Hasta La Creative!

Remember those slow loading Flash websites that made your computer’s fan scream, did nothing for the brand’s SEO and made you wait…and wait and wait and wait for portions of the site to load? Gone like a failed dot com, right?

Or so we thought. DIgitasLBi has brought back the web designer’s wet dream in its full glory for GMC to tout the brand’s 2014 Sierra. Now don’t misunderstand us. The site is beautiful, packed with dazzling CGI wizardry and, technically, isn’t even Flash. It’s HTML5 but it sure behaves like Flash used to.

Maybe we’re biased. Maybe we’re jaded. Maybe we’re just an ass but when we go to a website for a car, we kinda just want to know what it’s all about; how it’s made, how much horsepower, it’s engine displacement, the vehicle’s fuel economy. And we want it all in and easy to read, all-test list, not some Hollywood blockbuster style creation that looks awesome when an agency presents it to the client but is more trouble than it’s worth for the user.

And, another thing, any site that needs a menu to instruct a visitor how to get around the site immediately loses points.

So why did GMC go and get all fancy pants on us? Buick and GMC Director of Advertising and Promotions Sandra Moore explains, saying,”The Sierra demands a digital experience that demonstrates the substantial, innovative, professional-grade essence that the vehicle itself embodies.”

Um, Sandra, it’s a pick up truck.

All of that said, DigitalLBi did do something right. In the lower right hand corner of the site, there is a link which reads “Shop the Sierra 1500.” Clicking that link serves up — you guessed it — an old school website for the vehicle which has all the specs laid out in —you guessed it — easy to read list format. If the new site is so awesome, why does the old site still exist? Hmm.

Samsonite tapped Saatchi and Saatchi Brussels to craft a new campaign putting their products to the test in a series of online videos called “Samsonite Vs. The World.”

In the online series, several products from the world’s largest luggage brand face a series of tests meant to demonstrate the real-life testing Samsonite puts their products through. Each test was designed to highlight the selling point of each particular product. Samsonite’s Paradiver faces a simulated monsoon in “Samsonite Vs. Monsoon,” with the suitcase’s contents, most notably a book of matches, remaining dry throughout the test. The Samsonite Cosmolite endures quite the beating in “Samsonite Vs. Gravity,” dropped from a 15 meter height into a luggage cart to demonstrate its “impact-resistant Curv material.” Least impressive has to be “Samsonite Vs. Chicken,” which emphasizes the lightness of Samsonite Short-Lite by comparing it to a chicken. To keep things lighthearted and pleasant, each of these tests is narrated by a charming British chap.

The “Samsonite Vs. The World” campaign will be launched to online travel and lifestyle media throughout Europe starting today. Check out “Samsonite Vs. Monsoon” above, and stick around for “Samsonite Vs. Gravity” and credits after the jump. continued…

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Providence-based Nail has unveiled a new spot for Lifespan entitled “15,000.”

That number refers to the approximate count of employees at Lifespan, who, according to the 60 second spot, “have the best job in the world…delivering health with care.” The spot begins by attempting to make viewers consider everyday life in a different light, as a narrator intones things like “Every day, joy and heartbreak wash across us with equally unpredictable force” while a violin plays a melancholy melody in the background. About the time when you’re wondering what exactly this is an ad for, the “best job in the world” line comes in, followed by shots of Lifespan workers with name tags and ending with the “delivering health with care” tagline.  “15,000″ will begin airing tonight during the opening of the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics, and marks the beginning of Nail’s first branding campaign.

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Carnival announced today that it is “the national cruise line advertiser of NBC’s telecast of the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games,” with their new Olympic campaign from Arnold Worldwide.

Arnold’s campaign for Carnival launches today with the 30 second television spot, “Bobslide Champs,” which “will air on NBC, CNBC, MSNBC, NBC Sports Network and USA Network throughout the duration of the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games,” and also in select cinemas across the country. The spot features a sports announcer narrating while a group of four children race down a Carnival waterslide as if they are a bobsled team. “That was a run for the ages!” he exclaims as the crew crosses the finish line. “Bobslide Champs” is expected to increase the need for Carnival employees to shout “One at a time on the slide, please!” by at least 500 percent.

The campaign is timed to coincide with “what is known as ‘wave season’ – a key window for generating cruise reservations,” which, luckily for Carnival, also comes during the Olympics this year. In addition to the television campaign, the campaign also includes “a series of contests, videos and posts on the line’s highly trafficked social channels.” Stick around for credits and the extended, 60 second version of “Bobslide Champs” after the jump. continued…

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After spending a few years going forth with W+K, universally-known jeans brand Levi’s has moved its ad duties to Draftfcb and year-old agency The House Worldwide, which will share duties on global marketing, creative and strategic support. Levi’s CMO Jen Sey says in a statement, “We are very excited about this new model. We’re getting handpicked creative talent from Draftfcb and The House networks at both the global and local market level. This model will provide us with the efficiency and consistency we need as a global brand as well as the means to  drive relevance around the world by accessing top-notch local talent when we need it. In doing so, we’ll strive to reach passionate new fans in every market in which we operate.”

The 160-year-old brand previously worked with W+K since 2008 in the U.S. as well as BBH abroad. Among those participating in Levi’s new “customized” agency model are Draftfcb San Francisco, Draftfcb Los Angeles and The House Worldwide’s ChinaMadrid in Spain and CumminsRoss from Australia.

