Hasta La Creative!

Culver City, CA-based Pitch has just launched an NCAA March Madness campaign for tournament sponsor Burger King, the agency’s first since taking over for Mother NY on BK general market duties in January (Pitch has been in charge of youth/family ad duties since 2010).

For the campaign, entitled “Watch Like A King,” Burger King and Pitch have teamed up with iconic Fab Five member, former NBA star and current NBA TV/TNT analyst Chris Webber, who stars in the Final Four 2 for $5 “Watch Like A King” spot. The 30 second spot sees a fan tell the guy in front of him in a Chris Webber jersey, “Seriously dude, we’re trying to watch the…” at which point Webber turns around and the man lets out a comical scream. Webber then asks him about his two sandwiches for five bucks from Burger King, and they work out a mutually beneficial agreement. The new spot, which unfortunately does not involve Webber attempting to call a timeout, will debut on March 16th. Webber will also be in attendance at the NCAA Men’s Final Four in Dallas cheering on participants of the Burger King-sponsored Kings of the Court 3-on-3 Tournament.

Meanwhile, from today through April 7th, fans can follow @BurgerKing on Twitter and tweet why they deserve to “Watch Like A King” and/or post a NCAA-themed photo with the hashtag #WatchLikeAKing for a chance to win a prize, including “$100 Burger King Crown Cards, mobile phone projectors, flat screen TVs, tickets to the NCAA Final Four and much more.”

“We know March Madness is about the fans, games and of course the student-athletes, so we’re celebrating by partnering with the NCAA to provide the fan base with a viewing experience fit for a king,” says Eric Hirschhorn, chief marketing officer, North America, Burger King Worldwide.

In addition to television and social media, Pitch’s “Watch Like  A King” campaign will also feature experiential elements, details of which have yet to be released (but according to the credits you can expect “Throne Installation” and “Crown Headbands,” so that should give you some idea). Stick around for those credits after the jump. continued…

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Digitas LBi Labs, the agency’s tech-inspired incubator, and European real estate investment company Klépierre collaborated to create “Inspiration Corridor,” a digital prototype personalizing experiences in shopping malls by providing customized product recommendations and telling users where to go to shop for them.

According to DigitasLBi Paris deputy GM/connected commerce lead, Vincent Druguet, the project began with the insight that “consumers rarely know every single shop in a mall, and are even less aware of their newest products. Right now, there’s a wealth of product information available to people through personalized search engines. Our idea was to offer people all this information in a fun and experimental way, using digital technology in shopping malls.”

The “Inspiration Corridor” works by using an infra-red camera to analyze individual consumers upon entering with body scanning technology. Then, a “device equipped with QUIVIDI video analysis and PigData product recommendation scans the visitors and their outfits within 10 seconds and registers the collected data: their gender, age, and clothing style.” This results in a personalized “mood board” tailored to the individual consumer. Users can also scan the bar code on recently purchased items to get recommendations for matching accessories. Then, the “Inspiration Corridor” simulates window shopping, allowing consumers to walk through the corridor select the products they’re interested in. Each item they choose “affects the recommendation engine, made with PigData, and simultaneously updates the product selection.” Upon leaving, “customers can synchronize their product selection to the Klépierre mobile application using iBeacon technology.”

For a better idea of how it works, you can watch the prototype in action above. It’s a pretty nifty device, allowing users to combine digital and offline shopping in exciting ways. Stay tuned for credits after the jump. continued…

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Banksy is leading the way on a new campaign called “#WithSyria,” re-working his iconic “Girl with a Red Balloon” image for a campaign timed to coincide with the third anniversary of the brutal conflict on March 15th.

“Banksy’s image and its red balloon inspires the central theme for all communications and activity across all communications across film, social, online, live and PR” aspects of the campaign, “based on a strategy developed by Sunshine, Freuds, Global Cause Consultancy and Chappell Productions and creatively led by Sunshine.” At the center of the campaign is “#WithSyria,” an animation narrated by actor Idris Elba (who you may know as “Stringer” Bell from The Wire) and featuring exclusive music from Elbow, the Britrock vets who donated their song “The Blanket of Night” for the soundtrack. The animation, created and written by Sunshine, directed and produced by RSA Films, can be seen on the #WithSyria site here. The film, which we believe is worth a view, will be shown across the globe everywhere from an inflatable cinema in Za’atari Refugee camp in Jordan to the big screen in Times Square.”

