Hasta La Creative!

Amy Poehler and Chandelier Creative with a new spot that sees the Parks and Rec star hosting a spelling bee.

“Spell Me This” begins with Poehler delivering the throwaway, “I’m sorry Nathan, there are no numbers in the word ‘important,’ ” and, unfortunately, it all goes downhill from there. The spot, like others in the campaign, ends with Poehler (and in this case the entire auditorium) running to Old Navy for a sale. It’s all pretty frustrating, as the scenario and Poehler’s involvement make for a lot of unfulfilled potential. Stick around after the jump for outtakes, which are at least slightly more entertaining than “Spell Me This” itself. (more…)

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Saatchi & Saatchi, Sydney has a new campaign for Toyota, entitled “Bad in Dad,” featuring one dad’s “bad” antics, attributed to his new Camry RZ.

Set to George Thorogood‘s ubiquitous “Bad to the Bone,” the dad is pictured using his leaf blower to blow leaves onto the neighbors yard (kind of funny), spraying his wife with a hose (cute) and embarrassing his son with the locked door trick as he picks him up from soccer practice (just plain cruel). The narrator at the end of the 45-second spot asserts that the new Camry will “bring out the bad in dad,” making the positioning of the vehicle as the motivator behind dad’s behavior explicit. While he may occasionally step over the line, the dad’s antics are mostly presented as the kind of things most of us think about doing, don’t, and then wish we had, which fits with the vehicle’s presentation as a sort of liberator. Stick around for credits after the jump. (more…)

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Droga5 takes Under Armour in a different direction with a new campaign called “I Will What I Want” aimed at women, starring Misty Copeland, a soloist with the American Ballet Theatre.

The spot opens with a young girl reading a rejection letter from a ballet academy over a sparse piano track as we see Copeland, poised on her taut ankles in a practice room. “…You lack the right feet, Achilles tendons, turnout, torso length and bust,” reads the girl. “You have the wrong body for ballet. And at 13, you are too old to be considered.” At this point, the soundtrack is set in motion and Copeland springs to life, twirling and gliding across the stage decked out in Under Armour. It is not until the conclusion of the 60-second spot that Copeland’s identity is revealed, her ultimate triumph over adversity implied.

Copeland, who is only the third African American soloist in the history of the American Ballet Theatre, told The New York Times “she never received a rejection letter that so starkly enumerated the reasons she was ill suited to be a ballet dancer,” but that “it accurately encapsulated the resistance she had faced throughout her career,” told from the time she was an adolescent that she had “the wrong body type” for ballet.

We see a lot of ads aim to be inspirational, but seldom do they succeed like “I Will What I Want,” which, unlike most spots with similar ambitions, doesn’t come across as forced or hokey. Coming from Under Armour, it’s an unexpected and refreshing new direction. Along with the broadcast spot, the campaign also includes digital and outdoor components, featuring Olympic skier Lindsey Vonn, tennis player Sloane Stephens and soccer player Kelley O’Hara in addition to Copeland. Stick around for credits after the jump. (more…)

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Newly-launched Venice,California-based agency Adams&Partners have debuted the first-ever campaign for thinkThin, which positions the “nutritionally balanced high protein bars” as something you don’t have to feel guilty about — unlike some other things.

The 30-second “Runner” takes this idea in a somewhat uncomfortable direction, with a group of women lecherously staring at a nearby guy on a morning run. When he passes them, he recognizes one of the women, saying, “Oh, hey Mrs. Adams. Hey, say ‘hi’ to Brian for me.” A voiceover follows, saying, “There are lots of things to feel guilty about. thinkThin isn’t one of them.” A second spot, “Text”also tackles mom guilt issues, but chooses a less uncomfortable target than staring at your son’s friend’s ass, which perhaps takes the approach a bit too far.

“We all have things that we feel guilty about,” explained Chris Adams, executive creative director at Adams&Partners. “This campaign is about laughing at the little things that make us feel guilty every day, while making the more serious point that eating thinkThin bars is something you should never have to feel guilty about.”

We’ve included “Text,” along with credits, after the jump. (more…)

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Michael Jordan is back (this time, thankfully, sans Hitler mustache) for Hanes in a new spot by The Martin Agency.

