Hasta La Creative!

Momentum Wordlwide revealed one of the cuter safe drinking PSAs you’re likely to see for Budweiser last Friday, timed to coincide with Global Be(er) Responsible Day.

The ad continues Budweiser’s affiliation with cute dogs (as seen in Anomaly’s “Puppy Love” Super Bowl spot). In “Friends Are Waiting” we are introduced to a man and his companion, a yellow lab, through a montage of the dog growing from a puppy to an adult. We then see the man leave with a group of friends, six pack of Budweiser in hand, telling the dog he’ll see him later. The lab waits patiently all night, accompanied by the text, “For some the wait never ended. But we can change that.” Then the man returns home to a very excited dog, explaining that he spent the night at a friend’s house, followed by the message, “Make a plan to make it home. Your friends are counting on you.”

It’s a pretty adorable approach to the overly familiar safe-drinking PSA, and sure to have dog owners of all stripes teary-eyed. By taking a different angle on the subject, and appealing to people’s natural love of their pets, it just may be memorable to make an impression and get dog owners to make safer drinking choices. Momentum is supporting the spot with the #friendsarewaiting hashtag, in an effort to help spread the message.

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SapientNitro has launched a new brand campaign for Lycra, its first since becoming AOR for the brand.

The global campaign, entitled “Move You,” kicked off with a broadcast spot — which has 60, 30, and 15-second variations — that broke last night in Brazil. Loosely inspired by Victorian-era photographic pioneer Eadweard Muybridge, and directed by Philippe André, the spot shows a woman in different environments encompassing a typical day. She bursts into sudden dance-like movement, with a time-lapse effect creating a trail showing the freedom of movement made possible by Lycra products. It makes for a visually compelling ad which fits with the brand’s message, even if it takes a second to pick up on when first viewing.

The print campaign, shot by acclaimed photographer Rankin, employs a similar approach. Additional aspects of the campaign include “a trade-targeted website and point of sale, followed in 2015 by consumer digital, social and innovative in-store activity.” (more…)

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twofifteenmccann have created a new campaign for online radio service Pandora, entitled “#ThumbMoments.”

Users of the service typically give a song a thumbs up to favorite a song, and a thumbs down to not hear the song on their station again. But on September 5th, twofifteenmccann and Pandora made the thumbs up much more meaningful. Fans who favorited a song by Lindsey Sterling, the song was interrupted by a live message from the star, followed by a one-on-one concert for the fan. Over the course of three hours, Sterling performed seven of these concerts for Pandora listeners. Their reactions form the backbone of the new online campaign, which debuted today.

The emphasis on the thumbs up emphasizes one of the service’s more recognizable features, and allows for Pandora to surprise fans of other artists with similar concerts in the future. Indeed, The New York Times reports that future “commercials will follow the same format, but Pandora declined to name participating musicians.” Additionally, hitting thumbs up for certain (unspecified) artists in the future will result in fans receiving “thumb gifts,” such as signed instruments.

“It was very emotional for listeners, and very emotional for Lindsey, too, because she could see them one-to-one in a way that she doesn’t even get to in a concert,” James Robinson, chief creative officer of twofifteenmccann, told The New York Times of the campaign. “She could see what her music meant to these people.”

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McCann has rolled out the latest extension of the “Priceless Surprises” campaign for Mastercard featuring Justin Timberlake surprising card-holding fans, which debuted back in January for the Grammys.

The latest iteration of the campaign comes via an online spot for MasterCard Canada, courtesy of MacLaren McCann, Toronto. In the spot, a fan describes her ideal day with Timberlake, which features mini golf, beer and nachos. Timberlake was taken with her laid-back plans, which he says came across as “really genuine” and decided “I want to hang out with that chick.” So he surprises her while she’s playing mini golf with a friend. The trio finish their round and find a reserved table with beer and nachos. While it’s basically more of the same for the campaign, Canadian fans of Timberlake should get a kick out of it and JT provides the kind of star presence that’s hard to argue with. (more…)

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twofifteenmccann has released a live action trailer for Xbox One open-world racing game Forza Horizon 2.

Like a lot of live action trailers for games, the 90-second spot attempts to capture the feeling and excitement of the title in a live action format that captures viewers attention. “Leave Your Limits” opens with a nostalgic look at an electric slot car track. When one of the cars breaks through a wall rather than sticking to the track, the film shifts focus to cars speeding down a highway. The remainder of the spot uses racing footage of cars both on and off road, emphasizing the aspect that makes the game unique, the freedom its open world affords players.

“Leave Your Limits” finds a playful way to promote the game which should have fans ready for the September 30th launch while also piquing the curiosity of casual viewers. Appropriately enough, the spot is set to the song “Prisencolinensinainciusol” by Adriano Celentano, which is sung entirely in gibberish.

(more…)

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DDB Canada has a new campaign for Nordstrom entitled “Shoes That Move You,” that takes a nostalgic look back at customer’s childhoods.

