Mekanism, Biden Foundation ‘Autocorrect’ Rape Culture Language in Latest ‘It’s On Us’ PSA

Mekanism rolled out its “It’s On Us” sexual assault awareness PSA campaign for the White House back in September of 2014, with initial efforts featuring appearances by actor Jon Hamm, President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden.

You’d be excused for assuming the campaign had gone the way of the American Health Care Act, but the program continues through the nonprofit Biden Foundation.

For its latest entry, Mekanism created a PSA spot entitled “Autocorrect,” addressing the importance of language to combat rape and sexual assault. It deals with a text conversation, presumably between two college students, discussing one of them attempting to rape a drunk classmate at a party. Language normalizing the event and dismissing the rape is “autocorrected” with words directly addressing the situation for what it is.

The spot’s serious approach is something of a departure in tone from the campaign’s most recent effort, last October’s collaboration with Funny or Die featuring Adam Devine and Biden.

“Autocorrect” continues the focus on the bystander, though, calling on onlookers to be critical of rape culture, recognize when a rape is, or is in danger of, occurring and intervene. In the text exchange, the “drunk chick” being targeted by one of the texting guys is eventually saved by a friend. In the text conversation, meanwhile, the friend is autocorrected from being complicit in rape culture to calling out his classmate, telling him “She wanted you to stop” and calling her intervening friend a “hero,” extending the focus on the bystander to the aftermath of such an event.

A voiceover concludes the spot with the message, “Don’t ignore the subtext, it’s on us to intervene in sexual assault,” and calling on viewers to take the “It’s On Us” pledge.

“This new round is really all about making it super personal to the audience,” Mekanism president and CEO Jason Harris told Adweek. “I think because of where we are in the lifespan of the campaign, we are able to be a little more provocative with this direction and make it a little more personal to the audience because we have this broad awareness.”

“This is one of our most provocative ads, and we really love it,” added Rebecca Kaplan, director of It’s On Us, Civic Nation. “It’s talking about language for the first time and how language really matters. What you say is often indicative of what you do, so this is focusing on language as a means of action.”

Barton F. Graf Mines Amazon Reviews for Emerald Nuts

Nearly a year after its “Pretzels, Baby” campaign for for Snyder’s of Hanover, Barton F. Graf has launched “Yes Good” to promote another Snyder’s brand: Emerald Nuts.

The tagline for the campaign was taken from a delightfully simple Amazon review for the nuts containing just those two words. A new spot champions that June 6 review as part of a broader campaign featuring real customers’ takes on the brand.

“Emerald Nuts believes in championing their customer and fans—they’re not going to tell you how good their nuts are; they’re going to let their customers do it for them,” the brand explained to AdFreak.

A series of spots offer “A Revue of Reviews” with artists’ take on customer reviews of the brand’s products. There’s also a series of OOH ads championing the brand in the words of its customers and Emerald Nuts’ website is swapping out product descriptions for customer reviews of those products. Barton F. Graf and the brand are calling on Emerald Nuts fans to submit further reviews for the chance to appear in future spots. They’re also looking for the person behind the original “Yes good” review at yesgood.website and asking anyone who knows who it might be to reach out.

yes-good-hed-2017
Credits:
“Yess Good”
Client: Snyder’s of Hannover
Brand: Emerald Nuts
Agency: Barton F. Graf
Chief Creative Officer: Gerry Graf
Chief Executive Officer: Barney Robinson
Chief Strategy Officer: Laura Janness
Executive Creative Director: Ian Reichenthal
Strategy Director: Amanda Perring
Creative Directors: Matt Moore, Jonathan Vingiano
Copy Writer: Molly Wilkof
Art Director: Zoe Kessler
Head of Integrated Production: Josh Morse
Producer: Zamile Vilakazi
Account Director: Kate Callander
Account Supervisor: Marla McCormick
Project Manager: Andra Johnson
Designer: Robert Broadbent
Creative Technologist: Owen Weeks
Head of Business Affairs: Jennifer Pannent

“Yes Good” Video Production Credits
Production Company: Et Cetera
EP: Cédric Troadec
Producer: Alex Sanchez
Editorial & Post House: No6
EP: Corina Dennison
Producer: Laura Molinaro
Editor: Justin Quagliata
Assistant Editor: Jasmine McCullough
Audio Post: Sonic Union
Mixer: Paul Weiss
Colorist: Matt Rosenblum

Nike, Hypebeast Go ‘On The Run’ with Fashion Director Eugene Tong

Nike, Hypebeast and production company PUSH, launched “On The Run with Eugene Tong,” directed by XY Content’s Jonathon Lim.

The spot takes a look at the fashion director’s formative years growing up in New Jersey and yearly travels to Asia.

“I realized at an early age, like, no matter what it said on my passport, I would never fully be accepted as an American because of the way I looked,” Tong says at the opening of the spot.

But that feeling served as an inspiration to Tong, who speaks about how similar doubts about his ability to run marathons fuel his training over footage shot in both New York and Shanghai.

It’s an interesting effort for Nike, taking a look at the inspiration behind Eugene Tong‘s unique style in a way that tells a broader message. The spot is notable for Tong’s refreshing and honest take on growing up as an Asian American. It’s also a message that should resonate with anyone who has felt a sense of not fitting in and channeled that into something productive.

Credits:
Director- Jonathon Lim
Producer- Catrina Siu
DP Shanghai- Liam Gilmour
DP NYC- Frank Sun
Editor- David Murkin @Rafiki Creative
Production Assistant- Rose Yeow
NYC Production- XY Content

Music
“Rinse Repeat” Thrupence
“Pluto” Conrank
“Water From Thoughts” via 2020 recordings

Agency- Hypebeast
Client- Nike
Production Company- PUSH
Locations- Shanghai, Brooklyn, New Jersey

Siltanen & Partners, Coldwell Bankers Find ‘Somebody to Love’

Siltanen & Partners launched a new spot for Coldwell Bankers, celebrating the brand’s continued collaboration with Adopt-A-Pet.com, which began with “Home’s Best Friend” back in 2015.

For the third straight year, Coldwell Bankers is working with Adopt-A-Pet and, as in previous efforts, an adopted dog stars in “Somebody to Love.” That dog provides some much needed companionship to a young guy who appears to be living alone. It’s a good thing he walked past the pet store on pet adoption day!

