Hasta La Creative!

Nissan is bringing Google Maps to the road, so if you live with a parent or spouse who gets lost regularly and refuses to ask for directions, this car may be a solid investment. Navigation systems aren’t new, but the Google Send-to-Car technology can be accessed and modified remotely. In the sixty-second spot above, you’ll notice Google’s signature blue rope pulling along the Nissan Juke n-tec (I guess nobody will be buying this automobile for the name…) through an unmarked city during the night. And if you’re worried that this promotion will take away the comfort of watching a loved one go crazy in the driver’s seat after realizing he/she is lost, fear not. There’s always the chance that the angry driver will question Google Maps and make up a new route. Then, you can get the popcorn ready.

TBWA\G1 Paris developed the spot and corresponding “Urban Thrill Rides” campaign that will pop across Europe starting this month. Take a second to pay attention to the music, which a rapped by a man who is half-Jay-Z, half-Will Smith, a perfect combination for a European audience. A little pitchy Jay-voice and  some Big Willy over-pronunciation makes everyone happy. Hopefully happy enough for you not to realize that a car is grinding on a median X-Games style. Keep the Google, but maybe next time, we can stop pretending that cars are like skateboards. Safety first.

Credits after the jump.

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Who is your favorite Beyonce? Is it “Bootylicious” Beyonce? Sasha Fierce? “Crazy in Love” Beyonce? There’s always the more traditional millionaire mogul/super-duper female role model Bey, the one who signed the Pepsi endorsement deal that brought us to this point. In “Mirrors,” which comes to us from 180 LA and features Mrs. Carter’s track, “Grown Woman,” you don’t have to choose a favorite Beyonce, because they are all there for you to admire. The 60-second spot is part of Pepsi’s “Live for Now” campaign.

I’m not sure what Beyonce or Pepsi has to do with the idea of living for now. And Coke tastes much better, had to throw that in there. But Pepsi has been making strides in the music industry, helping to brand popular and upcoming artists to enormous audiences. This spot evokes the Gatorade “Who Got Next” commercial from a few years ago with Michael Jordan playing one-on-one against earlier versions of himself. That was clever and made sense with the brand; this doesn’t, but it’s Beyonce, so everyone will gawk at her on YouTube or their television screens. Maybe they should. #BeyHereNow.

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“What do women’s rights, a one-armed surfer, the fall of the Berlin Wall, and the first man on the moon have to do with the California Lottery?” begins an actual press release for a new TV spot from David&Goliath. “None of them could have been possible without this single word: Believe. Because in order to achieve the seemingly unfeasible, you must truly believe that big things are possible.”

In an event that easily trumps women’s rights, one-armed surfers, and the fall of the Berlin Wall, Powerball is coming to California. From the Redwood forest of Humboldt county to the beaches of San Diego, Californians lifted their arms to the sky and shouted in unison, “We believe!” Hearing their confession of faith, God opened up the heavens and began pelting his children, mouths agape, with millions of white balls.

Some wept, some sang praises, and some lucky dude got a red ball. It was truly the greatest thing that ever happened to anyone. Credits after the jump.

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Meet Andy Williams, a 30-something bearded musician who shares a name with a recently deceased beloved pop singer/actor. Williams hails from Buffalo, New York, eschews the mere notion of a 9-to-5 office gig, and plays guitar in semi-popular hardcore band Every Time I Die.

It might seem to a naive person that Williams has it all: A cool job, musical chops, great friends, adoring fans and a magnificent beard. However, Williams suffers from a debilitating addiction. While his bandmates indulge in the clinically recommended rock star diet (drugs, fast food, booze), Williams battles every day with his 23-flavored soft drink crutch, Dr. Pepper. In fact, as the above video from Dr. Pepper and Code and Theory suggests, Williams cannot even take the stage some nights without receiving his fix.

As with most cases of substance abuse, Williams’ crippling habit has racked up quite the bill over the years. It’s become so bad, in fact, that Williams is now soliciting fans to buy him cans of Dr. Pepper via Twitter. More disconcerting still is that having heard of Williams’ unique problem, Dr. Pepper has decided not to encourage the guitarist to seek the medical attention he requires. Rather, Dr. Pepper is integrated Williams’ story into their “1 of a Kind” campaign, propping up his near lifeless body against a wall and making him pose with a guitar for a giveaway.

Remember, the moment your friend gets a Dr. Pepper tattoo is the moment you start setting arrangements for an intervention. Credits after the jump.

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Fresh off of retaining creative duties at least for longtime client Honda, (phew), RPA has rolled this out on this, the jokiest, prank-filled of days. The Santa Monica-based agency introduces us to the greatest haircut-on-the-go machine known to man with the HondaHAIR, which comes equipped within the Honda Odyssey Touring Elite. What would an announce like this be without some PR speak, and Honda’s head of said department, named “Parsley Thyme” chimes in saying, ““We recognize that our Odyssey drivers are busier than ever, which is why we’ve packed the car with so many conveniences, including this HondaHAIR forward-thinking technology.” During use, we say just avoid the damn potholes, but we should say the HondaVAC in the 2014 Odyssey is an actual accessory. Credits after the jump.

