The image of fat, overpaid athletes who don’t care about what they do as much as they should is an easy shot for fans to take. It’s occasionally true. But this angle almost never comes from the house, since gambling companies don’t need to take a stance one way or the other to make money. But in the UK, bookmaker Paddy Power has teamed with CP+B for “Fat Watch” a contest to the bottom that rewards soccer players who take the least shots or spend the most time on the bench. Fans who support the clubs of the laziest players (Fernando Torres) will win some undisclosed prize, which seems more like compensation for rooting for FC Shame.
The 30-second spot is pretty funny and plays more like a comedy sketch than a commercial. I don’t think this idea could play in America, but for the stodgy fans across the Atlantic, the campaign’s sneering tone feels like a great fit. Credits after the jump.
I remember the Easy Button last being at all interesting about five years ago. People could actually buy a product that embodied Staples’ marketing strategy in Staples, some mixture of cool/scary meta-advertising that got old once you pressed the button more than 10 times. Staples has actually been running with “That Was Easy” for a decade, but McGarryBowen just retired it in favor of the less punchy “Make More Happen.”
Would you prefer your supply store to make things easy or to make more things happen? Rhetorical, but the rebrand is meant to change the perception of Staples as just an office supply store. The logo changed slightly, too, with the now-rotating “L” you can see in the new promo above that includes dog food, rain boots, paint brushes, etc. They sell dog food? Is this Staples or Walmart? It’s hard to tell. I’m not sure that’s a good thing, since Staples can’t do Walmart as well as Walmart can, but at least they’re trying to adapt instead of coasting down an easy route to irrelevance. Credits after the jump.
Hollywood-based agency Troika helped Encore with a re-brand of their eight premium channels, including “eight new logos, network packaging, channel IDs, an image spot, and trade & consumer ad templates.”
The rebrand was crafted by a team of “15 strategists, writers, designers, animators, editors and producers” to play off and expand Encore’s existing “Playing Favorites” brandline and position. “We wanted to bring more meaning to the position by building a brand that takes the role of friend and fellow movie-lover, and express this in unique ways across ENCORE’s
premium channels through language and visuals,” explains Dale Everett, creative director at Troika.
Part of the rebrand will be a new programming strategy designed to take advantage of “market opportunities amidst evolving demographics and viewing preferences.” This includes a shift from Encore Drama to Encore Black, and Encore Love to Encore Classic.
The new brand voice is catered to speak directly to different audiences across Encore’s channels, with “He’s Full of Shh” for Austin Powers on Encore and “Yes We Remember” for The Alamo on Encore Westerns, for example.
The rebrand, which also features a redesigned logo and new, bold graphics debuted on December 2nd. You can view a montage of the rebrand above, or head here for an in-depth case study.
W+K again? Yes, and now it concerns W+K Portland’s “It’s Amazing What You’re Capable Of” campaign for TurboTax with the launch ad, “The Year of You.”
The spot marks the first creative work W+K have completed in partnership with TurboTax since nabbing AOR duties back in July. As you might expect from the title, the :90 “The Year of You” reminisces about all the things that “you” have accomplished in 2013, paying homage especially to new parents, newlyweds and new home owners. This leads in to the suggestion that since you’ve done all these things, you’re the best person to do your taxes. The types of accomplishments applauded in the ad correlate with the simple questions that TurboTax uses, such as “Did you get married?” and the ad does a good job making TurboTax’s system look very easy. The voiceover during the ad (which sounds a lot like John C. Reilly) is lighthearted and endearing, making the whole thing unexpectedly likeable for an advertisement for a tax service, which should help assuage some of the inevitable tax season anxiety it triggers.
“The Year of You” launched yesterday and will run until April 15th. During that time, W+K will gradually roll out other initiatives in the “It’s Amazing What You’re Capable Of” campaign. Stick around for credits after the jump. continued…
If a Levi’s ad had a one-night stand with a Dos Equis commercial and the lovechild was baptized by a former Abercrombie art director, this “Equinox Made Me Do It” campaign by W+K New York would be the result. Equinox’s sensual shenanigans – mainly, turning gym memberships into sex – has graduated from bad joke that everyone is in on to an accepted norm at this point. The over-the-top sexuality even made its way into Aziz Ansari’s most recent standup special. But the appeal seems to be growing: gyms have spread across the country, celebrities are frequent guests, and Equinox now boasts a “Best Gym” award from a handful of publications including Fitness Magazine. The accolades should come in handy as people line up to sign up for a New Year’s resolution gym membership. So should the pretty people running naked on big billboards. If you live in a city with an Equinox gym, get ready to see butts.
