Grey New York Makes It Stick in First Post-It Campaign Since 2013

Grey launched a new campaign for 3M’s Post-it brand, extolling the virtues of handwritten notes to help people remember and complete tasks, entitled “Make it Stick,” the brand’s first campaign since 2013.

In the 30-second spot “Jump,” that task is tied to physically sticking a Post-it to the wall. A girl is seen placing increasingly higher Post-it notes on her bedroom wall, which is curious until we learn the reason. The next day she appears at basketball tryouts and is the first to demonstrate her vertical leap, placing a Post-it reading “Tomorrow I’ll jump even higher” on the backboard.

Tying the brand to such a task is a bit strange, as the stronger argument in writing things down physically involves improved retention and having an actual physical reminder to complete a task. Still, something about it works as a metaphorical demonstration of how the brand can help you complete a variety of tasks.

The premise of the campaign is based around a 2007 study entitled “The impact of commitment, accountability, and written goals on goal achievement,” which found that people are 42% more likely to complete a handwritten task, Jeff Hillins, global business director for 3M’s stationery and office supplies division, told AdAge. Lest you question the applicability of a study almost a decade old, 3M also commissioned a survey of Gen Z, (those born between 1995-2012), which found that 85 percent of email respondents said they learn best from a mix of digital and traditional learning tools, with 81 percent saying they’d feel limited by sticking just with digital. 

More to the point of the study, perhaps, is the first in an online documentary series. It tells the story of Imani Davis, a young poet whose craft benefitted from daily writing sessions. The spot documents Davis’ rise from anxiety-riddled student to aspiring young poet who performed at the Apollo, and the function Post-it notes have played in her writing process.

CP+B L.A. and Professional YouTube Sneaker Reviewer Brad Hall Unbox Venmo

CP+B L.A. launched a new campaign for PayPal-owned payment app Venmo featuring YouTube sneaker reviewer/”influencer” (ugh) Brad Hall.

“Normally I talk about cool shoes,” says Hall, in his trademark deadpan, at the beginning of the spot, “Today I’m talking about something even more important than cool shoes: how to buy cool shoes with Venmo.” Hall’s Venmo review continues for some two and a half minutes, with things getting a bit suggestive when he talks about the app’s push notification feature. “The push notification and I, we have a fun relationship,” he says. “I touch it, it responds, we could do this all day long.”

Hall is so excited about the app, he can’t help breaking into song.

While fans of Hall’s deadpan humor will likely find plenty to enjoy here, other views may be left wondering who the hell this guy is and what exactly is going on. That’s not entirely to the spot’s disadvantage, as Hall’s awkwardness provides a nice contrast with his apparent enthusiasm for the app, allowing him to deliver an enthusiastic endorsement that’s part of the humor, as he casually mixes in such ridiculous “features” as the app “fitting all the way inside a smart phone.” The schtick wears thin by the end of the spot, however, as the approach would have been better served by a more concise format. In addition to the launch tutorial, the campaign will in fact feature several shorter videos, which presumably also feature Hall’s deadpan enthusiasm.

“When CP&B LA, an advertising agency in L.A., approached me about doing an #ad for Venmo I was initially skeptical,” Hall said in a statement. “I make unboxing videos about cool shoes. Not cool apps. But then I heard how cool the new Venmo app was and I realized that it was cooler than cool shoes because it lets you buy cool shoes using Venmo. I told CP+B LA that I’d like to unbox this application so the world can know what I now know — the Venmo application is cool. And that was exactly what they wanted me to do in the first place so they said, ‘Yes.’ I told them, ‘Thank you.’ Then they said, ‘Thank you.’ Then I said, ‘Please tell Venmo thank you too.’ And we kept going back and forth like that for what felt like forever but was only 30 minutes.”

W+K London Dives Deep Into the CGI for Stride Gum

The London offices of Wieden + Kennedy have been making some weird shit for Stride gum over the past few years, and the group’s latest effort is certainly no exception.

This one in particular comes with a couple of big tie-ins, namely a live TV event later this week in which a pro skydiver whose name we don’t recognize will “jump from a plane at 25,000 feet with nothing but the clothes on his back” and somehow live to tell the tale, Evil Knievel style.

The other is something about DJ Khaled taking over the brand’s Snapchat account in order to promote the same special, which will air on Fox this week. Anyway, these spots kind of strike us as a cross between the Randy Savage Slim Jim ads by North Castle Partners and the W+K’s last campaign for SoCo in which Danny McBridge flies over Detroit using only the power of his own body fat.

These ads were made in England like Elton John, but the target audience is obviously us.

See, the gum is both chewy AND crunchy. It also comes in various fruit flavors like lemon and raspberry, we think. Otherwise this next one is false advertising.

Finally, it’s kind of like a mobile game with your favorite characters … all in your mouth at once.

In the release, creative directors Freddie Powell and Hollie Walker said: “We’ve created an intense, irreverent and crucially-interactive Mouth character we can puppeteer on the fly. The potential for this and for Stride is what makes the campaign so exciting.”

Mondelez brand manager Shannon McLardie added, “Each aspect of the campaign helps to build and create the mad intense story of new Stride gum to give our consumers a constantly evolving and immersive experience into the brand.”

See, now we want to know how that dude will skydive with no parachute. It’s going to be one of those obviously fake David Blaine sort of stunts, isn’t it?

