Hasta La Creative!

72andSunny launched a new campaign for Sonos, presenting the wireless speaker brand as the solution to common home audio problems like weak computer speakers and poorly integrated sound systems.

The 60-second spot at the heart of the campaign touches on all such problems, opening with a scene borrowed from 2009 bromantic comedy I Love You, Man which features Paul Rudd‘s character playing a Rush song for an unimpressed Rashida Jones on his computer speakers. From there we see a man holding his cellphone up to his ears, straining to hear the music, a noticeably grossed-out woman cleaning off earbud headphones she’s sharing with a guy, a man nearly having a panic attack while putting together a complicated speaker system and a rather unfortunate Bluetooth interruption. There’s also the problem of a father straining to hear dialogue while watching a show, only for the explosion in the next scene to wake up his sleeping baby.

It’s a relatable approach as most people who have listened to music (or watched Netflix) anytime in the past decade or so has likely encountered at least one of these problems. The spot ends with the tagline “You’re better than this,” implying viewers deserve a better listening experience. A series of 15-second spots explores each situation and dilemma specifically, and more clearly explains how Sonos offers a solution, something that 72andSunny doesn’t make much time for with all the scenes thrown into the mix.

Last week (August 26 to be precise) was National Toilet Paper Day. Somehow we missed the memo on that one, but Droga5 New York didn’t, as the agency created a digital spot and mini popup shops to celebrate the holiday (if you can even call it that) for toilet paper brand Quilted Northern.

To ring in the event, Droga5 New York crated the online spot “A Most Forgettable Holiday,” which drove traffic to the brand’s one-day sale on Amazon. In the spot, Quilted Northern admits that National Toilet Paper Day is unlike holidays in that there are “no gifts, no parades, no jolly people in suits, and no one gets this day off work.” But, while the brand admits the day is nowhere near as important as Women’s Equality Day, which it share a date with, the brand does bring people together with its deal, “designed for each and every American with a butt.” The spot ends by suggesting viewers subscribe to the brand on Amazon so they never have to remember buying toilet paper again.

The whole approach is a continuation of Droga5’s “Designed to be Forgotten” campaign, launched in May of 2015, centered around the entirely forgettable holiday. Its self-effacing qualities lead into a subtle push for the Amazon sale while leading into some quirkiness (sign-spinning bunny, etc.) designed to keep the video watchable.

Additionally, Droga5 created a series of pop-up shops around New York and Seattle…with a small catch. The mini pop-up shops were too small for human entry, and didn’t actually sell toilet paper. Instead, visitors could pop their heads into the shops and were directed to the brand’s Amazon sale. Hmm, that actually seems kind of memorable…

Credits:
Agency: Droga5 NY
Creative Chairman: David Droga
Chief Creative Officer: Ted Royer
Group Creative Director: Don Shelford
Associate Creative Director: Erica Pressly
Associate Creative Director: Emmie Nostitz
Jr. Copywriter: Ted Meyer
Jr. Art Director: Tommaso Fontanella
Copywriter: Yahkeema Moffitt
Sr. Art Director: Kat Dudkiewicz
Executive Design Director: Rob Trostle
Designer: Dan Kane
Designer: Nate Moore
Chief Creation Officer: SallyAnn Dale
Senior Broadcast Producer: Anders Hedberg
Social Producer: Luke Bumgarner
Music Supervisor: Ryan Barkan
Music Supervisor: Mike Ladman
Head of Interactive Production: Niklas Lindstrom
Executive Interactive Producer: Tasha Cronin
Interactive Producer: Andrew Puzzuoli
Associate Interactive Producer: Alyssa Cashman
Global Chief Strategy Officer: Jonny Bauer
Strategy Director: Elaine Purcell
Senior Strategist: Mara Buta
Senior Communications Strategist: Delphine McKinley
Senior Data Strategist: Brad Mumbrue
Data Strategist: Remy Lupica
Group Account: Director Brett Edgar
Account Director: Ross Gillis
Account Supervisor: Kate Tyler Monroe
Associate Account Manager: Kyra Gembka
Project Manager: Michelle Yee
Client GeorgiaPacific / Quilted Northern
CMO: Douwe Bergsma
SVP & General Manager, Tissue: Vivek Joshi
Senior Brand Director: Jason Ippen
Director Brand Center: Shari Neumann
Brand Building Leader: Aviral Singh
Brand Manager: Ricky Busby
Brand Manager: Melissa Blunte
Senior Associate Brand Manager: Lauren Freedman
Senior Associate Brand Manager: Dalyn Mathews
Social Media Manager: Gisela Carapaica

