Hasta La Creative!

Reliable sources familiar with the matter confirm that Arnold Worldwide’s Boston office, which has handled the creative business for drug store giant CVS for nearly four years (succeeding fellow Boston op, Hill Holliday, in 2010), is no longer in the review mix for the chain. From what we hear on the Spy line, the agency was set to engage and defend in final pitches next week but has suddenly withdrawn. Sources add that sister agency, Havas Worldwide, is still in the pitch. Other finalists also mentioned for the current creative review include Grey, BBDO NY and Lowe Campbell Ewald. No word yet on the matter from CVS itself, which touts 7,500 stores

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Well, earlier this week we introduced you to Hotels.com’s obnoxious Captain Obvious character, and now we have another “obvious” related spot, this time for Virgin Mobile (which actually premiered a few days before CP+B’s spot), entitled “An Obvious Deal.” Are we sensing a theme?

“An Obvious Deal,” presumably created by Mother NY (we’re checking),  focuses on Virgin’s “obviously amazing” unlimited data and messaging for $35 per month deal. A spokesman laments that some people are missing out and says “Maybe we need to be more obvious” while drinking out of a mug advertising the deal. A bunch of obvious, over-the-top messages follow as the spokesman decides that a deal this obvious needs to be stated obviously. If you’re getting tired of reading “obvious” and “obviously” you probably shouldn’t watch the 30 second spot (featured above), which uses the word at least every 3 seconds. The similarities to CP+B’s spot are, well, obvious (sorry), with the closing “This is obviously our website” quite reminiscent of the “All these words are spelled correctly” line that closes “Captain Obvious.” Now let’s retire this whole direction before it’s completely milked dry.

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Droga5 New York is saying “no comment” on the matter (which usually translates into anything but “no” at this point), but sources on the Spy line tell us that agency has joined the pitch for TripAdvisor, the 14-year-old travel directory/review/booking brand that launched yet another creative agency search at the beginning of this month. According to earlier reports, TA launched the review after partnering for less than a year on offline creative work with The Fantastical, a Boston-based shop formed by a a pair of Mullen alums. Along with Fantastical, TripAdvisor has also worked with Hill Holliday and Weber Shandwick on media and PR efforts, respectively, though it appears that neither agency is affected by this latest review. From what Adweek initially reported, other agencies allegedly in the TA review mix include Goodby and Leo Burnett NY. We’re checking with all and will keep you posted.

While we’re on the Droga5 tip, we’ve received from clarification from those in the know that unlike what we’ve been hearing today, there have been no formal layoffs in the NY office, just a few reductions that were performance-related.

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Inspired by the Mars exploration rovers, Cheil UK built a “web user-controlled camera-bot, the first of its kind, called the NX Rover, for Samsung to showcase the unique connectivity of the Galaxy NX Camera.” Needless to say, it’s pretty badass.

To demonstrate the Galaxy NX’s capabilities, Cheil UK is sending the NX Rover on an international trip to “a series of extraordinary places and events.” Planned stops include London Super Comic Convention, an FC Bayern Munich training session, on-location in Iceland, and an after-hours visit to a major London museum. Samsung will also be giving interested parties the opportunity to take control of the NX Rover and snap shots with the Galaxy NX camera. To accomplish this, Cheil “built an interface which will give users real time control of the camera via a ‘point and click’ function.” Users can also control the arm of the Rover which can extend up to 2m high. Among the other Rover functions are up/down movement of the arm, 360-degrees pan and tilt/pivot of the camera, as well as focus and zoom.

“We wanted to reignite the spirit of adventure and put the NX in to the hands of the photographers everywhere, and do it in a way that did justice to this game-changing product,” says Cheil UK COO Matt Pye. “Through the NX Rover keen photographers will have the opportunity to see and capture some of the world’s most interesting places and characters in an entirely new way.”

If you’d like to try out the NX Rover experience yourself, head on over to Samsung’s microsite and check it out.

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“Sport Doesn’t Care” is the platform behind 72andSunny’s and Worldwide Paralympic Sponsor Samsung’s new campaign, showing that no matter who you are, your excuse doesn’t matter in the world of athletics.

