Hasta La Creative!

I try not to throw around the word “powerful” too frequently, but “Selfie,” the new documentary short crafted by Recommended Media and director Cynthia Wade for the tenth anniversary of Dove’s “Real Beauty” is just that.

Cynthia Wade realizes that social media and other modern technologies are creating a paradigm shift in how people perceive beauty, and that the generation growing up today has a great opportunity to affect positive change in this regard. “Our culture is in a new place in terms of how we talk about women and beauty, and social media is fueling the shift,” she said. “When I was growing up, there was one definition of beauty and it could only be found in traditional media. Today beauty is in the hands of the people as they photograph and share a splendidly diverse range of the female self image over social networks.”

So Wade and her crew headed to a high school to get girls, many of whom (like most high school students) were self-conscious about the way they looked. She enlisted them in a project where each girl would take a selfie, along with her mother, that would later be shown at a photography exhibit. The just over 7 minute long video tackles not just the girls’ insecurities, but also their mothers’ and the way that insecurities about the way we look can be past down from one generation to the next. It’s a really touching portrait of the way a younger generation is being given the opportunity to redefine what “beauty” is, taking it from a place of exclusivity and judgement to a place of inclusion and acceptance. Watching the girls react to the positive comments people left on their photos and accept themselves as beautiful is really quite touching and I’ve got to admit it left me all teared up. Interestingly, the video does nothing to tie itself to the Dove brand until the very end, when Dove invites viewers to join the conversation with the #beautyis hashtag. Cynthia Wade’s “Selfie” is a pleasant surprise, working to redefine both beauty and brand interaction. Well done. Partial credits after the jump. continued…

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TPN Chicago is behind this new spot for Cricket wireless, entitled “More Classes,” featuring an annoying dude in a really lame hat. Annoying hat dude interrupts a cooking class to lecture everybody about how switching to Cricket Wireless will help them all achieve their New Year’s resolutions. The latest in the “bring up information about your product or service in a completely random setting” genre is tough to watch, even at 30 seconds. The main actor in the spot is supposed to be funny in a Seth Rogen kind of way (“When I was growing up, my mom, her menu had two choices: you take it or leave it”), but (this can’t really be stressed enough) just comes across as annoying. Almost as bad is the nonsensical #WhatsYourMore hashtag on screen for the duration of the ad (can’t imagine that one is exactly lighting up Twitter right now). I’m sure our comments section has a few things to say about this one…

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Last week we brought you the teaser for Butterfinger’s Superbowl spot promoting their new Butterfinger Cups, confusingly enough created by Threshold, not Dailey and Associates, who created the Super Bowl spot itself.

If you’re confused as to why Nestlé needed two different agencies for the ads, the above spot won’t exactly help. “Big Game Teaser” is very much in the same vein as the 1:11 teaser from Threshold, a direct follow-up to the events depicted in that ad. The 30 second Super Bowl spot sees Chocolate and Peanut Butter in “cup therapy” with an outdated Freudian psychoanalyst stereotype of a couples counselor. Chocolate talks about her need to try something new and exciting, while Peanut Butter expresses his feeling that “nobody likes change.” The spot ends with the campaign tagline, “Get Some #CupTherapy.” Although the spot supposedly showcases the brand’s “irreverent sense of humor,” there’s really not a lot going on here, and certainly nothing to laugh it. This all makes the decision to oust longtime spokesperson Bart Simpson all the more questionable.

Nestlé seems confident that their new product can compete with longtime peanut butter cup favorite Reese’s, claiming a “recent E! Online poll of consumers reported that Butterfinger Peanut Butter Cups will win the candy industry’s epic peanut butter cup battle.” We’re not so sure unseating Reese’s will be quite so easy, but if Butterfinger would like to send us samples to convince us otherwise, we’re all for it.

Butterfinger Cups are also part of a new greenwashing campaign for Nestlé called Nestlé Cocoa Plan, an attempt to gain an improved public image for the company following what seem like endless environmental, labor, and human rights violations. According to Nestlé, the new initiative aims “to help improve the lives of cocoa farmers and the quality of their products while also assuring a sustainable cocoa supply for years to come. The beans will be certified by UTZ Certified, an independent organization focused on developing sustainable farming and better opportunities for farmers and their families.”