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From Chicago’s Energy BBDO comes two new spots for Orbit that illustrate the mantra “Eat, Drink, Chew,” a saying that became popular in North Carolina and surrounding regions in the late 18th century.

With the famed Tobacco Road turning to alternative industries due to America’s feeble attempt to kick its dirty, smelly habit, Wrigley brand Orbit is jumping at the opportunity to turn the saying into something positive for its strain of refreshing after-meal gum. To illustrate that Orbit fights bad breath, they’ve turned to living, breathing food mutant actors. Traditionally maligned by society due to their unsightly presence and caustic personalities, it’s inspiring to see these social outcasts given a role, whether they’re a pile of buttery mashed potatoes or a hunk of unidentifiable fried meat.

A second spot depicts working-class Americans’ number one reason for avoiding polo matches. No, it’s not the overabundance of pastel Ralph Lauren sweaters; it’s the fear of breathing partially digested nacho particles onto a horse that someone probably paid a lot of money and accidentally killing it. Remember, only Orbit can prevent a life of indentured servitude under the employ of an oil baron whose polo horse you mistakenly murdered. Credits after the jump.
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StrawberryFrog India has crafted the “Ask” movement for the e2o – an electric car by India’s leading auto company, Mahindra. The movement was launched on Monday with a digital film and social media campaign. It portrays ‘asking questions’ as a way of ushering in a better future. “Ask” resonates with India’s increasingly bold, assertive and demanding youth. It reflects Mahindra’s commitment to ask tough questions and enable higher standards.

The 90-second film features people asking urgent questions about life, society and the environment, using a “rising hand” as a visual motif to denote questions. It ends with a call to participate in the movement on www.mahindrae2o.com

Of the campaign for the e2o, B Karthik, corporate brand management, Mahindra & Mahindra, said, “All of humanity’s achievements can be traced to a question that someone has asked. Be it Newton’s discovery or Einstein’s creation, it’s all come about through a question. So we’ve joined this ‘Ask’ bandwagon. We want to engage all stakeholders in co-creating the future.”

Even though The Return of Mike and Ike is a fake movie, the trailer looks more interesting than most of the previews we see in theaters on a regular basis. For those who’ve forgotten, Mike and Ike had a brutal split last year, causing lovers of the fruity candy to sink into a deep depression. As you can see, they’re back together, in a faux crime-thriller movie trailer that may or may not associate Mike and Ikes with drugs. Probably not great for the under-12 demographic, but at least this spot tries to creatively rebrand an old-school candy. Part of me wonders if they should’ve gone with such a serious tone. Maybe a buddy-cop comedy satire could’ve lent itself to some needed humor.

The campaign for the Just Born candy brand, which also includes a new website, was created by Elevator Group (Scituate, Massachusetts) and Nail Communication (Providence, Rhode Island). I’m not sure if this ad will translate to more candy sales, but it certainly shows how easy it is to create a mock thriller trailer. Throw in some angry old white dudes, an undercover blonde co-ed, minor-league Inception orchestra music, and scenes of people running and/or yelling. Two thumbs up? You be the judge when this fake movie doesn’t come to a theater near you.

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It’s hard to remember a Sprite TV spot that didn’t feature pro/amateur athletes playing street ball and squirting liters of lemon-lime soda into their mouths after a big dunk. In fact, “Obey Your Thirst” ran as Sprite’s tagline for over a decade, and only in 2007 did the brand cut it down to “Obey” because Shepard Fairey speaks to a younger generation or something.

But, when parent company Coca-Cola tapped Johannes Leonardo to lead Sprite’s global creative duties last May, it became clear that a change was imminent. With “Obey You,” Johannes Leonardo is taking Sprite out of Rucker Park and putting it on a much stranger course. It’s become somewhat clear that the younger generation no longer idolizes professional basketball stars like they once did. That is, unless that star is Blake Griffin, and that star is being weird.

“Obey You” seems to be employing the strategy of “weird sells to 18-49.” Are the antagonistic voices in your head going to sell more Sprite than street-ballers? Or is the younger generation getting weary of the weird?

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Both fast-food eateries are running “Mrs. Robinson,” a 30-second homage to The Graduate with Heidi Klum doing her best Anne Bancroft. The spot, created once again by 72andSunny (last work for the CKE chain here), promotes the Jim Beam Bourbon Burger. Odds are that Klum doesn’t regularly eat the fine cuisine she endorses, but we won’t hold it against you if you replay the part where she sucks up barbecue sauce from her finger.

Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s have actually turned down the overt sexuality in their ads–remember last year’s Kate Upton commercial? I’ve eaten their burgers once or twice in my life, and I can assure you, they are not aphrodisiacs unless you’re a local gastroenterologist who needs more business. Credits after the jump.

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