The huge effort includes “a  coalition  of  115  humanitarian  and  human rights  groups  from  24  countries” calling for action to ensure Syrians (especially civilians in areas under siege) receive the aid they desperately need, and also “for the voices of ordinary Syrians to be heard and heeded in reconvened peace talks” so that this can be the last anniversary of bloodshed in Syria.\

As Justin Forsyth, CEO  of Save the Children explains, “For  three  years  Syria’s children  have  endured  unacceptable  suffering…Doctors  that  we  work  with  on  the  ground  have told us children are having limbs amputated because basic antibiotics  for less  serious  wounds  are  not  available  and  newborn  babies  are  dying  in incubators  due  to  frequent  power  cuts. Full  humanitarian  access  would help injured and sick children receive the medical care that they need.”

To show that they are “#WithSyria,” thousands of people will attend candlelight vigils held in over 40 countries, starting tonight, with many recreating Banksy’s image by releasing red balloons as a show of solidarity. A Banksy light projection will also factor into many of the vigils, and the Lincoln Memorial, Eiffel Tower, and Nelson’s Column will be lit up in a message of hope, supported by Chappell Productions. A social media campaign includes international celebrities uploading pictures of themselves with red balloons accompanied by the hashtag #WithSyria.

This campaign comes on the heels of Don’t Panic’s viral PSA for Save the Children UK’s initiative supporting child victims in Syria, which, as you may remember, we covered last week. We’ve included it after the jump as a refresher. For more on the #WithSyria campaign and how you can show your support, head on over to withsyria.com. continued…

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Johannesburg-based Net#work BBDO put together the above spot for Road Accident Fund in South Africa.

The 60-second effort, “Night Shift,” tells the sad tale (based on a true story) of a woman who lost both her parents in a car accident. “Sometimes I look back and think of what might have been,” the woman says while boarding a bus. “When my parents died in a car accident, my whole world changed,” she continues. Emotionally, she tells of how she thought she lost everything, including who she always dreamed she would become. Fortunately, that was not to be the case, as you’ll learn if you’ll watch it through.

“Night Shift” shows the kind of lives changed by the Road Accident Fund, from the perspective of a real beneficiary of the program. It’s emotionally affecting, and a truly effective way for Net#work BBDO to communicate their message. Credits after the jump.

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Sausalito, CA-based Butler, Shine, Stern & Partners are rolling out a new campaign today for Raise the River, “an organization that has been working to bring water to the Colorado River and restore it to the Gulf of California.” The new campaign revolves around a series of videos pitting Robert Redford against Will Ferrell in a mock debate about the proper way to restore the Colorado River. Redford plays the straight man, representing Raise the River, while Ferrell thinks the solution is to “Move the Ocean.”

The campaign begins today with a series of videos, first exclusively on YouTube and Funny or Die, and then on Participant Media’s Pivot Channel on March 22nd. Funny or Die released the first clip today, with a series of videos to be released gradually through April. BSSP’s campaign aims to raise 10 million dollars for the restoration of the Colorado River. Redford explains the problems facing the Colorado River and how Raise the River can help. Will, excuse me, William Ferrell chides “Old Sundance” and argues that the real solution is to “several hundred miles inland,” which will help both the river and American surfers. To add emphasis to Ferrell’s cause, he is joined in one of the videos by surfer, Kelly Slater.

“We saw this idea of a fictitious debate between Mr. Redford and Mr. Ferrell as a novel way to generate greater awareness of the very serious issues facing the Colorado River,” explains Jill Tidman, executive director of the Redford Center. “Bringing a sense of humor to the effort opens the door for a much greater audience and offers everyone a chance to be part of winning this campaign—and this is one we are going to win.”

In addition to the series of videos, BSSP has created websites for both Raise the River and Move the Ocean, as well as “a series of sharable social media clips featuring Ferrell to seed a robust social media initiative.” You can see Redford debate Ferrell in the clips above and below, and stick around after the jump to see Kelly Slater join Ferrell for Move the Ocean.

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JWT Toronto worked with director Jonathan Bensimon to create the above zombie-themed spot promoting the Canadian Film Festival, which runs from March 20-22.

The 2:49 effort follows the story of Antoine Zombé, a zombie actor who is an actual zombie and also happens to be Canadian (so he’s a polite zombie). “Canadian Zombie” traces Antoine’s career arc from his early days struggling with auditions — “More zombie, less polite Canadian,” one director tells him — to his success as a movie star (complete with zombie takes on popular hits, like “Raging Zombie,” “Eating Private Bryan,” and “I, Zombie.” It’s a fun, tongue-in-cheek approach to promoting the Canadian Film Festival, where “The films are great” and, like Antoine, “they just happen to be Canadian.” Stick around for credits after the jump. continued…

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Heat and their production partner Hungry Man have released a new spot for Xbox One crown jewel exclusive and E3 critical darling Titanfall, which just had its North American release yesterday.