The spot concludes by celebrating Coldwell Banker’s relationship with Adopt-A-Pet, stating that together they’ve found homes for more than 20,000 dogs, followed by the line, “Because everyone deserves a loving home.”

It’s a familiar story: guy rescues dog, or is it the other way around? But it’s one that’s easy to relate to and not a far leap for Coldwell Banker, as dog owners will say it’s not home without their canine companion. It also gains an added dimension from its use of a real rescue dog and the brand’s continued support of Adopt-A-Pet.com.

“When I think about the last three years, I’m struck by the outpouring of love we have seen through the Homes for Dogs Project,” Coldwell Banker CMO Sean Blankenship said in a statement. “Hundreds of Coldwell Banker agents and offices held adoption events in their own communities. This spot kicks off year three of our campaign in a singular story, capturing the magical feeling and joy pets bring to our home.”

Blankenship told Adweek that the rescue dog, Scout, was a true professional, happily dealing with multiple take while always hitting her marks. “She was a total scene stealer,” he added.
Credits:
Client: Coldwell Banker
Agency: Siltanen & Partners
Rob Siltanen, ECD
Director: Jonathan David

JWT New York Teamed Up with Northwell Health to Develop an Amphibious Prosthetic Leg

Plenty of agencies are working with clients on projects beyond the realm of communications. But JWT New York’s recent collaboration with Northwell Health may be unique.

The agency helped develop the Fin, an amphibious prosthetic leg, along with development partner Dan Lasko. A Marine veteran who lost his leg in Afghanistan, Lasko is also a triathlete, but the lack of a prosthetic that could function in or out of water made the transition to and from swimming difficult. He’s also the father of two songs who love the pool.

“The Return” celebrates the creation of the Fin, and its importance to Lasko, to promote Northwell Health’s veterans’ services. It’s an examination of both Lasko’s story and the work that went into developing the Fin.

“The Return” concludes with the testing of the Fin, an emotional moment which saw Lasko in the pool with his sons. The Fin was up to the test, with Lasko at one point even doing a flip off the diving board into the pool below.

“We were asked to promote Northwell’s veterans’ services and communicate its promise to raise the standard of healthcare through innovation,” JWT New York executive creative director Ben James told Adweek. “We said, let’s create a prosthetic that gets a veteran back to something they want to do, to return to something active in life. To ‘return’ meant it needed to go further than the physical. It would encompass the emotional side.”

“There isn’t any sort of amphibious leg prosthetic that allows a wearer to embrace a more natural swim—[combining] land and aquatic activities—so we set out to change that,” he added. “We went in hoping to find someone looking to get back to the water. Someone who would want to be so active it challenged us. In interviews, Dan talked about doing triathlons, but also swimming with his kids [sons Luke and Ben, ages 6 and 2]. Keeping up with the kids is maybe the tougher challenge!”

James told the publication it took about five months to make the Fin a reality for Lasko’s test swim in a Long Island pool. In addition to the above spot, the campaign also includes a digital content hub, a social media component and PR support.

Credits:
Client: Northwell Health
Ramon Soto, Chief Marketing Officer
Don Simon, Vice President, Marketing
Jennifer Nelson, Senior Director Advertising
Katie Irizarry, Advertising Manager
Agency: J. Walter Thompson New York
Chief Creative Officer: Brent Choi
Executive Creative Director: Ben James
Creative Director: Karl Ackerman, Sean Ellman, Itai Inselberg
Creative: Bob Broadfoot, Rob Colucci
Business Director: John Danbeck
Account Director: Javier bracero
Account Manager: Vincent Falcetano
Strategist: Marina Pen
Head of production: Anthony Nelson
Director/Producer/Editor: Tom Mishra
Director of Digital: Jennifer Usdan McBride
Director of Technology: Kamran Aslam
Associate Director of Technology: Juan Turcios
Digital producer: Angela O’Neill
Project manager: Christine Fiorentino
Media: Metavision Media

AnalogFolk and Nike Advise Us All to Stop Exercising and Start Training, Already

Back in November we posted on indie digital agency AnalogFolk expanding its relationship with Nike by picking up a global assignment for the Training portion of the footwear giant’s business.

Specifically, the new work from the agency’s U.S. division promotes NTC, or the Nike+ Training Club along with its attendant apps and physical gyms.

The challenge, according to the agency’s own brief case study, lay in convincing your average fitness-interested soul that “training” is not a key word for things that only professional athletes or bodybuilders do. In fact, it may well be for me and you!

#StopExercisingStartTraining launched on New Years’ Day. The :15 below is worth watching mainly for the not-at-all-awkward transition from ’80s-style gymnastics classes (we think?) to whatever hardcore workout freaks do today.

Here’s a key insight: “As jogging became running, exercise will become training.”

This was really just a semantic shift, but it absolutely happened. When was the last time you heard the word “jogging” and visualized someone under the age of 45? We think of Louis C.K. huffing and puffing his way around the West Village rather than the Road Runner bros who blind everyone in Prospect Park with their neon getups around 6:15 every weekday morning.

AnalogFolk also handled a bunch of the social content around the campaign, whose homepage includes a few more explainers like this one located next to a group of jazzercisers in Jane Fonda workout gear:

“Gone are days of endless exercise. Doing the same thing over and over and expecting results. Training takes mindless repetition and turns it into progress by knowing what you’re doing and why you’re doing it.”

Here’s more from Kyrie Irving and WNBA star Skylar Diggins.

…and Europeans moving some massive tires through Barcelona.

The hashtags got co-opted for some organic growth, as these things tend to to do.

And the campaign was indeed global.

Here’s some more of the work.

SEST 2

SEST 1

SEST 3

Now can we address the thing where people feel the need to include “runner” in all their social media bios??

The 2017 Kia Cadenza, Christina Hendricks Are ‘Impossible to Ignore’ in David&Goliath’s Latest

Kia is going all-in on its advertising lately.

After launching a new spot with LeBron James last week in “Rain” last week and promoting the 2017 Kia Cadenza via its “The Luxury Experts” stunt asking valets to identify the unmarked luxury car earlier this month, David&Goliath returns with another effort for the Cadenza.

