Ant Farm Unveils ‘Call of Duty: Ghosts’ Gameplay Launch Trailer

If you’re a fan of the Call of Duty franchise, then you’ve been eagerly awaiting the release of Call of Duty: Ghosts while witnessing an all-out advertising assault for the game that began all the way back in May. The conclusion to that campaign is the new gameplay launch trailer from Ant Farm, the best look yet at what the game will actually look like.

Coming about a week after the UK spot “Faboom,” and two weeks after the Eminem music video “Survival” (also the song featured in this trailer), Ant Farm has unveiled a no-nonsense look at Call of Duty: Ghosts in all its gameplay glory. It packs as much action as possible into its 1:13 length, and really is quite well put together. For a gameplay trailer, it feels downright cinematic. It has about as many explosions as a trailer for a Michael Bay movie, but also shows enough of the unique scenarios in the game to give viewers an idea of what makes this Call of Duty installment unique. I’m not a big fan of first-person shooters, but I’ve got to say Ant Farm did a great job at making this game look badass. Not only will long-time fans of the series be salivating in anticipation of Call of Duty: Ghost‘s Nov. 5 release, they may win a few converts as well. Credits after the jump. continued…

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Draftfcb Gives Oreos a ‘Dublin Twist’

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Following on the heels of the massively successful centennial “Daily Twist” campaign, Draftcb has teamed up with media agency PHD,  which won JC Decaux’s “Fame – The Agency Edition” competition and secured €150,000 of media space, for an outdoor campaign dubbed “Dublin Twist.”

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“Dublin Twist” celebrates unique landmarks and events around Dublin, by depicting them in the medium of Oreo. The fifteen “twists” include Oreo depictions of the maze at Iveagh Gardens, the Bram Stoker festival, the Hugh Lane Gallery, the Abbey Theatre, the Dublin Writers Museum, and others. Draftfcb London’s ECD David Harris describes the aim of the campaign: “Through the iconic images of OREOs, this campaign invites people to get together and discover the less well known, more unconventional parts of Dublin,” he said. The sixteenth and final “twist” on Dublin institutions will be based on a winning suggestion from one of of TheJournal.ie’s readers.

In addition to the aforementioned installations, the campaign will also transform Dublin public transportation. In addition to public bus wraps, a wrapped train called the Oreo Express will dispense Oreo samples at Dublin’s Pearse Station. That is going to make some kids very, very happy. On October 28th, the brand will support runners of the Dublin Marathon with a good luck message and goody bag contribution. The campaign runs through November 4th and also includes print, experiential and social media aspects.

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The “Dublin Twist” campaign is a fun and playful extension of the idea from a successful (also fun and playful) campaign. It’s really a can’t miss. What’s not to like about minimalist interpretations of a city’s lesser-known landmarks and events, depicted using only Oreo cookies? Let’s hope Oreo continues this “twist” trend further, as it has worked excellently for the brand and offers a seemingly endless array of possible variations. Credits and more images after the jump continued…

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NBA on ESPN Crew Bunks Up for New RV Spot

Another day, another team-up between ESPN and W+K. “Inner Monologue,” the latest 30-second NBA on ESPN RV ad created by W+K New York, answers very important questions about the crew’s sleeping arrangements. Yes, some players and analysts do have to bunk up. Bulls All-Star center Joakim Noah has to sleep in the same bed as ESPN kingpin Bill Simmons, even though neither of them are happy with the situation. Noah, who stands 6’11″, probably has a better argument than Simmons, who is listed at an unconvincing 6’2″. Simmons, for all his Boston sports proclivities, is in bed with a Bull. He’s actually sleeping with the enemy. But wait…as with most of the RV spots, there’s a Jeff Van Gundy punchline. And as usual, it’s the best part of the clip. Not only is Van Gundy funny-looking, but if you’ve been following his RV escapades, whether getting stuck on the stunt double vehicle or trading glasses with Russell Westbrook, you know that JVG is also funny. And in a sports media world that is often lacking in self-deprecation and humor, the silly shtick from the NBA on ESPN panel is always nice to see. Credits after the jump.