The 90 second spot from 72andSunny Amsterdam, dubbed “What’s Your Problem? Sport Doesn’t Care,” features paralympic athletes Jessica Gallagher (alpine skiing), Seung-Hwan Jung (ice sledge hockey), Katarzyna Rogowiec (cross country skiing and biathlon), Anna Schaffelhuber (alpine skiing), Evan Strong (snowboard cross), and Greg Westlake (ice sledge hockey). These paralympians share their problems, such as “I am not a morning person,” “It’s so cold,” “Side wind. I don’t like it.” I hate the rain,” and “I’m too tired” and other problems any athlete might face, followed by the “Sport Doesn’t Care” message.

“Conversations around the Paralympic Games tend to focus on disability over athleticism,” explains Younghee Lee, EVP/global marketing, IT & mobile at Samsung Electronics. “As a brand with a passion for sport, Samsung aims to make the dialogue more empowering, focusing on the courage and performance of athletes and encouraging participation.”

Australian alpine skiier Jessica Gallagher expressed excitement at being involved in the campaign. “I think that Samsung’s commitment to the Paralympic movement is incredibly important. It calls much-needed attention to the fact that we as Paralympians are really not different from our Olympic Games counterparts — we work just as hard and want to win just as much,” she said. “I ski the same as any Olympian, I just use adaptive equipment to help negate my vision loss. Whether you’re a top athlete or a young child just starting out, sport doesn’t discriminate.”

The spot follows on the heels of a kickoff manifesto spot which launched February 20th, with a third spot in the series set for release on March 7th. Stick around for the manifesto spot after the jump. continued…

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Santa Monica, CA-based agency, Secret Weapon, continues the trend of absurd humor they employed in their regional Super Bowl ad for Jack in the Boxwith the new spots.

The first of these spots sees the regional fast food franchise’s creepy mascot introducing the new pesto chicken sandwich while claiming his recent productivity is thanks to the new robot he has “handling the day to day stuff.” We then cut to the robot strangling a man for taking the piece of birthday cake he wanted. “There’s still a few bugs,” Jack admits. It’s a slightly different kind of absurd humor than the cheese Secret Weapon poured on in the Super Bowl spot, although the robot humor falls flat and feels disjointed from the earlier part of the ad introducing the new product.

The other new spot, for Jack in the Box’s new “monster” taco offerings, more successfully combines the product introduction with Secret Weapon’s absurd humor. It imagines Jack in the Box’s new taco offerings — nacho, and bacon ranch (Jack in the Box certainly loves their bacon) — as monster trucks facing off. The spot parodies the classic “Sunday! Sunday! Sunday!” school of monster truck ads, before an unexpected reveal puts everything we’ve just seen in a different context. Stick around for brief credits and “Monster Tacos” after the jump. continued…

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Siltanen & Partners have released a follow up to Coldwell Banker’s GRAMMY “Home Sweet Home” spot called “Your Home,” which will debut during the Oscars this Sunday.

The new spot is the latest in Coldwell Banker’s #HomeRocks campaign, and will mark the third straight year the company has worked with Tom Selleck, who lends his recognizable voice to the 60 second ad. “Your Home” is in much the same vein as the campaign’s previous work, emphasizing the sentimental attachments people make to the places they live and tying it to the brand with the “Where home begins” tagline. While a continuation of Coldwell Banker’s second annual awards season campaign rollout, this particular spot was also strategically timed for this year’s Oscars.

“The Oscars are perfectly timed to reach consumers with our message of how home plays a role in the story of our lives while also aligning with the spring homebuying and selling season,” explains Sean Blankenship, senior vice president of marketing for Coldwell Banker. “It’s also fitting that the Oscars will pay homage to the 75^th anniversary of ‘The Wizard of Oz’ and Judy Garland’s classic line, ‘There’s no place like home.’”

Selleck, as you may remember, has deeply rooted ties to the company. “When I was four, my father put the Sellecks in the family car and left Detroit for Southern California to pursue a career in real estate. He worked for Coldwell Banker for 38 years, retiring as an Executive Vice President. Over that period, my two brothers and sisters were with Coldwell Banker, as well. I was the one exception. I’m proud to say that I’m now part of the family business, ” said the man once known as Magnum PI.

