Hasta La Creative!

Butler, Shine, Stern & Partners launched an extension of its “Defy Labels” campaign for BMW’s Mini ahead of the 2016 Rio Olympics, which opens this Friday. 

The Olympic push is centered around a broadcast spot featuring Olympians such as Serena Williams, fencer Ibtihaj Muhammad, rugby player Carlin Isles, weightlifter Morghan King, boxers Carlos Balderas and Claressa Shields, beach volleyball player Jake Gibb and swimmer Cullen Jones. Each of the athletes announces a label they’ve had applied to them reductively, such as “poor,” “black,” “immigrant” “Muslim,” and “cancer patient” (Gibb is a two-time cancer survivor), before Williams concludes, “The only label that matters is Olympian.” 

It’s a nice extension of the larger “Defy Labels” campaign and the different message helps the brand stand apart from the large pack of Olympics spots, most of which had debuts preceding this effort. The mix of Williams’ star power with relatively lesser-known Olympians is a nice touch as well, as is the decision to let Williams deliver the concluding line. A series of online interviews with individual athletes from the broadcast spot rounds out the effort.

“The campaign targets the Mini mind-set,” Tom Noble, head of marketing for the brand, told Adweek. “It’s about people who think independently. Our fans are people who appreciate design and also appreciate individuality. What we do know is that the Olympics indexes highly with our fans. They appreciate sports, and there are a lot of sports during these Games which are unique and different, only coming around every four years, and so this is a good platform to reach our audience.”

“We have a message that is topical if you look at what’s going on in today’s world, and you get a real, authentic view of what people’s struggles are and what they have overcome,” he added. “We believe having a relevant, inspiring message with a topical theme should cut through.” 

Credits:
Client: Mini
Agency: Butler, Shine, Stern & Partners
Chief Creative Officer: John Butler
Creative Director: Mark Krajan
Senior Art Director: Sinan Dagli
Senior Copywriter: Luke Zehner
Senior Producer: Lori Pisani
Head of Integrated Production: Adrienne Cummins
Account Director: Danny Peters
Account Supervisor: Michelle Finelli
Business Manager: Nihad Peavler
Director: Matt Baron
Company: All Day Every Day
Editor (TV):Pete Koob
Editor: Christopher Kasper
Editor: Andy Berner
Editorial Company: Cut & Run
Music: Joaby Deal
Music Company: One Union
Color Grading: Shane Reed
Color Grading Company: Apache
Finish: Jogger

At the beginning of the month, Priceline announced it was in the early stages of a creative review and that incumbent agency Butler, Shine, Stern & Partners, who have held the account since 2006, were participating. Now it appears the incumbent agency has opted out of the review.

“We feel that focusing on current clients, new clients and our new business pipeline is a better use of resources,” BSSP CEO Greg Stern told Adweek. “BSSP and Priceline have had a long, successful relationship—far longer than the average client-agency tenure. We wish them nothing but success in the future.”

The agency’s decision to opt out immediately preceded Priceline’s naming of seven semifinalists in the review, identified by Priceline chief marketing officer Brett Keller as Grey, Droga5, Arnold, BBDO, Leo Burnett, Venables Bell & Partners and The Martin Agency. “They’ve got a lot of great talent there,” he told Adweek, referring to Butler, Shine, Stern & Partners. “We would have loved to have seen them participate, but we completely respect and understand their decision.”

Priceline, which Kantar Media estimates spends $40 million on media annually, will visit the seven semifinalists to select finalists in the review next month. The review, which is being managed by Ark Advisors, is expected to conclude by the end of the summer.

These are the voyages of Priceline’s Negotiator. His 17-year mission: To seek out the best travel deals, and boldly pitch like no man has pitched before.

William Shatner returns Sunday during NBC’s Super Bowl pregame coverage in his long-running role as spokesman for the online travel site. Kaley Cuoco-Sweeting also beams down for an appearance as the Negotiator’s daughter in this 30-second spot from Butler, Shine, Stern and Partners. On game day, it won’t leave you feeling deflated. (Or you can just enjoy it here and now. Whatever.)

After nearly two decades, the template is well established. Shats goofs around in his gloriously self-conscious style … and, well, what else do you need? In this one, he strolls through various hotel lobbies, changes hats a lot and puts some dude in a headlock. (The Gorn can commiserate.)

If any other actor indulged in such hackneyed horseplay, it’d be a travesty. But this is Shatner. As always, he serves up the ham with a succulent glaze.

Not many brands have embraced the Anthony Weiner debacle as inspiration for ads. Spirit Airlines did it in its own traditional sleazy fashion. And now Mini has come out with a little auto erotica of its own—creating (as Weiner did) a fake Twitter identity, @CarlosDMotor, and tweeting out an image of a Mini in a bathroom, showing off a little grille. "Wanna get your hands on my stick?" says the tweet. Agency: Butler, Shine, Stern & Partners.

Wanna get your hands on my stick? pic.twitter.com/ZpDQbUnWB8

— Carlos D. Motor (@CarlosDMotor) July 26, 2013