Credits

Agency: Wieden + Kennedy London
ACCOUNT MANAGER: Sophie Smith
TV PRODUCER: Genevieve Sheppard
CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Hollie Walker / Freddie Powell
EXECUTIVE CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Tony Davidson / Iain Tait
CREATIVE: Paddy Treacy / Mark Shanley
ACCOUNT DIRECTOR: James McHoull
GROUP ACCOUNT DIRECTOR: Andrew Kay
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Danielle Stewart
ASSISTANT PRODUCER: Tom Dean
PLANNERS: Rachel Hamburger

MUSIC AND SOUND
SOUND MIX: Andy Stewart / Will Cohen @ String and Tins

POST PRODUCTION / VFX
POST PRODUCTION HOUSE: Glassworks

PRODUCTION COMPANY
LINE PRODUCER: James Lowery
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Dom Thompson-Talbot
DIRECTOR: Theo Nunn / Thomas Ormond
PRODUCTION COMPANY: Lisbon

Zambezi and Autotrader Had a Very Stylish Experience in Miami

Based on our admittedly limited knowledge, Miami is a bit like Cannes with a less lily-white cast and rum/vodka in place of rosé. But everything in both cities is very fashionable.

To that point, online car seller Autotrader, which dropped Doner after 16 years last fall and now resides with L.A.’s Zambezi, recently staged an installation and interactive event in Miami that was all about style. By that we mean personal style, as in “What sort of color would you like your next car to be??”

This project guessed at the answer, using “color detection paired with 3D projection mapping technology” to match the tint of a given car to that of clothing worn by passersby. As one participant put it, “Yo, banana!”

In order to promote the event, the company brought in some social media influencers including — yes — “Remix the Dog.

Screen Shot 2016-07-27 at 11.07.15 AM

He looks happy because he can’t see his own outfit.

A few human fashion plates also showed up to share.

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According to the release, this effort was aimed at all those young people who see cars as fashion accessories, or “a means to tell the world who they are.”

Zambezi ECD Josh DiMarcantonio reminded us that Autotrader isn’t like your average used car salesman: “To us, Autotrader isn’t just a car shopping brand. It’s a technology brand. And nowhere is that more evident than in the technology Autotrader uses to match consumers with their perfect car.”

The client’s senior director of consumer marketing Scott Thomas said, “Autotrader enables people find their perfect car match, and we wanted to emphasize that you don’t have to search for a car in an expected way. You can use your own life and sense of style as a filter for what you want and need in a car, and Autotrader will help you get there.”

The next question, obviously: when is Grand Theft Auto 6 coming out?

Credits

Client: Autotrader
Agency: Zambezi
Founder, Chief Executive Officer: Chris Raih
Partner, Executive Creative Director: Josh DiMarcantonio
Associate Creative Director: Ben George
Associate Creative Director: Nick Rodgers
Senior Art Director: Max Pollak
Senior Copywriter:  Brian Hallisey
Partner, Head of Content: Alex Cohn
Partner, Executive Director of Technology: Justice Erolin
Sr. Digital Producer:  Ziv Sibony
Producer: Katrina Nahikian
Partner, Managing Director:  Pete Brown
Account Director: Matt Kline
Account Supervisor: Lauren Bondell
Account Executive: Tori Tessalone
Project Manager: Courtney Szews
Chief Strategy Officer: Kristina Jenkins
Group Strategy Director: Ryan Richards
Strategist: Keely Galgano 

Production Company: Unit 9
Director: Andrew Gage
Creative Partner: Michelle Craig
Creative Director: Sean Pruen
Director of Photography: Bart Tau
Executive Producer: Luca DeLaurentiis
Producer: Vianney Comot
Production Manager: Andrew Nathanson 

Editorial: Blink Studios
Editor: Paul Oh
Assistant Editors: Sasha Perry

Rosapark Takes a Dip for the Tribord Easybreath

French agency Rosapark launched a visually striking 60-second spot for the Tribord Easybreath, an innovate new full-face snorkeling mask.

The spot plays on images of sea and sky as a pair of snorkelers take in both during a jaunt. Images of the mask’s sleek design blend seamlessly with sky and sea imagery during the spot, which finds no need for dialogue or voiceover. Towards the end of the spot the camera flips, in a neat trick, reversing sea and sky as the message “Breathe underwater as you do in land” appears onscreen. It’s a succinct and effective way to drive home the point the rest of the spot expresses so beautifully. 

“Easybreath is a real innovation in the world of diving—gone is the need for a separate mask and snorkel, and the difficulties some people [have] using them,” Rosapark creative director Jamie Standen told Adweek. “Our brief was to get across the scale of this invention.”

“For Easybreath, the product is already so innovative. All we had to do was find a simple idea to showcase it, then stand back and let the product itself do the work,” added fellow creative director Jamie-Edward Standen“What we aimed to convey in the TV spot, visually, is that there’s a new way to be in the water, to see the water. I hope people who can’t be bothered with snorkels will try diving with the Easybreath. Diving is pretty cool!” 

The broadcast spot is now running in 15-, 30- and 60-second versions throughout France.