The new, 60 second spot (there’s also a 30 second version), entitled “Shadow,” imagines what it would be like to constantly be shadowed by a 25-foot Titan that obeys your every command. Following in the recent trend of inserting gamers into the real world, the spot attempts “to capture the ear-to-ear grinning invincibility you feel when you first climb into your very own Titan and start dominating the world.” “Shadow” follows a man with a shit-eating grin walking through a city trailed by his own personal Titan. Everything is just peachy until he runs into another Titan owner, at which time, as you might expect, shit goes down.

The spot manages to capture the overall “Life is Better with a Titan” theme of the campaign, while also demonstrating Titanfall‘s unique features, like verticality. What really makes the spot work, though, is the perfect transition to gameplay footage during the final 15 seconds. While there’s nothing revolutionary about Heat’s approach here, they find a balance between live action and gameplay footage that a lot of similarly minded ads miss. And they certainly succeed at making the game look like a lot of fun. Stick around for credits after the jump. continued…

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Saatchi & Saatchi LA released the latest online video for their Muppets Toyota campaign yesterday, featuring Kermit and Pepe filling up at a gas station en route to the premiere of Muppets Most Wanted in Los Angeles. The campaign, which began with the Muppets at the Super Bowl and followed them on a schlep across the country as they posted images on Facebook and Instagram en route to their film’s premiere, concludes today as the Muppets pull up to the red carpet at the Muppets Most Wanted premiere.

The new video, one of four released for the campaign thus far (we imagine there may be one more filmed on the red carpet), sees Kermit and Pepe shooting the shit with gas station attendants, and even hitting on some ladies. Notably, when Kermit mentions that Miss Piggy will like it that they get the windshield cleaned, Pepe badmouths her and says she’ll just make the inside dirty anyway. Kermit can’t help but agree. Upon leaving the station, the pair realize they may or may not have actually filled up the tank.

The spot is kind of fun, but leaves a lot to be desired (it doesn’t help that they already did a gas station spot with Pepe). Maybe it’s just that I have high expectations for all things Muppets, but it feels like there was the opportunity for something more here. The other videos released for the campaign elicit much the same reaction, although Rolf and Rizzo’s video is a slight step up. It’s great to see the Muppets in action, and these are far from terrible, but I wish Saatchi and Toyota could have done more with the opportunity. Stick around for a pair of Saatchi LA’s other Muppet spots for Toyotoa, along with credits, after the jump. continued…

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W+K’s trademark nonsensical humor is on full display in their latest, the new spot “Made by Kobe” promoting Kobe Bryant‘s Kobe 9 Collection for Nike, which launched on March 6th.

The spot imagines what it would be like if Kobe Bryant designed a piano: “It will turn piano boys into piano men. It will make Lionel Richie‘s tears cry tears.” Lionel Richie actually appears in the spot, tear slowly rolling down his cheek while he plays the piano, adding to the humorous tone. After talking up the hypothetical Kobe Piano, which looks pretty badass, the narrator introduces the “Made by Kobe*” Kobe 9 Collection. Although the product reveal comes 50 seconds into the 75 second spot, the sidelined Lakers star can be seen wearing his new line throughout the commercial.

The spot is exactly what we’ve come to expect from W+K, calling to mind some of their well-known past hits, like their famous work for Old Spice. The formula may be starting to show signs of age, but W+K still has a big leg up on the countless competitors attempting to imitate this kind of work. “Made by Kobe” will run until March 27th. Now if they’d only release that piano for real. Stick around for credits after the jump.

*Kobe is the name of a 12-year-old Chinese boy who works around the clock to handcraft the Kobe 9 Collection for 2 cents an hour. continued…

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Hasan & Partners teamed up with production company B-Reel on a new integrated campaign for Helsingin Sanomat, the largest subscription newspaper in Finland. The new campaign highlights the paper’s journalistic strength and integrity, with the tagline “One story, all the angles.”

The campaign is based around a television spot of the same name, set in a birthing suite. “One story, all the angles” examines the moments directly following a birth from multiple perspectives — mother, father, doctor and nurse — with accompanying headlines like “Not enough potential workers in female dominated professions,” “Acknowledging paternity now easier,” and “Global birth rate declining.” To accomplish this, B-Reel and director Johan Perjus “moved through the Caravaggio-style still life scenery with a live camera, tracking and compositing info graphics, adding volumetric light and a delicate grade, among other things.” It’s an interesting approach that makes for a distinctly cinematic 34 second ad.

In addition to the television spot, the campaign also includes “two integrated formats, targeting rich media banners and out-of-home screens.” Credits after the jump. continued…

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