Hasta La Creative!

JWT Canada launched a new digital campaign for Air Canada urging those promising to move to Canada in the wake of an election cycle which has seen widespread dissatisfaction with the prospective nominees for both mainstream political parties to “Test Drive Canada” first. That probably makes a little sense, given that moving to another country is no small matter, however enticing a progressive Prime Minister and universal healthcare might seem.

The spot opens with an Air Canada ticket agent watching a screen tracking how many Americans are searching for “How can I move to Canada?” — sitting at 1,367,899 as she says, “And there’s another one.” She adds that “It’s very flattering and we certainly have the room” (no kidding) but “maybe it makes sense to check us out first.” The ad links the approach to the brand (beyond the fact that it’s a Canadian airline called Air Canada) by pointing out that they offer “over 240 flights connecting the U.S. and Canada daily.”

“The unprecedented interest in moving to Canada presented a powerful social context to make Air Canada more relevant to American travelers,” JWT creative director David Federico told AdFreak. “Our challenge was to acknowledge where the tension was coming from, but avoid weighing into specific politics.” 

The campaign targets cities including New York, Boston, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Washington D.C. via YouTube and Twitter preroll ads. In addition to the above spot, there are also a series of 20 15-second ads inviting viewers to “test drive” specific locations, like Montreal (which really is a lovely city).

“Following the California primary, conversation around ‘moving to Canada’ spiked once again,” added JWT creative director Josh Budd. “In anticipation of this, we set ourselves up to write, shoot, edit and post live content in response to American tweets. We posted 29 real-time responses—to celebrities and average folks alike.”

Those celebrities include Modern Family star Ariel Winter, travel writer Matthew Kepnes and Raven-Symoné. (In Kepnes case it was to ask for recommendations for American travelers, not because “Nomadic Matt” expressed an interest in settling down up north). 

Of course, Air Canada isn’t the first brand to leverage election year ennui for its advertising. In February, MullenLowe asked passengers to “Reach Across the Aisle” for fellow airline JetBlue, while Leo Burnett Chicago offered “Election Insurance” from eSurance in an April Fool’s Day effort. Canadian agency Critical Mass, meanwhile, encouraged creatives to “Make Canada Even Greater” by applying to the agency and making the move north.

Credits:
Client: Air Canada
Director Global Marketing and Sales Communications: Selma Filali
Agency: J. Walter Thompson Canada
SVP Creative Directors: Josh Budd, David Federico
Art Director: Anton Mew
Writer: Alec Carlene
Strategy: Sarah Stringer, Kaiti Snell
Social: Rebecca Brown, Matthew Stasoff
Accounts: Andrew Rusk, Lindsay Cannon
Producer: Sydney Price
Media Strategy: Mindshare Canada
Talent: Tara Joshi
Public Relations: Spafax Content Marketing Americas

W+K launched a spot for Nike Football (soccer) ahead of the 2016 UEFA European Championship opener tomorrow that is the brand’s largest effort ever. 

The spot, entitled “The Switch,” was directed by Ringan Ledwidge and clocks in at nearly six minutes. In addition to Cristiano Ronaldo, who stars in “The Switch,” the ad also includes professional soccer players Raheem Sterling, Joe Hart, Harry Kane, Chris Smalling, John Stones, Ross Barkley, Ricardo Quaresma, Andre Gomes, Jose Fonte, Cedric Soares, Vieirinha, Raphael Varane, Anthony Martial and Javier Mascherano. Did you get all that?

“The Switch” implied in the title occurs when Ronaldo crashes into a young fan and they switch bodies, Freaky Friday-style. Not the most original premise, granted, but it works. After the collision, Ronaldo, as the boy, works his way back up to becoming a superstar until they eventually meet for the inevitable conclusion.

All told it makes for a pretty entertaining spot, even if the story could have been told in about half the time. The premise allows for the loads of on field footage to have emotional significance beyond the match itself and everything is presented with the stylish flair we’ve come to expect from these types of big budget Nike spots. Avid fans might not even mind the extended runtime, as, while there are plenty of flashes of Nike sportswear, it manages to find a nice balance of promoting the brand without being in your face about it. With the excitement of the upcoming tournament and the sheer star power involved, this spot would be guaranteed a ton of views even if it was a complete creative failure, so it’s especially refreshing that W+K was able to pull off something of this caliber instead.

W+K Amsterdam follows up March’s effort introducing Booking.com’s “Passion Search” with a new spot enticing fans of various athletic endeavors to “Get in the Game” this summer with the travel service.