Credits:

Brand: Tribord
Brand Management : Espen Heier
Directeur de la communication : David Martinelly

Agency: Rosapark
Co-founder: Jean-Patrick Chiquiar
Co-founders in charge of creative: Gilles Fichteberg and Jean-Francois Sacco
Creative Directors: Mark Forgan and Jamie-Edward Standen
Copywriter: Nicolas Gadesaude
Art Director: Julien Saurin
Account Management: Rozenn Traineau

TV Production: Lauriane Dula
Production: Insurrection
Directors: Fleur & Manu
Production Directors: Matias Boucard
Producers: Hélène Daubert and Mounia Mebarki
Coordinator: Marie Mezeray
Post-production: Home DP
Film Editing: Nicolas Larouquère and Alyson Gordon
Colorists: Bertrand Duval and Laurent Ripoll
Post-producer: Bianca Benloukil
Special effects: Mathematic
Post-production: Julie Lagadec
Flame artist: Fred Brandon

Music: Grabuge
Title: « Emmersion »
Music management: Jérôme Hatchuel
Composer: Laurent Perez Del Mar

BBDO New York Channels ‘James Harden’s Inner Voice’ in New Foot Locker Spots

BBDO New York launched a new campaign for Foot Locker featuring Houston Rockets star James Harden, who the agency teamed up with last September for the “Play My Tweet” effort.

The campaign features a series of spots starring Harden, centered around the spot “James Harden’s Inner Voice.” It seems that some strangeness from Periscope and Harden’s whacky work for Trolli may have seeped into the effort, as said “inner voice” sounds a lot like Colin Farrell.

When approached by two fans, Harden’s gives out a little nugget of advice: “Look fresh and always trust that little voice in your head,” to which the fan nods along…until Harden adds, “you know, that little voice that kind of sounds like Collin Farrell.” The guys look thoroughly perplexed as Harden’s inner Farrell voice tells him it’s time to get going so he can “shower and wait for the president to call.”

The other spots follow the strange formula, with Farrell providing Harden’s inner monologue for a practice session, a strange car entry method and, in both “Treadmill” and the self-referential “Greatest Pre-Roll Ever” a workout session.

Harden is a natural choice for such a strange approach, even if the scenarios in which he interacts with his inner Colin Farrell voice are a little run-of-the-mill. Harden’s presence and the sheer strangeness of the ads should be enough to at least help them stand out from the pack, however — especially at a time when other brands seem focused on the 2016 Rio Olympics.

The Martin Agency’s New Effort for Geico Is ‘Not Surprising’

The Martin Agency launched a new campaign for Geico entitled “It’s Not Surprising” with the launch spot “Marco Polo.”

Unsurprisingly, the spot features an actor representing the famous 13th century Venetian merchant traveler. As you also may have guessed, the set-up involves a group of children in a pool playing the game Marco Polo. Polo responds with “Si, scusi,” but figures things out soon enough.

This is, of course, exactly what we’ve come to expect from The Martin Agency’s work for Geico. The predictable set-up and joke lead into a message about how it’s surprising to be playing Marco Polo in a pool with Marco Polo but how much you can save by switching to Geico is (by now) no surprise. Of course, that message is undercut by the fact that, by now, the former is expected, at least in a Geico ad. That also limits the effectiveness of the spot.

The spot makes its broadcast debut nationally today, in 30 and 15-second versions and will be supported by digital and social efforts. It will also coincide with two new spots in the agency’s “It’s What You Do” campaign for the brand.

“Multiple storylines allow us to go into different worlds and pull out what we’re trying to push,”  The Martin Agency group creative director Wade Alger explained to AdAge. “Because of the amount of media in our spend, it’s nice to have multiple storylines out there to avoid burnout on our brand.”

W+K and Bobby Cannavale Inspire Some (Very) Young Athletes in Newest Nike Spot

HBO’s Vinyl has already proven that one man can’t carry a franchise, even if he happens to be a charismatic actor who was good in that boring retro gangster show that lasted three seasons longer than it should have.

But Bobby Cannavale was a nice choice for this new Wieden+Kennedy Nike ad, which aired last night and already has about 8 million YouTube hits.

In “Unlimited Future,” Cannavale speaks to some of Nike’s (and the world’s) best-known athletes as babies, giving them a very unconventional pep talk.

That ad reminded us of a few things that we sort of knew: Mo Farah was separated from his family; Serena Williams and her sister grew up in Compton; top Chinese NBA draft prospect Zhou Qi is “mysterious“; Neymar Jr. did not choose to be a Jr. Also, LeBron went to Cleveland and Nike made an ad about it after he won.

Even though you can’t determine your parents, your place of birth, your social class or any number of other variables that will ultimately have a significant impact on your life, you CAN control whether you decide to work your ass off from the moment you first become self-aware enough to start considering it. And a Nike contract can be the ultimate product of all that work for an athlete who isn’t yet a household name.

“The road to greatness is a long one, made up of staunch determination, inevitable struggles and hard-won triumphs,” the release tells us.

It’s part of a pre-Olympic series profiling Nike contract athletes that provides a pretty good twist on the common millionaires as underdogs narrative, and it allows for a lot of winking references to famous names without crowding any of those familiar people onto the screen.

To get serious for a moment, though: the Rio games are gonna be a big mess, right?

