TV Land Names Mediahub/Mullen Media AOR

Mediahub/Mullen was awarded media buying and planning duties for TV Land, following a review that also included Fallon, reports Adweek. TV Land had previously been working with agencies on a project basis.

The assignment marks the agency’s second Viacom media buying and planning client, following being made media buying and planning agency of record for VH1 last November. Critical to the assignment will be supporting VH1?s new original series Younger, written and directed by Sex and the City‘s Darren Star, which debuts in January. Mediahub/Mullen will also work on other new and returning TV Land original series, including the Betty White-starring Hot and Cleveland, the show that marked the channel’s initial shift to original content. (more…)

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Lincoln Partners with Matthew McConaughey

Lincoln Motor Company has partnered with recent Oscar-winner Matthew McConaughey on a multiyear campaign promoting the Lincoln MKZ, Adweek reports.

In a press release, McConaughey claimed to be a long-time admirer of the brand. “Lincoln is an iconic, American brand and I like where they are heading with their transformation,” he said. “I had the chance to drive the new MKC around Texas and I think they’re doing a good job.”

The spots in the campaign, which will be handled by shop within WPP’s Team Detroit division, will be unscripted, although the brand and director Nicolas Winding Refn (Drive) created a storyline around the MKC for the actor to work with emphasizing the joy of driving. You can check out the trailer above to get an idea of what to expect from Lincoln and McConaughey.

“Matthew is a natural fit with Lincoln and where we are going as a brand,” said Matt VanDyke, director, global Lincoln. “The transformation of Lincoln is well underway. With the MKC coming to market in a hot, competitive segment, now is the perfect opportunity to share to a wider audience what our brand offers. Matthew is the ideal personality to help us tell this story, and it is only the beginning of what we trust will be a fantastic relationship.”

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Saatchi & Saatchi NY Stages Usher Dance-Off for Honey Nut Cheerios

Saatchi & Saatchi New York staged a dance off between Usher and Buzz the Bee in its latest broadcast spot for Honey Nut Cheerios, entitled “Body Language.”

Coming on the heels of its Grumpy Cat spot, Saatchi & Saatchi New York and Honey Nut Cheerios decided to go with a human celebrity this time. Somehow Usher proves a better match for Buzz than Grumpy Cat. When Buzz tells Usher that bees communicate with dance, the two exchange moves for the remainder of the ad, finding quite a bit of common ground. The national broadcast spot is set to the new Usher tune “She Came to Give It to You” and is a fun follow-up to both the Grumpy Cat spot and last year’s effort featuring Nelly.

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

M:United Takes on Apple for Surface Pro 3

M:United has a new campaign for Microsoft’s Surface Pro 3 which takes square aim at Apple’s MacBook Air.

Each of the three spots in the campaign focuses on comparing the Surface Pro 3 with its Apple-made competitor, in an attempt to prove the tablet/laptop’s superiority and sway potential customers to go with Microsoft. In “Crowded” (featured above) for example, an Apple fan is forced to carry around a laptop, tablet, pen and notepad, in order to compete with his boastful Surface Pro pal. “Head to Head” is a simple comparison of features and capabilities, highlighting the MacBook Air’s shortcomings (of course); while “Power” sees a smug Apple user changing his tune.

It’s a simple approach, as each add focuses on computer screens, with their users mostly out of sight. But the spots do offer some pretty persuasive arguments for the Surface Pro 3?s capabilities, probably enough to sway undecided consumers but not to change the allegiance of Apple loyalists. Stick around for credits and two more spots after the jump. (more…)

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Argonaut Celebrates Jamaica for Appleton

Argonaut created a new campaign for Appleton Rum, entitled “From Jamaica With Love,” launched to coincide with Jamaican Independence Day on August 6th.