Production Company: Pet Gorilla
Director: Luc Schurgers
DOP: Ralph Kaechele
Executive Producerz: Dominic Bernacci
Producer: Alana Mitnick
Editorial: Friendshop
Editor: Adam Longo
Assistant Editor: Alex Pirrone
Executive Producer: Melissa Mapes
Producer: Adam Roe
Flame Artist: Matt Stroub
Post Production: The Mill
Producer: Natalie Westerfield
Colorist: Mikey Rossiter
Sound: Heard City
Mixer: Eric Warzecha
Executive Producer: Gloria Pitagorsky
Producer: Sasha Awn
Interactive Production: Company Unit 9
Executive Producer: Rebecca Hudson
Project Manager: Martina Sogni
Architecture Director: Kate Lynham
Creative Director: Thomas Davies
Installation Developer: Christian Bianchini
Product Designer: YuChang Chou
Illustrator: Sophie Conchonnet
Designer: Gosia Pawlak
Technical Lead: Zbigniew Czarnecki
UX Designer: Simon Bauchet
QA Manager: Eve Acton
QA Manager: Andrew Heraty
Head of QA: Dominic Berzons
Frontend Developer: Rafael Gomes Alcantara

Leo Burnett gets in on the (now waning) Pokemon Go craze with a new spot for esurance telling players of the popular mobile game, “Don’t Catch And Drive.”

That’s solid advice, as distracted driving can lead to some nasty accidents and, according to the 30-second spot, such unwanted Pokemon as Dingduck, Collidaquill, Scratcherscray and the dreaded Fenderbendix. In the spot, people who have just gotten into car accidents of various kinds unenthusiastically talk about catching these characters. Leveraging a new mobile trend to warn people against distracted driving is an approach that makes sense for the brand, fitting nicely with its “Insurance for the modern world” tagline.

Leo Burnett and esurance also staged a fake collision with a hot dog vendor in Chicago, with the Fenderbendix on scene as the supposed cause of the mishap. Scrawled in the sidewalk near the scene, which according to the case study initially fooled a few onlookers, is a message reading, “smart people #DontCatchAndDrive” along with the esurance logo, to let people know that’s it’s just an advertisement. Presumably no hot dogs were harmed in the stunt.

BBDO’s ongoing anti-texting and driving campaign for AT&T takes an even more tragically macabre turn in “The Unseen,” the latest chapter in the 6-year-old “It Can Wait” project.

At first, this one resembles past spots with a 40-something suburban family. In fact, the BBDO team seems to be leading us to think that it will end in a less devastating way than 2015’s “Close to Home.”

For one thing, Mr. Dad is the only one driving. And he’s very careful not to get distracted by his phone, even though past efforts have turned this work into the advertising equivalent of a horror movie that inspires a rush every time someone goes up the stairs to the attic … or, in this case, every time he gets a notification.

Things take a turn toward the surreal or even fantastic around the 1:45 mark as an unexpected character appears.

Damn. Like the star of this ad, we didn’t see that coming until it was too late. 

The release notes that this spot launched before the Labor Day weekend because it happens to be the most travel-heavy holiday in the United States, and “more cars on the road means there is more risk of accidents.”

Even more importantly, people like our protagonist are twice as likely to use their phones while driving if they happen to be alone in the car. 

