Hasta La Creative!

Arnold continues its ongoing Public Awareness Campaign for Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc. today with the release of “Can You Tell the Difference?”

The 30-second TV spot presents several people with what they think is a professional financial planner, but is actually DJ/Pirates of the Caribbean actor Azmyth Kaminski, who shed 14 years of dreadlocks to appear in the ad. Kaminski asks individuals seeking financial advice if they would trust him as their financial advisor. When they reply that they would, he reveals his true identity. The stunt was designed to highlight the importance of selecting a financial advisor with CFP certification. “Anyone can hold him or herself out to the public as a financial advisor or planner,” says CFP Board CEO Kevin Keller, CAE.  “We urge consumers to seek someone who has demonstrated competency and ethics by achieving CFP certification, the highest standard for the financial planning profession.”

This latest phase of Arnold’s ongoing campaign includes print and banner ads in addition to the television spot, as well as sponsorship messages on National Public Radio and a retooled CFP Board website. Stick around for 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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Since few would argue that the commercials were more interesting than the game last night, chances are you saw RPA’s “Hugfest” spot, featuring Bruce Willis and SNL-alum/Portlandia star Fred Armisen.

The simple, straightforward spot features Willis urging viewers to hug those around them that they care about — “the people that matter to you, matter to us” — as a way of emphasizing Honda’s commitment to safety. Armisen then appears and hugs Willis for the duration of the 60 second spot.

“Our simple, yet engaging, big-game spot is intended to highlight not only Honda’s deep concern for the safety of our customers, but the actual industry-leading crash test results that back up our commitment,” explained Mike Accavitti, senior vice president of auto operations at American Honda Motor Co., Inc.

The campaign extends beyond the big game spot, with a large social media component utilizing the hashtag #hugfest. During the Super Bowl, Honda posted “real-time video reactions from Willis about events such as penalties, fumbles and referee calls on the brand’s @Honda Twitter feed.” Immediately after the spot aired, Honda encouraged viewers to send virtual hugs (actually Willis hugging the camera) to loved ones who they couldn’t be near during the big game. Today, Honda is collecting hugs via Twitter by asking people “to send a picture or Vine of their hug with the hash tag #hugfest.” Bruce Willis will then respond with a “meme appraisal of the hug.” Additionally, Honda will have a homepage takeovers at MSN and ESPN, where a 30-second spot “How to Hug” video featuring Willis and Armisen will greet visitors to the sites. You can view “How to Hug,” along with credits after the jump. continued…

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McCann Erickson has launched an integrated social media campaign called Not-So-Super to raise awareness about sex trafficking for the New York State Anti-Trafficking Coalition.

“Sex trafficking is commonly perceived as something that happens far away, in other parts of the world. We are eager to try to change that perception.” said Tom Murphy, co-CCO of McCann New York. Because of this, it’s all too easy for people to dismiss the sex trafficking epidemic as something that doesn’t concern them, but it’s a very real issue much closer to home than many suspect.

McCann’s “Not-So-Super” campaign shines a light on the sex trafficking epidemic happening in New York, elsewhere in this country, and all over the world. “It is the buyers of commercial sex who drive such a high demand that girls as young as 12 are trafficked across state lines to meet it. We need to address the day in and day out demand to bankrupt this so-called business model and put an end to the buying and selling of young girls once and for all,” says Sonia Ossorio, President, National Organization for Women – New York City. So McCann is hoping their campaign can help curb the demand for commercial sex, which spikes around big events like the Super Bowl, that leads to the exploitation of women and children by pimps and sex traffickers.

At the center of the campaign is the “Not-So-Super” website and the above video, a harrowing look at the victims of sex trafficking and the increased demand placed on sex workers during the Super Bowl and other big events (accompanied by an increase in the likeliness of physical abuse at the hands of their clients and pimps/traffickers). It’s hard to watch, especially on the Friday going into Super Bowl weekend, but it’s an important message that needs to be shared and a stark reminder that some dread the impending arrival of the big game. The website also offers a telephone hotline for people who are or may know victims of sexual trafficking, and a variety of other resources. The full campaign will “span film, print, street activities, a website and twitter initiatives.” Hopefully, “Not So Super” can help make a difference for victims of sexual trafficking at one of their most vulnerable times of the year.

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Arnold Worldwide’s new campaign for ADT, “In My Mind’s Eye,” launches today with the debut TV spot “Burglary.”

The new campaign marks something of a departure for ADT, whose advertising strategy has historically stressed”the value of monitored protection in emergency incidents such as theft, fire, or carbon monoxide.” “In My Mind’s Eye” and the debut spot “Burglary” instead focus on the peace of mind ADT provides its customers with their protection from everyday security concerns.

In the 30 second spot, a couple are out to dinner when the woman realizes she may or may not have remembered to lock the back door. This distracts the man, who imagines he sees a troop of burglars at the restaurant making off with their valuables. Prompted by his reverie, he locks the back door using the ADT service offered on his mobile device. “Burglary” effectively demonstrates both a key feature of ADT’s service, and the peace of mind that comes with it — answering the questions, “Why would I want this?” and “What can it do for me?” in a simple, direct way.