The “Made Me Do It” campaign is W+K’s first work for Equinox, but you probably couldn’t tell the difference, because the gym is still selling the same amount of sex. And why shouldn’t they? While copycat fitness centers fight against each other, Equinox separated itself from the competition by rethinking the old adage of less is more. Credits after the jump.
And here we are, the final day of 2013. With that, we give you our second and final installment of our most popular posts of the year, which, as we mentioned yesterday, weren’t all too surprising compared to previous years (save for the #1 item). Anyhow, we thank you one and all for reading, glancing at, commenting, loving and/or hating the site in 2013. We sincerely appreciate it. Have a happy new year and we will see you on the other side. Now, on with the show.
Hey, look at that! It’s former All-Pro NFL receiver and notable public nuisance Terrell Owens getting paid for his time by appearing in a 72andSunny spot for Carl’s Jr. It’s a post-Christmas miracle!
Sure, Owens hasn’t played in an NFL game since 2010. And, it’s been eight years since he last suited up for the Philadelphia Eagles, where he was let go after getting into a beef (get it?) with the team owner and QB Donovan McNabb (who he accused of getting “tired” during the Eagles’ Super Bowl loss in early 2005). But, agency and client needed someone to shit on Philadelphia’s notoriously vocal fans to contrast them with the deliciousness of their Philly Cheesesteak Burger, and Owens was more than happy to oblige.
But, should you feel any sympathy for how he was treated in Philadelphia, or during his multiple attempts at an NFL comeback over the last few years, remember how he he frequently implied that San Francisco 49ers QB Jeff Garcia was gay despite it having no bearing on anything. Remember how he called out Donovan McNabb for not playing through a sports hernia and implied he wasn’t a warrior like Brett Favre. Oh, and remember his terrible VH1 reality show. Because we should really bring that up more often. Credits after the jump.
Publicis Kaplan Thaler created the first ever TV spot for car shopping destination Edmunds.com to receive a national release. The spot, “Edmunds Price Promise,” debuted on Christmas Day during NBA programming on ABC and ESPN and “will remain in regular rotation on several networks through at least the next three months.”
“Edmunds Price Promise” highlights the price promise Edmunds offers its customers, “an instant, locked-in price that the dealer will honor,” while positioning Edmunds employees as “car people” — quite literally. While the humor falls flat, the national campaign will likely bring the company newfound exposure and the Edmunds Price Promise should be a selling point with its audience.
Well, looks like our tipsters jumped the gun last week on who actually won the NAPA account, but it’s now official, as you may have heard, that Kansas City-based, WPP-owned VML has been named agency of record for the auto parts chain. From what we’ve heard, DDB was also in the pitching mix for the account, which includes all national creative duties including TV, radio, print, sponsorship activation and digital. The 88-year-old NAPA brand previously worked with what is now Publicis Kaplan Thaler, which had handled the account since 2009.
Jon Cook, CEO/president of VML, says in a statement, “We’re incredibly proud to be selected as NAPA’s agency of record. VML’s focus has always been about challenging conventional thinking and delivering more relevant, innovative and category-changing ideas. These were some of the priority ingredients that NAPA wanted in an agency partner, and we can’t wait to get started.”
Making bad advertising is easy. But, every now and then, somebody produces something so atrociously heinous that it almost makes you want to stand up and applaud.
Congrats, Samsung. “Are You Geared Up?” may be the absolute worst thing we’ve seen this year. You found rock bottom, and you dug even deeper. You combined bad acting with a nonsensical script, added in a dash of uncomfortable pacing and stretched the whole thing out to a cringeworthy two-and-a-half minutes.
Not only did you create The Room of online advertising, but your ad was so shitty that it went viral. Your spot was featured on the front page of Reddit under the headline “Hands down the worst ad I’ve ever seen. Take a bow, Samsung.” On top of that, the online legions have taken to your Samsung Mobile YouTube page, where you’ve received 13,000 thumbs down votes to 2,000 thumbs up votes. And, some genius left the comments on, which just adds to the chaos of terrible. Here are just a smattering of some of our favorite comments:
“There’s no way this is a real ad from Samsung. That would mean someone from Samsung had to actually watch this train wreck of a commercial and approve it. So it has to be fake. Right?”
