presented seem a little bit dated. In “Monotaskers,” for example, a woman at a coffee shop won’t let a man do more than one thing at a time, taking his book while he sips his coffee. “Frozen Coffee” presents a glitchy barista, which is funny in a way, but also seems removed from the current technological climate (as is the case with “Monotaskers”). Since, at the end of these spots, Intel’s Chromebook is presented as the solution, it’s as if Intel’s competition is presented as computers from the previous decade, rather than modern competitors. That doesn’t do a whole lot to represent the Chromebook in a good light, and leaves viewers with little reason to pick it up over its real-world competition. (more…)

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Cheel has released a new campaign for Samsung’s new Galaxy Alpha smartphone, featuring top model Doutzen Kroes.

The campaign is centered around a 30-second broadcast spot capitalizing on Kroes’ popularity. In the spot, Kroes is shown out clubbing with friends (according to the PR release, these are her actual friends, in real life!). Kroes finds reason to use her phone in various ways, as text such as “metal design” and “supersnelle autofocus” appear onscreen. Ultimately, it a very forgettable approach, as it seems Cheel is really banking on Kroes’ star power to carry the spot.

“The campaign perfectly illustrates the feeling that the Galaxy Alpha personifies: connected and stylish at the same time, while you enjoy the fun things in life,” said Gerben van Walt Meijer, Samsung mobile marketing manager. (more…)

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Air New Zealand, no stranger to well-publicized safety videos, is today launching “The Most Epic Safety Video Ever Made,” created by agency True and directed by Kiwi filmmaker Taika Waititi, in anticipation of the December release of The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies. 

The airline has been cashing in on the popularity of Peter Jackson‘s Tolkien adaptations since his Lord of The Rings trilogy, and this latest installment marks the third themed effort for The Hobbit series (less than a year after the last campaign), and the second flight safety video. Shot over the course of six days, at numerous locations used in the filming of the series, the spot also includes appearances from Elijah Wood (Frodo Baggins), Dean O’Gorman (Fili the Dwarf) and Sylvester McCoy (Radagast), as well as Jackson himself. As cheesy as might be expected, the ad will undoubtedly appeal to the kind of diehard Tolkien/Jackson fans who would plan a trip to New Zealand based around the films. It’s a much more sure bet than the controversial “Safety in Paradise” from earlier this year, as Middle Earth tourism has been a boon for New Zealand.

Director Peter Jackson was pleased with the video, saying, “Air New Zealand has created yet another fantastic video to celebrate The Hobbit films. This latest offering combines members of our cast and our locations with Air New Zealand’s unique personality.  I had a lot of fun on the set with Taika and the team and look forward to seeing the video on board.”

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Agency SpecialGuest enlisted professional climber Alex Honnold to take on a route in Yosemite known as “Heaven,” in free solo fashion, meaning no rope or protective gear for an ad promoting Squarespace 7.

While Honnold is one of the world’s preeminent solo climbers, “Heaven” is no walk in the park, even for him. Before the ad was shot he’d only taken it on once without gear, and describes it as “the most severe route you’ll ever climb.” Since it also affords the best views in Yosemite, Honnold was happy to take on the challenge. A 30-second version of the spot debuted during the World Series last night, but we’ve included the full length version above.

The spot is part of a larger campaign promoting the launch of Squarespace 7 and Alex also helped inspire “Shift,” one of twelve new design templates in the latest version of Squarespace. As you may remember, he’s also not a stranger to advertising, having scaled the GS&P building this June for Stride Health. (more…)

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Activist t-shirt brand FCKH8 has stirred up some controversy with a new video that features little girls dropping f-bombs left and right (and seemingly having a blast while doing it).

The point of the profanity is that gender inequality should be more offensive than a child saying the word “fuck,” but it also serves to draw attention to the message, which otherwise offers up facts that aren’t anything new if you’ve been paying attention. The girls address such issues as the wage gap, objectification and sexual assault. The most shocking moment comes not from the girls use of profanity but when they say one in five women will be a victim of rape and sexual assault and then count off and wonder aloud which one of them it will be.

Unsurprisingly, FCKH8?s video has met with its fair share of criticism. The profanity proved too much for YouTube viewers, and the site has since removed the video. It lives on, however, at Vimeo, where the comments section is ripe with accusations of child exploitation (FCKH8 is a for-profit company) and open misogyny. Of course, the video was designed to stir up controversy and draw attention to the company, which donates five dollars from each fifteen dollar t-shirt to charities, so the backlash is entirely expected.

“Some adults may be uncomfortable with how these little girls are using a bad word for a good cause. It is shocking what they are saying, but … the big statistic that one out of five women are sexually assaulted or raped is something society seems to find less offensive than a little four-letter word, and we love how these girls draw attention to that imbalance,” video producer Mike Kon told Adweek.

Funnily enough, Adweek points out that FCKH8?s PR team couldn’t bring itself to be as brazen as the girls in the video, censoring the word “fuck” in its official press release.

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Playstation teamed up with MOFILM for the latest installment in the ongoing “Greatness Awaits” campaign promoting the PS4, which debuted during Sunday Night Football’s San Francisco 49ers vs. Denver Broncos’ game.

