Let’s Vicariously Enjoy One Lad’s Wild Night in the City Courtesy of Heineken, W+K

W+K Amsterdam is back with yet another sprawling, upbeat, frenetic spot for Heineken, which is part of the brew brand’s global campaign highlighting a man living it up in his cityscape. The latest spot, aptly dubbed “The City,” features a little Elvis swing as our hero goes on the hunt for a mysterious gal with the help of a host of lost business cards. Along the way, he experiences everything that makes his city so vibrant. The look, sound and feel is basically the template of what we’ve come to expect from Heineken ads in recent years, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Regarding the campaign concept, which revolves around encouraging men to explore their cities, Heineken global senior brand director Gianluca Di Tondo tells Marketing“Men of the world want to make the most out of their time in the city, because they know life only gives them one shot. So they really live their city by seeking out new experiences and adventures and they have an underlying fear of missing out on the best ones.” At the very least, it makes our desk job writing about such experiences rather lame. Credits after the jump.

continued…

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Fallon Brings Fanny Packs, Bad Dancing for Loctite

Fallon Minneapolis launched a new campaign today for Henkel’s Loctite Adhesives, promoting Loctite Super Glue.

At the center of the campaign is a 30-second TV spot called “Win At Glue” which Fallon created along with production company O Positive.”Win At Glue” will air on national TV, “including major sports events, season finales, late night and syndication.” The campaign will also feature unique online content on Twitter (where users are encouraged to share their own glue victories with the hashtag #winatglue) and YouTube, which will roll out over the next several weeks. This will mark Fallon’s first campaign for Loctite after winning AOR duties back in December.

The”Win At Glue” spot (above) features a bunch of people dancing around, rather ridiculously, with Loctite fanny packs filled with Loctite Super Glue. Aiming for humor, Fallon arrives at…something else. Something kind of hard to watch for 30 seconds. Make of it what you will. Credits after the jump. continued…

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

FCB SF Gets Suggestive for Trulia

FCB San Francisco gets a bit suggestive in their latest spot for online residential real estate site Trulia.

The 30-second spot, “Shower” shows a couple deciding whether or not they want to make an offer on a house. Said couple is in the bathroom admiring the tub when the woman makes a push for them to submit an offer. The guy isn’t so sure, but she reminds him that he was crazy about the garage, and also that the mortgage is the same as their rent. She adds that it’s in a great school district, which is important because they’re going to “start making babies,” and then adds “Let’s do it.” The guy, understandably mistakes her meaning and points out that the owner is right in the other room. It all feels a little forced, as if FCB wanted to break out of the usual real estate advertising rut but wasn’t quite sure how to go about it. The claustrophobic spot (feeling like you’re in a bathroom with two other people doesn’t exactly make for a pleasant viewing experience) also doesn’t do much to differentiate Trulia from the competition. “Shower” ends with the “That’s your moment of Trulia” tagline and an announcement of a $50,000 giveaway. Stick around for credits after the jump. continued…

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Pereira & O’Dell NY Talks Accuracy for Realtor.com

Pereira & O’Dell New York have a new campaign for Realtor.com championing the site’s accuracy in home listings, thanks to “its unique, direct relationships with more than 800 multiple listing services that provide consumers with 98 percent of all for-sale properties listed in the U.S.

Entitled “Accuracy Matters” the broadcast campaign features two 30-second spots — “Mom” and “Doghouse Architects” — which will run through 2014. The spots attempt to find the humor in inaccurate real estate listing as a means of highlighting the importance of the accuracy Realtor.com provides. While the humor mostly comes across as cute rather than funny there is one slapstick moment in “Mom” worth a chuckle, and the approach at least helps differentiate Pereira & O’Dell’s work from typical real estate advertising cliches.

“Coming from a real estate family, I’ve seen my share of formulaic advertising in the category,” explains Dave Arnold, executive creative director at Pereira & O’Dell. “Our goal with ‘Accuracy Matters’ is to not only connect Realtor.com to a singular product message it can rightfully own, but to also have some fun with inaccurate listing information.”

Stay tuned for “Doghouse Architects” and credits following the jump. continued…

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Intuit Extends It’s Super Bowl Small Business Big Game Program to Three More Brands

intuit_small_business_big_game.jpg

Following Intuit’s Super Bowl spot for the Small Business Big Game winner, GoldieBlox, the company is also supporting the three runner-up finalists by providing each with their own 30-second spot to air on Fox Sports 1 and 2 throughout May and June. The runners up — Barley Labs, Locally Laid Eggs and POOP Natural Compost — will receive produced :30 spots.