“Impossible to Ignore” calls back to “The Luxury Experts” in its use of valets (albeit in a much different way) and stars Christina Hendricks, who will always be Mad Men‘s Joan Harris to us. In the spot, Hendricks walks out of a hotel to a line of valets with luxury cars waiting outside. Disappointed valets open their Audi, BMW and Lexus car doors, but Hendricks walks past them all. She has plans of her own.

Like “The Luxury Experts,” the spot is built around a simple concept. Unlike that spot, it gets to its point fairly quickly, as Hendricks drives away behind the wheel of her Cadenza as the voiceover delivers the line “Confidence never goes out of style.”

Regardless of how you feel about the execution, it’s hard to argue against the actress as the embodiment of the ad’s tagline.

Sterling Rice Group and Buck Ross Talk Long Odds in March Madness-Themed Spots for California Almonds

What do almonds and college basketball have in common?

Generally, we would say “nothing.” But a new campaign promoting the California variety of those wonderful nuts ties them together with a simple premise: the odds of a diet rich in almonds improving one’s health are significantly higher than the chances that your bracket will be perfect…or that your party will be able to move a healthcare reform bill through congress! Zing!

Here are three variations on that theme via creative agency Sterling Rice Group and production company Buck Ross, both of which are based in Boulder, Colorado. First, the “likelihood of being hit by space debris” scenario.

Next, the doppelgänger conundrum.

The BBC claims that finding someone who looks just like you is not really all that unlikely. But we would note that the people in that article do not really look exactly alike.

Supermodels, which are maybe still a thing(?), probably don’t have doppelgängers.

The ads are running nationally on ESPN & CBS Sports as part of March Madness.

According to FiveThirtyEight, which is always right about everything except the most important thing it was supposed to be right about, the odds of correctly predicting the entire tournament are ACTUALLY somewhere between 1 in 1 billion and 1 in 2 billion.

Based on this Men’s Fitness listicle, we wonder how the “become a professional basketball player” and “hit a hole in one” spots would have turned out. (That piece also makes for a great case study in exactly how awful and invasive most digital advertising is.)

Also, other than “limited stakes” games at a licensed casino, gambling is illegal in the state of Colorado. Why do people fill out brackets, again??

CREDITS

Agency: Sterling Rice Group
Creative Director: Robert Borges
Copy Writer: Christine Coe
Art Director: Tim O’Malley
Account Director: Mickey Citarella
Production Director: Jessica Morrison
Jr Producer: Rachael Thompson

Production Company: Buck Ross
Director: Ryan Ross
DP: Kevin Emmons
Line Producer: Daniell Taff
Consulting Producer: Lam T. Nguyen
Art Director: Pamela Chavez
Editor: Lam T. Nguyen
Color: Herman Nieuwoudt
Sound: Jason McDaniel

Y&R, Jeffrey Wright ‘Make It Real’ for Dell Technologies

Y&R launched a new campaign promoting Dell Technologies, featuring a series of spots starring Jeffrey Wright, who viewers will likely known from his role as Bernard Lowe on HBO’s Westworld series. (But did you see Basquiat??)

Given that show’s sci-fi premise, Wright seems a logical choice to present the importance of Dell’s own technological contributions. In the 60-second “Magic,” Wright interrupts a play (kind of rude, really) to wax philosophical about magic, which, he says, “can transform a frog into a prince” and “sadness into happily ever after.”

He then contrasts magic with Dell Technologies, which can do something magic can’t: transform your business. “Magic can’t make digital transformation happen, but we can,” he says at the spot’s conclusion. “Let’s make it real.”

A series of 30-second spots takes a closer look at how Dell Technologies has helped transform GE, Columbia Sportswear and Chitale Dairy.

The technology making the seemingly-impossible into reality angle is certainly nothing new. BBDO explores a similar theme in its “Unimpossible Missions” campaign for GE, BBH New York presented Nest as representing the “Magic of Home”, GS&P’s “There’s Never Been a Better Time” for Cisco is centered around the optimism in technology overcoming seemingly impossible obstacles and, as Adweek points out, Apple touts the iPhone 7 as “Practically Magic.”

That’s not to say that the campaign feels derivative of any of those efforts, just that the theme has become so common as to lessen its impact and make it harder to utilize as a brand differentiator.

Credits:
Dell Technologies
Chief Marketing Officer – Jeremy Burton
SVP Global Brand and Creative – Liz Matthews
Director Brand Strategy and Advertising – Rachael Henke
Brand Strategy and Advertising – Valerie Daubert

Y&R
Global Executive Creative Director – Christian Carl
Global Creative Director – Thomas Shim
Copywriter, Creative Director – Justin Ebert
Executive Producer – Bobby Jacques
Content Producer – Nicole Lederman
Sr Business Manager- Maggie Diaz
President, Global Technology & Business Practice – Joe Rivas
Account Director- Heather Hosey
Group Account Director – Rachel Krouse
Account Executive- George Rainaldi
Strategic Planning Director – Jenna Rounds

Production Company: Smuggler
Director: Tom Hooper
Co Founder: Brian Carmody
Executive Producer: Shannon Jones
DP: Justin Brown
Line Producer: Alex Lisee

Edit House: Rock Paper Scissors
Editor (It’s Not Magic): Adam Pertofsky
Editor (GE, Columbia, Chitale): Ted Guard
Executive Producer: Eve Kornblum
Producer: Jenny Greenfield

VFX: Framestore NY
Dez Macleod-Veilleux – Executive Producer
Maura Hurley – Senior Producer
David Mellor – Creative Director
Gigi Ng – Senior Flame Artist / VFX Supervisor
Georgios Cherouvim – Senior CG Lead
Dan Soloman – Senior Designer
Karch Coom – Senior Compositor
Callum McKeveny – Concept Designer / Senior Matte Painter

Color: Company 3
Colorist: Tim Masick

Sound: Sound Lounge
Mixer/Sound Designer – Tom Jucarone

Projection Mapping: Go 2 Productions

Music: duotone audio group
Executive Producer: Ross Hopman
Creative Director: Jack Livesey
Producer: Gio Lobato

BVK, United Way Ask Viewers to ‘Join The Fight’

BVK launched a new PSA campaign for education, health and financial stability charity United Way, entitled “Join The Fight.”

A 60-second anthem ad doesn’t shy away from the harsh realities of the issues United Way takes on.