The spots celebrate Jamaican culture, as well as Appleton’s Estate Aged Rum, branded as “100 percent Jamaican.” Argonaut’s campaign marks the first by the agency since becoming the brand’s agency of record. In order to capture the authenticity of the brand, the San Francisco-based agency sent a team to Appleton’s distillery in Jamaica’s Nassau Valley to witness the production process first-hand.

“In order to be successful with this campaign, we made it a priority to send a team to Jamaica to experience first-hand the splendor of Appleton Estate and the Nassau Valley to capture the authenticity of Appleton Estate Jamaica Rum,” explains Jordan Warren, president, Argonaut. “As a result, the ‘From Jamaica With Love’ campaign gives a glimpse into the people, the beautiful Estate and the unique methods that create the only premium rum from Jamaica.”

The “From Jamaica With Love” video (featured above), in addition to the two-minute “From Cane to Cup” are part of a digital initiative created in partnership with Sharethrough. The campaign also features print and out-of-home initiatives targeting markets such as Austin, Texas; Atlanta, Miami; Portland, Oregon and Columbus, Ohio. Stick around for “From Cane to Cup” following the break. (more…)

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Apple Adds Two New Verses

Apple has added two new spots to its ongoing “Your Verse” campaign: “Jason’s Verse” and “Yaoband’s Verse.”

The “Your Verse” campaign, as you might remember, debuted in January with an anthem ad featuring the sadly recently deceased Robin Williams‘ recitation of Walt Whitman‘s “O Me! O Life!” (from which the campaign gets its title) from the film Dead Poets Society. It was also notable for being produced in-house, without the aid of Apple’s agency, TBWA/Media Arts Lab, as were the follow-up verses.

Apple’s latest additions to the campaign aim to continue the inspirational tone with two new stories. “Jason’s Verse” follows Detroit resident Jason Hall as he attempts to revitalize the Detroit community through his Slow Roll. What begins as a solitary bike ride turns into a weekly event drawing thousands, with Jason’s iPad Air helping him get word out to the community and build Slow Roll into a sort of institution.

“Yaoband’s Verse,” meanwhile, sees a Beijing electro-pop group’s using their iPad Air for everything from sound-sampling to communicating with fans. Both “Your Verse” stories can be examined in more depth at Apple’s site, where visitors can also access an exclusive concert from Yaoband. Stick around for “Yaoband’s Verse” after the jump. (more…)

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Lowe Roche Goes Fearless for Canadian Cancer Society

Lowe Roche has launched a new interactive campaign for the Canadian Cancer Society called “The Fearless Challenge,” which attempts to raise money online by asking people (such as the actors involved with the campaign) to face their worst fears for a certain price to be donated to the Canadian Cancer Society. If the goal is met, individuals honor their pledge by facing their fear head-on.

“The Canadian Cancer Society is committed to creating a world where no Canadian fears cancer, but we are not there yet,” explains Mike Kirkpatrick, director, marketing for the Cancer Society in Ontario. “We know that more work needs to be done because a cancer diagnosis is still one of the scariest things a person can face.”

The campaign attempts to help raise funds to help those with cancer, based on the insight that a cancer diagnosis, despite progress with managing the disease, is still a very fearful proposition. So in addition to helping to raise funds, the campaign also attempts to help tackle that fear in cancer patients by showing people conquering their own greatest fears. Celebrity endorsers and participants in the campaign include actor Jason Priestley, sports commentator Jesse Palmer, Shannon and  Sophie Tweed-Simmons of Gene Simmons Family Jewels and Shannon & Sophie, and Hedley bassist and cancer survivor Tommy Mac. But the campaign isn’t just relying on celebrity endorsements, it invites viewers to participate by filming their own video and making a pledge at FearlessChallenge.com. Stick around for credits and actor Jonathan Keltz‘s pledge after the jump. (more…)

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

W+K NY Finds ‘Different Ways In’ for ESPN

W+K New York has a new campaign for ESPN, promoting the network’s coverage of college football and stoking fans’ excitement for the first year of the college football playoffs.