“I feel like I just watched porn without the porn.”
“I’m almost speechless because of how terrible this is. I’m embarrassed that it’s for an Android product.”
“Thanks Samsung, I forgot for a moment that women are prizes that can be won through the creative use of technology and being creepy as fuck.”
“HAY GURL CHECK OOT THEESE COOL PICS I TOOK OF YOU SEECRETLY WHILE I FOLLOWED YOU. TEE HEE YOUR PICTURES OF ME ARE SO FLATTERING HERE IS MY CONTACT INFORMATION ANONYMOUS STRANGER I WILL BE ALONE IN MY HOTEL ROOM TONIGHT. HAHAHA I AM GOING TO HAEV SEX WITH YOU BECAUSE MY WATCH IS A PHONE!”
In other words, it’s been a pretty fun morning. However, one Reddit-er has an interesting theory for why this terrible, terrible thing exists:
This was shot in Korea (that’s why everyone has a Russian accent). It was probably never meant to be seen in English. The main audience will see this with a Korean dub (that’s also why the actors speak so slowly).
The English script was probably written and edited by non-native speakers, and the company probably doesn’t give a shit what the English version sounds like, because the Korean dub is the one that will be seen. All that matters is that the white people look cool and pretty. It’s like that other commercial with the Samsung hard drive or whatever.
It’s an interesting theory, but as one commenter replied, “I wonder if Samsung has heard of the Internet.” Judging by this, it seems unlikely. If anyone has any info on the agency behind this, or would like to nominate anything else for Worst Ad of the Year, please do so in the comments.
Right about this time every year, TBWA\Chiat\Day LA debuts its TV spots for the Grammys. And, every year, they’re pretty underwhelming. A few years back, we got a swirly, graphics overload with CGI re-tellings of artists like Eminem’s life story. Last year, we got the hashtag-happy #TheWholeWorldIsListening, which aimed to put viewers into the shoes of stars like Rihanna while trying to convince them that the awards show was still in any way relevant.
This year’s first spot, “Anthem,” looked more like a VH1 commercial than anything else, and it seemed we were in for yet another year of mediocrity. But then, dare we say it, the Grammys and Chiat LA ctually surprised us. The latest spot in the Music Unleashes Us campaign, “Drive” (above), does a fantastic job of convincing viewers that they owe it to the artists who get them through times of sorrow and heartbreak to watch their performances on the Grammys.
From Pink and fun., we move to Macklemore and “Doughnut Shop,” another well-produced and compelling spot filmed outside of Inglewood’s famous Randy’s Donuts. Again, these spots excel at following through with what the campaign promises – portraying the affect that popular music has on the average TV viewer. It both ignites and unleashes, an important sentiment for the Grammys to glom onto as the show still figures out its approach to celebrating an industry that doesn’t know what to do next. One more Katy Perry-tinged spot, and credits, follow after the jump.
To kick things off today, let’s start with Kaz/Helen of Troy, the parent company of water filtration brand PUR, which has selected Arnold Worldwide to serve as its new agency of record. Yes, there was a review and the incumbent was TBWA\Chiat\Day, which sources say did not defend the biz. As a result, Arnold will handle brand communications strategy, creative development, and digital marketing strategies. In a statement, Kaz CMO Christophe Coudray says, “We selected Arnold for its breadth of experience, its unique combination of analytical strength and strong creative capability. This will help us meet consumer needs and our business objectives. Identifying a strong agency partner is extremely important to our leadership team and our business. We’re very excited to begin working with Arnold, and look forward to the partnership.”
Rethink takes bromancevertising to the next level with their follow up to “The Beer Fridge” for Molson, the second most viewed commercial online in Canada in 2013.
“The Beer Fridge – Project Indonesia” is a 2:45 ode to Canada, hockey, beer, and, above all, bromance. Two friends decide to surprise a third friend who moved to the Gili Islands in Indonesia years ago. That there are no motorized vehicles in the Gili Islands makes the trek a bit of a challenge. The friends come packed with a satellite so their buddy can watch Team Canada in the 2014 Olympic Games and a red fridge full of Molson (which was obviously not easy to transport). When the three friends finally reunite, it’s actually quite a touching moment. This is probably the most bromantic ad you’ll see this year, and a refreshing angle from Rethink.