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It’s Almost That Time to Start Growing Your Movember ‘Stache

It’s that time of year again, the chill is in the air, leaves are falling from the trees, and it’s time to start thinking about what’s doing above your upper lip.

Yes, the month-long event that is Movember is once again almost upon us as participants (here are some agency examples from last year) will start the month clean-shaven and then spend November growing and grooming their moustache, while asking friends and families to donate to men’s health charities.

The above video shows Movember’s new “taking it to the streets” strategy, as well as a penchant for trying to make mustaches seem extreme. I’m not sure what that’s all about, to be honest. But I’m all for people growing mustaches that make them look like 1980s relief pitchers. Other changes involve referring to participants as “Mo Bros” and the coining of the term “Generation Moustache” (I’m pretty sure Generation Moustache already happened, starting in the seventies). Some new initiatives are MOVE, a global initiative to get people to be more physically active; Mo Rated Barbers, “a global network showcasing the best in class barbershops from around the world dedicated to fine grooming, fine moustaches and to changing the face of men’s health”; and the Movember Collection, “a range of limited edition merchandise created by Movember’s very own creative design team, for sale to the Mo community via Movember.com.”

If you’d like to register to participate in Movember, or just want to learn more, you can do so at the official website. I won’t be participating, since I look like I’m about twelve years old when clean-shaven and can’t imagine going a whole month without my beard. Plus I’d be terrified that someone might actually refer to me as a “Mo Bro.”

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Gaming Nostalgia Abounds in Sony’s ‘#4ThePlayers Since 1995?

This UK-centric, nostalgic PlayStation spot. “#4ThePlayers Since 1995,” traces the evolution of Sony’s gaming platform through the years by paralleling it with the evolution of one gamer’s room as he graduates from one console to the next.

At the start of the spot, he has the first Playstation and his room reeks of the 90s — complete with skateboard, turntables and a Blur poster. To fully immerse us in the nostalgia of the respective Playstation eras, Sony made sure all the details — from the dates on ticket stubs to the posters and magazines featured — were tailored to the time period. Other brands helped out, with Domino’s even donating pizza boxes for each of the Playstation consoles featured.

The spot was inspired by fans’ tweets and messages in response to the hashtag #PlaystationMemories, which trended worldwide earlier this year. Sony incorporated a lot of the ideas fans expressed and attempted to make a video to “represent what PlayStation has meant to all of us since 1995.” If, like me, you’ve been with Playstation since the first console, you’ll find it impossible not to feel nostalgic over the course of the 3:22 clip. Actually, Sony did such a good job representing the eras that even if you’re not a fan of their consoles, all the little details may have you feeling a touch sentimental anyway.

As someone who still has a ton of PS3 titles to play through (and can’t afford a PS4 any time soon anyway), it’s a little hard to get excited about the next-gen launch, but the games featured in this spot do a great job reminding me of all the good times I’ve had with Sony’s Playstation consoles over the years. It’s a great little look back at Playstation’s history as Sony looks toward the platform’s future. Well done, Sony. Well done. Anyone up for some Tekken?

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Booking.com Invites You to Stay at a Haunted Hotel

W+K’s new spot for Booking.com features legendary ghost hunting destination the Queen Anne Hotel in San Francisco. The Queen Anne, which was featured on an episode of the Travel Channel’s Haunted Hotels, was a boarding school before it was a hotel, and one-time headmistress Mary Lake is said to haunt it.