The 30-second spot is Jordan’s first appearance in a Hanes television commercial since 2010, and also marks his 25th year as Hanes spokesperson. In the spot, entitled, “Golf Test,” Jordan mocks his partner’s truly awful golf game. “Golf Test” promotes Hanes’ X-Temp t-shirts and briefs, which “speeds evaporation to help keep you cool and dry,” preventing such conditions as swamp ass, marsh balls, raw taint and pit stains. The spot handles the “bad golf” approach well enough, although by now it’s become a routine schtick in ads and feels a bit tired. Still, all anyone will talk about is the return of Jordan, and it’s good to see him back.

The campaign also features a digital video series with Vine-sensation Logan Paul traveling around the country attempting dares (supposedly) proposed by fans. We’ve included the teaser for that initiative, along with credits, after the jump. (more…)

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BBDO New York and production company MJZ have followed up their “Childlike Imagination” Winter Olympics ad with another spot for GE extolling innovation, which began airing yesterday.

This time around they highlight GE’s focus on technological advancement with a 30-second ad shot in Johannesburg and KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. The spot attempts to answer “What Would Happen” if “energy could come from anywhere,” or if “power could go anywhere,” eventually arriving at the answer “anything.” It’s an intriguing follow-up to the successful approach of “Childlike Imagination,” with excellent pacing and eye-catching, imaginative imagery. Hopefully, BBDO New York stays with this direction going forward. Stick around for credits after the jump. (more…)

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Here’s yet another item from W+K today, as the agency has debuted its latest campaign for Old Spice, introducing a creepy new android character.

The new character makes his debut in the 30-second “Soccer” (featured above). When the robotic man goes to kick a soccer ball at the beach, he falls directly onto a sunbathing woman, crushing her ribs. Initially irked by the painful injury, she then notices that he smells amazing. When the android says that he can’t get up, she replies, suggestively “Maybe I don’t want you to.” Coming on the heels of the funny Terry Crews-filled World Cup spot, it’s pretty disappointing. It also marks something of a creepiness trend in W+K’s Old Spice work, with the campaign featuring anthropomorphic hair getting the creepy ball rolling earlier this year. Its “our products will make women want you” message is also vaguely reminiscent of Axe’s strategy of marketing to pubescent boys — the only demographic desperate/gullible enough to swallow such a claim. Either approach is irksome enough on its own, but combined they’re truly troubling. W+K’s latest campaign for Old Spice also features the 30-second online spot “Nightclub,” which takes a similar (but possibly even more ridiculous) approach. We’ve featured it after the jump for any interested parties. (more…)

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Sean Astin reprises his role as Rudy in a new spot W+K New York created to hype the new college football playoff format for ESPN.

In the spot, Astin apes his inspirational speech from Rudy, this time riling up the locker room with the promise of a playoff format for college football. When he reveals that the format won’t take effect until 2014 however, the reception falls somewhat flat. Filmed at St. Joseph High School in Brooklyn, New York, the spot takes place in 1975, the year Rudy Ruettiger played for Notre Dame. While the famously cheesy movie certainly deserved a satirical send up, W+K’s spot fails to really hit the mark and feels a bit drawn out at 90 seconds. Stick around for credits after the jump. (more…)

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Translation, New York has a new campaign for Champs (for whom they are agency of record), entitled “Game Never Sleeps.”

The campaign celebrates the summer with a series of spots highlighting nocturnal sporting highjinks and a pool party rooftop dive. In the ridiculous 30 second-spot “One Giant Leap” a party-goer takes a rooftop leap into a pool. Only he realizes mid-jump that he left his prized kicks on. Somehow, he has the presence of mind to to quickly slip them off, unharmed, while also managing to make it into the pool. Other spots in the campaign are a bit more plausible, featuring nighttime games of basketball and football. Stay with us after the jump for “Let There Be Light” and “Nightglow,” along with credits. (more…)

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The Vault tapped NBA Draft prospect Dante Exum for a humorous new Foot Locker campaign.

The series of 15 second spots, entitled “Everything Changes After the Draft” highlight how things don’t change after the draft. Although Exum seems to perceive himself as a celebrity, it’s evident no one else does. The approach works best on the above “Paparazzi,” in which Exum informs friends that he doesn’t want to head to Foot Locker because “paparazzi might be there,” eliciting uncontrollable laughter from his two buddies. Other spots in the campaign take a similar approach, seeing Exum practicing his autograph, interacting with a dorky neighbor, combing through “fan mail” and making a dinner reservation. We’ve included “Reservation” and “Fan Mail,” along with credits, after the jump. (more…)

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