The three 30-second spots – “Just Dogs,” “Freedom” and “Glennda” – will run on Fox Sports 1 and 2 in May and June as well as on Intuit’s YouTube channel and will be promoted on the company’s Twitter and Facebook. Each spot is also available for the individual businesses to share on their own social channels.

“Our goal for Small Business Big Game was to create a program where everyone wins, while recognizing small businesses on a national stage,” said Ken Wach, vice president of marketing, Intuit Small Business Group. “Providing these worthy small businesses with a national advertisement gives these finalists a voice that will grow their business and inspire others.”

After their involvement in the Intuit Small Business Big Game program, each of the three small businesses experienced significant business increases.

Barley Labs treats are now being sold nationally on Wag.com, Facebook likes increased 118%, sales increased 121% and the program also enabled the company to qualify for a loan for a new facility.

POOP experienced a 705% increase in website traffic, Facebook likes increased 145 percent and Twitter followers increased 242%, their largest retail customer tripled their order and the company went from selling 250 bags in the first 6 months to selling 800 bags in one day.

Locally Laid reports a 300% increase in feed-related sales, a 30-percent increase in egg sales and a 100-percent increase in shirt sales.

M&C Saatchi LA Taps ‘Tiger Power’ for San Diego Zoo Safari Park

Yesterday M&C Saatchi LA launched a new campaign for the San Diego Zoo Safari Park’s new Tiger Trail exhibit, opening to the public on May 24, 2014. The multimedia campaign consists of TV, print, digital, outdoor and transit, targeting the Southern California region.

All three of the TV spots in the campaign feature kids visiting the new Tiger Trail at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park and meeting a real Sumatran Tiger face to face, allowing them to tap into their own “tiger power,” which they put to unexpected use. In “Guitar Star” featured above, for example, a tween boy (with a somewhat disturbing mustache) continues rocking out at full volume even after his father pulls the plug on his amp.

“Tigers have an almost mythological connotation for their power and mystique. We wanted to show kids tapping into that to develop their confidence, their own tiger power, explained James Bray, creative director at M&C Saatchi LA.

“With the debut of this new exhibit, our guests will have a thrilling and awe-inspiring personal encounter with majestic Sumatran Tigers, and at the same time learn of the threats to this critically endangered species,” said Ted Molter, Chief Marketing Officer for San Diego Zoo Global.  “This campaign playfully asks our guests to identify with the confidence and power of tigers in the hopes that it will build greater appreciation for one of nature’s top predators.”

Stick around for “Monster Truck” and “Fireman,” along with credits, after the jump. continued…

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

DigitasLBi, Clay Matthews Present ‘Draft Day 101? for GMC

Green Bay Packers linebacker Clay Matthews stars in a new series of ads for GMC created by DigitasLBi.

The campaign, entitled “Draft Day 101” sees Matthews giving tips to players in the 2014 NFL Draft, which ran from Thursday, May 8th through Saturday, May 10th. Matthews’ words of wisdom range from picking the right shoes to staying positive to proper handshake technique and calming nerves. For day one of the draft, Matthews not only shared the videos from his personal Twitter handle, but also took over @ThisisGMC to live Tweet the draft. DigitasLBi and GMC created seven videos, all of which are embedded in the playlist above. Hopefully the NFL’s 2014 draft picks were paying attention (and nobody wore sandals). Credits after the jump. continued…

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

360i Celebrates ‘The Unsung Bacon’ for Oscar Mayer

360i and Oscar Mayer have a new campaign championing unsung bacons — turkey bacon, always in the shadow of its porcine relative; and Michael Bacon, whose popularity also pales in comparison to a certain member of his family.

The goal of the campaign, which lives at the landing site www.unsungbacon.com is simple: Oscar Mayer wants to help Michael Bacon gain more Twitter followers than his famous brother. So far, it’s quite the uphill battle. As of press time, Michael trails 1,361 to 430,943. Michael, in case you didn’t know, is an Emmy award winning composer and a member of The Bacon Brothers. The landing site will host videos, photos and facts about the campaign. It’s a clever idea which may get people to reconsider an item they’d otherwise ignore. 360i’s spot, with production company Mssng Peces is pretty funny and well worth a view, noting similarities between the two unsung bacons. Stick around for credits after the jump. continued…

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Cheil Worldwide’s ‘Another Me’ True Story for Samsung Proves a Success

L.A. resident Samantha Futerman and Parisian Anais Bordier are identical twins separated at birth who found each other through a chance encounter on social media.