In the spot above, a woman sleeping in the hotel is awoken by the television turning on by itself. She sees a camera view of something approaching her room, Room 410: the very room Mary Lake is said to haunt. Later the woman sees shots of herself, presumably while Mary’s ghost approaches. We cut out just before this woman wets the bed. At the end we see the tagline “Stay if you dare,” followed by “Over 350,000 accommodations including haunted hotels.” I’m not sure there’s a huge audience who wants to stay at haunted hotels, but I suppose the idea is that Booking.com can accommodate your every whim. Even a weird one like wanting to stay in a haunted hotel. I don’t love it, but it could be the most interesting Booking.com spot since they stole Bob Marshall’s idea of showing someone booking a room during Spain’s Running of the Bulls. Now if they’d only stop the whole “Booking.yeah” thing.

If you’re a paranormal enthusiast and are serious about wanting to stay at a haunted hotel, Booking.com will totally hook you up. They’ve created a Haunted Destination finder on their site. Included are the Queen Anne Hotel, The Stanley Hotel in Colorado (the inspiration for Stephen King‘s The Shining), the Vinoy Renaissance Hotel in St. Petersburg, Hotel Galvez in Galveston, Texas, The Historic National Hotel in Jamestown, California, The Gettysburg Hotel, and the 1886 Crescent Hotel (a purportedly haunted Arkansas hotel that houses an old morgue in its basement). It’s worth a quick click through for the histories of these paranormal destinations. Credits after the jump.  continued…

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Fiber One Turns Bad Tweets into Great Theater

Nobody wants to read your food tweets. If you’re on Diet of the Week, it’s best to keep the passive-aggressive self-loathing to yourself. However, if a brand were to recycle your bad tweets and make them into funny commercials, that might be worth our attention.

Fiber One, fresh off of the ridiculously catchy “Total Eclipse of Your Heart” spots from Saatchi & Saatchi, returns with a new and very creative “Snack Drama” campaign (still waiting to see if the agency’s involved with this one). Real tweets about diets are read aloud and then acted out in purposefully bad/awkward theater. For example, a dieting girl who doesn’t want to eat a friend’s cheesecake is seduced by a personified cheesecake man dressed in white tights (above). There’s also The Kale and I, about a girl who brings socially awkward kale chips to a party. The writing is solid for a campaign that could’ve easily hammed up the execution with corny jokes. Aside from negatively portraying healthy foods like kale, the only other critical aspect is that the videos lack the pulse of Fiber One’s previous campaign. Humor is good, but what exactly is Fiber One saying about their own brand? I don’t know, and that’s something for them to work on in the future.

The Kale and I and credits after the jump.

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ESPN, W+K Go Back to Roots in Latest ‘This Is SportsCenter’ Installment

After taking a different direction with their last SportsCenter spot, W+K New York and ESPN have gone back to what has made the “This Is SportsCenter” series so popular, employing humorous situations in the network’s Bristol HQ.

The spot, “Double Double,” stars Minnesota Timberwolves star Kevin Love as the guy responsible for pushing the coffee cart that keeps the SportsCenter crew caffeinated (UCLA mascot Joe Bruin can also be seen in the spot). This is an important job, because, as anchor Scott Van Pelt says, the SportsCenter crew relies “pretty heavily on the coffee cart” to keep going throughout the day. Love’s specialty is making “the best double-double,” which is two double espressos. Host Stan Verrett swears by Kevin’s double-doubles. In fact, he’s a little too fond of them. He requests another double-double from Love while he still has his two espressos in-hand, but Kevin says “I think maybe you should slow down.” Verrett continues to hound Love for more espresso as the spot goes on, with Kevin responsibly telling him he should just get through his show. At some point Love must have given in, and the results on Stan Verrett‘s show are pretty funny, as well as startling to co-host Neil Everett.