Molson released the Internet spot today, with a full-length TV version slated for the Canadian World Junior Hockey Tournament, where it will essentially take up entire commercial breaks. Clearly, Molson believes in this spot. Additionally, a 30 second version of the ad is set to debut on December 26th. Credits after the jump. continued…
Everyone loves a good trailer, but all too often these days movie trailers reveal the plot in its entirety.
Unfortunately, such is the case with the recently released trailer for Netflix’s “Fireplace For Your Home.” Initial shots of the fireplace setup cause viewers to wonder if the spark will catch fire and spread, offering a great teaser to the new home fireplace simulation you can stream on Netflix whenever you please, before they go too far and show [spoiler alert] that the fire does indeed spread to the other logs. The tongue-in cheek trailer was put together, we hear, by San Francisco-based agency Muhtayzik Hoffer, who also offers up a behind-the-scenes documentary.
Hoffer employs a good deal of deadpan, self-effacing humor in the behind-the-scenes video, exploring the wood selection process that went into the making of the fire (and the video), while the director offers up his take on “foreground logs” versus “background logs” as well as commentary about happy accidents that occurred during the day of filming. “None of this ashing here on the left was written in,” he explains, “It just kind of happened on the day.” The 2:22 mockumentary, featured after the jump, is well worth a quick chuckle for its look at Hoffer’s supposed idiosyncratic process. continued…
Earlier this month, Sao Paulo-based F/Nazca Saatchi & Saatchi launched their “Electrolux Kindness Kitchen” campaign for Electrolux Brasil, which filled some of their appliances with food for those who want to do good this Christmas.
Here’s how it works: During this month, “when a consumer buys any of the ‘full’ products, he or she will receive the household appliance at home and Electrolux will donate all the food to those in need.” It’s a pretty simple way to do some holiday philanthropy, and one that can make a world of difference to a family in need. The campaign was designed to give back to the community and highlight “the company’s social positioning in the country.” It includes the above online film, as well as display ads, a hot site, and social media. This campaign’s focus on digital was nothing new for Electrolux, who invested 10% of the company’s communication budget on digital this year — making it the environment they invested in the most.
The video explains the genesis of the campaign, linking it to all manner of small kindnesses, and offers a brief explanation of how it works. It does a good job of introducing the idea behind the campaign and prompting viewers to further action, such as visiting the campaign site.
“Electrolux Kindness Kitchen” is a refreshingly philanthropic campaign, and it gives people a compelling reason to buy a new appliance during the holiday season. More companies should engage in this kind of community action, during December or otherwise. Credits after the jump. continued…
Following a “confidential agency review process,” 60-year old, family-owned brand King’s Hawaiian, best known for its dinner rolls and sweet breads here in the States, has appointed Energy BBDO as its creative agency partner. As a result, the Chicago-based agency will be tasked with developing the first-ever national TV campaign for King’s, which operates baking facilities in both Torrance, CA and Oakwood, GA.
So why Energy BBDO? In a statement, King’s Hawaiian VP of marketing Erick Dickens says, “We have aggressive sales and marketing goals for the coming year and we were looking for an agency partner that could help us achieve these objectives. In Energy BBDO, we have an agency with a proven track record of delivering great work that builds and energizes brands. Working together, we know we can take King’s Hawaiian to the next level.”
We’re still checking on who the incumbent is for King’s Hawaiian is–if there is one, that is–but in the in the past, the brand has worked with agencies including Dailey. As for Energy BBDO, while we’ve heard our share of not-so-positive news on the staffing front in 2013, the agency’s King’s Hawaiian win closes out a year that also saw it add Bud Light and Pearle Vision to its client roster.
Since establishing in-house agency Spark 44 a few years back, Jaguar’s ‘Alive’ campaign has strived to inject a little animalistic danger into the luxury car brand. Specifically, Jaguar’s sporty F-Type was taken out of the garage and unleashed on the world in a series of spots that the cars behaving like the wild jungle cats they were named after. The ads were…okay. But, they were still a step forward for a brand that didn’t have a reputation for producing many TV spots (other than EuroRSCG’s break out “Gorgeous” from almost a decade ago).