The campaign, entitled “Who’s In?” will run from the start of the season until a National Champion is crowned in January. “Different Ways In” (featured above), the campaign’s debut spot, launches today across ESPN’s networks and digital properties. Narrated by Burt Reynolds, the 60-second spot manages to cram in references to 20 different schools, as well as cameos from Jerry Jones, Jimmy Kimmel, Urban Meyer, Les Miles, Sam Bradford and JJ Watt. That’s not a bad way to stoke excitement from fans of different schools for the FBS College Football Season on ESPN, which begins Wednesday, August 27. Stick around for credits after the jump. (more…)

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Leo Burnett Gets Imaginative for Rice Krispies

Leo Burnett London launched a new animated campaign for Rick Krispies inspired by children’s imaginations entitled “Imagine That.”

The campaign’s first spot, narrated by a boy named Toby Jones, imagines Rice Krispies co-existing with dinosaurs. Because the Rice Krispies are constantly trampled by the prehistoric beasts, they enlist a tyranosaurus rex to give them its scream. Armed with the warning yell, the Rice Krispies are now safe from being trampled. Now, since the dinosaurs have long since perished, they just snap, crackle and pop. It’s a cute approach, tapping into the distinct charm of children’s anything-goes sense of imagination and pairing it with some fun animation. The 30-second spot premieres on television today, and will make its cinema debut on Friday. Stick around for credits after the jump. (more…)

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

GreenLight Taps Cam Newton for Under Armour

At the end of last month, we brought you news of Droga5?s campaign for Under Armour highlighting American Ballet Theatre soloist Misty Copeland. The latest from the brand, created by GreenLight Media and Marketing, tells the kind of story more expected from the brand, turning to Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton for a new series entitled “Huddle Up.”

The first episode in the series begins with the Panthers’ disappointing end to the 2013 season. While the season is over, Newton has his work cut out for him in a busy offseason that sees him working towards a college degree, recovering from surgery, and helping the kids at his program. Over the course of around six minutes, viewers are given a well-rounded view of Newton’s life off the field as he prepares for training camp.

Under Armour vice president of creative Brian Boring told Fast Company that the goal of the series is to “create stories that inspire athletes,” adding, “The content series format gives us an opportunity to tell a deeper story through the voice of an athlete, specifically in this case, football players.” (more…)

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

mono Celebrates Summer for Target

Lest we forget, in the midst of the back-to-school advertising onslaught, that we’re still in the heart of the summer, here’s a look at mono’s summer-themed campaign for Target.

For the “#TargetRun” campaign, the Minneapolis-based agency teamed up with production company Thomas Thomas films and musical supervision company Elias. Each spot in the campaign showcases Target as the perfect one-stop shop for summer needs, taking a simple, straightforward approach highlighting the retailers’ summer offerings. In “Slide” for example (featured above), children are pictured enjoying a water slide on an ideal summer day. Then a Target basket makes its way down the slide, loaded up with ice cream and cones. After the kids enjoy the ice cream, another basket arrives with paper towels, followed by the message, “Make a soak-up the summer run.”

Other ads take a similar approach, relying on Elias’ song licensing (except in the “Cannonball” spot featuring an original soundtrack) to stay memorable. Stick around for the 30-second “Sunrise” and 15-second “Cannonball,” along with credits, after the jump. (more…)

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

RKCR/Y&R Casts Real Families for Vodafone

RKCR/Y&R cast real British families in their latest campaign for Vodafone.

The series of 60-second spots promotes Vodafone’s new Red+ plan allowing multiple people to share one simple data allowance and aims to show how this helps bring families closer together. Casting for the campaign was done “through a combination of focus groups, postings on Mumsnet and street castings.” While the approach might come across a little dry at times, the real-life families lend it an air of authenticity.

“We know that mobile technology plays a big role in family life, but we also know that families worry about keeping data usage under control,” explains Daryl Fielding, Vodafone director of brand marketing. “Red+…allows families to share their data allowance and data caps under one shared and simple bill so they can share freely without worrying.”