Credits
CLIENT: Nike
PROJECT NAME: Unlimited Future

W+K PORTLAND
Global Creative Directors: Alberto Ponte, Ryan O’Rourke
Interactive Director: Dan Viens
Executive Producer: Matt Hunnicutt
Copywriter: Josh Bogdan
Art Director: Pedro Izique
Agency Producer: Erin Goodsell
Digital Producer: Patrick Marzullo, Keith Rice
Strategic Planning: Andy Lindblade, Nathan Goldberg, Reid Schilperoort
Media/Comms Planning: Danny Sheniak, John Furnari, Brian Goldstein, Jocelyn Reist
Account Team: Chris Willingham, Alyssa Ramsey, Corey Woodson, Anna Boteva, Carly Williamson

PRODUCTION
Production Company: Superprime
Director: Damien Chazelle
Executive Producer: Rebecca Skinner
Head of Production: Roger Zorovich
Line Producer: William Green
Director of Photography: Rodrigo Prieto
Production Designer: Melanie Jones
Casting: Dan Bell Casting
EDITORIAL
Editorial Company: Exile
Editor: Eric Zumbrunnen
Assistant Editor: Dusten Silverman
Post Producer: Brittany Carson
Executive Post Producer: Carol Lynn Weaver
Head of Production: Jennifer Locke

VFX
VFX Company: The Mill
2D Lead Artist: Adam Lambert
2D Artists: Joy Tiernan, Jason Bergman
Matte Painting: Rasha Shalaby
VFX Producer: Alex Bader
VFX Coordinator: Samantha Hernandez
Executive VFX Producer: Enca Kaul
Shoot Supervisor: Phil Crowe, Tim Rudgard
Color
Company: The Mill
Colorist: Adam Scott
Executive Producer: Thatcher Peterson
Color Producer: Diane Valera
ORIGINAL MUSIC
Music Company: Beacon Street Studios
Composer: John Nau
Executive Producer: Adrea Lavezzoli
Music Company: Walker
Composer: Frédéric Chopin
Track Name: XBereceuse, Op. 57
Arranger: McKenzie Stubbert
Executive Producer: Sara Matarazzo
Senior Producer: Abbey Hickman
Music Coordinators: Jacob Piontek, Marissa Hernandez

LICENSED MUSIC
Artist: Santigold
Track Name: “Kicking Down Doors”
Music Supervision: Walker
SOUND DESIGN
Sound Design Company: Barking Owl
Sound Designer: Michael Anastasi
Creative Director: Kelly Fuller Bayett
Producer: Ashley Benton

MIX
Music/Sound/Mix Company: Lime Studios
Audio Mixer: Rohan Young
Audio Assistant: Ben Tomastik
Executive Producer: Susie Boyajan

TBWAChiatDay Brings Usain Bolt’s Origin Story to Life for Gatorade

TBWAChiatDay teamed up with Moonbot Studios (who you may remember from such animated spots as “The Scarecrow” for Chipotle) to create a Gatorade short telling the origin story of Jamaican runner Usain Bolt

The spot, entitled “The Boy Who Learned to Fly,” opens with Bolt’s mother telling him he’s going to be late for school. For a boy of normal speed, she would probably be right, but Bolt sprints off, scoring a goal in a pickup soccer game and impressing a track coach on his way to class, sliding into his desk just before the bell rings. Said track coach becomes Bolt’s mentor, providing him with lunch (which he forgot in his haste to leave his house in the morning) in exchange for winning a race and then informing him of his potential for greatness and what it will take to get to that point.

From there, the spot flashes forward to the 2002 Junior Championships and the increasing pressure put on Bolt to win.

It’s a fun approach, with the imaginative and colorful animation matching its tone.

Aside from a Gatorade poster as Bolt walks down the tunnel into a track field at the beginning of the spot, the Gatorade brand doesn’t make an appearance until almost the five minute mark, when a modern day Bolt is handed a Gatorade bottle by a water boy. The spot really plays more like a branded short than an ad, with Gatorade aligning itself with the likable Jamaican track legend.

Maybe that’s for the best, as the lack of more overt branding certainly helps keep things light, enjoyable and shareable for both kids and adults while still gelling nicely with the larger “For the Love of Sport” campaign. As proponents of brevity, we do wonder if this story could have been told in a slightly shorter format (the spot runs almost six minutes long). That being said, it doesn’t drag nearly as much as you’d expect given the run time. Check out the making of short below for more on how “The Boy Who Learned to Fly” came together.

Credits:
Client: Gatorade
Agency: TBWA/Chiat/Day Los Angeles
Production Company: Moonbot Studios
Senior Vice President, General Manager: Brett O’Brien
Senior Director, Consumer Engagement: Kenny Mitchell
Director of Digital Strategy: Jeff Miller
Manager, Digital Media: Abhishek Jadon
Senior Director Sport and Athletic Services: Jeff Kearney
Sports Marketing: Kyle Grote
Sports Marketing: Aminah Charles
Chief Creative Officer: Brent Anderson
Executive Creative Director: Renato Fernandez
Creative Director: Mark Peters
Senior Copywriter: Cyrus Coulter
Senior Art Director: Paulo Cruz
Director of Production: Brian O’Rourke
Executive Producer: Guia Iacomin
Senior Producer: Stephanie Dziczek
Producer: Cristina Martinez
Print Producer: Gabriella Nourse
Art Producer: Gabrielle Sirkin
Managing Director: Jerico Cabaysa
Brand Director: Robyn Morris
Brand Manager: Erika Buder
Associate Brand Manager: Theo Kirkham-Lewitt

Ogilvy & Mather Amsterdam, Amnesty International Show ‘The Other Side of the Medal’

With the 2016 Rio Olympics two weeks away, Ogilvy & Mather Amsterdam launched a campaign for Amnesty International Netherlands designed to show viewers “The Other Side of the Medal.”