This is a pretty big conceptual leap for AT&T that closely resembles a modern day Twilight Zone scenario. “Close to Home” director Frederic Planchon also helmed this spot, and they’re very stylistically similar, but the twist does make all the difference. We knew something was coming, but we really didn’t expect it to go all supernatural like that.

The narrative loses much of its power in the :30 version, which cuts out all the buildup and a good deal of context along with it.

A related blog post by AT&T senior EVP and global marketing officer Lori Lee notes that the campaign will also include print, radio, social and digital components and that the company will work with some behavioral economists to “uncover new insights and test them in field trials” in its effort to decrease texting-while-driving accidents.

Given the client’s recent decision to consolidate its business with Omnicom, we can expect a good bit more work on this account from BBDO moving forward as well.

Now, are we horrible people for hoping the dog found his way home?

Also, Brightcove is the absolute worst.

Credits

Agency: BBDO New York
Client: AT&T
Title: The Unseen

Chief Creative Officer, Worldwide: David Lubars
Chief Creative Officer, New York: Greg Hahn
Executive Creative Director: Matt MacDonald
Creative Director/Copywriter: Rick Williams
Creative Director/Art Director: Marcel Yunes

Director of Integrated Production: David Rolfe
Group Executive Producer: Julie Collins
Executive Producer: Dan Blaney

Managing Director: Mark Cadman
Senior Director: Mark Tillinghast
Account Director: Matt Mason
Account Manager: Johnny Wardell
Account Executive: Erin Sheehan

Planning Director: James Lou
Engagement Planning Director: Charles Baker
Senior Planner: Simonas Piepalius

Business Affairs Manager: Nancy Espinal

Production Company: Anonymous Content
Director: Frederic Planchon
Managing Director/EP: Eric Stern
Executive/Production: Sue Ellen Clair
Head of Production: Kerry Haynie
Producer: Erin Wile
Production Supervisor: Donald Cager
DP: Jody Lee Lipes

Editorial: WORK Editorial
Editor: Rich Orrick – RICH ORRICK
Executive Producer: Erica Thompson
Producer: Jamie Perritt
Assistant Editors: Christopher Fetsch/evelina gokinayeva

Visual Effects: The Mill
Shoot Supervisor: Gavin Wellsman

Colorist: Fergus McCall

2d Lead Artist : Krissy Nordella
2d Artist: Gavin Wellsman, Heather Kennedy, Alex Miller, Nicolette Picardo, Alex Wysota, Kevin Donahue
3d Artist: Sandor Toledo, Peter Karnik, Alex Allain
Design: Yuanbo Chen

Senior Producer: Nirad “Bugs” Russell
Executive Producer: Sean Costelloe

Mix studio: Heard City
Sound Mixer: Phil Loeb
Sound Designer: Brian Emrich
Music track: Villa Del Refugio
Music artist: This Will Destroy You
//

W+K New York recently launched a new spot for Nike’s Jordan brand starring Oklahoma City Thunder point guard Russell Westbrook entitled “Runway.”

The spot sees Westbrook taking the ball down an unusual court on an airplane runway to the sound of a jet engine. As he jumps into the air, the camera pans out to reval a “23” on the runway and the voiceover chimes in “Some run, some make runways.” The ad is an homage to the original spot introducing the Air Jordan brand, “Not Meant to Fly,” with a similar aeronautical premise. It even makes use of the same jet engine sound audio as that effort, the agency told Creativity.

The spot made its debut on social media last week and its broadcast debut during MTV’s VMAs, with support from social media and experiential efforts. It has since led some to speculate whether the tagline is subtle jab at Westbrook’s former teammate Kevin Durant, who left the Thunder for the Golden State Warriors after last season.

As CBS Sports points out, though, it’s pretty unlikely that W+K and Nike would be openly critical of Durant, a a fellow Nike athlete. The more obvious interpretation, that it’s just ad copy playing with words, is a lot more probable. A feuding Westbrook and Durant in Jordan and Nike spots would be kind of interesting, though.