You can check out the first spot, “Sunday Lunch” above, and stick around for credits after the jump.  (more…)

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

The Brooklyn Brothers Brings Back Jason Sudeikis for NBC Sports

Jason Sudeikis reprises his role as coach Ted Lasso in The Brooklyn Brothers’ spot for NBC Sports’ coverage of the English Premier League, which starts August 16th.

Last year, Lasso went over the pond to coach London’s Tottenham Hotspur Football Club. Now, he’s readjusting to life back in the states. Lasso engages in some early drinking, has an afternoon tea, drives on the wrong side of the road, and turns his apartment into “Teeny Tiny England”. In the process, he meets Tim Howard and lands himself another coaching gig. While Sudeikis’ character is pretty funny and the spot has some amusing moments, it also feels drags a bit at over six minutes in length. Maybe save this one for afternoon tea.

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Wongdoody Taps Russell Wilson for Alaska Airlines

Wongdoody taps Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson in a new spot for Alaska Airlines.

In the 60-second spot, Chief Football Officer Wilson puts the Alaska Airlines crew through training camp, remarking, “Alaska Airlines and I are basically one and the same: we’re always prepared. The separation’s in the preparation.” Wilson runs snackuracy and teddy bear tossing drills, and quizzes the team on routes and seat switching strategy. The airline training camp schtick is not a bad idea, and it is timely, but the full-length spot stretches the idea a little thin. It is much better served by the 30-second version, which we’ve included, along with credits, after the jump. (more…)

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

L.A. Clippers Launch Agency Review

In the wake of the Donald Sterling scandal, the Los Angeles Clippers are looking for a new agency to help them reposition the team’s brand, AdAge reports.

The team has launched a creative review, which is being led by Boston-based Pile & Co., with an eye toward Los Angeles-area agencies, according to sources familiar with the review. Irvine, California agency HeilBrice has been working with the Clippers since 1999, and it’s unclear whether they will defend in the review. A spokesman for the Clippers confirmed the review in AdAge, but didn’t offer any details, and executives at HeilBrice declined to comment to that publication.

In the RFP, the Clippers identify the need for an agency with experience “rebuilding an established, well-known brand,” language that insinuates the team is looking to distance itself from the Sterling scandal and reposition its brand with a fresh image. The team spent $433,500 in measured media last year, according to Kantar media.

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Leo Burnett Celebrates ‘HappiMess’ for Delta Faucets

Leo Burnett has a new campaign for Delta Faucets introducing the portmanteau “HappiMess” to describe the joy of using Delta’s products to wash away fun messes.

The 30-second anthem ad features a variety of messy situations highlighting Delta’s different faucets. A woman clears a collection of dirty dishes at a dinner party and washes them in her Delta kitchen faucet; children play in a garden and are then ushered inside for a bath; a father and daughter enjoy a muddy hike and then the father washes his hands with a motion sensor faucet; a woman gets blasted with colored powders on a color run and returns to take a shower. “When Delta bath, toilet, shower and faucet innovations make getting clean just as beautiful as getting dirty, that’s HappiMess,” the voiceover intones. As The New York Times points out, the tagline is similar to children’s bath bubble brand Mr. Bubble’s, “Makes getting clean almost as much fun as getting dirty!” Only Leo Burnett aims to translate the idea for adults.

“When you think back to when you were a kid, getting messy in the garden, or baking and getting flour all over you were always considered to be a great things,” Leo Burnett Creative Director Jo Shoesmith told The New York Times. “But for adults, getting sweaty going for a run, or going on a mud run or a color run — those also are moments in life that people love and Delta plays a role in that, because where there’s a mess you need to be cleaned up.”