As part of the campaign leading up to the new spot, voters on Coldwell Banker’s Blue Matter blog voted Apollo 13 as having the best homecoming scene in movie history, beating out the likes of The Wizard of Oz, The Best Years of Our Lives, and Home Alone, which finished dead last. Keep an eye out for the new “Your Home” spot during the Oscars this Sunday, and stick around for brief credits after the jump. continued…

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Arnold Worldwide is behind a new 2.3 million dollar campaign for Jack Daniel’s new “Sinatra Select,” a new product rolling out in select markets in anticipation of a June release nationally. Sinatra Select is a stronger make of whiskey (90 proof to Jack Daniel’s normal 80 proof) with “more oak and spice notes.” It will be rolled out in some of Ol’ Blue Eyes’ favorite haunts: New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Miami, and Las Vegas.

At the center of the campaign is the 30-second spot, “Frank The Man,” celebrating Frank Sinatra and his favorite drink. The spot ends with Sinatra’s “That’s the nectar of the gods, baby,” quote. Jack Daniel’s in an enviable position as the preferred drink of such a historical celebrity; the new product, and Arnold’s campaign, seem like a no-brainer. As you may remember, Sinatra got a shout out in Jack Daniel’s “Legend” spot from last year, so it was only a matter of time until he got the spotlight. The media buy for “Frank The Man” includes “ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live and NBC’s The Tonight Show as well as cable outlets including ESPN, FX, Discovery and Comedy Central so this should reach a wide array of eyeballs as the product rolls out in its select markets.

As you might expect, the premium whiskey is a bit more glamorous than Jack Daniel’s standard offering, and the price tag ($150) is indicative of that. Sinatra Select also comes with packaging that “includes a commemorative gift box and a booklet detailing Mr. Sinatra’s history with Jack,” so folks will be paying for more than just the whiskey itself. The timing behind this campaign and product rollout is deliberate, coming in anticipation of the 100th anniversary of Ol’ Blue Eyes’ birth on Dec. 15, 1915. Credits after the jump. continued…

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Division of Labor created a pair of fun, short videos for Live Nation, which are shown as pre-show entertainment at venues such as Shoreline, The Palladium and Roseland Ballroom to show off the capabilities of their digital screen network.

The above “Rodents on Turntables” is…well, exactly what it sounds like. Professionally trained rodents run on turntables playing several different types of music. The rodents, and their names, are tailored for the different genres: “Chunk” for hip-hop, “Sergio” for mariachi, “Herzog” for metal. “Rodents on Turntables” ends with the warning, “…Animals were trained and handled by professional animal trainers. Please do not try this at home.” So, while it may seem like a good idea, don’t put your hamster on your turntable — it will end badly.

“No critters were harmed in the making of either film, which is more than can be said for musical instruments,” says DOL partner/creative director, Josh Denberg, who co-directed the films with fellow Division of Labor Partner and Creative Director Paul Hirsch.

“Ode to Pete,” as you may have gathered, is a tribute to Pete Townsend and his habit of destroying his guitar at the end of shows. In the video, musicians of all stripes destroy their respective instruments in slow motion while surprisingly soothing music by Tonefarmer plays in the background. It’s a lot of fun, and if you’ve ever wanted to see a mariachi smash his guitarron, or a viola get the Townshend treatment, now’s your chance. Stick around for “Ode to Pete,” along with credits, after the jump. continued…

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3SBA/Innocean Worldwide teamed up with director Alejandro Toledo of Harpoon Pictures for two new spots for Kia.

In the playful 60 second spot “Winter,” a snowball fight breaks out on the street, with children and adults alike ducking behind Kias to avoid being pelted with snowy projectiles. A family returns from a winter trip with a sleeping child in the backseat of their Kia Rio, while another family cheers on the action from the safety of their Kia Ceed. It’s a fun spot, or at least it would have been if it was timed right. But therein lies the problem: “Winter” is being released at the tail end of one of the harshest seasons in recent history, and I doubt many people are in the mood to celebrate “the joyful surprises to be found in the season” or look fondly at anything but the impending arrival of spring. The last thing people want to be reminded of is the fact that there’s still almost a month left until that happens.

The other spot, “Russia,” celebrates that country while extolling the diversity of Kia’s models, which can perform well in both urban and rural environments. In the spot, “Kia Sorrento, Ceed and Rio are each shown seamlessly moving from rough forest and off-road terrains into energetic city environments, delighting drivers and passengers alike with the cars’ comfort, elegance and agility.” Oddly enough, the Russian nationalism stoking spot was actually filmed by Toledo in Spain. You can view “Russia” after the jump and if you care, learn more about Toledo and Harpoon Pictures here.

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