Credits:
Agency: Wieden+Kennedy New York
Client: Jordan Brand
Executive Creative Director: Karl Leiberman
Creative Director: Caleb Jensen
Creative Director: Jimm Lasser
Copywriter: Pepe Hernandez
Art Director: Blair Warren
Senior Producer: Orlee Tatarka
Head of Content Production: Nick Setounski
Account Team: Jordan Muse
Account Team: Liz Lindberg
Account Team: Jacque Parrish
Art Producer: Ali Berk
Head of Art Buying: Deb Rosen
Social Director: Jessica Abercrombie
Media Team: Karlo Cordova
Media Team: Branden Bouvia
Media Team: Chad Muratev
Project Manager: Kristen Daly
Business Affairs: Sara Jagielski
Business Affairs: Tana Prosper
Business Affairs: Lindsey Timko
Broadcast Traffic Manager: Sonia Bisono
Traffic Coordinator: Andy Hume
Client: Desmond Marzette

Nearly a year after winning the American Airlines business by beating out BBH, The Martin Agency, Energy BBDO and McCann (TM Advertising had worked on the business for 25 years), CP+B has released its first campaign for the air travel giant.

The theme of the work is “World’s Greatest Flyers.” And who might these superlative flyers be?

They are people who somehow manage to keep things classy without being obnoxious about it. There’s a word for this … and we think it might be “humble.” The first spot even gets a little cosmic toward the end.

Now we want to know how the greatest flyers behave when the kid sitting behind them is kicking the seat and crying and they want to be nice but he/she just won’t stop and the flight is still well over an hour from landing and no one really wants to comment on a stranger’s parenting style but please, for the love of GOD, can you just get your freaking kid to be quiet?!

Today The New York Times covered the campaign, which includes quite a few short spots beyond the anthem above. CP+B Boulder’s chief creative Ralph Watson explained the underlying concept as such: “It’s not just like these are tips on how to be a great flier. It’s a way of thinking. It’s a slightly elevated sense of awareness for others; it’s a little bit less selfish. I think a lot of this is to recognize that behavior and help it spread.”

He then noted that the client isn’t necessarily telling travelers how to behave; it’s only making some friendly suggestions. “All we’re doing is identifying their behaviors. We’re not saying, ‘You should.’”

One “travel analyst” who spoke to Campaign about the work was quite dismissive, but we get it. Everyone wants to be a model traveler; isn’t most advertising (like most social media) all about presenting one’s best self or laughing at an embarrassing inability to do so?

Here are the additional 30-second spots, the first of which promotes a service that we would probably never get to use even if we had an unlimited amount of time on earth.

OK, see, that is swanky.

The client’s MD of integrated marketing Jennifer Adams told Campaign that CP+B developed the work by interviewing some of American Airlines’s 12,000-plus employees and figuring out what sorts of customers they like best.

VP of global marketing Fernand Fernandez told the NYT that “We really wanted to take the tone of ‘It’s really you.’ It’s you the travelers and you the employee who kind of elevates the entire mood. Let’s move that conversation from us and turn it onto them and how they really move us forward in creating a much better experience.”

The agency also created a greatestflyers.com site that includes “everything you need to be great” along with a series of print and OOH ads.