It’s a return to form for W+K, who play to their strengths with “Double Double.” The strategy seen here has worked for the “This Is Sportscenter” series in the past, and “Double Double” is the best SportsCenter spot in recent memory, with a good setup and comedic payoff thanks to Love and Verrett’s delivery. Let’s hope agency and brand continue sticking with what works in the future. Credits after the jump. continued…

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TBWA Continues Ad Blitz for Nissan Note with Fun ‘Ghost Train’ Spot

“Anticipate the unexpected with Safety Shield technologies,” says a narrator in Paris-based TBWA\G1’s spot “Ghost Train” for the Nissan Note. Normally such an announcement would come as a somber reminder of what could go wrong without the aid of such technology, usually following the car stopping short of a child who has run into the street (or something along those lines). We’ve all seen those ads. But TBWA\G1 went a different route with “Ghost Train,” attempting to make a utilitarian technology seem fun.

In the work above, a couple takes their car into a kind of drive-in haunted house, which is a thing that really should exist. The driver is alerted by the Safety Shield technology before a series of the haunted house’s robotic ghosts and ghouls approach the car. They seem to be having a lot of fun, and the high-tech looking baddies are some good eye-candy. It’s an entertaining little 46-second spot (although the Franz Ferdinand song featured was a little annoying). Nothing mind-blowing, but I’ll take a little low-key Halloween fun to start my Monday. Credits after the jump.  continued…

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LeBron James Drops a New, Nearly Hour-Long Training Video for Powerade

Naming your own training regiment LeBrontime might cause some people to shake their heads, but when the best basketball player in the world offers a window into his personal workout routines, it’s easy to overlook the title. As part of a new push for Powerade Zero Drops, this effort from W+K Portland is essentially the Coca-Cola brand’s response to rival Gatorade’s Chews. In an interesting twist, Gatorade happens to be endorsed by LeBron’s buddy/teammate, Dwyane Wade, and his chief rival, Kevin Durant. But, neither Wade nor Durant have made an effort to sell sugared water by revealing their workouts to the public. LeBron has, tilted-up headband and all.

On Powerade’s YouTube channel, you can watch the full 58-minute video as well as other clips that include teammates and trainers gushing about their guy and/or giving out useful tips. A writer at SportsGrid even decided to list every exercise and the number of reps in the video. They say, to beat the best, you have to train with the best. Now you can. Just don’t hurt yourself trying to relive glory days from high school. And make sure to slip some Gatorade into your backpack before you and LeBron train, because nobody really likes Powerade, right?

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Let’s Watch People Get Hit With Water Balloons in Slow-Mo Courtesy of Sprite, BBR Saatchi

What’s even more fun than watching someone get hit in the face with a water balloon? Watching it in slow-motion.

This summer, BBR Saatchi & Saatchi, Israel wanted an attention grabbing way to introduce their new “Refresh It” tagline for Sprite Israel. So they set up booths at three different beaches and hit people in the face with water balloons, while a camera filmed all the action in slow-motion.

The slow-motion videos were automatically uploaded to consumers’ Facebook pages, and those with the most views won prizes. It’s a fun idea for a social campaign, and while it’s almost hard to imagine during the slow chill of October here in the northeast, the participants seem to be having a blast. Images of your friend getting hit in the face with a water balloon are exactly the kind of thing that you want to pass around Facebook, so this undoubtedly resulted in a lot of shares. The video highlights some of the action, including one dude who holds his dog during the ordeal, and is a fun little diversion. Kind of makes you sad that the summer’s over. Credits after the jump. continued…

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‘#Mamming’ = Boobs on Stuff

Everybody loves boobs, and everybody hates cancer. So it’s hard to miss with a breast cancer awareness video, especially when you employ humor.

That’s what two female advertising creatives (including a breast cancer survivor), along with 360i, Dirty Robber, Schillick and Mass Relevance, did by creating “#Mamming,” “a chance for all of us [yes, even guys] to show solidarity with the millions of women getting mammograms this Breast Cancer Awareness Month.”

“What is this ‘mamming,’ you speak of?” you’re probably asking. #Mamming is “the act of laying your (clothed) boobs on a flat surface.” Boobs. On (flat) stuff. Got it? Since mammograms are an awkward procedure (that could save millions of lives through early detection), embracing that awkwardness can make it a lot easier for everyone. Solid reasoning, and the execution works well, too.