While last year’s installment from BBH New York at least felt like it tweaked the formula a little bit, the latest iteration of “Greatness Awaits” struggles to differentiate itself from its past. The 60-second “Friendly Competition” opens with two buddies throwing it down on the basketball court. “What do you got?” asks one friend. “I’ve got Kevin Durant,” the other replies, and morphs into the gaming version of the NBA star. From here, the friends find themselves thrown into a series of games in a now very familiar formula, set to Daft Punk’s “Contact,” ending with Destiny and the “Greatness Awaits” tagline. Maybe it’s just that it’s been used so much, both in and out of this particular campaign, but the approach now feels somewhat stale and “Friendly Competition” does little to expand upon or revitalize it. (more…)

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MUH-TAY-ZIK | HOF-FER has a new campaign for the Golden State Warriors entitled “DubTales.”

The Dubs is a nickname given to the club by fans, and the first installment in the “DubTales” campaign involves an obsessive fan/food truck owner talking up Stephen Curry. He boasts of Curry’s Herculean accomplishments such as, “the arc on his shot is so big, it fits two of each animal on Earth,” and “He makes it rain so much they’re asking him to end the California drought.” The campaign also invites fans to write their own “DubTales” to be featured on Golden State Warriors social channels, merchandise and even during games.

“In the last few years The Golden State Warriors have gone from a team that usually missed the playoffs to a contender with stars famous throughout the world,” said John Matejczyk, co-founder and executive creative director, MUH-TAY-ZIK | HOF-FER. “When you get that big, your highlights become the stuff of legend. #DubTales exaggerates and pushes those legends to incredible places.”

The campaign launched on October 13th to stoke excitement for the upcoming NBA season. New spots will continue to roll out throughout the season. (more…)

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With the release of Activision’s Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare coming up on November 4th, Ant Farm has released a 60-second gameplay trailer, the last piece in the long advertising onslaught for the game, which kicked off with a reveal trailer starring Kevin Spacey (who voices a character in the game) back in May. 

Lines from Spacey’s in-game character hold together the trailer, along with gameplay footage and quotes from advanced reviews of the title, such as Forbes‘ “…transcends the line between game and film…” The spot highlights the changes from previous iterations in the franchise, touting a more important plot and improved multiplayer while putting the game’s improved graphics on display. Fans of the franchise have probably already put in their pre-orders but emphasizing the changes in the franchise could bring some newcomers on board.

“We’ve been partners with Activision on the Call of Duty franchise from its infancy, and over the years we’ve had the fantastic opportunity to see it grow to become the massive pop culture phenomenon it is today,” said Rob Troy, chief creative officer at Ant Farm. “This year, the graphics and the multiplayer aspects of Advanced Warfare took a huge leap forward, so the creative aspects behind this campaign needed to pay homage to that.” (more…)

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New York-based Partners & Spade handled the creative for Whole Foods’ first-ever national brand campaign, entitled “Values Matter.”

The campaign focuses on the sustainability and fair trade practices of the grocery chain, summing up the brand’s philosophy with “To us, value is inseparable from values.” That line is likely also meant to defend the brand from its image as being unaffordable (as exemplified by the oft-repeated reference to the chain as “Whole Paycheck”), explaining to viewers that Whole Foods views “value” in the big picture, while implying a cheapness to the “value” offered by most grocery stores, who don’t place the same emphasis on quality and sustainability. The ad ends with the tagline, “America’s Healthiest Grocery Store,” a title the chain earned in Health magazine.

Other ads in the campaign — such as “Beef” and “Produce” — have a more specific focus. Broadcast spots will air during prime time shows such as Modern Family, Scandal and The Voice, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Jimmy Kimmel Live, and Saturday Night Live, and during World Series and NFL games. Media buying and planning was handle by Austin-based GSD&M.

“Not everyone knows what makes Whole Foods Market different from other grocers, or the fact that no other retailer has standards as demanding or as transparent as ours,” said Jeannine D’Addario, Whole Foods Market’s new global vice president of communications. This campaign will distinguish what makes our brand special, our food different and our quality superior.” (more…)

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Last month, Grey New York debuted a new campaign for DirecTV, introducing the world to Super Creepy Rob Lowe and Less Attractive Rob Lowe in the process. Now the agency is back with a follow-up effort, this time contrasting DirecTV spokesman Rob Lowe with cable subscriber Painfully Awkward Rob Lowe.

The new 30-second spot follows in the same cringe comedy formula as its predecessors. Like Less Attractive Rob Lowe, the new character has made some questionable choices about his appearance, including winged hair, a fanny pack and khakis hiked up to Urkel height. He also doesn’t do well around other people, as, after commenting that you have to wait forever for cable providers to show up he notes, “I hope it isn’t a girl…or a guy.”

With the success of the previous ads, it was only a matter of time before Grey rolled out a successor, and it looks like we can expect more from the campaign as well. According to Adweek, there are “at least two more spots from Grey New York” on the way, begging the question, which Rob Lowe will we see next? (more…)

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