Credits

CLIENT NAME: American Airlines
CAMPAIGN TITLE: World’s Greatest Flyers Fly American
AGENCY: CP+B
VP/CHIEF CREATIVE OFFICER: Ralph Watson
VP/EXECUTIVE CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Michael Raso
VP/EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF ART DIRECTION & DESIGN: Dave Swartz
COPYWRITER: Kathy Hepenstal
VP/ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR OF PRODUCTION: Sloan Schroeder
VP/EXECUTIVE VIDEO PRODUCER: Ramon Nuñez
JR. VIDEO PRODUCER: Shelby Hawkinson
EVP/MANAGING DIRECTOR: Danielle Whalen
ACCOUNT DIRECTOR: Joselyn Bickford
CONTENT SUPERVISOR: Claire Marquess
CONTENT MANAGER: Ben Song
EXECUTIVE BUSINESS MANAGER: Katherine Graham – Smith
BUSINESS AFFAIR MANAGER: Daphne Papadopulos
VP/ASSOCIATE PLANNING DIRECTOR: Jennifer Hruska
SR. STRATEGIST: Sarah Garman
STRATEGIST: Bethany Lechner
PRODUCTION COMPANY & CITY: Gentleman Scholar, Los Angeles, CA
CREATIVE DIRECTORS: William Campbell & Will Johnson
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Jo Arghiris
HEAD OF PRODUCTION:                Rachel Kaminek
SENIOR PRODUCER: Tyler Locke
PROJECT LEAD: Chris Finn
COMPOSITORS: Ryan Kaplin & Romel Pablo
FLAME ARTIST: Karen Heston
PRODUCTION COMPANY & CITY: Plus Productions, Santa Monica, CA
EDITOR: Nick Lofting
ASSISTANT EDITOR: Bryce Harvey
SR. POST PRODUCER: Lennon Barnica
PRODUCTION COMPANY & CITY: Lime, Santa Monica, CA
ENGINEER: Mark Meyuhas
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Susie Boyajan
MUSIC COMPANY & CITY: JSM Music Inc, New York City, New York
CCO/CEO/COMPOSER: Joel Simon
COMPOSER: Jimmy LaValle (The Album Leaf)
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Jeff Fiorello
PRODUCER/ HEAD ENGINEER: Norm Felker
MEDIA AGENCY: MediaCom, NY

WEBSITE CREDITS
FORMAL CLIENT NAME: American Airlines
CAMPAIGN TITLE: World’s Greatest Flyers Fly American
AGENCY: CP+B
VP/CHIEF CREATIVE OFFICER: Ralph Watson
VP/EXECUTIVE CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Michael Raso
VP/EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF ART DIRECTION & DESIGN: Dave Swartz
VP/CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Peter Knierim
ASSOCIATE CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Bryan Karr
SENIOR COPYWRITER: Sandra Eichner
SENIOR DESIGNER: Victor Won
DESIGNER: Brandon Gorthy
VP/EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Dan Corken
INTERACTIVE PRODUCER: Morgan Burrows
ASSOCIATE EXPERIENCE DIRECTOR: David Irons
ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR ARCHITECTURE/TECHNICAL LEAD: Benjamin Sterling
EVP/MANAGING DIRECTOR: Danielle Whalen
VP/GLOBAL ACCOUNT DIRECTOR: Joselyn Bickford
CONTENT SUPERVISOR: Claire Marquess
CONTENT MANAGER: Ben Song
VP/ASSOCIATE PLANNING DIRECTOR: Jennifer Hruska
SR. STRATEGIST: Sarah Garman
STRATEGIST: Bethany Lechner
BUSINESS AFFAIR MANAGER: Daphne Papadopulo

PRINT CREDITS
FORMAL CLIENT NAME: American Airlines
CAMPAIGN TITLE: World’s Greatest Flyers Fly American
AGENCY: CP+B
LAUNCH DATE:  8/30/16
VP/CHIEF CREATIVE OFFICER: Ralph Watson
VP/EXECUTIVE CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Michael Raso
ART DIRECTION: Michael Raso
ASSOCIATE CREATIVE DIRECTOR/WRITER: Bryan Karr
ASSOCIATE CREATIVE DIRECTOR/WRITER: Quinn Katherman
COPYWRITER: Kathy Hepenstal
COPYWRITER: Samantha Mindich
EVP/MANAGING DIRECTOR: Danielle Whalen
VP/GLOBAL ACCOUNT DIRECTOR: Joselyn Bickford
CONTENT SUPERVISOR: Claire Marquess
CONTENT MANAGER: Ben Song
VP/ASSOCIATE PLANNING DIRECTOR: Jennifer Hruska
SR. STRATEGIST: Sarah Garman
STRATEGIST: Bethany Lechner
SR.PROJECT MANAGER: Alex Blumfelder
PROJECT MANAGER: Laura Crow
SR.ASSET PRODUCER: Dawn Morris
MEDIA AGENCY: MediaCom, NY

