Hasta La Creative!

Budweiser decided to get serious this year with their patriotic “A Hero’s Welcome” commercial from agency Anomaly.

The 60 second spot documents the homecoming of a single soldier, welcomed (with Budweiser as a sponsor) back from Afghanistan by the entire town of Winter Park, Florida. Winter Park’s celebration included “a full ticker tape parade, complete with marching bands, antique military vehicles, the VFW motorcycle club and an appearance by the world-famous Budweiser Clydesdales.” The 24 year-old Lt. Chuck Nadd, who was just happy to be reunited with his girlfriend, Shannon Cantwell, seemed genuinely surprised and touched.

If all that’s not enough to get you emotional, there’s the 5 minute behind-the-scenes documentary which features members of the Winter Park VFW who helped make the homecoming happen. Several of the veterans talk about their own experiences returning home from war, which were decidedly less pleasant than the welcome Nadd received, and how it really means a lot to feel appreciated. They get pretty emotional, as it clearly means a lot to them to help a fellow serviceman receive the homecoming that would have meant so much to them. Stick around for the behind-the-scenes footage after the jump, if you’re not worried about a case of the onions at work. continued…

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Secret Weapon Marketing and Horizon Media have a new spot for Jack in the Box set to run regionally during the Super Bowl.

The spot introduces the new Bacon Insider burger, a burger with bacon built into the patty, on top of the burger, and (in case that’s not enough bacon) bacon mayo. To introduce the new burger, the spot takes viewers to Jack’s fantastical farm, complete with a brioche barn, curly fry trees, and a creature called a bork — that would be the pig/cow hybrid. The cheesy spot, which feels the need to sing/narrate everything you see, ends with the creatures saying “Moink” (moo+oink, get it?).

Iwona Alter, VP of menu strategy & innovation for Jack in the Box, says in a statement, “What better way to honor America’s favorite pigskin tradition than by giving America a bacon burger unlike any they’ve ever tasted before? We didn’t just put bacon on the burger. We put bacon in the burger, on top of the burger, underneath the burger and mixed it in the special bacon mayo sauce!”

While America has the drunk munchies is clearly the right time to introduce your new bacon, bacon and more bacon burger, so the regional Super Bowl ad makes sense, even if it likely cost Jack in the Box a small fortune. And the ads’ cheesy antics and bork creature should appeal to kids, especially kids who really love bacon.

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In a campaign that launches tomorrow KFC Russia and agency Perfect Fools are offering KFC customers the chance to star in their own television commercial.

Perfect Fools created MovieMatic, a machine designed “to direct, shoot, edit and post the footage to YouTube.” KFC customers can use the MoveiMatic to insert themselves into a KFC ad that will be uploaded to YouTube. Once their video is uploaded, “a receipt is printed with the URL and a reminder to watch their creation, share and invite friends to vote.” A “panel of experts” (your guess as to what that means is as good as ours) will then select the best of the bunch to air on Russian television. Technology utilized in the MovieMatic includes: “professional photography lights, two Canon 5D Mark III cameras, computers with bespoke software, storage drives, wifi router and phidgets for the control buttons, plus smaller light emitting gadgets and microphones.”

Piotr Rozanski, marketing director for YUM! Brands Russia said, “KFC is the first brand in Russia to star a customer in a TV campaign. The aim is to captivate, inspire customers, generate lots of brilliant videos showing off their acting and dancing skills, then get them involved in a popularity contest to make them a hero across Russia.”

The MovieMatic will be in Moscow for the next week, and then make a two week tour of St. Petersburg starting on February 19th. Contestants have five days following the creation of their video to generate as many votes as possible. The television commercial featuring the winning contestant will air on March 31st. You can view results here. Credits after the jump. continued…

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CP+B’s funny new spot for Kraft Macaroni & Cheese examines the desperate lengths people will go to for a bite of Kraft’s signature macaroni and cheese-like-product.

Set to Marvin Hamlisch’s “What I Did For Love,” the 45 second spot shows individuals engaging in some questionable behavior to get their hands on Kraft Mac & Cheese, ranging from the everyday sneakiness of a grandfather stealing a bite from his grandson while the family says grace, to the potentially unsanitary exploits of a man who desperately destroys his child’s macaroni picture, to the utter illegality of a woman willing to steal a Kraft Macaroni & Cheese truck. Directed by Hank Perlman, “What I Did For Love” is the latest in CP+B’s “You Know You Love It” campaign for Kraft Mac & Cheese, and is a perfect example of what the campaign is capable of. The new spot is a lot more thought through than the “Noodle Reunion” promotion we covered back in October, and while they push the irreverent humor to new heights — for Kraft Mac & Cheese it’s downright edgy — they balance the irreverence with Kraft’s standard wholesomeness to make a fun spot that works for the brand. Stick around for credits after the jump. continued…

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Toshiba just launched some pretty funny “field tests” on YouTube, including the cringe-inducing “Portege Ultrabook vs. Drooling Dog” featured above, in a series called “Field Testing with Matt & Jamie.”