After opening on a shot of the Olympic stadium in Rio de Janeior, the spot cuts to the back of a young man running as gun shoots off in the air. The message “In Rio, Matheus Silva ran the fastest 100 metres of his life,” appears onscreen, at which point viewers might expect yet another story of an athlete triumphing over adversity. But this isn’t the case. Instead, it shows the young man running away from cops with a group of friends before being shot in the back. The 19-year-old victim, “Killed in 2014. Innocent and unarmed.” was one of the over 2,651 people in the city killed by police violence since the games were awarded to Rio, the majority of which were young black men.

“The police are breaking records in Rio,” the spot concludes, mentioning the over 2,500 people killed by cops in the city in the past seven years and asking viewers to sign a petition calling for an end to police violence in Rio. 

The “#PoliceBreakingRecords” campaign arrives at a time when racism and police violence are still very much on the minds of Americans in the wake of recent shootings, and undoubtedly people in other countries as well. Its parallel between the celebratory nature of the Olympics and police violence in the city is a striking one, and should garner attention for an issue that hasn’t received much attention, but is all too familiar.

“The film is based on a real story, a story of a young man in his prime, who’s life was cut brutally short. A story that touched us,” explained Ogilvy & Mather Amsterdam creative director Jacques Massardo. “The events surrounding the shooting closely mirrored to a sprint, connects the world of the Olympics to police violence in a powerful way. Which gives it the potential to do more than just generate awareness, but hopefully also trigger people to take action and sign the petition.”

“Despite the promise that Rio would be a safe Olympic city, the amount of deaths as a result of police bullets increased over the last two years. We ask people all over the world to take action and maximize the pressure on Brazil. The Olympics should be seen as a celebration, not a place for excessive police violence,” added Amnesty International Netherlands campaign coordinator Jan Willem Dol.

Credits:
Client: Amnesty International Nederland
Account: Pauline Landa (Ogilvy & Mather Amsterdam)
Creatives: Djajant Hanenberg, Helen Fernando, Jacques Massardo (Ogilvy & Mather Amsterdam)
Production: DPPLR
Direction: Daniel Dow
Producer: Lotte Kwak
DOP: Aage Hollander
Focus Puller: Justus Engelbracht
Line Production: Soulkitchen
Composition & Sound Design: Audentity
Off-line/colorist: Ruben Labree
Creative Producer: Nils Vleugels
Compositor: Bas Wijers
Production assistant: Titus Vriend
Styling: Nadine Rodenburg
Aerial Cinematography: Ricardo Malaguti
Broadcast/cinemacopies: Captcha!
Camera: Camalot & Camaleón
Bioscoopmasters: Haghefilm Digitaal en Cinemeta
Media Sanoma | SBS, Jan Mineur Mediavision, STER, RTL

Bogusky-Affiliated Made Movement Uses ‘Hamilton’ to Promote TGI Friday’s

Made Movement, the Boulder agency Alex Bogusky joined as an investor and advisor in 2012, launched a new digital spot for TGI Friday’s which seeks to capitalize on the tremendous success of Hamilton, that perpetually sold-out musical.

In “Check,” Made Movement plays off of Alexander Hamilton’s appearance on the ten dollar bill. After promising to set up his friends with his “wig guy” a waitress comes to their table with the check. Feeling generous, the nation’s first Secretary of Treasury tells them he’s got the check, falling backwards on the table, as the scene shifts to a ten dollar bill being set down in his place and the voiceover promoting the chain’s “One Hamilton, one full-rack of ribs “deal.

“When we were doing ad testing for another product promotion, the agency came back with the idea that everyone will talk about money in different denominations—what if we leverage Hamilton?”  TGI Friday vice president of marketing activation Cindy Syracuse explained to Adweek.

The approach makes sense for the brand, as TGI Friday’s continues to try to appeal to millenial audiences, in this case leveraging the Hamilton phenomenon. Unfortunately the humor falls flat, as the references feel sophomoric (a musket balls joke, really?) and only detract from the eventual connection to the brand with the “One Hamilton, one full-rack of ribs “deal.

“Check” will run in 30 and 8-second versions online and on social media, including Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, and a 15-second version will air on broadcast. Additionally, there’s a series of digital spots featuring Hamilton weighing in with “Meaty Thoughts” on topics including his wig and man buns.

Syracuse emphasized to Adweek that despite the heavy digital push, the brand was not cutting its broadcast spending, saying, “I don’t cut TV weight to have digital—we don’t want to reduce our footprint in television, but it’s important to understand and be efficient in how you use digital media.”

Leo Burnett Crafts World Anthem in Olympic Spot for Samsung

Leo Burnett Chicago and Leo Burnett Sydney worked together to launch an Olympic spot for Samsung entitled “The Anthem.”

The broadcast/digital spot combines parts of different national anthems from around the world into a cohesive anthem of its own, in celebration of the international camaraderie of the Olympics. It opens with the text “One world, one anthem,” followed by a girl singing the opening of the national anthem of Botswana while on a rocky beach overlooking a city skyline (with Samsung Galaxy S7 in hand, naturally).

As the location changes, it contrasts with the anthems sung by different people around the world (among them U.K. diver Tom Daley, U.S. track athlete Alysia Montano, French paralympian Arnaud Assoumani, Sudanese track athlete Margret Rumat Rumat Hassan, Australian boxer Shelley Watts and Brazilian surfer Gabriel Medina), including the national anthems of Australia, the U.S., Malaysia, Australia and Canada. The Malaysian anthem, for example, is sung by a young woman in Paris. When taken together, the words form their own, international anthem.