Last month, Cheil debuted a campaign for Samsung telling the twins’ true story, promoting the Gear 2, Gear Fit and Galaxy in a 1:30 teaser and 3:00 documentary. The teaser utilizes a split-screen to tell Sam and Anais’ stories separately, before they inevitably reunite on one screen at the spots’ conclusion. As part of the campaign, Cheil and Samsung also created an app that allows users to view two different mobile teasers, one from Anais’ perspective, the other from Samantha’s. By syncing with someone else’s phone, users could then view the full teaser on both devices side-by-side. People could also create their own split-screen movies to “celebrate togetherness.” The idea behind the campaign was that like Sam and Anais the Gear and the Galaxy are “always in sync, natural extensions of one another.” Cheil’s telling of Sam and Anais’ story resonated, with the spot chalking up 1.5 million views in its first 10 days and a 96% approval rating on YouTube. Cheil also decided to submit the project to the Cannes Advertising Festival. You can view the original teaser above, and stick around for the case study and 3:00 documentary, along with credits, after the jump. continued…

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

The All Blacks Crash Young Rugby Fan’s Breakfast Time

Saatchi New Zealand and cereal brand Weet-Bix has solicited the help of handful of players from native team The All Blacks, perhaps one of the most well-known rugby franchises in the world, to help make a young fan’s dream come true. How? By surprising the lad at his breakfast table, obviously. Ten-year-old Auckland boy Bailey Paki‘s reaction says it all as he’s greeted by All Blacks teammates Ben Franks, Wyatt Crockett, Tom Taylor and Frank Halai. To make the surprise that much sweeter, the parties involved set up a pitch in Paki’s grandfather’s backyard. Of course, a hearty breakfast comes in handy prior to the athletes getting down to business. In a statement, Saatchi NZ ECD Antonio Navas says, “”The experience of bringing Bailey’s dream day to life has been an incredible journey for everyone involved. I think we have all been a little inspired by his passion and determination along the way. Creatively, the opportunity to bring together two of New Zealand’s most iconic and loved brands together in this way was our very own dream day.” Nothing like a a quick heartwarming clip for lunchtime, now who else is hungry? Credits after the jump.

continued…

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Arnold NY Gets Sensitive for Unilever’s Simple

Arnold New York has a new campaign for Unilever’s brand Simple, the leading “perfume and color-free” skin care brand in the UK for over 40 years which launched in the US back in 2012.

Evolving from the idea that all skin can be sensitive, especially with the impact of cold, heat, wind, and city pollution, the campaign takes an approach to match its product’s name. Arnold dramatizes the idea by projecting images of possible triggers for sensitive skin (UV rays, stress, pollution, etc.) directly onto skin. It’s a straightforward but visually interesting approach that attempts to demonstrate that “the best way to fight the harshness is through the kindness of Simple.” Whether it can help Arnold build the brand into a powerhouse this side of the Atlantic remains to be seen. Credits after the jump. continued…

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

McCann Creates ‘Fair Play Machines’ for Coca-Cola, Milan Rivals

McCann Worldgroup Milan created “Fair Play Machines” for Coca-Cola, bringing together rival fans at the San Siro Stadium in Milan.

Internazionale di Milano and A.C. Milan have a fierce rivalry dating back decades, which often leaves neighbors, friends, and even family enemies when the two teams meet. So, as part of Coca-Cola’s ongoing “#ShareTheGood” campaign, in the moments leading up to kickoff at an important Internazionale di Milano versus A.C. Milan match at a very divided San Siro Stadium in Milan, McCann Worldgroup installed two vending machines in the stadium, one on each side of arena. The catch: fans couldn’t get a Coke for themselves, only for fans of the rival team. Pressing a button on one of the machines, connected to the other via video and audio, sent a Coke down a chute and delivered it to a rival fan. In under an hour, both machines were emptied, bringing rival fans closer together and supporting fair play.

“Coca-Cola reminds us that even in the face of seeming differences, happiness can be found through simple moments of human connection,” explains Claudia Navarro, director, integrated marketing communications, central & southern Europe. Check out the video above to see the campaign in action, and stick around for credits after the jump. continued…

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

JWT Brazil Creates ‘The Bible of Barbecue’ for Tramontina

JWT Brazil created an interactive cookbook entitled The Bible of Barbecue for leading Brazilian cookware line Tramontina.

