Hasta La Creative!

Samsung finally lets up on Apple in its latest spot, instead getting cozy with cute real-life couple Kristen Bell and Dax Shepard.

In the 90-second spot, the couple continuously ditch other plans in favor of staying in and entertaining themselves with the Samsung Galaxy Tab S. It’s a clever idea, and both the execution and the decision to go with an actual couple lend it an air of believability.

The spot begins with Shepard marveling at Bell’s tiny fingers. “How do you even hold things with these little guys?” he asks. This gives an indication of the tone for the rest of the spot, which may spell cuteness overload for some but has already picked up over 5 million views on YouTube in three days. “Hey, we promised we’d hike,” he then reminds her, only for the couple to spend the rest of the day on the Galaxy Tab S wasting time. (The only time either ventures outside the house is when Shepard picks up food to satisfy Bell’s pregnancy cravings.) At one point the couple dress up for an event, but get distracted and soon realize it ended hours ago.

It’s a refreshing approach for Samsung, and a welcome departure from what has become routine Apple-bashing. No word yet on whether this was created by Samsung’s agency of record 72andSunny or in-house, but we will update with that information when we receive it.

Update: We’ve received word that the spot was in fact created by McKinney.

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McKinney has launched a new campaign courting millenial ears for Sennheiser, focusing on the company’s Urbanite brand.

The campaign is centered around  series of videos featuring a man with a German accent in a Sennheiser Urbanite costume and a giant ear. Both the headphone costume and the giant ear (which weighs in at 200 pounds) were created by Legacy Effects. In the 90-second launch spot, the Urbanite-dressed man professes his love for ears, and things get a little creepy as he demonstrates the various ways he pleasures ears on the giant ear prop. He assures viewers that he will lavish just as much attention on their ears. Other spots, all of which are hosted at Sennheiser’s campaign landing page, see him singing to an ear and explaining that he’s often asked to leave public places.

Starting today, Sennheiser will also be giving away 1,000 “Golden Ears,” which they’ve hidden around New York City, “on 11”x17” posters hanging in record stores, restaurants, boutiques and other locations frequented by millennials.” Each poster contains a removable golden ear, which can be redeemed for a pair of Urbanites “at the Ear Love Palace, a pop-up experience store at 1 Rivington Street on the Lower East Side of Manhattan.” Participants can also visit http://sennheiser-urbanite.com and share one of the campaign videos using the hashtag #EarLove for clues on the whereabouts of the Golden Ears. So what is listening to music on Sennheiser Urbanite’s like? Stay with us after the jump to find out. (more…)

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Indianapolis-based agency Young & Laramore has launched a new social campaign for Schlage today, entitled “The Keyless Era.”

The campaign debuted yesterday with a teaser (video above), promoting the company’s keyless electronic locks. Young & Laramore will roll out the rest of the campaign on October 1st, with a product launch video and eight pieces of video content exclusive to Schlage’s social media channels. The videos take a humorous approach, employing improvisational comedy captured over the course of one day, exploring themes like what people will lose in a “Keyless Era” and how mayors will have to award something other than “the keys to the city.” We’ve included a couple of these social videos (along with credits) after the jump. (more…)

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In celebration of National Life Insurance Month (yes, this is a thing), CP+B created a campaign for MetLife asking customers who they live for.

They then shared the results in a series of two online videos, called “Who I Live For” in an attempt to show the positive, human side of life insurance. The videos, as you might expect, attempt to pull on the heartstrings as people share photos of their children, grandchildren and significant others. Mixed in with the more predictable answers are a couple who share their love for their bulldog, Huey. Both spots end by inviting viewers to share who they live for with the hashtag #WhoILiveFor, as a social extension of the campaign.  “Who I Live For”  puts a premium on spontaneity, with seemingly unscripted responses from those interviewed and in the longer of the spots (featured above), one respondent offering up a seemingly improvised song as a soundtrack. (more…)

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Budweiser teamed up with AKQA for a new social campaign allowing Facebook users to send beers to their buddies via the social media outlet. While right now the service is exclusive to those living in Chicago and Denver, it will soon roll out nationally.