The “#Mamming” video introduces the concept with a woman casually (awkwardly) mamming during a conversation. Her friend asks her what she’s doing and she gives her a demonstration. Then the two proceed mamming around the city: at the video store, the pizzeria, in a cab, at the gym. Their friend joins up with them and, after a few failed attempts, finally nails mamming. The video ends with one of the women getting an actual mammogram. It’s a funny little video, and a clever way to promote the importance of mammograms for early detection.

So now that you know what mamming is, why don’t you give it a shot? You can enter your mamming photos, and see others’ submitted mamming photos, at thisismamming.com.

There was just one little fly in the ointment here. Mamming wasn’t on Urban Dictionary, so it kind of wasn’t a real word. But I took care of it and submitted a definition. Hopefully it gets posted soon. You’re welcome.

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Blur Studios Showcases Bruce Wayne’s Transformation in ‘Batman: Arkham Origins’

Warner Brothers’ Batman: Arkham series has done for superhero video games what Christopher Nolan did for superhero movies, elevating the art form and raising the bar for all competitors. So there’s a lot of buzz surrounding the newest installment, Arkham Origins, to be released October 25th.

The new TV spot for the game, created by Blur Studios in collaboration with Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and DC Comics, shows a sequence of a young Bruce Wayne transforming from a troubled youth to his emergence as Batman. If this spot is any indication, the new game will place even more emphasis on cinematic sequences and the story than previous installments. This makes sense as the game features an original prequel storyline that, according to the press release, “showcases a young and unrefined Batman as he faces a defining moment in his early career as a crime fighter that sets his path to becoming the Dark Knight.

As the story unfolds, players will meet many important characters for the first time and forge key relationships.” It makes sense that storytelling would be more important to an origin game, and Arkham Origins seems poised to deliver. Players can also expect an expanded Arkham City in the title. The spot, directed by Tim Miller, does an excellent job of whetting viewers’ appetites; clueing them in to the emotional tone of the title and the emphasis on story, without giving away any important information. Fans of the previous Arkham games, and Batman fans in general, should be excited for this one.

The Batman: Arkham Origins spot airs on broadcast TV beginning October 19th. Batman: Arkham Origins will be released on October 25th and available for PS3, Xbox 360, Wii U and PC, with a handheld version developed by Armature Studios available for Playstation Vita and Nintendo 3DS. The Batman: Arkham Origins free-to-play mobile game is available now at the Apple App Store.

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Logan & Sons Taps Jane Fonda for Creepy Prada Spot

Bi-coastal creative studio/prodco Logan & Sons somehow enticed Jane Fonda to voice a new spot for Prada called “The Future of Flesh” and the results are really creepy. I guess that’s to be expected when the word “flesh” is right there in the title.

Whether or not intentional, the Luke Gilford-directed spot leaves me feeling a little uneasy. According to a release, the spot is “set in a strange futuristic world where humans evolve to fit the style of the season.” Without that bit of clarification, I have to wonder how anyone would figure out what the hell is going on. The answer: they probably don’t. Actually, even with that info it’s still kind of hard to piece together. Gilford, offers this further explanation (not that it helps all that much), saying, “Compare magazine covers over the decades, you’ll see how much hair and physique change with the clothes. Now as body modification accelerates, facial features and bone structure are changing as well. The body is beginning to merge with fashion in very interesting ways…I find this sexy as well as strange – a science fiction fantasy becoming a reality.”

The spot takes place in some kind of futuristic society, one seemingly set apart from the rest of the world. Jane Fonda‘s voice really ads to the creepiness factor as she describes the process of joining this closed-off society (or something like that) and says nonsensical things like “each tear authenticated.” Throughout the spot there are close ups of people’s creepy-looking flesh, which seems to morph throughout the spot. Again, this is weird stuff. The wardrobe, provided entirely by Prada, does look pretty fetching, however. I’m certainly no fashion expert, but my girlfriend (who knows a thing or two about fashion) confirmed that the clothes in the spot do look quite appealing. So maybe in a fashion ad, that’s all that matters. Or maybe Logan & Sons and Prada want to scare you, you know, since it’s October.

