Hasta La Creative!

At the beginning of the month, Wongdoody debuted a new spot for Amazon Fire featuring Gary Busey — which was predictably weird. Now Wongdoody is back with an interactive video, just in case that wasn’t enough Gary Busey for you.

The new video allow viewers to select from 23 items, from a blowfish to a surfboard to a monkey with a party hat, which Busey will then talk to. “Talking to Things With Gary Busey” contains over 450 individual annotations within a 15:30 YouTube video, with each item selected bringing the viewer to a different point in the video. Options to click through to purchase Amazon Fire are spread throughout the video. Apparently the video “also features several secret clips that users can only find by navigating deeper within the experience,” although it’s unlikely most viewers will stick around to discover them as the interactive video adds little to the joke from the original spot, basically drawing out a kind of funny idea well past its welcome point. Credits after the jump. continued…

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With a few hidden cameras in tow, airliner KLM along with DDB and Tribal Worldwide Amsterdam decided test whether travelers waiting at the gate in what we imagine is the hometown airport would go “flat or not.” /What the hell does that mean exactly? Well, if you watch above, KLM is hyping its new business class “flat seat” by installing such seats in select areas of the gate. Those who wen t  flat would ultimately win a pair of biz class tickets, like the lucky person in the clip. While we doubt we’ll be flying KLM in the near future, the chairs look pretty comfy and seeing as it’s difficult getting decent sleep on an airline to begin with thanks to the positioning, we’d be glad to see domestic airlines follow suit in adopting the contraption. In addition to the case study video, MediaMonks has also developed an online game to tying into the effort that lets you gauge whether certain unsuspecting travelers would go flat. The site’s a tad sluggish but why not give it a go if you got a few.

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Papa John’s is releasing a new ad promoting their Sweet Chili Chicken Pizza today starring Indiana Pacers all star Paul George alongside Papa John’s founder, chairman and CEO, John Schnatter. While John’s named Grey its national agency of record back in February, this spot comes to us via ZGroup, an arm of Zimmerman Advertising.

The cheesy spot features typically terrible acting from Schnatter, who trades lines with George. “Here’s how I make my dough,” George retorts, before the spot cuts to footage of him dunking. “Sweet,” says Papa John, “like my new Sweet Chili Chicken Pizza,” in some of the most transparent copy we’ve seen in awhile. In a surprise move, George then dunks his slice in one of Papa John’s artery-clogging dipping sauces. The spot is the latest in Papa John’s line of sports-themed advertising that in the past has included the likes of Peyton Manning and Joe Montana. It’s a shame they couldn’t go a less obvious route with the Pacers star, but the Papa clearly likes to play it safe. The new ad will run nationally on cable entertainment and sports channels, as well as syndicated shows, until May 11th.

“Papa John’s is about fresh new tastes, which is why we love our partnership with Paul George,” said Schnatter in a painfully rehearsed statement. “Paul brings a fresh approach to basketball as one of the game’s new stars, which works perfectly with Papa John’s because new and fresh is the message we’re delivering with our partnership and with our new Sweet Chili Chicken Pizza.”

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About a month ago we brought you the sneak peek of “How to Do Everything in the World,” the web series Rooster created for Vans starring creative director/baby fighter/punk rock dad Gavin McInnes. Given some of Gavin’s funny hijinks in the past, we had high hopes for the series.

In “How to Do Everything in the World,” McInnes takes on such topics as how to drink in a bar, what to do if you get in a fight, how to fly the friendly skies, and how to survive prison with an expected dose of absurdity. Unfortunately, the humor misses the mark, occasionally painfully so. There was a lot of potential here, but something about the series just feels off, and not in a funny way. The highlight is probably “How To Fight,” which mostly just sees Gavin coming up with ways to get in a cheap shot and run away. That’s really the only one of these to even merit a chuckle, as they mostly confuse awkward with funny. (Awkward can be funny, but isn’t necessarily in and of itself funny, a mistake on full display here.) Mostly, the series sees McInnes screaming at people for being jerks (especially in  “How To Fly” and the painful “How To Drink”), which is basically one joke stretched over several “episodes” that are each several minutes long. It’s hard to imagine these catching on and getting shared, or even someone sitting through the entire series for its entertainment value. Let’s chalk this one up as a disappointing miss and hope Rooster delivers the goods next time. You can check out “How to Fight” above, and stick around for “How to Fly” and “How to Survive in Prison” after the jump, if you’re so inclined. continued…

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This one’s been making the rounds for awhile, but we figured we’d add our two cents since it involves the ruining of a classic Beach Boys track. BBDO New York employs the Beach Boy’s “Wouldn’t It Be Nice” for their latest AT&T campaign. In the debut spot, “Sing Anthem” people in everyday situations randomly start singing the song as if they’re on Glee or something.

To be fair, BBDO does a passable job of connecting the song to AT&T’s message of helping “people and things speak the same language” and a good job of illustrating the point visually. But people of various walks of life (including an operatic news reporter) randomly bursting into song is a lot to swallow, and that the song is a personal favorite makes it even harder to take. The spot, which BBDO collaborated with Biscuit Filmoworks and editorial company Rock Paper Scissors to make, is part of a broader campaign that employs “Wouldn’t It Be Nice” as a theme song in each of its commericals. Thankfully, “Sing Anthem” is the only one of these to turn everyday life into a cheesy impromptu musical. Stick around for credits and “Sing Network” after the jump. continued…

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Tis been some time since we’ve received a memo from Grey, but the agency’s New York CEO Michael Houston has sent out one regarding the brand’s new relationship with coffee staple, Folgers, this week. As a result of taking on assignments for the aforementioned brand as well as continuing efforts with J.M. Smuckers and Millstone, Grey has brought on ad vet Marnie Kain to lead the work. Anyhow, why steal Mr. Houston’s thunder any further. See below:

“You’ll see today that we are introducing a new coffee, Folgers, in our kitchens.  It is to celebrate our newest brand assignments from the J.M. Smucker Company, Folgers and Millstone coffees.