It’s a nice sentiment, and the pacing of the ad works well to underscore the message, as does the decision to contrast the anthems and locations. The message is a fitting one for a mobile company, allowing the ad to do more than just promote the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge, aligning the brand with the international goodwill of the Olympics. 

“‘The Anthem’ is a reflection of the Samsung brand and our continuous pursuit to break down geographic barriers and unite the world through technology and borderless communication,” Samsung Electronics executive vice president, global markeitng and communications business Younghee Lee said in a statement. “By singing one anthem, fans and athletes across the globe can feel a shared sense of pride and unity and together celebrate collective progress, which is integral to the spirit of the Olympic Games.”

Adweek went ahead and complied the lyrics in full, and we’ve include them below:

Through our unity and harmony, we’ll remain at peace as one.
For we are young and free, with glowing hearts we see thee rise.
The day of glory has arrived, oh say can you see, a vivid ray of love and hope descends to Earth.
The people living united and progressive, join together all of our hearts as one.
Happy and glorious, listen to us gently with the infinite love.
Unity and justice and freedom, stand unchanged by wind and frost.
Offer peace to friends, and united we shall stand.

TBWAParis Parodies Cuaron’s ‘Gravity’ in New McDonald’s Spot

Gravity was a pretty good movie, in our humble opinions, despite George Clooney’s complete inability to play anyone but himself and the fact that Sandra Bullock will always be the actress from Speed.

It was all about the cinematography anyway, right?

The Paris offices of TBWA recently parodied Alfonso Cuaron’s movie two and a half years later in an elaborate promo for the French debut of McDonald’s Triple Cheeseburger. Again, it’s all about the cinematography and the “GRAVICHEESE.”

Ben Gregor of Moonwalk Productions directed the spot, which tells French consumers that they will finally get to experience the Triple Cheeseburger with its “three fat patties” and pickles and even … KETCHUP!! Hopefully the two friends can at least share some astronaut ice cream.

Pretty big budget for such a notoriously tightwad client.

On an unrelated side note, we attended this year’s Cannes talk with The Revenant director Alejandro González Iñárritu and Ogilvy’s Tham Khai Meng, and we lasted about three minutes. But it was far less infuriating than the Vice thing in which a smug, fat douche told all the media people in attendance how few shits he gives about the industry he disrupted so he could pay his ad salespeople $80K and his full-time writers $35K.

The Noid Returns as CP+B and Domino’s Promise to Pay You Back for Weekend Pizza

The relationship between CP+B and Domino’s is strong despite the fact that 6 of the top execs working on the account quit their jobs this week to launch their own venture. As if to prove it, here’s a new spot that serves as the latest chapter in the company’s ongoing attempt to reinvent itself by speaking less and less about its core product: pizza.

This one is pretty straightforward, even though Domino’s doesn’t really have anything to apologize for.

Most bars don’t have happy hours on weekends either, and it’s because that’s when they do their best business, duh.

As history’s very first useful YouTube comment put it, “The whole point of the ‘Large 3 topping $7.99 Monday through Thursday Carryout Only’ deal was it got people to come in on the less-busy days.” And $7.99 does feel kind of cheap for a three-topping pizza.

We were struck by the reappearance of The Noid, which will inspire either fond memories or nightmares for any kid who grew up in the ’80s. Get ready for a flashback.

Wasn’t Claymation great?

You guys all probably know this, but we are currently engrossed by a 2014 Fast Company piece about how The Noid (created by Group 243) died an ignobile death.

The character, which the writer calls “a terrible corporate mascot,” inspired a paranoid schizophrenic named Kenneth Lamar Noid to take several Atlanta-area Domino’s employees hostage in 1989 with the help of a .357 mangum.

Group 243 later got swallowed by Ross Roy Advertising after (understandably?) losing the $50 million Domino’s account in 1991.

We’re quite surprised to see The Noid return, given that he didn’t even get a line in this 2001 Simpsons episode. (Don’t let anyone tell you Season 10 was the last decent one. It was Season 14.)

Seems like the company is very quietly bringing him back. The pizzapayback.com campaign site includes various prizes like this “Noid Gift Pack.”

noid gift pack

Someone get Tim and Eric on it.

RK Venture Tours Driving Safety from Medical Professionals’ Perspective

RK Venture launched a pair of 30-second spots as part of its “The Things I’ve Seen” driver safety PSA campaign for the New Mexico Department of Transportation (NMDOT).

Each spot shows the aftermath of a driving accident from the perspective of a medical professional. In “Physical Therapist,” a woman explains that she’s had to harden herself emotionally to perform her job. Still, it bothers her to see her patients suffer from injuries that could have been prevented by wearing a seatbelt. The spot, directed Sean Broughton and edited by Dan Maloney, switches from footage of the accident, in which a woman doesn’t wear a seatbelt and crashes into the windshield, to the physcial therapist working with the patient. “If you could see what I see,” she says, “you’d never drive unbuckled again.”

The approach combines more well-worn shock tactics with an appeal to authority. Unfortunately, the former gets pushed to extremes in the “Surgeon” anti-drunk driving spot, making it a good deal less effective than “Physical Therapist.”

“The final results deliver our message with stunning impact,” claims RK Venture owner, executive creative director Richard Kuhn. “Drinking and driving and not wearing a seatbelt all to often result in shattering consequences that can be avoided. I couldn’t be more pleased with what Sean Broughton and Dan Maloney brought to the table, and the finished spots.”