“Problems: the ones most people don’t have the stomach for, the ones nobody talks about at cocktail parties,” the voiceover begins, over black and white footage of desolate, deserted cityscapes and scenes suggesting domestic violence, drug abuse and homelessness. “We go looking for them,” it continues, elaborating on the charity’s efforts to tackle such critical problems in “unforgiving cities, desolate towns and seemingly docile suburbs.”

It’s a bold, attention-grabbing approach and a distinct departure from United Way’s previous advertising — a world away from, say, Glee-fueled celebration of the charity’s success at increasing high school graduation rates. 

“We needed to help people understand what those problems were, not just show the aftermath of everything being clean and pretty,” United Way CMO Lisa Bowman explained to Adweek. “It’s about taking a hard, realistic look at what’s happening in our communities today and the work that United Way is encouraging people to join us in the fight against.”

“A lot of people know what United Way is, but don’t necessarily know what they do. United Way knew they needed to make something provocative and put the problems front and center to ask viewers to get involved in solving them,” added BVK executive creative director Brian Ganther.
Credits:

Agency: BVK
Chief Creative Officer: Gary Mueller
Executive Creative Director/Copywriter: Brian Ganther
Group Creative Director/Art Director: Matt Herrmann
Art Director: Austin Kelley
Senior Producer: Jessica Farrell
VP, Account Director: Kevin Steltz
Senior Account Executive: Jamie Foley

Production:
Director: Andy Maser, Maser Films
Producer: Rachel Meyer, Maser Films
Photo Producer: Tara Trullinger, Get It Productions
DP: Christopher Gill
Editor: Chris Thompson, Good Credit Productions
Colorist: Tyler Roth, Company 3
Sound Mix: Steve Kultgen, Independent Studios
Still Photographer: Matt Eich

FCB Chicago, Radio Flyer Introduce Travel Agency for Kids

FCB Chicago launched a new campaign for childhood standard Radio Flyer, introducing “Radio Flyer Adventure Travel,” the first travel agency for kids.

The travel agency’s destinations, which include Mount Puppy and Octopus Shiny Treasure Bay are only accessible via imagination. “Radio Flyer Adventure Travel” clocks in at nearly two minutes and shows the travel agents helping kids pick out their desired destinations and equip them with the right Radio Flyer vehicle for their journey.

The spot concludes by asking viewers to join Radio Flyer for the event, which was held at 4755 N Lincoln Ave, Chicago on March 18. We’re guessing they may have filmed some footage for a subsequent spot there, and that more than a few kids went home with a shiny new Radio Flyer wagon. The campaign also includes a series of posters (visible on the walls of the travel agency in the spot), for the imaginary destinations. We wouldn’t mind heading to Flipping Pancakes Island for dinner.

FCB Chicago’s previous efforts for the brand also focused on its imagination-stoking qualities, such as the “Radio Flyer Super Race Car” spot celebrating the brand’s 100th anniversary last year.
Radio Flyer 1
Radio Flyer 2
Credits:

Advertising Agency: FCB, Chicago, USA
Chief Creative Officer: Liz Taylor
Content & Creative Development: Todd Tilford
Creative Director: Myra Nussbaum
Associate Creative Directors: Nok Sangdee, Alice Crippa
Executive Creative Director: Kevin Grady
Designer: Mo Hy
Copywriters: Sue Salvi, Cayne Collier
Management Director of Integrated Production Services: Kerry Hill
Director of Production Operations: Julie Regimand
Management Director: Kiska Howell
Account Executive: Katie Hernandez
Senior Producer: Chris Wickman
Senior Art Buyer: Laura Laube
Senior Print Producer: Kathy Jaworsky
Traffic Manager: Jennifer Baur
Production Company: Lord + Thomas
Director: Ben Flaherty
Executive Producers: Josh Greenberg, Katie Roach
Producer: Brooke Gaston Herstein
Editorial: Lord + Thomas
Editor: Seamus Hehir
Senior Producer: Celena Mossell

Sandra Oh is ‘The Woman Who Can’t Lie’ in Leo Burnett Toronto’s Promotion of National Canadian Film Day 150

Leo Burnett Toronto launched a campaign for Reel Canada’s National Canadian Film Day 150, which takes place on April 19, promoting the festival as “The world’s largest film festival. Ever.”

One 60-second cinema spot, which was directed by Don McKellar, stars Sandra Oh as “The Woman Who Can’t Lie.” The part of Esther Park’s brain that filters thoughts is missing, a voiceover informs viewers during the Wes Anderson-esque introduction to the character at the beginning of the spot. This led her to tell her father, “Mom says a lot of demeaning things about you when you’re not around” as a child. As an adult, she’s brutally honest about everything from an acquaintance’s gum-to-lip ratio to her partner’s sexual performance.

What does the character have to do with National Canadian Film Day 150? Well, if Esther Park gives it her seal of approval, then it must be good, right? (She saw them, “they’re fantastic.”)

The campaign’s other spot, directed by Atom Egoyanfeatures another quirky character, “The Man Who Was Always Late,” as portrayed by Vinay Virmani. Not as successful as its counterpart, the spot struggles to establish a meaningful connection between the character and the festival. At its conclusion, he arrives at Canadian Film Day 150 a day late. But, you know, you should try to get there on time.

The campaign launches today with the debut of the two cinema spots and will run through April 19, the day of the festival. OOH executions proudly declaring “Our films come from here” will also support the effort. 

Credits:
Agency: Leo Burnett Toronto
CEO/CCO North America: Judy John
GCD/Writer: Steve Persico
GCD/Art Director: Anthony Chelvanathan
Group Account Director: Richard Bernstein
Executive Producer/SVP Director of Production: Franca Piacente
Assistant Producer: Sabrina De Luca

Production Company: Skin + Bones
Executive Producer: Dan Ford
Directors: Don McKellar (The Woman Who Can’t Lie) Atom Egoyan (The Man Who Was Always Late)
Director of Photography: Doug Koch
Line Producer: Marie Walsh
Production Manager: Peter Vanstone

Editing Facility: Rooster Post Production
Editors: Marc Langley (The Woman Who Can’t Lie) Michelle Czukar (The Man Who Was Always Late)
Assistant Editors: Joey Whitelaw (The Woman Who Can’t Lie) Colin Murdock (The Man Who Was Always Late)

Finishing: Fort York VFX
Lead Flame Artist: Andrew Rolfe

Audio House: SNDWRX
Audio Producer: Didier Tovel

Colour: Alter Ego
Colourist: Eric Whipp

‘Greatness Springs From Here’ in FCB New York’s Push for Poland Spring Highlighting New England Residents

FCB New York launched a new campaign for Nestlé’s Poland Spring bottled water brand, entitled “Greatness Springs From Here.”