The spot opens on a young woman daydreaming and watching a surfing video. “Well, there’s no argument,” begins the voiceover, “you can either keep dreaming or get booking.” She then searches by her passion (surfing) as the spot flashes forward through all the boring bits like catching a flight and checking into the hotel to show her grabbing a board and heading for the beach. “It all starts with the right room,” the voiceover continues — in this case a hotel right on the beach. For others in the ad, it’s a chance to meet Thierry Henry in the elevator, a room right near the stadium or the cyclist’s path. 

The 60-second spot kicks off W+K Amsterdam’s “2016 Summer of Sports” campaign for Booking.com, for which Henry serves as brand ambassador. He only makes a short cameo here (in the elevator scene we alluded to above) but we’re guessing the French national soccer hero will be back before the end of the summer. The spot manages to stoke excitement for summer sporting events two days ahead of the 2016 Euro Cup and a little under two months before the start of the Rio 2016 Summer Olympics, while also promoting the brand’s new “Passion Search” feature.

The campaign will roll out with the spot making appearance on broadcast, in cinemas and online in the U.K., Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Poland and Sweden, as well as Australia and Canada in the coming months. An additional two spots are expected in the coming weeks.

“When a savvy traveler wants to find the ideal room for their sporting passion – whether it’s football, surfing, cycling or running – they need look no further than Booking.com,” said W+K Amsterdam creative director Sean Condon. “Our spots bring that idea to life in typical Booking fashion – insightful humor, inspiring travel moments and a few surprises.”

“We are so thrilled to be working with Thierry,” added Booking.com CMO Pepijn Rijvers. “Like sport, travel has a special power to transform lives. We want to spark people’s imagination with possibilities they might not have considered before and Thierry is the perfect person to help us amplify and deliver on that mission. Especially this summer with the buzz around such inclusive and captivating sporting events, there are so many once-in- a-lifetime experiences just waiting to be had. Whatever you’re interested in, pursue it, travel for it—the world is yours to discover.”

Credits:
WIEDEN+KENNEDY AMSTERDAM
Executive Creative Director: Eric Quennoy & Mark Bernath
Creative Director: Genevieve Hoey, Sean Condon, Joe Burrin
Art Director: Cal Al-Jorani
Copywriter: Bern Hunter
Head of Broadcast Production: Joe Togneri
Sr. Broadcast Producer: Heidi Baltzer
Assistant Producer: Soey Lim
Strategic Planner: Emma Wiseman
Jr. Strategic Planner: Alexandre Janneau
Communications Planner: Josh Chang
Digital Strategist: Greg White
Group Account Director: Nick Owen
Account Director: Aitziber Izurrategui
Account Manager: Franky Wardell
Project Manager: Jackie Barbour/Cory Chonko
Business Affairs: Kacey Kelley

FILM PRODUCTION
PRODUCTION COMPANY: STINK
Director: Martin Krejci
Director of Photography: Florian Hoffmeister
Producer: Charlotte Woodhead
Executive Producer: Blake Powell

EDITING COMPANY: MARSHALL STREET EDITORS, LONDON
Editor: Tim Thornton-Allen
Assistant Editor: Stewart Adams
Executive Producer: Katie Truelove

AUDIO POST: GRAND CENTRAL RECORDING STUDIOS, LONDON
Sound Designer/Mixer: Raj Sehgal
Additional Track: Lay George Castle

MUSIC
Artist/Title: Gin Wigmore/New Rush
Music Company: Universal/BMG/Sugaroo

POST PRODUCTION: THE MILL, LONDON
2D Lead Artist: Andrew Barnsley Wood
2D Artists: Brad Wood, Richie Whites
Colorist: Seamus O’Keane
Producer: Elena Pagliei
Executive Producer: Misha Stanford-Harris

Grey New York launched a Father’s Day effort advising those searching for advice on the internet to “Go Ask Dad” instead, with WPP’s Catalyst and Possible handling search and digital marketing.

Paid search ads tied to “how to” questions like how to tie a tie, ask a girl on a date, fry an egg or shave redirect to the video, “This Father’s Day, Go Ask Dad.” The spot opens with the observation that “94 percent of teenagers ask the internet for advice before their dads,” before a series of fathers tell the camera, in different languages, about how their sons rarely ask for help, certainly seeking out their advice less than they did that of their own fathers. From here a group of teens are brought in, ask their questions on the internet and attempt to follow the advice before, apparently unbeknownst to them, their fathers show up to help them out. Surprise: father knows best (take that Google).

“One of the things we want to do is interrupt the search experience on Father’s Day,” Carlos De Jesus, North American Shave Care brand director for Gillette parent company P&G, told AdAge. “We’re going to be there for any of the how-to moments during that week. If you search how to shave, we’re going to be part of that. If you search how to change a tire or how to put on a tie, we’re going to be part of the conversation.”