“The main focus of this edit was to strike a balance with the pacing–while still giving the stellar VFX shots room to breathe,” added Maloney. “The process was integrated and pretty seamless–working with Nick and Sean is always a pleasure.”

Credits:
Client: NMDOT

Agency: RK Venture
Broadcast Creative Director and Copywriter: Nick Tauro
Agency Principal and Executive Creative Director: Richard Kuhn

Production Company: HalfLife* Digital
Director: Sean Broughton
Producer: David Garcia
Director of Photography: Dean Mitchell

Editorial Company: Cut + Run
Editor: Dan Maloney
Assistant Editor: Nicole Berg
Executive Producer: Rana Martin
Head of Production: Julia Williams

Visual Effects: Jogger
Lead Artist & Online Editor: Sean Broughton
CG artist: Boaz Livny

Color Correct: MPC
Colorist: Adrian Seery

Audio Post: Sonic Union
Mixer: Brian Goodheart

Music Production & Sound Design: Finger Music
Composer/Arranger: Brian Englishman
Executive Producer: Ewa Miller
Sound Designer: Cameron Thompkins

Beethoven and Susan B. Anthony Hype Chick-fil-A’s Breakfast Sandwich in First Erich & Kallman Campaign

Today we learned that Chick-fil-A had dropped its agency of record The Richards Group after 22 years, picking McCann New York as its lead agency.

Erich & Kallman of San Francisco also beat out five other agencies to win some project-based work, and its first-ever campaign launch coincides with the announcement.

The ads promote the new Egg White Grill breakfast sandwich, which officially launched earlier this week. The theme is, “Chicken for breakfast, it’s not as crazy as you think,” and it features six historical figures who were seen as a little bonkers in their time(s).

This is the first campaign since Richards started the cow theme to First, one Beethoven comma Wolfgang Von. He wrote a song you probably heard at least once.

We still imagine Beethoven looking like Gary Oldman, aka Police Commissioner Gordon. (It was a dumb movie.)

Next, some Italian dude with a sweet beard who painted a chapel.

The lineup isn’t limited to one gender, btw. Here’s Susan B. Anthony, who we hear may have been an important figure in the politics.

So far it’s like a shorter version of the first Bill & Ted movie. Alexander Graham Bell is kind of a dick, but he did not invent social media acronyms.

Here’s a pair of spots featuring Mr. Thomas Edison, who had at least one screw loose in the old noggin.

Not a stretch to imagine that dude electrocuting an elephant.

Finally, Amelia Earhart would have been huge on Instagram.

Sources tell us that this campaign was presented to agencies as a one-off assignment aside from the transition of the main account from The Richards Group to McCann New York. And will the new egg sandwich work? We have no idea, but longtime Chick-fil-A customers seem to be a little pissed about the death of the spicy chicken biscuit.

Kallman says that his team hopes to do more work with the Chick-fil-A brand moving forward.

Credits

dummy. 

Harold Einstein: director
Eric Liney: executive producer
Jonathan Freeman: director of photography
Patrick Lumb: production designer

Arcade

Dave Anderson: editor
Laurel Smoliar: asst editor
Gavin Carroll: senior producer

CO3

Tim Masick: senior color artist
Rochelle Brown: senior producer

Ntropic

Nathan Robinson: ECD / Founder
Steve Zourntos: lead flame artist
Matt Tremaglio: flame artist
Emily Avoujageli: senior producer
Yvonne Pon: assistants
Gillen Burch: assistants

One Union

Joaby Deal: senior engineer
Lauren Mask: producer

Erich & Kallman

Eric Kallman: creative director/co-founder
Steve Erich: managing director/co-founder
Kate Higgins: head of accounts
Laura Ferguson: executive producer

Butter Music + Sound

Andrew Sherman: artist
Max Schad: artist
Ryan Faucett: senior producer

Vitro Ferrets Through the Forest for Toyo Tires

San Diego-based agency Vitro launched a new campaign for Toyo Tires with a 90-second spot featuring a Toyo-outfitted Ferret romping through forest and desert terrain.

No, we don’t mean the domesticated Mustelas who are relatives of weasels — although we would like to see one with wheels. Rather, the agency created a vehicle using a 1959 British Ferret 4X4 military scout as a platform.

With some monster Open Country M/T Toyo tires and off-road racer BJ Baldwin behind the wheel, the vehicle powers over logs, speeds down sandy desert paths, passes over a stream and even gets itself out of a ditch. Set to some Mad Max-esque grinding guitar, the spot demonstrates the brand’s “Any vehicle. Every terrain.” tagline with its extreme off-roading.

“In an industry where consumers see you as just ’round and black’ it’s critical that we stand out and communicate our messages of quality and durability,” explained Amy Coleman, senior director of marketing, Toyo Tire U.S.A. Corp. “VITRO helped us bring those brand points to life in a bold and original way with The Ferret.”

In addition to the online spot, the campaign will also include display, display, print, radio and paid social advertising, all handled by Vitro. The paid social component will target “both performance driving enthusiasts and everyday truck and SUV drivers,” according to a release. 

Credits:
Client: Toyo Tires
Agency: VITRO

ACD / Director – Doug Hyland
ACD / Director – Ryan Smith
Account Director – Beth Mygind
Account Supervisor – Claire Valentine
Agency Producer – Amy Krause
Production Company – Tempt Media
Producer – Tempt Media Vlad Shkolnyk
Director of Photography – Tempt Media Chris Adams
Builder – Action Vehicle Engineering

H&L Partners Celebrates Toyota Prius, the State of California

H&L Partners launched a campaign for Toyota Prius, promoting the hybrid vehicle’s new model as “Redesigned, CA Style.”

