Hasta La Creative!

Red Tettemer + Partners have teamed with Under Armour to launch “What’s Beautiful 3.0,” the third version of a social media exercise contest where women can ultimately win – drum roll, plrease – an all-expense paid fitness retreat to sunny Costa Rica. Judging by the campaign’s website and the general tone of Under Armour’s advertisements, beautiful is: athletic, ripped, motivated, a little edgy, and healthy. Women interested in competing can post pictures and videos of their fitness exploits. Under Armour periodically issues athletic challenges and will host pop-up events around the country designed to bring together participants who may only know each other from the online profiles. After two months, Under Armour will look at all of the previous submissions and select 10 finalists. Three winners will get to go to Costa Rica, two chosen by Under Armour and one by public vote.

Even if the contest structure and vague superficiality of the campaign seems a little at odds with female empowerment, we’re all for people living healthier. Tip of the day for women taking selfies at profile-picture-esque diagonal angles: It probably won’t hurt to be in full Under Armour gear when posting on the site. Catsuits and everything, that’s how you go from product placement to Costa Rica.

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Mark Svartz, Hal Kirkland and their crew, who were behind previous efforts including the “Artobots” installation as part of their “Audio Tour Hack” campaign, have returned with a new “binaural sound” exhibit dubbed “Mad World,” which takes us through the sands of time as part of an effort for One Club and its Creative Week. Sure, it’s a bit vague at this point, but here’s a little description from the Hack Tourists:

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Yeah, we got this news just before noon EST, but thanks to meetings and what not, we were kinda hampered. But, whatever the case, let us tell you if you haven’t heard already that CP+B and longtime client Domino’s continue their efforts to promote ultimate transparency for the brand to the masses with “Domino’s Live.” Salt Lake City is the pizza chain’s venue of choice for this pilot program, and with the aid of five installed cameras, we get quite the glimpse into the what happens when pizza chains stop being nice and start getting real. Ok, maybe it’s not that dramatic, nor as high-tension or unintentionally hilarious as something like Food Network’s Restaurant Stakeout and its host with horrible grammar, but you can check out the goings on here. Consider this effort one that brings your Domino’s web-based “Pizza Tracker” to life, if you will, though we’re not sure which viewing experience is more exciting at this point.

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Portal A’s new mockumentary for L’Oreal’s Vichy Skin Care may make it a little easier for women to laugh at their own cellulite follies. Forgive me, I may not be familiar with some of these techniques: Body shapers? The shake belt? Butt vacuuming? (Butt vacuuming is one of those concepts that is so absurd, at least to my guy perspective, that it could also be legitimate). So, if you have two minutes to spare, watch some women indulge in body image self-deprication. This video may not compare to the Christopher Guest oeuvre, but listening to people make fun of themselves is always a comforting form of comedy.

Of course, after ribbing women who struggle to attain the perfect body, the end of the video shows the lower-half of a lady with flawlessly toned legs and skin that is tan and smooth. I guess Vichy wants to have their cake and eat it, too. Or something like that. Credits after the jump.

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By now, you’re probably aware of the shitstorm spawned by Hyundai and Innocean’s recent U.K. spot “Pipe Job,” which didn’t sit too well with people who were directly affected by its subject matter. In turn, the ad was pulled and apologies rained. So, since it’s still fairly fresh in mind, let’s get some quick thoughts on the campaign from Bernie Pitzel, a 35-year ad vet who’s currently creative in residence at Jacobs Agency and is the man behind the “Be Like Mike” Gatorade campaign.

…Hyundai and those wacky cut-ups at Innocean Europe for their recently pulled Hyundai iX35 “Pipe Job” commercial portraying a failed suicide attempt, which was the platform they decided on to tout their 100% water emissions.

Suicide? Really?

Oh, the commercial is powerful, but at what cost? How low can we go to shill a product? Apparently, way lower than I or most of America imagined.

This is the heartbreaking reaction to the commercial from Holly Brockwell, an advertising creative whose father committed suicide; her father’s last note is included. It’s very sad that she had to relive the pain because of this cruel and thoughtless piece of trash.

What amazes me most, is not that some clown came up with this idea (this business has more clown cars than Barnum & Bailey), but that not one person at either Innocean or Hyundai, said, “You know group, maybe depicting a suicide attempt is not such a great idea.” Apparently humanity, common decency and common sense are out the window if we think this is the kind of execution that can sell a car. A stupid car.

I won’t go on. The article, which consists mostly of Holly Brockwell’s response, speaks to the senselessness and pain far better than I ever could.

It’s a tough read. I can only imagine the tears she shed on her keyboard while she wrote it, and I can join her in never, ever purchasing a Hyundai.

In the end, I only hope “Pipe Job” encourages people to shy away from this ridiculously insensitive brand, rather than achieve Hyundai’s and Innocean’s desired intent.

Yes, they got our attention.  Let’s hope they pay dearly for their success.

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The veteran electronic music twosome from Scotland has been getting very Easter-eggy with the recent publicity for their upcoming album, which may be titled Cosecha. There are sequences of numbers and vague video clips that may have been shot on the Zapruder family camera, and the latest clip above premiered last night on Cartoon Network. But what does it all mean exactly? I’m not sure, but it may have to do with Thomas Pynchon and subliminal messaging.

There is no scheduled date for the album release, and some people aren’t even sure there will be an album. But there is a very, very hazy viral campaign for Boards of Canada that is getting fans hot and bothered and has provoked bloggers to plunge down the rabbit hole and delve into its meaning. So, let’s just assume there will be more puzzle pieces and snippets of new music in the near future.