It’s a sly approach for the brand, which is more popular with the parental generation. In other words, if you ask dad what kind of razor to buy he’s more likely to point to Gillette than, say, send you a link to Dollar Shave Club. Casual viewers, meanwhile, will just see a timely, memorable and emotional spot likely to resonate with dads. As part of the campaign, Gillette will also donate $50,000 to non-profit organization National Center for Fathering’s Watch D.O.G.S. program. 

It may be hard for Boston Red Sox fans to imagine, especially with the stellar year he’s having, but David Ortiz plans to retire at the end of 2016 after 14 seasons with the club and 20 total (as an Orioles fan, I can’t say I’ll miss him). To say goodbye to the aging slugger, MullenLowe crafted a spot for Red Sox sponsor JetBlue entitled “David Ortiz vs. Piñatas.”

The 45-second spot finds Ortiz mulling over his post-retirement plans. He imagines himself working kids’ parties busting piñatas. Predictably, his swing may be a bit too forceful to make the plan practical.

It’s a simple but effective ad, finding humor in Big Papi’s monstrous swing demolishing a series of piñatas in one swing. Each time, a group of children looks on, their party ruined as they can’t collect the candy, which inevitably finds itself home run distances away from its launch spot. The 45-second ads ends with the message “Whatever’s next for you Big Papi, good luck.” Sure to appeal to Red Sox fans, the ad’s lighthearted humor could also resonate with more casual fans  (even those who dread Big Papi coming up to bat).

Credits:

Client: JetBlue
Agency: MullenLowe

Creative
Chief Creative Officer: Mark Wenneker
Executive Creative Directors: Tim Vaccarino, Dave Weist
Creative Directors: Amy Ferguson, Julia Neumann
Copywriter: Chris Gilbert
Art Director: Dan Pappas

Production
Execkutive Director of Integrated Production: Liza Near
Director of Broadcast Production: Zeke Bowman
Producer: Matt Polski
Senior Digital Producer: Louise Lloyd Owen
Production Supervisor: Kristine Ring-Janicki
Senior Art Producer: Jessica Manning
Senior Production Artist: Julie Sforza
Project Manager: Christina Gratton
Senior Business Affairs Manager: Amy Keddy

Account Management
Executive Director: Drayton Martin
Account Director: Molly Bluhm
Account Executive: Beba Rivera

Strategy
Group Strategy Director: Ellie Gogan-Tilstone
Senior Strategist: Mike Patrick

Media
Senior Vice President, Group Digital Director: Jade Watts
Associate Digital Media Supervisor: Tracy Barahona
Associate Media Director: Kelly McGowan
Digital Media Supervisor: Shoshana Levine
Senior Media Planner: Lauren Meyers

PR, Social
Senior Vice President, PR Account Director: Jaclyn Ruelle
PR Account Supervisor: Brittany Topham
PR Assistant Account Executives: Kelsey Labrot, Meg Weldon

Production Company: Arts & Sciences
Director: Matt Aselton
Executive Producer: Marc Marrie
Producer: Zoe Odlum

Editing: MackCut
Editor: Ian Mackenzie
Assistant Editor: Mike Leuis
Executive Producer: Sasha Hirschfeld
Producer: Sabina-Elease Utley

Color: Company 3
Colorist: Tom Poole

Animation, Graphics: Method
Executive Producer: Angela Lupo
Visual Effects Producer: Matthew Engel

Sound Design, Mixing: MackCut
Mixer: Sam Shaffer

Music: Storefront Music

Chances are you’ll recognize Paul Marcarelli as Verizon’s “Can you hear me now?” guy, but in Deutsch’s latest spot for Sprint, he’s switched networks.

“Hey, I’m Paul, and I used to ask if you could ‘hear me now’ with Verzion,” Marcarelli says at the opening of the spot. “Not anymore, I’m with Sprint now,” he continues. The spot keeps things simple, focusing on Marcarelli’s Sprint conversion, which he explains is because “it’s 2016 and every network is great.” So, since you can probably hear him now regardless of network and “Sprint’s reliability is now within one percent of Verizon” (a claim backed up by a recent Nielsen study) it’s not worth paying more for marginally better coverage. (The ad claims “Sprint saves you 50 percent on most Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile rates.”)

It’s a pretty convincing sales point, relying on a simple delivery from a competitor’s former spokesperson. Deutsch and Sprint are clearly relying on that latter point, and Marcarelli’s notoriety from spending a decade in the “Can you hear me now?” role for Verizon to attract viewer attention and hammer the message home. The 30-second broadcast spot made its debut last night during the NBA Finals and will continue to run on cable and broadcast, with support from digital, print and OOH initiatives.