The campaign celebrates the individuals of the New England region and Maine (the water is bottled from several sources in the state, including Poland Spring) in particular. A 30-second spot entitled “Meet Edna” introduces viewers to one such individual: 88-year-old ambulance driver Edna Mitchell. A certified EMT for 38 years and still an ambulance driver, Edna is described as having “a thirst for saving lives” as she races to deliver a patient, to the tune of The La’s “There She Goes.”

The digital spot made its debut on Monday, targeting the Northeast region with Edna’s inspirational tale. In a series of follow-ups, Edna addresses being called “too old,” staying in shape, “The Secret to Life” and “The Car Moose Accident.”

“We often overlook the greatness that’s right in front of us… like the Edna Mitchells of the world, who do extraordinary things for their communities on a daily basis,” FCB New York executive creative director Stu Mair said in a statement. “Edna’s age will never get in the way of her passion to save lives. That’s what makes her story so special and inspiring to the brand. Plus, she still does twenty military-style pushups a day, which is crazy.”

Credits:

Client: Poland Spring
Campaign: Greatness Springs From Here
Agency: FCB NY
Chief Creative Officer: Ari Halper
Executive Creative Director: Stu Mair
Group Creative Director: Gabriel Schmitt
ACD, Art Director: Ricky Lu
ACD, Copywriter: Greg Wikoff
Copywriter: Ken Syme
Art Director: Emily Ng
VP, Account Director: Laura Dunn
Account Supervisor: Lucie Kittel
Account Executive: Malia Cone
Executive Producer: Hyatt Choate
Chief Strategy Officer: Deb Freeman
Senior Strategist: David Cortés
Strategist: Libby Crowe
Operations Manager: Kyle Burt

Client: Poland Spring
VP, General Manager: Amy Wirtanen
Communications Director: Laetitia Allexant
Group Marketing Manager: Jill Germano

Production Company: Rattling Stick
Director: Daniel Kleinman

Editorial: Nomad
Editor: Jai Shukla

VFX: Framestore

Music: Sound Lounge

Goodby Silverstein & Partners, Adobe Foil Bank Heist…with Customer Service

We last checked in on Goodby Silverstein & Partners’s ongoing “How’s Your Customer Service” campaign for Adobe when the agency launched a pair of spots this past September: “Billion Dollar Contract” and “Secret Agent.” Those efforts promoted Adobe Sign and Adobe Marketing Cloud utilizing what has become the campaign’s familiar formula: humorous examples of what can go wrong with bad customer service resulting from not using Adobe products.

GS&P’s latest effort for Adobe, “The Heist,” turns the formula on its head: showing a situation going wrong (from one perspective, at least) as the result of good customer service.

When several masked bandits rob a bank, they certainly don’t count on being identified. But, thanks to Adobe Experience Cloud, the teller is not only able to identify two of them, she’s aware that one of them is looking to buy a house while the other is interested in consolidating his student loans.

The spot concludes with the new tagline, “Make experience your business.”

It’s a nice change of direction for the campaign, retaining a similar humorous approach to previous efforts while switching up the formula enough to feel fresh.

“For a few years, we have been showing what happens when digital marketing goes wrong, as a sort of cautionary tale to marketers,” Adobe vice president, experience marketing Alex Amado told AdFreak. “As the campaign evolves, we wanted to switch up the creative strategy and start to show the potential of great experiences.”

“We’re employing the age-old ‘Show the benefits, not the features’ tactic,” he added. }The technology is powerful and flexible, and not well-suited for explanation within a commercial spot. So, we tell a much more interesting and relevant story by speaking in a language that our audience is very responsive to—the language of their own customers’ experiences.”

Credits:
Client: Adobe
Title of Creative Work: “The Heist”

Agency: Goodby Silverstein & Partners

Creative
Co-Chairman, Partner: Rich Silverstein
Creative Director: Will Elliott
Creative Director: Patrick Knowlton
Art Director: Bennett Austin
Copywriter: Dan Berenson

Production
Director of Production: Tod Puckett
Executive Producer: Benton Roman

Account Services
Managing Partner: Brian McPherson
Account Director: Theo Abel
Account Manager: Molly Navalinski
Assistant Account Manager: Lexie Hartnett

Brand and Communication Strategy
Director of Brand Strategy: Bonnie Wan
Brand Strategist: Etienne Ma
Director of Communication Strategy: Christine Chen
Communication Strategy Deputy Director: Dong Kim
Senior Communication Strategist: Victoria Barbatelli
Communication Strategist: Tara Hughes
Jr. Communication Strategists: Catherine Kim, Nicole Bruno
Research & Analytics Director: Cassi Husain

Business Affairs
Business Affairs Manager: Heidi Killeen

Production Company
Company Name: Biscuit Filmworks / Revolver
Director: Steve Rogers
Managing Director: Shawn Lacy
Executive Producer: Holly Vega
UPM: Jay Veal
Head of Production: Rachel Glaub

Head of Production: Mercedes Allen
Director of Photography: Alwin Kuchler
Production Designer: Paul Austerberry

Editorial Company
Company Name: Final Cut LA
Editor: Rick Russell
Assistant Editor: Dillon Stoneburner
EPs: Suzy Ramirez, Eric McCasline
Producer: Barbara Healy

Telecine
Company Name: The Mill NYC
Colorist: Fergus McCall

VFX/Finishing
Executive Producer: Leighton Greer
Senior VFX Producer: Will Unterreiner
Associate Producer: Karina Slater
VFX Supervisor/CD: Tim Davies
2-D Lead Artist: Adam Lambert
2-D Artist: Brett Lopinsky

Music
Company Name: Woodwork Music

Sound Design
Company Name: Lime
Sound Designer: Michael Anastasi

Mix
Company Name: Lime
Mixer: Rohan Young

Publicis New York Tackles the Term ‘Special Needs’ for Downs Syndrome Organization Coordown

Publicis New York launched a campaign for CoorDown, Italy’s national organization for individuals with Down syndrome, entitled “Not Special Needs” in time for World Down Syndrome Day today.