The shift in approach came from insights showing “that people experience worry, like a low consistent hum distracting the person when they’re away from their homes,” says David Register, EVP/group creative director, Arnold Worldwide. “”The spot demonstrates how ADT relieves that angst by putting their customer in control and back in the moment.” Expect more ADT ads in a similar vein from Arnold in the future. “Burglary” rolls out today, with “radio, direct, digital, and social media creative appearing online beginning mid-February.” Credits after the jump. continued…

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Secret Weapon Marketing and Horizon Media have a new spot for Jack in the Box set to run regionally during the Super Bowl.

The spot introduces the new Bacon Insider burger, a burger with bacon built into the patty, on top of the burger, and (in case that’s not enough bacon) bacon mayo. To introduce the new burger, the spot takes viewers to Jack’s fantastical farm, complete with a brioche barn, curly fry trees, and a creature called a bork — that would be the pig/cow hybrid. The cheesy spot, which feels the need to sing/narrate everything you see, ends with the creatures saying “Moink” (moo+oink, get it?).

Iwona Alter, VP of menu strategy & innovation for Jack in the Box, says in a statement, “What better way to honor America’s favorite pigskin tradition than by giving America a bacon burger unlike any they’ve ever tasted before? We didn’t just put bacon on the burger. We put bacon in the burger, on top of the burger, underneath the burger and mixed it in the special bacon mayo sauce!”

While America has the drunk munchies is clearly the right time to introduce your new bacon, bacon and more bacon burger, so the regional Super Bowl ad makes sense, even if it likely cost Jack in the Box a small fortune. And the ads’ cheesy antics and bork creature should appeal to kids, especially kids who really love bacon.

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DDB has created a series of print and banner ads for Skittles celebrating the Seahawks in anticipation of the Super Bowl.

The straightforward ads claim that the “S” on Skittles (pictured in green in the ads) now stands for Seahawks. These ads continue the brand’s celebration of the Seattle Seahawks and their star Marshawn Lynch. Last night, Skittles began a charitable auction to benefit Lynch’s the Fam 1^st Family Foundation. The auction’s three lots include “24 packs of Skittles Seattle Mix (one of them signed by Marshawn Lynch) and one unique Skittles covered item, such as a football, a helmet or a megaphone.” The bidding began at $100, with one of the lots’ current high bid at $5,700. DDB’s print campaign will run “tomorrow in the Seattle Times, and on Saturday in the Tacoma Tribune and The Olympian, and they will take over Skittles’ entire existing digital media buy starting today.”

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For the latest in Blast Radius Amsterdam’s “My Town, My Tracks” campaign for Onitsuka Tiger, the agency took to the streets of Milan with Erik Garbo, a student of Italian and Japanese descent.

In the spot, directed by Sara Domogala, Garbo takes us on a tour of his favorite neighborhood of Navigli, in southwestern Milan. We see some of Erik’s favorite places, like a pizzeria, cafe, record shop and underground bar, while he discusses the neighborhood, his life as a student, and his parents. In the campaign’s “key visual for advertising and point of sale, he presents the season’s hero sneaker, framed by the stunning Naviglio Grande canal and its vibrant side streets” (this appears to be part of the visual campaign, but is not featured in the above spot).

Lisa Hogg, head of brand management at Onitsuka Tiger, explained: “This season we moved the ‘My Town My Tracks’ concept from Tokyo to Europe, but kept true to our Japanese roots. Performance-enhanced styles, new silhouettes and colourways are the signature of our Spring Summer collection. We brought this attitude to life by uncovering the details of contemporary Milan lifestyle.”

The campaign is extended by an Instagram series from Danish photographer Karen Rosetzsky, as well as a collection film and behind-the-scenes video, both of which can be seen following the jump. continued…

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What would it look like if J.K. Rowling was sleepy and directed a Dell commercial? That’s mostly a compliment for “Brothers,” a cutesy spot that doesn’t draw attention to itself, but could’ve done so a little more, considering it’s going to run during the Olympics. With whimsical storytelling and a few colorful scenes, there’s enough material to hold your attention for the time being.

The story focuses on two brothers, the Kavanaughs, who have a strong connection, even as children. They grow up to start a business together, Kavanaugh & Kavanaugh, not to be confused with Kavanagh & Kavanagh, a real law firm in Millville, NJ, I found on Google after watching. The Kavanaugh brothers, who have never been separated, know that they must for their business to succeed. So, one brother heads to Asia to globalize the company. How do they do this? With Dell products and with tablets that aren’t affected by blackouts. There’s a good story here, and I must give credit for the lack of overbearing product placement, but this spot could use a bit more verve. Credits after the jump.

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In a textbook display of how advertising is much different in the U.K., Tag Europe and Tesco — the world’s second largest retailer — used the music of The Great Kat in their ad for Call of Duty: Ghosts to add a sense of drama and urgency to the spot. In America, you don’t use the music of classically-trained virtuosos to sell video games, you use Eminem. Also unlike the U.S. campaign, Tag Europe’s ad prominently features a female gamer.

The 20 second spot scores The Great Kat‘s rendition of Vivaldi’s “The Four Seasons” to its footage of players enjoying the game, actual gameplay, and (for some reason) popcorn making. Fast paced violin and guitar shredding is “synched perfectly in time with Call of Duty: Ghosts’ fast action bombs, explosions, and death defying feats,” and popcorn. The ad began airing in the U.K. this past November, to promote Call of Duty: Ghosts‘ launch. “The Great Kat’s music is brilliant on the spot,” said Adam Lieber, Music Supervisor at shtik.tv. Now would somebody please pass the popcorn?

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