Pages of the book can actually be utilized to create authentic Brazilian barbecue. One page, for example, breaks apart into charcoal to start the fire, while another can be used to sharpen your knife. There’s also a cutting board, salt to season the meat, an apron, tin foil, and even a serving dish. It’s a fun idea, which JWT describes as “a sensory fusion of tactile experience, visual design, and most importantly a tribute to the brilliant flavors that result from expert cooking.”

The Bible of Barbecue has been shared with master barbecue chefs in Brazil, and a version will soon be available in select bookstores. Check out the case study video above to learn more, and stick around for credits after the jump. continued…

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Brandblack Teams Up With RSA Films, Jamal Crawford

Brandblack, the recently-launched “futurist performance sports brand” from David Raysse and Creative Director Billy Dill, teamed up with the L.A. Clippers’ “Sixth Man of the Year” Jamal Crawford and RSA Films, the production company founded by director Ridley Scott and Tony Scott, for a new campaign highlighting their high performance basketball sneaker, J.Crossover.

The global campaign, named “FUTURELEGENDS” after the opening track on David Bowie‘s 1974 album Diamond Dogs, centers around a 60 second spot of the same name. Directed by Antony Crook, the spot puts viewers in Crawford’s perspective in an examination of the “insightful and reflective approach he takes to each and every game.” Other heavy hitters tapped to collaborate on the project include creative director Glenn Kitson, executive producer Arrow Kruse, and director of photography Trent Opaloch (District 9Elysium, Captain America: Winter Soldier). The copywriting doesn’t quite live up to the production side of thing, with a somewhat predictable voiceover about being the ice “when they bring the fire” and finding order in the chaos. But it sure does look nice.

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Lance Reddick Introduces Cree LED Bulbs for Baldwin&

Lance Reddick, who you should know as Lieutenant Daniels on The Wire, takes center stage in Raleigh-based agency Baldwin&‘s new campaign for Cree LED Bulbs, entitled “The Room of Enlightenment.”

The digital campaign features Daniels Reddick in a series of loquacious spots extolling the virtues of LED bulbs, which compare favorably to the incandescent ham fryers you grew up with. Relying on solid copywriting and Reddick’s excellent delivery, the spots are memorable without any frills or fancy production touches. The campaign comes on the heels of a recent incandescent bulb ban, with stores still trying to sell their remaining stock of the soon-to-be relics. One spot, “Gray Market” (featured above) pontificates that there will soon be an illicit market for incandescent bulbs where you may find yourself  “trading jugs of grandpa’s porch juice for bulbs out of a rusty hatchback from a guy with a tattoo on his forehead who goes by the name of Rattlesnake.” In other, clever spots, Reddick uses a competitor’s oddly-shaped bulb as a ping-pong paddle, and talks metaphorical money goats. Stick around for a couple more spots, along with campaign credits, after the jump. continued…

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Spike Lee, Ad Folks Help Top NFL Prospect Surprise Mom with Pink Cadillac

With Mother’s Day around the corner, the folks at Cadillac have unveiled this timely effort that might just warm your cockles and put your old flowers-and-card gift for moms to shame in the process. The automaker, armed with director Spike Lee and his SpikeDDB unit, Lawson Clarke (aka @Malecopywriter) and art director Khari Streeter (from Hill Holliday and Rogue, respectively) as well as Grenadier’s Mark St. Amant, have turned the spotlight on Teddy Bridgewater, University of Louisville QB who’s now a top NFL draft prospect. You see, folks, as a wee lad–when he was nine-years-old, to be exact–Bridgewater made a promise to his mom that one day, he would buy her a pink Cadillac (and yes, the Springsteen tune is rolling along in our heads). Well, as you can see in the 7-minute Lee-directed doc above called  “A #Promise2Rose” (ideal for lunchtime viewing), consider mission accomplished.

According to ABC News, the pink Cadillac has even more significant meaning than just a promise from son to mother fulfilled, though, as  Bridgewater’s mother also raised her son while battling, and eventually beating, breast cancer. Yes, folks, it is getting hella dusty in here.

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

DNA Expands ‘One Goal’ for Group Health

Independent full-service agency DNA has expanded their “One Goal” campaign for Group Health Cooperative with a series of new broadcast spots.

Deciding that healthcare advertising all looked and sounded the same, DNA took a slightly different approach with “One Goal,” emphasizing their ability to help people continue to live their lives over any specific claims as to quality of care and coverage. In the 30-second “The Wait” (featured above), for example, a couple with an already healthy-sized family waits for the results of a pregnancy test.