The campaign, which also features print and digital components, also marks the first time the brand is advertising the whole brand rather than a single product, according to Catherine Roper, director of brand marketing for Delta Faucet. It aims to celebrate the product innovations — such as the detachable shower head with temperature indicator, and motion sensor touch-free faucet — but these can be easy to miss over the course of the ad. Stick around for credits after the jump. (more…)

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

BBDO NY Pauses the Action for U-verse

There are an abundance (some might say an overabundance) of ads for television related products and services showing the viewer immersed in the onscreen action as a means of highlighting features, so BBDO New York’s latest spots for U-verse certainly don’t score many points for originality. Yet BBDO’s latest contributions in the category for AT&T’s U-verse get the formula right in a way not many do, thanks to deft editing and good transitions from the onscreen action to “real life.”

In “Police Drama” for example, a man is thrust into the action at a police station as a sergeant berates his officers to get leads on a case. He interrupts the sergeant, telling him, “We’ve got to move.” “That’s mu point,” the sergeant shoots back. “No, we’ve got to move to the den, my wife’s got book club in here,” he replies. He then marches through his wife’s book club crowed over to the den to finish the show. “Space Capsule” takes a similar approach with a sci-fi show on a train. It’s not anything viewers haven’t seen before, but the transitions make for a better execution than is typical for the approach. Now maybe it’s time to move on to a new idea?

“Space Capsule” and credits after the jump. (more…)

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

JWT Launches ‘Forever Faster’ for Puma

JWT has launched the new “Forever Faster” brand platform for Puma, starting with the new anthem ad “Calling All Troublemakers.”

With the stated mission “to become the Fastest Sport Brand in the World,” Puma tapped the world’s fastest man, Usain Bolt, and a host of other star athletes for a global multimedia campaign. Alongside Bolt in the 60-second “Calling All Troublemakers” are soccer icons Mario Balotelli, Sergio Agüero, Marta Vieira da Silva; golfers Rickie Fowler and Lexi Thompson; and the Scuderia Ferrari Formula One team. The athletes were chosen for their individuality in “both performance and personality,” and the spot does have a bit of a mischievous streak to it. But Puma sees “Forever Faster” as more than a campaign tagline — it’s also a company motto representing the desire to “quickly identify product designs and innovation, trends and style and bring them into the marketplace in a more dynamic manner.”

“Forever Faster is about Puma making a statement as a brand and reminding people that we are and will continue to be the fastest sports brand in the world,” explains Adam Petrick, global marketing director at Puma. “We’ve always been known as a brand that takes risks and that’s not going to change, Forever Faster clearly represents that. This is going to change the way we approach product design and innovation as well as how we market our brand.” Stick around for limited credits after the jump. (more…)

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

CAA Marketing Crafts Back-to-School Music Video for Old Navy

In something of a different direction for the brand, CAA Marketing crafted a back-to-school music video for Old Navy.

“Unlimited” sees a girl facing her doubts and insecurities,  personified by a Grimace-like creature called a Womp Womp, on the first day of school with a motivational anthem. While the four-minute song, written by Tony-nominated songwriters Benji Pasek and Justin Paul, might prove something of an endurance test for most adults, it provides a positive message in a very relatable situation, and the target audience (elementary school aged kids, especially girls) typically can’t get enough of this type of thing. It seems that the video is catching on, too, with over four million views since being posted at the end of July. Stick around for credits after the jump. (more…)

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Patrón Searches for New Agency to Handle Creative, Media

Patrón is looking for a new agency to handle creative and media duties and has issued a review, Adweek reported yesterday.

Incumbent agency Cramer-Krasselt was invited to defend in the review, but declined, a Patrón representative told Adweek. Patrón Global Chief Marketing Officer Lee Applbaum, who joined the company from Target in November, is reportedly the “key decision maker in the search.”

“We’re looking for a highly strategic and creative agency partner,” Applbaum said in a statement. “Our selected partner will possess a track record of success in marketing luxury brands.”

The review, which is being managed by Santa Monica-based consultancy Select Resources International, is expected to conclude in November. Patrón spent around $42 million in measured media last year.

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.