A 60-second spot takes aim at the phrase “special needs,” which it posits is an unfair way to characterize the needs of individuals with Down syndrome, who have the same needs as everybody else, really. To do so, it takes a look at what some “special needs” would actually look like, including a dinosaur egg diet, armor-clad wardrobe and celebrity wake-up calls. There’s also a dedicated campaign landing site, where viewers can find out more information.

The atypically humorous approach for a PSA makes its case in an entertaining way, without undermining the seriousness of the cause itself. It also forces audiences to reconsider how they think and speak about those with such disabilities.

Publicis New York executive creative directors, Luca Pannese and Luca Lorenzini, who recently joined the agency from Saatchi & Saatchi New York and have worked with the client in the past, were behind the effort, along with CCO Andy Bird, copywriter David Green and art director Jen Wang.

“The term ‘special needs’ is a euphemistic way to speak about persons with disabilities and their needs,” Bird explained to Adweek. “The reality is people with Down syndrome do not have different or special needs, although they may sometimes meet those needs in different ways. They have the same needs as all of us—jobs, friends, love and simply the need to be seen and treated equally.”

Credits:
Client:CoorDown
Agency: Publicis New York
Chief Creative Officer: Andy Bird
Executive Creative Directors: Luca Pannese, Luca Lorenzini
Copywriter: David Green
Art Director: Jen Wang
Director of Integrated Production Operations: Tim Ayers
Senior Integrated Producer: Jakub Popadiuk
Lead AD Tech Developer: Scott Jones
Interactive Developer: Dara Mao
Art Director: Jen Wang
Group Account Director: Kathryn Harvey
Account Director: Jakub Popadiuk, Shari Letterman
Chief Production Officer: Lisa Bifulco
Agency Producer: Chris Muldoon
Agency Editor: Marc Legana
Production Company: Hungryman Productions
Director: Wayne McClammy
Executive Producer/Managing Partner: Kevin Byrne
Puppet and Puppeteering: Legacy Effects
Editorial Company: Rock Paper Scissors
EP: Rana Martin and Eve Kornblum
Editor: Christjan Jordan
AE: Pieter Viljoen
Producer: Dani DuHadway
VFX/POST: Shed
Color: Billy Hobson
VFX: Paul O’Shea, Miles Essmiller, Phil Man
Puppet and Puppeteering: Legacy Effects
Music Producer: Rachel Rauch
Music, Mix and Sound Design by: Record & Mix: Beacon Street Studios
Composers: Andrew Feltenstein & John Nau
Executive Producer: Leslie DiLullo
Senior Producer: Kate Vadnais
Mixer/Sound Designer: Rommel Molina
Mix Assistant: Vivi Rojas

Deutsch and Volkswagen Get Busy in the Backseat

Deutsch launched a campaign for the Volskwagen Atlas, which seats seven, with a 60-second spot entitled “Luv Bug” featuring a lot of, er, action.

Set to Dean Martin’s “The Birds and the Bees,” the spot opens with a Volkswagen Beetle rocking suggestively. From there the scene shifts to a couple with a baby buying a bigger Volkswagen. And there we’re back to square one and the whole thing repeats again, and again, until we arrive at the seven-seat Atlas because apparently they have never heard of birth control, overpopulation, hourly hotel rates or Volkswagen’s “Dieselgate” scandal (or just don’t care).

The one-note premise wears thin by the conclusion of the spot, as it only takes about 10-15 seconds (at most) to see where it’s going. Clearly, the Atlas is being marketed as a family vehicle, with more space than your typical Volkswagen. The spot concludes with the Atlas rocking back and forth, this time thanks to a care full of rambunctious children, as the voiceover delivers the line, “Life’s as big as you make it.”

“Luv Bug” mades its debut yesterday during primetime and will run during the NHL’s Stanley Cup playoffs and the NCAA’s Final Four.

Credits:
Client: Volkswagen
President, CEO: Hinrich Woebcken
VP, Marketing: Vinay Shahani
Director, Marketing Communications and Media: Jennifer Clayton
Advertising Manager, VW Marketing: Chanel Barresi
Brand Advertising Senior Specialist: Tammy Nguyen

Agency: Deutsch
Creative:
Chief Creative Officer, North America: Pete Favat
Executive Creative Director: Todd Riddle
Group Creative Director: Heath Pochucha
Creative Director: Zaid Al-Asady
Creative Director: Paul Oberlin
Creative Director: Matt Sherman
Director of Integrated Production: Vic Palumbo
Executive Integrated Producer: Margaret Nickerson
Senior Integrated Producer: Samantha Bonom
Music Supervisor: Eryk Rich

Account Management:
Group Account Director: Tom Else
Account Director: Alex Gross
Account Supervisor: Erin Shanahan
Account Executive: Nate Pouley
Director of Product Information: Jason Clark
Product Information Supervisor: Chris Brown

Account Planning:
Co-Director of Strategy: Susie Lyons
Senior Strategist: Ben Perreira
Junior Strategist: Leigh Citarella

Business Affairs/Traffic:
Director of Integrated Business Affairs: Abilino Guillermo
Group Director Integrated Business Affairs: Gabriela Farias
Director or Broadcast Traffic: Carie Bonillo
Broadcast Traffic Manager: Courtney Tylka

Production Company
Biscuit Filmworks
Director: Andreas Nilsson
Executive Producer: Holly Vega
Line Producer: Jay Veal

Editorial Company
Cut + Run
Executive Producer: Amburr Farls
Producer: Annabelle Dunbar-Whittaker
Editor: Steve Gandolfi
Assistant Editor: Luc Giddens

Post Facility
Jogger
Executive Producer: Rich Rama
Creative Director: David Parker
Producer: Ben Sposato
Color Correction
Company 3
Executive Producer: Ashley McKim
Colorist: Sean Coleman

Licensed Music Track Info:
Licensed Music for “Snowboard”
Track – “The Birds & The Bees”
Artist: Dean Martin

Audio Post Company
Lime Studios
Executive Producer: Susie Boyajan
Audio Engineer: Matt Miller
Shoot Location:
Los Angeles area

BBDO Forces Everyone to Pick: Left or Right Twix??