“It’s really a tough time to be a healthcare marketer,” explained Dan Gross, executive creative director, DNA. “The clutter in healthcare advertising is at much higher levels now due to the health insurance exchanges. This has led to consumer confusion and, in some cases, they are completely tuning out. A longstanding issue for Group Health has been the misperception that they provide limited services and specialties, so we wanted to communicate the breadth of what Group Health actually offers, and to do it in a way that avoids the warm and fuzzy clichés in this category.”

In addition to television and radio, the campaign also features outdoor/transit and a new digital landing environment at http://onegoal.ghc.org.

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

AMV BBDO Tackles Sports, Relationships for Currys & PC World

AMV BBDO’s new campaign for Currys & PC World, entitled “Football? What Football?”  — their first work for the brand — manages to be World Cup-themed without ever mentioning the words “World Cup” (although at one point they come pretty close). The new broadcast spots for the UK’s largest specialist electrical retailing and services company each feature a hopelessly transparent man attempting to (not so) slyly suggest to his significant other that they should buy a new television, positing the purchase as selfless, and certainly having nothing to do with the impending 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

The approach is clever, examining the types of subtle and not-so-subtle manipulations partners in relationships make surrounding expensive purchases. In my favorite of the spots, “Pride and Sensibility,” a man tells his wife, over dinner, that him and his friends watched that “Pride and Sensibility” program and it really looked great on his buddy’s widescreen TV. He’s not nearly so slick as he thinks he is, and his significant other’s incredulous facial expressions really bring the spot together as he almost mentions the World Cup and claims the new TV is for “that castle program” she likes so much.

The other spots follow a similar formula, finding humor in a man suggesting to his wife that her gardening programs would look great on a new television, and a father attempting to justify the purchase as a way to better enjoy upcoming penguin documentaries to his daughter while a disbelieving mother looks on. It’s the kind of approach that works because of its relatability, with humor that is at once universal and distinctly British coming from true to life scenarios. The broadcast campaign launched on the first, along with accompanying 30 second ads appearing on sports radio. Stick around for credits and the other two spots after the jump. continued…

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Activision Enlists Kevin Spacey for ‘Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare’ Reveal Trailer

Ant Farm and Activision have released the official reveal trailer for Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare, the upcoming title in the best-selling series, featuring the voice (and digital likeness) of Kevin Spacey.

Audio from the spot was leaked several days ago, which some hypothesized was from a House of Cards viral campaign. With the audio already making the rounds, Activision posted the reveal trailer late last night, Adweek reports. The 2:46 trailer features Spacey’s character pontificating about the futility of attempting to spread democracy. What people really want, he insists, is someone to protect them and give them boundaries. You know, someone like him. The spot ends with the “Power Change Everything” tagline, and November 4th release date.

Advanced Warfare is a bit of a departure for the Call of Duty series, with the story centering around an ill-intentioned private military corporation. As a tie-in, 72andSunny and Activision teamed up with Vice to produce a chilling short documentary on the rise of private military contractors and whether the events of Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare could actually happen. It makes for a few minutes of interesting (and pretty damn scary) viewing, and one of the more intriguing pieces of branded content we’ve seen. We’ve included it after the jump, along with limited credits for the reveal trailer.

continued…

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

W+K NY Sparks World Cup Convo for ESPN

Wieden + Kennedy New York’s latest World Cup spot is a welcome departure from their previous World Cup work, foregoing focusing directly on the on-field action in lieu of the conversations and connections among fans sparked by the World Cup, leading into the “Every Four Years” tagline.

The new 30-second spot, called “Global Issues,” follows a linear conversation between soccer fans from diverse backgrounds. “Global Issues” stars real soccer enthusiasts — including a German butcher, an Italian barber, and a cab driver from the Ivory Coast, who support a vast array of teams, but all reside in the U.S. It’s a clever direction, executed well thanks largely to the precision editing, from editorial company Final Cut, necessary to pull off such an approach, and illustrates the excitement leading up to the World Cup well.

Wieden + Kennedy New York also debuted eight of its 32 original World Cup posters for ESPN, designed by Brazilian artist and graphic designer Cristiano Siqueira. Each features a likeness of key players and stories from the featured country competing in the 2014 FIFA World Cup. Stick around after the jump for a look at several of these posters, as well as campaign credits. continued…

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.