You can expect to see Dailey’s “Big Game Teaser” during the Super Bowl on Sunday, Febrary 2nd, marking Butterfinger’s debut Super Bowl advertisement. Butterfinger Cups are available in stores now. Stick around for partial credits after the jump. continued…

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Amsterdam Worldwide has a new campaign promoting Sony VAIO, l Flip PC, VAIO Tap 11, and VAIO Duo emphasizing the laptop/tablets appeal to both people’s playful and serious sides.

The new campaign, entitled “Both of You,” features four 2-in-1 characters, with the two sides of each personality battling each other, emphasizing that “sometimes we need to work, and sometimes we need to play.” In each of the four spots, neither side of the character wins a definitive victory in their battle of wits, another illustration of how the versatility of a laptop/tablet in one lets both sides of your personality get their way. “Our tech devices have become very personal extensions of ourselves – the question is ‘which self?’ We all have more than one. Now there is truly one device that can handle both of you, so we created a story to bring that to life,” explains Amsterdam Worldwide executive creative director Richard Gorodecky.

“Both of You” has already proven itself a big success. The four online spots debuted in December and combined have already received over 1.5 million views, and that’s without any media spend. The online campaign rolls out in earnest on January 27th, on platforms such as YouTube, Hulu, and AOL (for some reason). “Both of You” will also launch in international markets, including Japan, Asia, Europe, and Latin America. Stay tuned for “Both of You (Marla)” and credits after the jump. continued…

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Trop50′s “Resolution Rescue” campaign, produced by the newly merged Agency Republic (and Critical Mass), is sort of like a digital addiction sponsor. Only, the sponsor doesn’t try very hard to stop you from your addiction and really only wants you to drink more low-calorie orange juice.

Resolution Rescue offers a semi-personalized response to those who tweet about potentially breaking their New Year’s resolutions. The video above gives a good example of the creative work: @MissTrixster wants to stop eating sweets and do more exercise, so Trop50′s response makes a clever joke about training by staring at muffins. Agencies that roll out these response-based campaigns typically have a few options that repeat, but to Agency Republic’s credit, there seems to be enough detail and personalization to tailor to the needs of most tweeters.

Of course, the campaign also hinges on a few ridiculous points: people need to tweet thoughts about breaking resolutions without actually breaking them, and the resolutions need to be simple. What if your resolution is to stop tweeting? What if your resolution is to stop drinking sugary drinks? Does Trop50 send you a black screen? Credits after the jump.

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Just in case you were too happy about the impending weekend, we’ve got some advertisements for a divorce lawyer for you.

The Law Offices of Esteban Gergely tapped Grey’s Hispanic advertising agency Wing (not to be confused with Wing) for a series of YouTube ads. Wing’s three YouTube spots use thumbnails to allude to celebrity content: Katie Holmes and Tom Cruise’s honeymoon, Katy Perry and Russell Brand’s wedding, and Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore’s anniversary. When viewers click on these videos of divorced couples however, they are met with a “This video has been removed by user” message, followed by “Divorce happens.” and information for the Law offices of Esteban Gergely. The campaign is designed to “to shock and awe as users are initially searching and expecting to see intimate videos of these now-divorced celebrity couples.” Wing based the campaign on the insights that “the removal of a video from YouTube tells a story on its own” since in the social media age when someone gets divorced they “remove evidence of their former happy lives.” It’s quite a departure from the “Better call Saul” style local ads we’re used to seeing from divorce lawyers. In fact, it’s sort of sneaky. Kind of like divorce lawyers. Credits after the jump. continued…

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For the latest installment in Carmichael Lynch’s “Subaru Dog Tested. Dog Approved.” campaign, they’re introducing “The Barkleys,” which refers to a family of dogs, not Charles Barkley and family.