The campaign debuted with a pilot on Facebook, in feeds for adults 21 and older in Chicago and Denver. Facebook users in those locations (and soon the rest of the country) will be prompted to share  a Budweiser with a friend when wishing them a happy birthday or celebrating other occasions. If they choose to share a Budweiser, the friend will be sent an online voucher, to be redeemed at a local bar or restaurant (with a valid ID). The service functions without any type of external download, as users are simply “taken to a customized mobile or desktop experience to send or claim a beer.”

“Beer is the original social network,” said Lucas Herscovici, Anheuser-Busch vice president of consumer connections. “This new campaign focuses not on a gift certificate or credit, but on bringing people together to celebrate life’s most anticipated moments. Whether you’re toasting your birthday, a job promotion, an engagement, or simply the end of a long work week, we want to encourage everyone to bridge the physical and digital worlds by allowing you to send your friend a beer over Facebook.”

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Brands that try to get in on the social conversation around 9/11 can come off as crass and opportunistic. But it takes a witty foil to really show how dumb some of the tweets are.

Luckily, Mike Monteiro is that foil.

Much of this morning, he’s been replying to brands’ 9/11 tweets with amusingly fake enthusiasm, giving his 45,000 followers some comic relief on what’s always a difficult day.

Check out some of Monteiro’s tweets below.

I mean, who couldn’t have used a @huggies on that day. https://t.co/rrvta5142P

— Mike Monteiro (@monteiro) September 11, 2014

@DunkinDonuts @seanbonner Those people left a hole in our hearts, and in our donuts. #neverforget

— Mike Monteiro (@monteiro) September 11, 2014

Thank you @Applebees. When we pulled Mother’s body out of the wreckage we dragged it to Applebees. And you guys gave us free sodas.

— Mike Monteiro (@monteiro) September 11, 2014

Trust me, I will #neverforget. “@Cash4YourHome: Appreciate the tweet @monteiro.”

— Mike Monteiro (@monteiro) September 11, 2014

9/11 wouldn’t have happened if every airline passenger was armed, right, @Beretta_USA? Got any discount codes? #neverforget #neverreload

— Mike Monteiro (@monteiro) September 11, 2014

Hi @TheNewYouMedSpa! Is there a special discount if you actually lost someone in the towers? #neverforget #neverhadafacial

— Mike Monteiro (@monteiro) September 11, 2014

I wanna get ripped and kick terrorist ass, @Tee_Major! https://t.co/RHXNNmNuyE

— Mike Monteiro (@monteiro) September 11, 2014

@intimacybox @fart I think my sister was wearing your lingerie when she died in the towers.

— Mike Monteiro (@monteiro) September 11, 2014

The terrorists can take the icees from our cold, dead hands, am I right, @Official_ICEE? I mean fuck those dudes! Icee me, bro. Discounts?

— Mike Monteiro (@monteiro) September 11, 2014

We reached out to Monteiro for comment, but he pointed us to Sean Bonner, who’s also been monitoring branded 9/11 tweets today, and retweeting many of them. We spoke with Bonner to get his take. 

Brands are not people.

— Sean Bonner ? (@seanbonner) September 11, 2014

AdFreak: What makes these tweets feel so icky?
Sean Bonner: It’s simple. Brands are not people. Brands do not have emotions or memories or condolences or heartbreak. People have those things, and when a brand tries to jump into that conversation, it’s marketing. And in a less emotionally charged environment it’s just dumb. But when talking about a tragedy that resulted in way too many people actually dying, it’s icky x 1000.

How can brands insert themselves into the conversation without seeming opportunistic?
They can’t. They shouldn’t. Seriously, there’s no way for a brand to “insert themselves into a conversation” about a tragedy like this without it being bad. I mean really.

How could a brand’s social media managers handle this with more sensitivity?
STFU. That’s the best option. Today (or whatever other tragedy this kind of thing has happened with) isn’t the time for marketing. It isn’t the time for branding or getting people to pay attention to companies. It’s a time for people to interact with each other, and the only respectful thing for brands to do is stay out of it and wait for tomorrow to get back to business.