BBDO New York launched a new effort for Twix, telling viewers “It’s Time to DeSide” with Twix’s new Left Twix and Right Twix bars.

The agency has been milking the supposed feud between Left and Right Twix for years, since the inception of the campaign in 2011. Over the years, they’ve ramped up the absurd concept by imagining separate factories, fights over spokesperson Nick Lachey and staging a “Taste Test Challenge.”

Now the campaign extends to packaging, with new packs promising “Two Left Twix” and “Two Right Twix” with corresponding ads promoting the stunt, as well as pointing out its absurdity. In “Mortician,” an undertaker and a mortician claim it was ridiculous for Left Twix and Right Twix to be in the same package to begin with, since they have about as much in common as they do. A janitor and custodian, spirt and ghost echo their sentiments.

Another spot sees a bouncer and doorman discuss the new packaging while informing those waiting in line that the club has no cover, despite the cost of entry.

We have to agree with our Adweek colleague Tim Nudd‘s surprise that this campaign has lasted as long as it has, given the one joke nature of its absurd premise. Since the packaging extension takes the campaign to its logical conclusion, it’s possible this is its grand finale.
deside-3

What, no political metaphor??
Credits:
Client: Mars Chocolate North America
Spots: “Undertaker / Mortician,” “Bouncer / Doorman”

Agency: BBDO New York
David Lubars, Chief Creative Officer, BBDO Worldwide
Greg Hahn, Chief Creative Officer, BBDO New York
Gianfranco Arena, Executive Creative Director
Peter Kain, Executive Creative Director
Peter Alsante, Creative Director
Kim Baskinger, Creative Director
Bryan Stokely, Senior Copywriter
Martins Zelcs, Senior Art Director
David Rolfe, Director of Integrated Production
Amy Wertheimer, Group Executive Producer
Alex Gianni, Executive Producer
Melissa Chester, Executive Music Producer
Jeff Regan, Social Media Creator
Kirsten Flanik, President
Susannah Keller, Global Account Director
Lisa Piliguian, Account Director
Tani Corbacho, Account Director
Aparna Joshi, Account Manager
Danee Fields, Account Executive
Annemarie Norris, Group Planning Director
Christina Stoddard, Planning Director
Sean Stogner, Senior Communications Planner

Allison Miazga-Bedrick, Brand Director – Filled Bars Portfolio
Thomas Hedworth, Sr. Brand Manager, Twix® Brand

Biscuit: Production
Aaron Stoller, Director
Bob Yoeman, DOP
Samantha Gore, Production Designer
Shawn Lacy, Managing Director
Holly Vega, Executive Producer
Mercedes Allen-Sarria, Head of Production
Rachel Glaub, Head of Production
Cindy Becker, Producer
Ash Marshall, Production Supervisor

N06 – Editorial
Jason Macdonald, Editor
Ryan Bukowski, Asst. Editor
Ling Chua, Asst. Editor
Corina Dennison, EP
Laura Molinaro, Sr. Producer
Ed Skupeen, Flame/Fxs
Mark Reyes, Asst. Flame/VFXs Artist

Sound Lounge – Audio
Tom Jucarons, Mixer

CP+B L.A. Launches Rebranding Campaign for 1800 Tequila with Help From Chance the Rapper

CP+B Los Angeles launched a rebranding campaign for 1800 Tequila, presenting the brand as “Just Refined Enough.”

Set to a new song by Chance the Rapper, a 60-second spot entitled “Hands” explores a dichotomy of aggression and refinement. It opens on a training session in a boxing gym. From there, the scene transitions back and forth between two fighters in the ring and a man (apparently one of the fighters) playing the piano at a bar. At the conclusion of the spot the word “Refined” appears onscreen, followed by the full “Just Refined Enough” tagline.

“We’re trying to … start a conversation about what modern masculinity is,” 1800 Tequila group brand director Erin Chin explained to Adweek. “In a lot of alcohol ads directed toward men, you see stereotypical, single-faceted ideas about what it means to be successful—guys in suits seducing women.”

“Guys these days are richer than that. You can have different sides of you existing simultaneously,” added CP+B L.A. creative director Paddy Fraser. “You’re not truly refined … you still have this place that you come from and go to.”

As for the spot’s soundtrack, Fraser added, “There’s a multi-dimensional quality in the effervescent energy of Chance’s lyrics and the piano work by an artist called Chilly Gonzales, which has the more sophisticated edge.”

In addition to the spot, the rebranding campaign also includes custom bottles designed by artist Enoc Perez, which will make their debut as part of the Guggenheim Museum’s Essential Artists Series.

CREDITS
Client: 1800 Tequila
Campaign: Just Refined Enough
Agency: CP+B LA
Chief creative officer: Kevin Jones
Creative director: Paddy Fraser
Associate creative director, art director: Tushar Date
Associate creative director, copywriter: Henry Kember
Vp, director of content production: Kate Hildebrant
Vp, executive integrated producer: Aymi Beltramo
Integrated producer: Autumn Hines
Music supervisor: Andy Hamm, Good Ear Music
Vp, director of business affairs: Rebecca Williams
Jr. business affairs manager: Taylor Tsuji
Managing directors: Ryan Skubic and Ivan Perez-Armendariz
Account director: Tobey Bennett
Content supervisor: Alex Rossi
Content manager: Paige Poulsen
Project manager: Jade Whitford
Executive strategy director: Benny Thomas
Associate strategy director: Melissa Cabral
Production company: Prettybird, Culver City
Director: Fleur Fortuné
Director of photography: Benoit Debie
Line producer: Hannah Cooper
Production designer: Matthew Gant
Stylist: Elise Bouquet
Co-founder, executive producer: Kerstin Emhoff
Director of production: Tracy Hauser
Executive Producer/Division: Jules De Chateleux
Editorial Company & City: Exile Edit, Santa Monica
Editor: Kirk Baxter
Assistant Editor: Jess Baclesse
Editoral Executive Producer: Cl Weaver
Editorial Head Of Production: Jennifer Locke
Editorial Senior Producer: Remy Foxx
Post Company & City: Electric Theatre Collective (ETC), Santa Monica
Lead Flame Artist: Mark Youngren
Flame Artist: Eric Mason, Eric Bruno
Post Producer: Therese Mayer
Mix Company & City: Lime Studios, Santa Monica
Audio Mixer: Matt Miller
Assistant Audio Mixer: Lisa Mermelstein
Mix Executive Producer: Susie Boyajan
Mix Associate Producer: Kayla Phungglan
Telecine Company & City: Company 3, New York
Colorist: Tom Poole
Assistant Colorist: Jenny Montgomery
Telecine Executive Producer: Ashley Mckim
Telecine Producer: Clare Movshon
Graphics Company & City: Elastic, Santa Monica
Music Track: “Tap Dance” by Octave Minds Featuring Chance The Rapper
Client Title & Names: Mark Teasdale, President And CEO of Proximo Spirits + Erin Chin, Group Brand Director + Kyle Harder, Sr. Brand Manager