The new spots — “In the Dog House,” “Teenagers,” “Road Trip Convenience Store” and”What’s the Fuss About?” (featured above)– imagine the family of dogs in “everyday relatable human experiences.” These range from teenagers making out after a date, the man of the car getting in trouble for oggling an attractive female, that convenience store pit stop that every road trip depends on, and barking as the mailman drives by, which, come to think of it, isn’t really an “everyday relatable human experience.” The spots are simple, relying fun dog humor without any dialog. Dog owners, and especially Subaru-loving dog owners, should eat this right up.

On the other end of the spectrum, we have “They Lived,” a somber spot for Subaru’s “Love” campaign. Based on stories from real Subaru owners who survived crashes, thanks to their Subarus, the spot features an actual Subaru wreck which the driver walked away from. The officer on the scene and the driver who towed the wreck tell those seeing the wreck, “They lived.” It’s an effective way to illustrate Subaru’s crash safety as a selling point, and a reminder of how important that can be. Watch it below, and stick around for one more Barkleys spot, along with credits, after the jump. continued…

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Hill Holliday has a new campaign for NECCO’s classic Sweethearts, “#1 selling non-chocolate Valentine’s Day candy,”  that personalizes the messages on the candy hearts via Twitter.

Here’s how it works: simply visit the Tweethearts site and tweet your message to @tweethearts, then take a look at your Tweetheat, fill out the name and address where you want it sent, pay $29.99 (yikes!) for a one pound bag, and wait 3-5 business days for the gift to show up. Users who don’t wish to order the candy can choose to simply share the digital image of their peronalized Tweetheart instead, not a bad option for those who don’t feel like ponying up $29.99 for a small bag of candy. Hill Holilday VP and creative director Rick McHugh was very excited about the campaign, saying, “Turning something that’s digital into something that’s physical is a dream creative assignment, and we’re thrilled to bring it to life for NECCO.”

The best part of the campaign has to be Hill Holiday producer Chuck Woodard rapping in the above video. Needless to say, it’s pretty funny. We’ll abstain from commenting further, and hand this one over to the comments section…

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For UK-based online retailer, Red5, RKCR/Y&R has created a campaign that highlights those awkward moments when your loved on opens a present and it’s not quite what they expected. The message, of course, is that had the gift givers only used Red 5, they would have found a gift their loved one would love.

That or a dose of common sense. Nothing like a campaign that screams, “Hey, you’re an idiot but we want you as our customer!” We suppose you could argue it’s a schadenfruede approach to things which, of course, makes it a perfectly acceptable campaign, right?

Where’s Bart Simpson?

That’s what countless viewers will be asking when they see the teaser ad promoting Nestle’s new Butterfinger cups, the first new Butterfinger product in five years. Nestle has decided to do away with Butterfinger’s longtime mascot (at least for this campaign), instead opting for something “much more broad” that still keeps with the brand’s “clever, irreverent personality” says Butterfinger brand Manager Jeremy Vandervoet. We’re not sure what prompted the move away from the Simpsons, but the results of Butterfinger’s first Bart-less campaign in ages are a little bizarre.

The spot centers around a couple –Peanut Butter and Chocolate — sitting in the waiting room for “Happy Together Edible Couples Counseling,” following introductory text explaining that “The relationship between Chocolate and Peanut Butter is about to change.” As the couple is looked over by the ornery Fish and Chips, Chocolate asks, “Don’t you think it would be nice to try something new, and crunchy?” The 1:11 ad gets suggestive when the couple eye up a Butterfinger centerfold in Exotic Snacking magazine, and Cheese and Crackers emerge from the therapist’s office holding a comically large and strategically placed sausage. “The cup is about to get crunchy” reads the tagline, before the new Butterfinger Peanut Butter Cups are revealed.

While this teaser is not the same as the 30-second spot that will appear in the Super Bowl, it should give you a good idea of what to expect, as the big game spot will reportedly feature the same Edible Couples Counseling theme. We also know what not to expect: Bart Simpson. Keep your eyes peeled during the Super Bowl for Dailey’s new work for Butterfinger, and let us know what you think of the new approach in the comments section.

Update: We’ve received notification that the agency behind this spot was Threshold, not Dailey.

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