Based around the insight that Californians buy more Prii (according to the pitch we received, the plural of Prius — who knew?) than anyone else, the spot embraces and celebrates some common assumptions/stereotypes about residents of the state.

“California, here we come/ Right back where we started from…”

The two-minute anthem ad introduces the state as the “last stop for every weirdo and wild-eyed visionary who ever had a dream…or at least enough gas to get here” over an acoustic guitar (of course) and footage of the state’s natural beauty. Things take a turn for the even more self-congratulatory when the voiceover claims, “We like to be at the forefront, the first to grab on to the next big thing and make it ours,” championing the state as the birthplace of jeans, the smartphone and “putting avocado on everything.”

It then adds, “Maybe the environment just isn’t that big of a deal to them” about residents of other states who maybe just don’t understands the appeal of Toyota’s hybrid. It’s kind of weird that the one guy seems to be giving his car a luxurious wash though. Isn’t there still a big drought going on over there?

A trio of 30-second spots continues the theme, focusing on common stereotypes of Californians as “Hippies,” “Weirdos” and “Nerds.”

The self-satisfied approach makes sense since Californians already love the Prius. But the effort is targeted specifically at the Northern California market, where its tone is not likely to offend viewers and may stoke state pride, especially among those who are already fans of Toyota’s hybrid offering.

Credits:
Agency: H&L Partners
Creative Director: Rob Bagot
Associate Creative Director/Copywriter:
Dallas Baker
Art Director: Brian G Cheung
Executive Producer: Ted Meyer
Account Director: Trey Curtola
Account Manager: Chris Cronin
Account Coordinator: Camille Kahrimanian
Account Executive: Ongie Chin

Production Company: Caviar
Director: Hugo Stenson
DP: Jac Fitzgerald
Executive Producer: Kim Dellara
Production Contact: Jude Vermeulen

Editorial: Cartel Editorial
Editor(s): Leo Scott, Chris Catanach
Producer: Barbara Healey
Executive producer: Lauren Bleiweiss

Telecine: Electric Theatre Collective
Colorist: Aubrey Woodiwiss

Music & Sound: Barking Owl Sound
Music Producer: Ashley Benton
Final Music: Atticus Ross, Brian Canning,
Seth Olinsky
Sound Designer: Morgan Johnson
Executive Producer: Kelly Bayett

Havas London’s Celebrates a Child’s First Flight in Heathrow Airport’s Debut Broadcast Ad

Havas London launched the first ever broadcast campaign for Heathrow Airport with the 90-second spot “The First Flight.”

“The First Flight” tells the undeniably story of a 5-year-old girl named Harriett’s first trip to Heathrow Airport. Set to the David Bowie song “When I Live My Dream” (from his 1967 debut), the spot follows Harriett through the airport, owl-shaped bag in tow, aviator hat and swimming goggles on her head. Unlike W+K New York’s “No Bag Left Behind,” for Delta in 2014, which similarly features a young girl’s animal shaped bag, the focus isn’t entirely on the luggage bag, although it’s certainly a scene stealer. 

The spot does an admirable job of communicating the childlike wonder of flight that adults take for granted, with more than a little help from the inspired music choice. Outsider’s Dom and Nic directed the spot, giving the mood and pace the right touch to capture Harriett’s excitement and wonder at her first trip to the airport — even if you could argue that it could have been accomplished in 60, rather than 90, seconds.

The spot rolled out on social media today and will make its U.K. broadcast on Thursday. Supporting the effort is a contest with Qantas asking participants to share Heathrow Airport memories for the chance to win one of 70 trips to Australia.

Credits:

Client: Heathrow Airport
Agency: Havas London
Executive Creative Director: Ben Mooge
Creatives: Barnaby Packham, Daniel Bolton
Group Business Director: Caroline Saunders
Senior Account Director: Julia Mahoney
Agency Producer: Kiri Carch
Assistant Producer: Femi Ladi
Production Company: Outsider
Directors: Dom and Nic
Producer: John Madsen
Director of Photography: Alex Barber
Editing: Ed Cheesman, Final Cut
Post: The Mill
Sound: Antony Moore, Factory

RPA and Honda Fall in Love for the Summer

RPA launched a new, music-fueled campaign for Honda, promoting the Honda Summer Clearance Event.

In “Red,” a man falls in love with a 2016 Accord LX Sedan (which is not red, surprisingly) to the tune of Beyoncé‘s “Crazy in Love,” as performed by a doo-wop style vocal group. When asked if he likes it by a sales representative he tries to play it casual, but has a terrible poker face. Also, the dashboard caress is a tad creepy. 

The rest of the spots in the campaign all follow the same basic approach, albeit with different music and car models. Other love songs turned vehicular infatuation songs are “Head Over Heels” in “Float” and “Take My Breath Away” in “Angels.” Kelly Clarkson gets some love in spot “Dress” as well. We’re not sure the dramatic and cheesy approach does a lot to sell the cars in question but the spots are at least different enough to stand out from the summer clearance sale pack.

“Ultimately, our goal is to break through the car sales-event clutter and remind people that summer is the best time to get a great deal on a Honda,” Honda assistant vice president of marketing Susie Rossick told Adweek.