Update: Well, mystery solved as Pitchfork reveals that there is indeed a new BoC album and it’s called Tomorrow’s Harvest.

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I must admit that I’m not the avid videogamer I once was. I hung up my gaming cleats in my late teens (about five years ago) and have watched the new releases from afar, flexing my knuckles, trying to avoid a destiny of Carpal tunnel syndrome. Usually, videogame ads all look the same and sport some generic 9/10 rating. But occasionally, a commercial will stand out and make wonder whether I should play again. For those of us who are worried about falling off the wagon, a compelling game ad can be both exciting and scary.

The Bureau: XCOM Declassified trailer – created by Team One, which also handles Lexus of course – may be vague, but it is certainly not generic. The three-minute spot sells tone in a cinematic style, and according to Team One, contains 20 Easter eggs for future customers. The game is set in the Cold War and re-imagines a doomsday Cold War where aliens invade instead of Russians. You then have the fearless protagonist who will stop at no costs to complete his mission. The game will be out August 20, and the creators have promised more mysterious pieces of ad content leading up to the release date.

Credits after the jump.

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Not the best way to end the day, but Holly Brockwell, a London-based digital copywriter’s note to Hyundai and its agency, Innocean, regarding their new ad campaign, had us figuratively chopping onions for a few minutes. If you haven’t seen the campaign, which promotes the automaker’s ix35 in the most awkward of ways, look above (Update: It looks like the videos keep getting taken down, so don’t be surprised if it happens again; We’ll just provide screen grabs if need be. Update 2: And, yes, it’s now been officially pulled by the brand) . Anyhow, the man in the ad survives his attempted suicide thanks to Hyundai’s apparent 100 percent water emissions. Unfortunately, Brockwell’s dad died in the same manner, and after watching the spot, she penned this letter to the brand and agency via her blog. It’s, as mentioned, a heartbreaker and we truly feel for her. Here’s just an excerpt:

“When your ad started to play, and I saw the beautifully-shot scenes of taped-up car windows with exhaust feeding in, I began to shake. I shook so hard that I had to put down my drink before I spilt it. And then I started to cry. I remembered looking out of the window to see the police and ambulance, wondering what was happening. I remember mum sitting me down to explain that daddy had gone to sleep and would not be waking up, and no, he wouldn’t be able to take me to my friend’s birthday party next week. No, he couldn’t come back from heaven just for that day, but he would like to if he could. I remember finding out that he had died holding my sister’s soft toy rabbit in his lap.

Surprisingly, when I reached the conclusion of your video, where we see that the man has in fact not died thanks to Hyundai’s clean emissions, I did not stop crying. I did not suddenly feel that my tears were justified by your amusing message. I just felt empty. And sick. And I wanted my dad.”

Her final note to the parties involved says it all: “My dad never drove a Hyundai. Thanks to you, neither will I.” We obviously can’t blame her. Let’s just see if and when or how agency and/or brand responds.

Updated: Well, that didn’t take long. Barely 90 minutes after this post, Hyundai has offered this to us verbatim:

Hyundai Motor America Statement:

“We at Hyundai Motor America are shocked and saddened by the depiction of a suicide attempt in an inappropriate European video featuring a Hyundai. Suicide merits thoughtful discussion, not this type of treatment.”

Hyundai Motor Company Statement:

“Hyundai Motor deeply and sincerely apologizes for the offensive viral ad.

The ad was created by an affiliate advertising agency, Innocean Europe, without Hyundai’s request or approval. It runs counter to our values as a company and as members of the community. We are very sorry for any offense or distress the video caused. More to the point, Hyundai apologizes to those who have been personally impacted by tragedy.”

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Last month, we covered the teaser trailer for Desire, a short film from Jaguar and Ridley Scott Associates that promised a spring release. True to their words, we have the full-length video in the middle of spring, and with a 13:29 running time, we figured it was best to wait until the lunch break to post it up.

Damian Lewis, star of Homeland, plays Sidney Clark, a posh car deliveryman dropping off a red Jaguar F-Type in a Mexican desert. There are more than a few sexy shots of the red convertible speeding through empty roads, red dust and mountains in the background. There’s a silly plot with a girl and some stolen money that would rank as one of the lesser BMW The Hire films from a few years ago, but the Jaguar just looks cool on screen. If this vehicle existed 50 years ago, Steve McQueen would’ve driven it in Bullitt. Watching this short film will probably make you want to buy the convertible, but even if you have the money, you won’t look this cool. You should buy it anyway.

If Lewis decides to stop acting, he always has a future as a car salesman, sort of.

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In the last few months, T-Mobile has pushed out a marketing full-court press coinciding with their iPhone 5 network coverage. Some of the spots have been unusually weird (this isn’t in English, but you should watch), while others, like this cowboy commercial from March Madness, like to add humor by subverting stereotypes. Their latest effort, “The Simple Choice,” was created by Publicis West Seattle and might teach you a thing or two about intellectual expectations when it comes to Dr. Frankenstein and his monster. The spot will run during the NBA Playoffs and will probably become one of those commercials that gets overplayed ad nauseam, even if the first view deserves an inner chuckle.

As you’ll see after watching, T-Mobile goes right after AT&T. I always like when the gloves come off, but on the Shots Fired Scale, this bland discrediting only warrants a 3 out of 10. Next time, I’d like some down and dirty defamation worthy of a negative political campaign ad. If T-Mobile really wants to make an impact, they should go Willie Horton “Weekend Passes” on AT&T. It won’t be very classy, but people will pay attention.

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