This is an outstanding win from our longstanding partner and a tremendous vote of confidence in Grey’s work for Smucker.  They have our deepest thanks as we start this exciting new chapter together.

Speaking of new beginnings, we are delighted to welcome Marnie Kain as our newest EVP on these coffee brands, that she led with distinction at Saatchi & Saatchi.

Marnie spent 17 years at Saatchi, rising to the post of EVP, Managing Director, Head of Marketing and Business Development.  Along the way, she oversaw brand management for such blue-chip clients as JPMorgan/Chase, Wendy’s, JC Penney, P&G’s Dawn and Fixodent, Sunny Delight and earlier, Carnival Cruise Lines, all textbook examples of marketing innovation in her capable hands.

Most recently, Marnie was President and Founder of her own advertising and marketing solutions company, Kain & Co.  An accomplished speaker on advertising and branding, she has served on the board of directors of the Advertising Club of New York and President of the Advertising Federation of Miami.  And she’s found to time to give back, serving on the board of Step Up Women’s Network, a non-profit dedicated to helping deserving teens go to college and become career ready.

Please give her a warm welcome and stop by for coffee.

Michael”

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Kentucky-based agency Cornett IMS (who you may remember from Beardvertising or “Kentucky Kicks Ass“) has created the world’s longest hashtag to promote the release of A&W’s new chicken tender sandwich.

While most brands see the hashtag as something that fans will hopefully share on social media, Cornett chose to create a hashtag so long that the chance of it being used are pretty damn low. The extra-big hashtag is, presumably, meant to coincide with the extra-big nature of A&W’s Hand-Breaded Chicken Tender Texas Toast Sandwich. Like that sandwich, the hashtag is quite the mouthful. As Cornett’s Whit Hiler puts it, they were going for a “hashtag so long, our consumers would say ‘man that’s a really long hashtag, that Hand-Breaded Chicken Tender Texas Toast Sandwich must be freaking delicious.’” You can view the TV spot introducing the hashtag above. That hashtag, by the way, is: #supertastylargeandinchargetexastoasttwohand-wichmadewithdeliciousonehundredpercentwhitemeathandbreadedchickentendersandyourchoiceofclassicorspicypapasauceeitherwayyoucan’tgowrongwowthatsoundsgoodyouneedtotryoneit’sonlyavailableforalimitedtimeI’mgoingtohavetogogetonemyselfareyoustillreadingthisseeyouatAandW. Credits after the jump. continued…

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Zurich Insurance is launching “Gator Golf,” an online video tutorial series, created by McCann Worldgroup, instructing golfers on how to deal with playing in close proximity to alligators.

The series was created to build buzz around the upcoming PGA Tour, Zurich Classic of New Orleans, where an alligator famously wandered onto the course during last year’s games. While not everyone finds alligators on the golf course a laughing matter, the series is tied to the larger “For Those Who Truly Love” brand platform, the idea being that those who truly love golf won’t let an alligator on the course stand in their way.  The “Gator Golf” series features “golfing and alligator expert” Jim Shanks offering up absurd solutions to gator-filled golf course problems. In the above video, for example, he recommends turning around and driving left-handed so that the gator behind you is “out of sight, out of mind,” while adding that if you’re attacked you should follow course etiquette and “die quietly.”

Gator Golf” is the social component of a larger integrated campaign including TV, print, online advertising and a microsite, and will appear on YouTube and on saud microsite in the lead up to the tournament, which takes place April 24 – 27.

Of course, when we read “Gator Golf,” we can’t help but think of this…

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Caviar director Ruben Fleischer joined forces with cover girl Emma Stone, who recently starred in his film Gangster Squad, for a new original short for Vogue.

The spot sees Fleischer and Stone playing themselves, discussing Stone’s latest role. Fleischer, who wrote and directed the short, plays the stright man. Stone, meanwhile, has some unusual ideas to prepare for her role as a nun, all of which involve magic. As you may have guessed, things get a little bit silly, but the humor never quite connects and the premise feels a bit forced — even if “Everyone loves magic, even nuns.”

Stick around for credits after the jump.  continued…

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Just in time for the playoffs, Sid Lee has launched a new spot for the Toronto Raptors which the Starks could totally get behind (there’s even a wolf). The new spot stokes fans’ anticipation of the upcoming games and northern pride with the tagline, “#WeTheNorth.”

The 60-second, Stark-approved spot starts with the line “We the north: In many ways we’re in a league of our own; one step removed; just beyond the boundaries…” and uses the Raptors’ distance from other NBA teams as a point of pride, a rallying call. “If that makes us outsiders, we’re in,” concludes the voiceover before a “Let’s go Raptors” chant emerges from the background. “#WeTheNorth,” which just launched yesterday, is part of a larger rebranding effort for the Raptors. If fans weren’t already excited for the Raptors’ bid in the NBA playoffs (starting tomorrow, against the Nets), the well-produced spot, which mixes game footage with stylized shots of a snowy Canada, should do its part to psyche them up. Credits after the jump.  continued…

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