So it’s surprising to see Jaguar, which has put so much behind the look and messaging of “Alive” (including this weirdLana Del Rey thing), to pivot and produce a comedic takedown of Mercedes-Benz’s “Magic Body Control” TV spot from September with “Jaguar vs. Chicken”. You see, as Jaguar posits, jaguars eat chickens, haha! So take that, Mercedes! Haha! Yeah! Jaguars are better!
This is the second video this month which has marked a strange tonal shift from the brand. On December 10th, the brand released their “take” on viral cat videos, which again seems very out of step with how they’ve been marketing the brand since 2011. As there are no credits, I don’t know if this is still the work of Spark 44 or not, but it will be interesting to see if Jaguar continues on their path away from luxury and toward silliness.
And now, an emotional holiday spot for Apple (which sources say is, yes, another TBWA\Media Arts Lab joint).
Entitled “Misunderstood,” the ad (which features Cat Power’s version of “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas”) follows an adolescent boy and his family through a series of holiday events. The boy always seems to be on his iPhone instead of engaging with the rest of the family, and that certainly seems to be the family’s assumption. At the end of the spot, however, it’s revealed that the whole time he was creating a holiday slideshow for his family.
The :90 effort is about as sentimental as you would expect a holiday ad from Apple to be, but benefits from the moment of relative surprise (okay, it’s not exactly a shocking moment) when the boy’s intentions are revealed. There have been plenty of holiday spots that have attempted to be funny or even controversial this year, but not all that many that go for good old-fashioned holiday sentimentality. So, even if it may be a bit overly emotional, this entry from the Cupertino, CA giant is not entirely unwelcome.
Well, we finally have some details/color to add to the matter. In case you forgot, just over a month ago, we reported that snacking cheese-focused Bel Brands had consolidated its ad duties at Y&R after working with Havas Worldwide Chicago for 15 months. We awaited word and now, agency and client have made it official as Y&R Midwest has been named North American agency of record for Bel Brands USA. This in turn expands a relationship between the Y&R network and Bel Brands parent company Bel Group as the agency’s Paris office has handled advertising for the latter since 2007 and will continue on as the brand’s AOR for Europe. Meanwhile, Y&R Sydney and Montreal will continue handling Bel Brands in Australia and Canada, respectively.
As for Y&R Midwest, effective January 2014, the agency will oversee brand strategy, marketing and social media for core Bel Brands core line including Laughing Cow, Mini BabyBel and Boursin. Regarding his company’s move, Bel Brands USA senior director of marketing Dan Waters says in a statement, “Y&R is the perfect global agency partner for us. Having had the opportunity to see what they can do for our brands in Europe, Australia and Canada, we are excited to see what they will accomplish for us here in the United States. They have an incredibly strong global network complemented by a commitment to deep local understanding in each market they serve. We have been particularly impressed with their understanding of how to engage American consumers over digital and social media, and we are excited to see their ideas come to life.”
Look for the first work from Y&R Midwest for Bel Brands USA to launch at a date tbd in 2014.
SS+K is behind a new campaign for “high-end” boxer brief company Tommy John (which has been called “weird” more than once by those who made us aware of it) that, as mentioned, takes on a double standard in underwear.
The 53-second spot opens with a beautiful model slowly undressing, a sure way to get men’s attention. Eventually she reveals a stained, raggedy pair of underwear. “If I can’t get away with this underwear, why do men think they can get away with theirs?” she asks, attacking the double standard that women have to wear sexy lingerie at all times while men can get away with undergarments that have been through the wash 2,000 times and are falling apart. The message is reinforced by the tagline “Don’t like what you see? Women have felt that way for years.”
Of course, the truly feminist message would be to suggest that women should feel free to wear whatever is comfortable. But SS+K is selling underwear here — high quality men’s underwear — so instead they put pressure on dudes to step up their game and expend the same effort (and spend the same amount of money on) selecting their undies as ladies do. It’s a smart way to get the fellas to reconsider their “underwear is just underwear” attitude and perhaps shill out the extra money for Tommy John so their ladies will be impressed. Unfortunately, this campaign also includes a website inviting guys to Instagram their old, ratty undies. And that’s just gross. Credits after the jump. continued…
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