In each of the videos, they mention a field test performed by Toshiba (for the dog drool one it’s a test to withstand 50ml of water), before Matt and Jamie perform their own, less scientific, more riduclous test, which Toshiba claims the products actually passed. Apparently, in another clip to be added later this week, the Toshiba product actually failed the test, which is refreshing to see from a company (and lends more credibility to the results of the other tests). Aside from the hard to watch “”Portege Ultrabook vs. Drooling Dog,” highlights from the (seemingly neverending) series include “Satellite Ultrabook vs. Paint Shaker”and “Encore Tablet vs. Block of Ice.” Stick around for these two after the jump. continued…

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EVB and Victors&Spoils are banking on the effectiveness of 90s nostalgia and/or attempting to make you feel old with their remake of Blackstreet’s 1996 hit “No Diggity” for JCPenney. The song has been changed to “Go Ligety,” for J.C. Penney’s campaign in support of U.S. Olympic skier Ted Ligety.

“Go Ligety,” which is performed by C-Black of Blackstreet, informs viewers that when you round up your purchase to the nearest dollar proceeds go to the United States Olympic Committee. “”I like the way you work it. Go Ligety. You got to round it up.” rhymes C-Black, a fun, if cheesy, way to get the word out about the promotion. Ted Ligety doesn’t make an appearance himself, but J.C. Penney has a small Lil’ Ligety puppet act as a stand in. C-Black has a puppet doppelganger as well, who handles piano duties on the song. Between the puppets and the reworking of Blackstreet’s mid-90s hit, “#GoLigety” is a lot of fun, with enough going for it to get people to sit through its 2:15 duration.

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On Jan. 13, Universal Orlando launched “Best Vacation Ever,” which shares more than a few similarities with Apple’s holiday spot, “Misunderstood.”

“Best Vacation Ever” shows a family enjoying their time at Universal, with a teenage daughter who seems to always be on her phone. At the end of the spot, it’s revealed that she was on her phone all that time making a digital scrapbook of the family’s trip, which she entitled “Best Vacation Ever.” When she sends the file to her father, her mother intones, “And you said no phones.” As you may remember, this calls to mind the big reveal in Apple’s “Misunderstood” spot, in which a seemingly aloof teenage boy puts together a slideshow for his family on Christmas.

According to our anonymous tipster, all these similarities are “completely (and unfortunately) coincidence.” The Universal spot was purportedly sold last spring, “as part of a larger effort, so it took some time to produce,” and wrapped in November. Universal decided to hold the spot until the new year, a decision they must have regretted after seeing Apple’s “Misunderstood” over the holiday season. Our tipster added this tidbit: “Universal contacted Lance Acord in October to direct, he saw the Universal boards, but he had already accepted the Apple job.” Let us know your thoughts on the similarities between the two spots in the comments section.

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About two weeks ago, we shared the teaser trailer for Jaguar’s Super Bowl ad, which features Ben Kingsley, Mark Strong, and Tom Hiddleston (although only Kingsley was featured in the trailer). Today, Jaguar and their in-house agency, Spark44, have debuted the full 60 second spot, “Rendezvous.”

“Have you ever noticed how in Hollywood movies, all the villains are played by Brits?” Kingsley asks at the opening of “Rendezvous,” featuring the three star British actors as vaguely defined villains who all drive Jaguars. Filmed in London by Oscar-winning British director, Tom Hooper (The King’s Speech), in collaboration with Smuggler, Spark44 and Jaguar clearly threw a lot into “Rendezvous” to make the spot cinematic, also employing Alexandre Desplat, who worked with Hooper on The King’s Speech, to compose the ad’s original soundtrack, which was recorded by The London Symphony Orchestra at Abbey Road studios. “‘Rendezvous’ was filmed with the realization that many of today’s television viewers have access to beautifully sharp picture screens and multi-channel surround sound not unlike the best movie theaters,” explained Brand Vice President of Jaguar North America, Jeff Curry.

“Rendezvous” marks Jaguar’s debut Super Bowl advertisement, and also launches their straightforwardly-titled “British Villains” campaign, which promotes the new Jaguar F-TYPE Coupe (available spring, 2014) and will run through July. The spot features the campaign’s #GoodToBeBad hashtag (a line also spoken by Kingley during the ad, which honestly sounds a little forced), but that’s only the tip of the iceberg in terms of Jaguar’s online and social engagement. They’ve launched a campaign landing page, that “hosts information about the F-TYPE Coupe, the commercial and some unique video content including teasers starring each of the three actors.” Jaguar is also hosting an event with Deadspin as part of their partnership with the latter’s parent, Gawker, as well as two co-sponsored events with Sports Illustrated, including during the magazine’s Super Saturday event the night before Super Bowl Sunday.