Ugh. I’m done. I can’t even stomach looking at those search results anymore.

— Sean Bonner ? (@seanbonner) September 11, 2014

Blast Radius continues its “My Town My Tracks” campaign for ASICS’ Onitsuka Tiger, promoting the Harandia MT,  “a sneaker-boot inspired by winter running and crafted for the colder months in an urban environment.”

In the last installment of “My Town My Tracks,” Blast Radius focused on Erik Garbo, a student of Italian and Japanese descent living in Milan. This time, Blast Radius focuses on its own city, Amsterdam, and Tosao, a young entrepreneur of Japanese and Dutch descent. As in previous installments of the campaign, Tosao takes viewers on a tour of his neighborhood — De Jordaan, in the northwest section of the city — while introducing his friends and favorite hangouts.

“Onitsuka Tiger is a brand for all seasons and this is evident in our AW14 models,” said Lisa Hogg, Onitsuka Tiger’s head of brand management. “We present our new collection in Amsterdam, a city of cultural secrets where every street, canal and courtyard has a story. Tosao’s My Town My Tracks through De Jordaan reflects our brand values and belief in individuality and urban culture.”

In addition to the video, the campaign also includes print elements, with stills captured by photographer Fleur Bolt, and social components on Twitter and Instagram. (more…)

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GSD&M has a new campaign for the Air Force, bringing back the slogan “Aim High,” after a fifteen year absence.

The campaign, entitled “American Airmen,” launched Monday with two spots and a website. In “New Frontiers,” Airforce Chief of Staff General Mark A. Welsh III becomes the first Air Force general to be featured in an advertisement. The 30-second spot seeks to inspire with a celebration of technological innovation from the Air Force, such as breaking the sound barrier, and space exploration. “America’s Future,” meanwhile, draws on U.S. Air Force Academy commencement speeches from former Presidents John F. Kennedy, Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush.

The campaign also includes online video content entitled “Barrier Breakers’ hosted on the Air Force website, and a multi-platform digital media buy, which will make the Air Force the first military branch to partner with PlayStation via a link on the PlayStation store menu. It will also make use of mobile advertising platform TapJoy and Spotify, where “users will view ‘Barrier Breakers’ video content while a custom playlist generator suggests music based on their current selections.”

The campaign arrives as the Air Force faces bad publicity for its decision to deny reenlistment to an atheist airman for refusing to sign an oath including the phrase “So help me God.” (more…)

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Ogilvy unveiled a new “Morning Anthem” ad for IKEA, the latest in the deluge of advertising from the brand in recent weeks.

The 30-second spot focuses on bedrooms and bathrooms and how the retailer can help make your morning rush a little less stressful. It does a good job of incorporating IKEA products like “organized wardrobes that help you pull it together” and a bathroom organizer that gets “big families out the door” into a peak at the morning routines of a couple of busy families.

The focus on mornings, bedrooms and bathrooms stems from a study IKEA conducted into the morning routines in eight major cities, which has informed all its recent morning-focused marketing, such as SMFB’s “Where Good Days Start” interactive campaign. Accompanying the new spot is a campaign extension called “First :59,” including a website hosting advice from bloggers and designers on how parents can make their mornings easier, as well as a “First 59? Pinterest board.

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Nestlé brand Stouffer’s Lean Cuisine is handing off its creative business to Grey New York, following a review that also included 360i, Santo and incumbent agency JWT New York, Adweek reports. According to Kantar Media, the brand spent $30 million on measured media last year, down from $33 million in 2012.

JWT New York won creative duties on Lean Cuisine back in 2011, following its split with Havas Worldwide (then Euro RSCG) in late 2010, after over ten years with the agency. Adweek initially reported the review back in June. The review was just the latest shake up for Nestlé, which is also in the process of searching for an agency for a new corporate image effort, as well as conducting a digital review, as the company attempts to shift to a perception as a “health and wellness” company. It also follows the company’s decision to award its U.S. media and planning business to WPP’s GroupM media group last year. Both Grey New York and Nestlé declined comment to Adweek on the agency’s appointment.

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