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KesselsKramer LA Bows ‘URL Project’ for MOCA

KesselsKramer’s video for the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles tells the story of a unique digital art collaboration.

First, the idea behind the project: Digital artist Rafaël Rozendaal asked the YouTube community to submit ideas for the URL for his next project. He would then collaborate with the person who submitted the winning suggestion.

KesselsKramer’s video documents this collaborative process between Rozendaal and the winner. The URL selected was nothingeverhappens.com, which just makes me think of this. Rozendaal’s collaborator explains that he envisioned the site as “atmospheric” and “very-reduced” and the finished product certainly fits that description even if it’s “completely different” than the collaborator imagined it would be. This isn’t exactly my kind of art (it kind of just looks like a screensaver), but it’s a cool way for the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles to actively engage an audience.

You can check out more work from Rafaël Rozendaal at his website. Credits after the jump. continued…

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The Trident Player Brings a New Low to Dumb Gum Advertising

Poppin’ Layers is not a good commercial (or music video). The Trident Player is not a good rapper. Rapping about Trident Layers gum for four minutes and 34 seconds is not very funny. At this point in pop culture, the vaguely racist whiteboy poser with a fake rapper voice is just about the laziest choice for any creative or artistic project. It was lazy/dumb 10 years ago when Malibu’s Most Wanted came out.  Trident and Hollywood’s Mischievous Studios, which is behind this music video, can do better.

It would be easy to mock this campaign and be mean, but I’m not going to. You really don’t have to watch more than the first 15 seconds to get the video’s full effect. You may not know that the actors in the clip are all popular on Vine, which is mostly irrelevant, because it’s Vine. However, everyone should use this opportunity to learn from mistakes. Using Vine as a marketing platform is not very wise, especially with Instagram and SnapChat clearly dominating social media video sharing. Using lazy stereotypes is, well, lazy and uninteresting. The only press that can come from something like this is bad press from people who think it lacks any sort of awareness or intelligence. I get that gum brands are supposed to be cool and irreverent, but Poppin’ Layers is just amateurishly off the mark.

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TBWA, Tool Craft Passion Genome Campaign Extension for Nissan

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TBWA\Chiat\Day LA and Tool have created a neat social extension of the TVC from a couple of months ago to promote the Nissan 2014 Versa Note.

The Passion Genome site allows users to “see the passions they share with their friends illustrated in a Passion Portrait, a personalized, interactive visualization of themselves.” How does that work exactly? Well, basically you link your Facebook account to the site so it can analyze your info and you choose a photo to represent yourself. It didn’t work so well for me, but then I don’t have any decent portrait shots on Facebook (my profile pic is currently a sloth astronaut).

Nissan seems very excited about the project as Jon Brancheau, VP/marketing for the automaker’s North American ops, says in a statement,”The Passion Genome displays passions and connections in an extraordinary and fascinating way, and we at Nissan can’t wait to see how it resonates with everyone who explores it.” The project was inspired by the idea that the 2014 Versa Note has a “sculpted, modern look” that “reflects the active lives of its target buyers.” That may be a bit of a stretch, but that’s no matter. People will share this on Facebook and spread awareness for Nissan. Especially because if you share your Passion Portrait on Facebook or Twitter (using the #PassionPortrait hashtag) you could win one of eight $1,000 gift cards from Amazon.com and have your portrait featured on PassionGenome.com. Go try it for yourself, and feel free to link to your Passion Portrait in the comments section. Credits after the jump.  continued…

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DDB NY, Ad Council Debut New PSAs for Bullying Prevention Month

October is National Bullying Prevention Month, and DDB New York and Ad Council have developed a series of new PSAs to spread awareness about this important issue as part of the “Be More Than A Bystander” campaign. To do so, they also brought in a long list of partners including: MLB Network, NBA, HLN, filmmaker Lee Hirsch (BullyThe Bully Project), Cartoon Network, Facebook, and the U.S. Department of Education, among others.