CP+B Channels Ferris Buehler for Domino’s

CP+B tips its hat to Ferris Buehler’s Day Off in its latest campaign for Domino’s, celebrating the chain’s delivery app.

The campaign stars Stranger Things‘ Joe Keery in a pair of spots directed by Arts & Sciences’ Matt Lenski, in a role that is a clear homage to Matthew Broderick‘s role in the 1986 hit. 

In “Home For Pizza,” Keery gets an alert from Domino’s Pizza Tracker saying his pizza is ready (presumably after skipping school) and starts running across suburban lawns, jumping hedges and dodging other obstacles en route to get home in time for the pizza to show up at his door. Along the way, you may notice a certain Buehler character make a brief cameo.

The 30-second “Life Moves Fast” similarly echoes the 80s classic, with Keery asking how he can go without Domino’s on such a day, using Amazon Echo’s Alexa to order a pizza and tracking the delivery’s progress.

“We know that customers find the Domino’s Tracker to be a fun part of ordering from Domino’s, so we tried to capture their excitement in this new ad,” Domino’s vice president, advertising Karen Kaiser said in a statement. 

“We knew for sure that that actor that was going to take the place of Ferris Bueller, he had to be great,” CP+B executive vice president, creative director Tony Calcao told AdAge. “This being an iconic movie we knew we had to pay homage to it and not deviate, not change it and put our own kind of spin on it outside of using Joe Keery and maybe making it a modern adaptation.”

LeBron Has a Message for the Doubters in David&Goliath’s Latest for Kia

LeBron James returns in David&Goliath’s latest for Kia, “Rain,” which is built around a metaphor for the doubters he’s encountered over the course of his career.

The “don’t listen to the doubters” message is nothing new for James and Kia. When he first began appearing in ads for the brand, skeptics questioned whether he actually drove the vehicle — something he addressed in “The Truth” back in December of 2015. This time around, James tells viewers, “Doubt isn’t a storm, doubt is a drizzle.”

Rather than a destructive force, it’s a steady flow of negativity that can cause you to “stay inside,” “second guess yourself,” “question your limits” or even give up entirely.

“But that’s only if you’re afraid of a little rain,” James says at the conclusion of the spot, driving off into a drizzly night in his Kia, leading into the tagline, “Doubt No More.”

That one of the greatest basketball players ever is presented alongside Kia as something of an underdog has always struck as something of a hard sell and the latest entry is no exception. At this point in James’ career, it’s hard to imagine that there are all that many “doubters” around to question his greatness. Still, there’s a cinematic flair to the spot, which was directed by RESET’s Johnny Green, which helps lend it some pathos.

“Rain” comes on the heels of David&Goliath’s “The Luxury Experts” effort promoting the Kia Cadenza earlier this month. That supposedly unscripted effort saw Los Angeles valets surprised to discover an unidentified luxury car is acually the Cadenza.

Credits:
Agency: David&Goliath
Chief Creative Officer: Bobby Pearce/Colin Jeffery
Executive Creative Director: Gustavo Sarkis
Associate Creative Director/Copywriter: Devin Heatley
Senior Art Directors: Geovanny Panchame, Danny O’Connor
Senior Copywriter: Kurt Warner
Associate Planning Director: Ed Gibson
Director of Broadcast Production: Paul Albanese
Executive Producer: Christopher Coleman
Senior Broadcast Producer: Brandon Kusher
Managing Director: Jeff Moohr
Group Account Director: Mike O’Malley
Management Supervisors: Jay Mattingly, Jennifer Engelman
Account Supervisor: Tara Poosti
Account Executive: Lauren Kelley
Assistant Account Executive: Jaime Gullas
Digital Account Executive: Rebecca Hanson
Senior Project Manager: Genie Lara
Senior Art Producer: Andrea Rosenfeld
Director Business Affairs: Rodney Pizarro
Business Affairs Manager: Daniella Vargas
Product Information Managers: Russ Wortman, Mark McNaul
Founder & Chairman: David Angelo

Production Company: RESET
Director: Johnny Green
Executive Producer: Jeff McDougall
Executive Producer: Jen Beitler
Head of Production: JP Colombo
Producer: Greg Schultz
Director of Photography: Joost Van Gelder

Editorial: Spinach Editorial
Editor: Steve Gandolfi (Courtesy of Cut+Run)
Assistant Editor: Luc Giddens
Executive Producer: Jonathan Carpio
Producer: Patricia Gushikuma

Visual Effects: JAMM
VFX Supervisor/Lead Compositor: Jake Montgomery
VFX Supervisor/Lead CG: Andy Boyd
Flame Artist: Patrick Munoz
Flame Artist: Ally Burnett
Flame Artist: Mark Holden
CG Artist: Zachary DiMaria
CG Artist: Kristen Eggleston
CG Artist: Nha Ca Chau
CG Artist: Brian Burke
CG Artist: Nagender Boga
CG Artist: Joel Durham
CG Artist: George Saavedra
CG Tracking: Peregrine McCafferty
CG Tracking: Amélie Guyot
Producer: Ashley Greyson
Executive Producer: Asher Edwards
Agent: Tyler Gourley Photography
Content Photographer: Tyler Gourley
Music/Sound Design: Barking Owl
Executive Producer/Creative Director: Kelly Bayett
Sound Designer: Patrick Navarre
Mixer: Morgan Johnson
Producer: Ashley Benton