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For the follow-up to the popular “Look Inside. Jack Andraka” video which garnered over 2 million views on YouTube, VB&P decided to tell the inspiring story of Erik Weihenmayer.

Erik is a mountain climber who has climbed the seven tallest summits on earth, one of only 118 people in history to accomplish this feat. That would be impressive enough, but Weihenmayer is the only person to do so while blind. Weihenmayer was born with retinoschisis and was fully blind by the age of 13. Three years later, at a recreational program for the visually impaired, he was introduced to rock climbing, and it changed his life forever. “I wanted my life to be an adventure, I didn’t want to be shoved to the sidelines and forgotten and just sit in a dark room listening to life go by,” Weihenmayer said. “Rock climbing for me was sort of a symbol that I could get to the summit of whatever I wanted to do, but I had to do it differently.”

In 2001, Weihenmayer became the first blind man to reach the top of Mount Everest, and by 2008 he’d accomplished the amazing feat of scaling the seven tallest peaks in the world. “In an ironic way, that thing like blindness or that barrier you face, if you attack it the right way, it can become a catalyst to moving yourself to a new place that you may not have gone to in any other way,” Erik said.

Erik’s story can be viewed online, in the above film directed by Christopher Hewitt of Knucklehead. Intel has also launched a social media program, where if Erik’s video is shared 2,900 times they will donate $30,000 to No Barriers USA, an organization offering “transformative experiences that allow people to embrace a ‘no barriers mindset’ and discover the potential that lies within themselves and the world.” After viewing Erik’s “Look Inside” video above, you can head here for the full story. Stick around for credits and “Look Inside. Jack Andraka” after the jump.

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Code and Theory New York have redesigned the website for Finnish vodka brand Finlandia, giving it a sleek new look.

The new site features a unique and unusual visual design that lends itself well to the brand’s “To the life less ordinary” tagline. On the site “a singular access point icon has replaced the fixed navigation, the logo surfaces only when necessary, and product-specific sections like “Drinks” are more about cocktail inspiration than a recipe archive.” The site invites viewers to scroll down the page for a cinematic experience, ending with a 1:06 video (featured above) that correlates with the rest of the site. That all of it is rather strange (in a very Nordic kind of way) and doesn’t make a ton of sense, again, completely fits the “life less ordinary” attitude the brand is promoting. Intended reaction (I’m guessing): “I have no idea what’s going on, but it kind of makes me want some vodka.” Check out the site for yourself, and stick around for credits after the jump. continued…

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In other pizza-related campaign news, what is a professional baby? How does one go about becoming a professional baby? At what point does an amateur baby turn professional? These and other questions come to mind after watching mcgarrybowen’s “Baby Waterskiing” spot from their #GoForGreatness campaign.

The YouTube inspired spot, which Whitehouse Post editors Tim Warmanen and Carlos Lowenstein sliced together for Pizza Hut’s YouTube-inspired “Go For Greatness” Super Bowl campaign (which also features the spot “Grandma Drummer”) shows several seconds of a baby named Ryder waterskiing before flashing the warning “Do not attempt. Professional baby.” At this point it becomes hard to pay attention to the rest of the ad, which promotes Pizza Hut’s new hand-tossed pizza, because how you can you not dwell on the “professional baby” disclaimer? The 30 second ad ends by inviting viewers to “Upload your greatness” to Pizza Hut’s YouTube page. Especially if you have a professional baby in the house. Stick around for “Grandma Drummer” and credits after the jump. continued…

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Mekanism concluded their “Get Hyped For Halftime” campaign last night with “Pepsi: Sound Check NYC,” the lead-in to the Bruno Mars Super Bowl halftime performance which acted as a much-needed respite from the ridiculously one-sided game.

The 30-second halftime intro “sound checks” New York City, with giant hands strumming the Brooklyn Bridge like a guitar, playing the Guggenheim like drums, mixing levels on a NYC subway train board and scratching Columbus Circle like it’s a turntable. Other landmarks include the Empire State Building and surrounding skyline, and the East Side Pepsi sign. The spot ends at Met Life Stadium (as you know, located in East Rutherford, New Jersey) with Pepsi’s “Live For Now” tagline. It’s a simple, yet clever little introduction to the halftime show, even if the game itself didn’t take place in New York City. Because, let’s face it, no one wants to see East Rutherford’s top landmarks.

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Following the release of W+K Amsterdam’s “The Odyssey” last week, Heineken has released a tongue-in-cheek response to the comment section skeptics who questioned the spot’s authenticity.

The 2:10, presented as “the genuine response of our official PR representative Dymfke van Der Gaal,” replies directly to YouTube commenters who publicly questioned the authenticity of the individual talents in “The Odyssey.” As evidence, Heineken presents the casting calls for the guys in the ad, which are predictably goofy. In addition the PR response video, Heineken has also uploaded the casting calls for each of the talents featured in “The Odyssey.” The PR response fits well with the lighthearted tone of the campaign, and reinforces its core message. As Sandrine Huijgen, Global Communications Director at Heineken puts it, “When we saw the comments about The Odyssey TVC, we wanted to show that there are no boundaries between real and fake, proving that real men have unique skills, and everyone is legendary at something.” Stick around for the original “The Odyssey” spot and credits following the jump. continued…

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.