OOH CREDITS
FORMAL CLIENT NAME: American Airlines
CAMPAIGN TITLE: World’s Greatest Flyers Fly American
AGENCY: CP+B
VP/CHIEF CREATIVE OFFICER: Ralph Watson
VP/EXECUTIVE CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Michael Raso
VP/EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF ART DIRECTION & DESIGN: Dave Swartz
ASSOCIATE CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Bryan Karr
SENIOR COPYWRITER: Sandra Eichner
EVP/MANAGING DIRECTOR: Danielle Whalen
VP/GLOBAL ACCOUNT DIRECTOR: Joselyn Bickford
CONTENT SUPERVISOR: Claire Marquess
CONTENT MANAGER: Ben Song
VP/ASSOCIATE PLANNING DIRECTOR: Jennifer Hruska
SR. STRATEGIST: Sarah Garman
STRATEGIST: Bethany Lechner
SR.PROJECT MANAGER: Alex Blumfelder
PROJECT MANAGER: Laura Crow
SR.ASSET PRODUCER: Dawn Morris
RETOUCHING COMPANY: Primary Color
RETOUCHER: Jake Rogers
RETOUCHER: Brian Carpenter
RETOUCHER: Clifton Lee
MEDIA AGENCY: MediaCom, NY

BBDO New York launched the latest phase of its “Insure Carefully, Dream Fearlessly” campaign for American Family Insurance with a pair of new spots featuring retired Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter, NBA All Star Kevin Durant and Houston Texans defensive end J.J. Watt. The two new ads take a very different approach than April’s “Free to Dream” spot.

Each ad opens with the question “What does it mean to be a champion?” as Jeter, Durant and Watt appear onscreen. Viewers are then introduced to a charitable organization run by people with dreams of bettering their communities.

In “School on Wheels,” it’s the organization of the same name, which helps homeless children succeed at school by providing tutoring services and supplies. Regional director Charles Evans is surprised and delighted when Jeter, Durant and Watt show up to help out one afternoon, almost as excited as his students. The experiences is “something these kids are going to remember for a lifetime,” Evans says near the conclusion of the sport, expressing gratitude that the star athletes are there helping with fractions and reading.

In “With Love Market,” With Love Market & Café gets the spotlight, a charity providing fresh produce and juice in a community where the only quick and easy option is fast food. In addition to the long-form online versions, the ads will also appear as 30-second broadcast spots and radio ads support the efforts. The celebrity causevertising approach makes sense for a brand with “Family” in its name. While the resulting spots may not make for the most captivating viewing, they certainly champion deserving causes.

Another spot from Elite Media, “Hometown Hero,” sees Durant surprise a young boy from his hometown who thinks he is about to appear on a talk show to discuss how his single mom is helping him achieve his dreams. 

Credits:

American Family Insurance “Insure Carefully, Dream Fearlessly” Creative Credits

Agency: BBDO New York
Client: American Family Insurance
Spot: “With Love Market” “School on Wheels”

Chief Creative Officer, Worldwide: David Lubars
Chief Creative Officer, New York: Greg Hahn
Executive Creative Director: Susan Golkin
Senior Creative Director: Eric Goldstein
Senior Producer: Becky Burkhard
Assistant Producer: Ali Gladstone
Head of Music Production: Rani Vaz
Music Producer: John Melillo
Business Manager: Matt Friday
Senior Account Director: Christine Smith/Neil Onsdorff
Account Director: Lindsey Wasson
Account Executive: Justin Choy
Assistant Account Executive: Emily Schade

Production Company: Smuggler
Executive Producer/ Co-Founder: Brian Carmody
Executive Producer/ Co Founder: Patrick Milling Smith
Executive Producer: Allison Kunzman
Executive Producer: Carole Hughes
Director: David Frankham
Line Producer: Bernard Rahill
Director of Photography: Ken Seng