In “Cardboard Box,” for example, a voiceover says, “When you were young, you could see endless possibility inside of a cardboard box…” over whimsically shot scenes of children making imaginative use of cardboard boxes. The spot then cuts to a woman opening up a box of Nordstrom shoes, as the voiceover finishes “…some things never change.” This transition is handled well, suggesting to the viewer that the woman at the spot’s conclusion is the cardboard astronaut from the previous shot. In the similarly-themed “Cake,” meanwhile, Nordstrom shoes are likened to getting the biggest slice of cake at a party. Both spots aim to capitalize on the cute factor, while making customers associate the brand with fond childhood memories. (more…)

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TBWAChiatDay bids adieu to Yankees captain (and regular starting shortstop since 1996) Derek Jeter in a 90-second send-off spot for Gatorade, an MLB sponsor since 1990.

While there has been no shortage of fanfare surrounding Jeter’s exit from baseball at the quickly approaching end to the season (including a somewhat excessive display at the All Star game), TBWAChiatDay’s farewell for Gatorade, which Jeter collaborated on, manages to charm. Back in July (when it still looked like the Yankees had a shot at the postseason), TBWAChiatDay and Gatorade roped off a few blocks before a home game in the Bronx and, in the words of Molly Carter, Gatorade’s senior director of consumer engagement, “just kind of let Jeter go.”

Jeter is seen interacting with some very surprised and excited fans, signing autographs and even dropping in to Stan’s Sports Bar. Most of the spot’s charm comes from the authentic reactions of the fans, delighted by the opportunity to meet the star player.

Jeter’s collaboration for the ad also extended to the soundtrack, with the shortstop choosing Frank Sinatra’s “My Way” as the song that summed up his career. “It was a true collaboration between Derek and Gatorade,” Carter told Adweek.

The spot breaks online today, followed by a broadcast premiere this Saturday on the YES Network and Fox, when it’s sure to make more than a few Yankees fans teary-eyed. Gatorade will follow this with a full-page ad, written by Jeter, in the New York Daily News and Sports Illustrated on Sept. 28-29. Addressed to New York, the ad will see Jeter thanking fans for their years of support, opening, “From my first at bat until my final out, you helped make me who I am.” The print ad is timed to coincide with Jeter’s final game on September 28th (unless the team makes the playoffs, which they won’t). (more…)

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Saatchi & Saatchi gets emotional in its latest spot for Cheerios, entitled “3rd Shift.”

The 30-second broadcast spot tackles the harsh reality of juggling family life with an unorthodox work schedule for hardworking Americans. At the beginning of the spot, a man sighs as his wife says, “I know, this third shift is rough” and their son watches in the background. In the next scene we see a light flicker on as the boy reaches into the refrigerator for milk, a box of Cheerios under his arm. When his father sternly asks him what he’s doing up so late he replies, “I just wanted to have breakfast with you.”

“3rd Shift” comes as something of a shift to a more down-to-earth approach for the brand, following on the heels of recent spots featuring celebrities both human and feline. The emotional tone attempts to highlight the cereal’s function as a quick, yet somewhat healthy, option for families too busy for a more involved breakfast. We’ve reached out for credits and will add them if/when we receive them.

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Zambezi has a new campaign for VEEV, “the world’s first Acai berry spirit,” asking you to “Cheat on your vodka.” As you may recall, this comes on the heels of Nail’s “Cheat on Greek” campaign for Stonyfiueld Organic, so it would appear that figurative adultery with food and beverages is popular at the moment.

For “Cheat on your vodka,” Zambezi imagines vodka as a grotesque older woman who has apparently been peeling potatoes (you know, because vodka is made from potatoes), questioning a man who she believes is cheating on her. She asks if she’s “too boring” and if she doesn’t “mix as well,” claiming she can smell betrayal on him. He’s pretty quick to relent, admitting his betrayal of vodka for VEEV without much pressure. The ad will run in 60 and 30 second formats online as both pre-roll and in-ad placements. It marks the first marketing campaign for VEEV since its 2007 inception. (more…)

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Los Angeles-based production company Three Point Stance (TPS) brings together Seahawks star cornerback Richard Sherman and a llama named Spartacus in a new campaign for Neff’s Brodie sunglasses collection.

“We wanted to connect with the Neff core audience and what better way to do that than to bring together one of the biggest names in the NFL and a llama?  What started as several creatives in a room laughing at the idea of a llama and Richard morphed into an entire campaign when Shaun (Neff) and Richard (Sherman) believed in it,” said Three Point Stance founder Erick Peyton, who co-directed the spots along with Michael Koerbel.

The campaign includes seven videos, ranging in length from 15 seconds to almost a minute. Each spot employs some pretty ridiculous humor, imagining Sherman and Spartacus as inseparable buddies in various scenarios, such as hosting a cooking show and appearing together at a press conference. TPS hopes that the lighthearted approach and Sherman’s popularity will appeal to Neff’s young target demographic, and get shared on social channels. Neff founder Shaun Neff was excited to work with Sherman, stating, “Such an amazing experience to work with one of the most animated, nicest and top athletes in the NFL, it’s truly a dream come true.” (more…)

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