What’s more, Jaguar “aims to be the most real-time engaged advertiser during the Super Bowl through a unique physical space called ‘The Loop,’  developed by Mindshare, where multiple screens will monitor real-time consumer data and translate it into actionable insights, and ultimately, rapid marketing decisions…” Jaguar claims “The Loop” is “the first real-time marketing tool to impact paid media – whereby media dollars can be quickly shifted and redeployed to leverage opportunities uncovered by the data.” It will be interesting to see how Jaguar’s first Super Bowl advertisement, and their “The Loop” strategy plays out this Sunday. Stick around for behind the scenes footage of “Rendezvous” after the jump. continued…

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W+K Portland and Coca-Cola have pre-released their Super Bowl ad, “Going All The Way.” One of two big game spots for Coca-Cola, “Going All The Way,” was shot in Ashwaubenon, a suburb of Green Bay, Wisconsin, with the exception of the final moments, which were shot at Lambeau Field.

The 60 second spot, directed by Jake Scott and set to House of Pain’s classic “Jump Around,” tells the story of Adrian, a small high school football benchwarmer who finally gets his chance to shine. “Don’t mess this up again, Adrian,” his teammate says when he’s put in the game, telling us all we need to know about Adrian’s past on the playing field. But things break Adrian’s way, and he’s given the opportunity to make the play of a lifetime.

Most of the cast of “Going All The Way” was made up of actual Green Bay-area residents, and Lambeau Field’s groundskeeper of 17 years has a featured role in the spot. “‘Going All The Way’ is a story that celebrates a young man accomplishing his dreams. It’s also a celebration of the amazing town of Ashwaubenon, Wis. coming together and our wonderful partnership with the city of Green Bay,” said Katie Bayne, President, North America Brands, Coca-Cola North America.

The feel-good spot will air during the second half of the Super Bowl, while Coca-Cola’s other big game ad will air during the second quarter. This marks Coca-Cola’s eighth consecutive year advertising during the Super Bowl. To celebrate the launch of “Going All The Way,” Coca-Cola has pledged to donate $50,000 to the Boys & Girls Clubs of America’s Triple Play program when the spot reaches 10,000 shares. So please feel free to share “Going All The Way” with friends, family and colleagues. Stick around for a behind-the-scenes video about the making of “Going All The Way” after the jump. continued…

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Coming on the heels of last year’s “The Scarecrow” campaign, Chipotle has just revealed the trailer for its upcoming original comedy series “Farmed and Dangerous,” produced in collaboration with New York-based studio Piro.

The Chipotle-sponsored series offers a satirical look at “the lengths to which corporate agribusiness and its image- makers go to create a positive image of industrial agriculture.” “Farmed and Dangerous” imagines a fictional product called the “PetroPellet, a new petroleum-based animal feed created by fictional industrial giant Animoil.” Animoil runs into a PR shitstorm, however, when security footage of an exploding cow goes viral. Buck Marshall, played by Ray Wise of Twin Peaks fame, is the Industrial Food Image Bureau member charged with damage control, and seems willing to go to any lengths to make his little problem go away. The show also stars Eric Pierpoint (of Parks and Recreation).

Like “The Scarecrow,” the new series doesn’t actively promote Chipotle, instead positioning the brand as the alternative to the industrial farming giant the show documents. “We think of ‘Farmed and Dangerous’ as a values-integration rather than typical product- integration,” explained Chipotle chief marketing and development officer Mark Crumpacker. “The show addresses issues that we think are important – albeit in a satirical way – without being explicitly about Chipotle. This approach allows us to produce content that communicates our values and entertains people at the same time.” It also allows Chipotle to position itself against the shadiness of large agricultural business without making any specific promises or concessions — although they claim to have a “commitment to finding better, more sustainable sources for all of the ingredients it uses” and have announced “plans to eliminate GMOs from the ingredients it uses” in 2014. The approach is nothing new for Chipotle, as its evolution can be traced back to the award-winning 2011 spot, “Back to the Start.”

The debut episode of “Farmed and Dangerous” will be avilablee for free on Hulu starting on Feb. 17, with further episodes slated to premiere on consecutive Mondays. Season one of “Farmed and Dangerous” will be made up of four half-hour episodes, but “the storyline is designed to be extended to additional seasons” should the effort prove a success. Head on over to the “Farmed and Dangerous” official website for further details. Credits after the jump. continued…

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