Editorial Company: Crew Cuts
Executive Producer: Nancy Shames
Producer: Michelle Bellaff
Editor: Sherri Margulies (SOW) / Matt Shapiro (WLM)
Assistant Editor: Matt VanDaniker

Telecine Company: Company 3
Telecine Artist: Tim Masick
Executive Producer: Rochelle Brown

Conform / Finish Compnay / VFX: Suspect
Senior Frame Artist: Suzanne Dyer
Frame Artists: Chelsea Galen / John Yu
Assistant Frame Artist: Jae Park
Creative Director: Hoon Chong
Art Director/ Animator: Minna Choung
Producer: Tsiliana Jolson / Alex Decaneas
Executive Producer: Robert Appelblatt

Music Company: Beacon Street
Composer (Arranger): Andrew Feltenstein / John Nau
Producer: Leslie Delillo

Mix and Record Company: Sonic Union
Engineer: Mike Marinelli
Producer: Patrick Sullivan

“I Know Better” Song Credits:
Composer: John Stephens / Lyricist: John Stephens / Composer: Blake Mills / Lyricist: Blake Mills / Composer: Will Oldham / Lyricist: Will Oldham
Published By: John Legend Publishing.
All rights admin. by BMG Rights Management (US) LLC (BMI)
Performer: John Legend
Vocals: John Legend
Piano: Larry Goldings
Hammond Organ: Larry Goldings
Guitar: Blake Mills
Bass: Blake Mills
Keys: Blake Mills
Rec Period – January 2016

Agency: Elite Media
Client: American Family Insurance
Spot: “Hometown Heroes”

Creative Chairman: Christopher Crawford
Creative Director: Eunique Jones Gibson
Art Director: Mohammed Alsaadi
Account Manager: Christina Brantley
Account Coordinator: D’Amber Allen
Project Coordinator: Jordana Jarrett
Production Company: CMS
Director: Eunique Jones Gibson
Director of Photography: Paulius Kontijevas
Supervising Producer: Amy Greenleaf
Line Producer: Jessica Toscano
Still Photographers: Sarah McClogan, Elton Anderson
Editorial: In House
Editor: Don Setzer
Graphic Design: In House
Music Company: Beacon Street
Composer (Arranger): Andrew Feltenstein / John Nau
Producer: Leslie Delillo

“I Know Better” Song Credits:
Composer: John Stephens / Lyricist: John Stephens / Composer: Blake Mills / Lyricist: Blake Mills / Composer: Will Oldham / Lyricist: Will Oldham
Published By: John Legend Publishing.
All rights admin. by BMG Rights Management (US) LLC (BMI)
Performer: John Legend
Vocals: John Legend
Piano: Larry Goldings
Hammond Organ: Larry Goldings
Guitar: Blake Mills
Bass: Blake Mills
Keys: Blake Mills
Rec Period – January 2016

If your bra could talk, what would it say? We never thought to ask that question, but it’s cool because now Barkley has answered it for us with this new spot for Vanity Fair, the lingerie line. Not the magazine. Are they two separate things??

We don’t know about you guys, but we feel like this ad is telling us that bras are not your friends.

We found this one kind of amusing and it definitely reinforced the fact that we are glad we don’t have to wear a bra.

Yeah, the products weren’t really talking. Just wanted to boost our snob cred with the Raymond Carver rip.

Credits

CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Sunshine Stevens
COPYWRITER: Katy Hornaday
ART DIRECTOR: Chelsea Ceasor
STRATEGIST: Molly Griffin
ACCOUNT DIRECTOR: Brooke Ehlers
GROUP ACCOUNT DIRECTOR: Sara Buck
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Susan Neuman
DESIGNER: Lindsay Ingram
SENIOR ACCOUNT MANAGER: Anna Pennington
PRODUCER: Danielle Mathews
CREATIVE AGENCY: Barkley
EXECUTIVE CREATIVE DIRECTORS: Jason Elm
ACCOUNT MANAGEMENT: (Lead) Michelle Webb