The “Be More Than A Bystander” campaign calls on people to take action against bullying.  As someone who was bullied pretty incessantly during middle school, this stuff hits pretty close to home. It’s hard not to appreciate the problem of bullying after viewing the spot “Caine,” which highlights the struggles of a Texas middle schooler who is bullied for his perceived sexuality. Caine shares his struggles with physical violence and verbal abuse, saying at one point, “Pretty much a good day for me would be people leaving their hands off of me.” It’s pretty heartbreaking stuff, especially when Caine shares that “nobody’s ever tried to help me.” At the end of the spot, viewers are told, “There are ways your child could be the one that helps. Give your kids the tools to be more than just a bystander.” They are then prompted to visit thebullyproject.com/parents to give their kids the tools to help those that are bullied. There’s also a shorter version of the “Caine” spot and several other PSAs, including one for the MLB Network. If you’re wondering what to tell your kids to do to stop bullying, the “Be More Than A Bystander” campaign recommends that they “tell a trusted adult such as a family member, teacher or coach; help the person being bullied get away from the situation; be a friend to the person being bullied; set a good example – do not bully others; and don’t give bullying an audience.”

You can visit stopbullying.gov to learn more about bullying prevention, and check out the MLB Network PSA after the jump. continued…

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Martin, Benjamin Moore Scare the Crap Out of Contractors

Some good Halloween fun for you today…

Martin Agency client Benjamin Moore, and Tool director Jason Zada wanted to show that their Ultra Spec 500 paint goes on quick to get the project finished when you need it most — like when you’re scared shitless.

So they gave a group of painters a nightmare assignment: painting a wall in a “haunted” hotel. Upon arrival, the painters are told that “Years ago people with mental diseases were kept here for a period of time.” Once they start working, Benjamin Moore starts making all kinds of spooky things happen: strange noises, a rocking chair moving on its own, a chandelier rocking back and forth. “I don’t fool with no ghosts,” says one perturbed contractor.

The prank reaches its climax when the lights go out and a woman dressed as a ghost emerges, screaming. Predictably, the contractors freak out before the elaborate hoax is revealed. Their reactions are pretty priceless, and you’ve got to appreciate a prank like this in October. That the painting job was never finished does take away from the spot’s supposed intention, although most people probably won’t notice. There’s more horror-styled fun at Benjamin Moore’s “Scary Good Job” website, where contractors (or just people who need a lot of paint?) can enter to win a 500-gallon supply of Ultra Spec 500.

You can check out the “Testimonials” video after the jump, in which painters share their own horror stories of “nightmare” jobs. Credits follow. continued…

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‘Call of Duty’ Goes Domestic in UK Spot ‘Faboom’

Another day, another commercial from the Call of Duty: Ghosts marketing blitzkrieg. “Faboom,” a 40-second spot for UK audiences comes from 72andSunny and shows regular folk reenacting their favorite moments from the game at work, out to dinner, even in the doctor’s office during a proctology exam – well played, 72.

The spot comes a week after Eminem premiered his “Survival” music video that also acts as a Call of Duty promo. “Faboom” doesn’t have any white rappers – however, most of the people in the commercial happen to be white – but despite the lack of celebrity punch, the energy and occasional humor gives this ad a universal feel that should work whether televised or shown online. The clip evokes a bit of the Dave Chappelle skit about a real-life version of Grand Theft Auto. Clearly, the sentiment has aged well, and appealing to the human connection to video games, rather than just showing out-of-context graphics for 30 seconds, seems to be the new go-to technique for gaming ads. Call of Duty: Ghosts comes out September 5. Credits after the jump.

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