MUSIC AND SOUND
AUDIO POST PRODUCTION: John Blank, Evolution Audio

OFFLINE
EDITOR: Kyle Brown

EDIT COMPANY: Arcade

PRODUCER: Rebecca Jameson

POST PRODUCTION / VFX
PRODUCER: Ivy Henderson

POST PRODUCTION HOUSE: 19 Below KC / The Mill Chicago

PRODUCTION COMPANY
DIRECTOR: Pam Thomas

PRODUCTION COMPANY: Community

PRODUCER: Anthony Cantale

DDB Brussels launched a campaign for IKEA taking a look at one often overlooked aspect of the Swedish chain’s popular catalogue: the models. And not just the blonde ones!

The spot takes a tongue-in-cheek approach, introducing the models as the catalogue’s “real stars” while they talk about how they’ll now be famous. It’s all done in a deadpan mockumentary format, with one model claiming “I don’t think there’s any way I’m going to get away with not being recognized by…everyone.”

“There’s a lot of pressure on me to be the best man shaver I can be,” says another model, posing in a bathroom scene, who adds that he told his child, “Listen son, dad’s famous now.”

When it actually comes time for them to pose for their scenes, the actors are asked to kindly move away from the center of the frame. One woman is asked to turn completely around completely, while another ponders how she could become the face of the brand, as her face is being blurred out from the scene in post production.

The comical spot takes an approach somewhat similar in tone to such predecessors as Mother London’s “The Wonderful Everyday” campaign , BBH Asia Pacific’s “Recipes for Delicious Kitchens,” and, of course, that agency’s 2014 spot promoting the catalogue by asking viewers to “Experience the power of a bookbook.” DDB Brussels’ new effort changes up the formula just enough to seem fresh while sticking to what has worked for the brand in the past. It’s also something of a humble brag (hmm, maybe just a regular brag, actually) for the brand’s success, as it is reiterated by the models multiple times the catalogue will be seen by 220 million people. The brand’s furniture, meanwhile, is continuously featured in the background, and then the foreground as the spot reaches its conclusion.

Just don’t try to put any of it together while tripping on acid.

Hello, teens. Are you ready for the annual celebration of the videos featuring music?

The VMAs return this weekend. E! News will be there on the red carpet to talk shit about other people’s fashion choices, and we will be busy watching quite literally anything else that happens to be on.

Like other grown-ups, we are amusingly clueless about what the kids are watching. Who is Blac Chyna, and what does she have against Kylie Jenner?! Thankfully, BBH L.A. recently made a series of advertisements, to be aired on your local television, schooling those Adults on their lack of knowledge.

The first one is not so believable, though. Even our parents know who Bieb is, and we are embarrassingly more than halfway through our 30s.

Next, back to the Chyna thing.

What 40-something mom would be discussing a person who “is often referred to as a ‘video vixen’ due to her frequent appearances in hip hop music videos”? Also, who is Rob and how is he involved?? We are fairly glad we don’t know the answers to these questions.

We do know this next one, though. What do we win?

These spots were directed by Guy Shelmerdine of Smuggler, who has every Iggy Azalea album on vinyl and collectors’ edition DVD.

Remember when all you had to do to get attention at the VMAs was climb up a wall to “protest” Limp Bizkit?

Credits
Agency: BBH LA
Executive Creative Director: Zach Hilder
Creative Director: Josh Webman
Art Director: Lernik Ohanian
Copy Writer: Joseph SGRO
Business Development: Tom Murphy
Account Executive: Klarika Huszar
Producer: Kristen Childers
Associate Producers: Eva Sealove

Production Company: Smuggler
Director: Guy Shelmerdine
Executive Producers: Patrick Milling Smith, Brian Carmody, Allison Kunzman
Head of Production: Andrew Colon
Line Producer: Bernard Rahill
Director of Photography: Bernard Rahill
Editorial: No.6
Executive Producer: Allison Dettelbach
Editor: Lucas Spalding