As Adweek points out, Marcarelli’s relationship with Verizon was somewhat contentious for the actor, as outlined in a  2011 profile in The Atlantic. Verizon made him sign a contract greatly restricting his creative and financial responsibilities before eventually firing him via email. So perhaps it shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise that he would sign on with a competing wireless company. 

“I’ve watched with interest as each of the wireless carriers claims to be the most reliable or the fastest. But what I’ve found is … the ‘better’ that some other national carriers claim about reliability is really less than a 1 percent difference, ” Marcarelli said in a statement, echoing his sentiments from the ad itself. “Does anyone even really notice a difference of less than 1 percent? But when it comes to saving money … Sprint is by far the best choice for consumers. You get a highly reliable network and save 50 percent off most of the rates other national wireless carriers charge. Now that is noticeable.”

The new campaign follows Sprint’s appointment last December of Roger Solé as its new chief marketing officer. Sprint subsequently decided to move more of its production work to its in-house production unit Yellow Fan Studios, resulting in a round of layoffs at Deutsch’s Los Angeles offices. Deutsch’s launch of this new campaign, probably the brand’s most high-profile effort in some while, could possibly help the agency convince Sprint to not move too much creative work to Yellow Fan Studios going forward, especially in the wake of backlash to an in-house effort which some deemed offensive and the brand subsequently pulled. 

Hill Holiday is launching a new spot for Dunkin’ Donuts, replacing longtime tagline “America Runs on Dunkin’” with “Keep On.”

The sugary anthem ad celebrates “Every day” as a chance “to do something amazing.” With Dunkin’ Donuts coffee cups, donuts and breakfast sandwiches placed strategically throughout, the spot examines upbeat scenes of a boy trying out a new prosthetic arm, a woman blowing out the candles on her 97th birthday cake and everyday scenes of people “Working’, “Living,” “Playing” and “Loving.”

The treacly spot aims to make an emotional connection with viewers through its positive message celebrating whatever it is they’re doing. “Keep on being you,” reads text near the ad’s conclusion, followed by the “#KeepOn” tagline. The spot will make its broadcast debut next Tuesday during America’s Got Talent.

While it moves beyond the decade-old tagline with the new “Keep On” brand platform, Linda SanGiacomo, senior director of advertising and customer experience for Dunkin’ Donuts, told Adweek the spot marks an evolution of its “America Runs On Dunkin” campaign, rather than a fresh start. 

“It’s a modern interpretation of ‘America Runs On Dunkin’,” she said. “And that is celebrating that positive energy and perseverence that defines our guests and our brand. ‘Keep On’ is really that evolution and that modernization.” 

“Where ‘America Runs on Dunkin’ works great is that it’s a great brand strategy line in regards to growth and fuel, but what it was missing was the celebration of our customer and honoring our customer and that’s what ‘Keep On’ is all about,” added Hill Holliday senior vice president, group creative director Chris D’Amico.

Hill Holliday and Dunkin’ Donuts aren’t the only ones who moved past a long-running tagline recently. Yesterday we wrote about DDB Chicago’s new campaign for State Farm, which replaces the brand’s iconic “Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there” tagline which debuted over 40 years ago. 

W+K Portland used footage from some of its recent Old Spice ads to make a new spot that’s even weirder called “Horrifying Mutant Abomination (Remix).”

While not exactly “horrifying” (a creepy clown does make a brief appearance so it’s probably not for the easily frightened), the spot otherwise lives up to its title. Basically, W+K Portland worked with Canadian animator Nick DenBoer III, aka “smearballz,” to create the most bizarre remix of Old Spice footage they could muster.

It’s quite weird. 

W+K Portland has long traded in strange spots for Old Spice, but this latest effort takes the weirdness to new levels.

It arguably goes a bit over the top in the process, if such a thing is possible for this brand. We guess that once you’ve worked to push a brand to such extremes, it takes more and more to get the same kinds of reactions from viewers, which eventually leads to what we have here. We’re guessing some consumers will be charmed to learn that the agency can still elicit such a reaction for Old Spice work.

Credits:

Agency: Wieden + Kennedy Portland
Client: Old Spice
Director: Nick DenBoer
Editor: Nick DenBoer
Sound Mixer: Nick DenBoer
Art Director: Matt Sorrell
Creative Director: Jason Kreher
Copywriter: Jarrod Higgins
Interactive Producer: Eddye Borgese
Interactive Producer: Teresa Lai
Interactive Producer: Mike Davidson
Business Affairs: Dusty Slowik
Account Management: Madison Savary
Copywriter: Jarrod Higgins
Company: Fresher Collection
Copywriter: Nick Morrisey
Company: Leatherman

After retaining lead duties on the account for a brand revival following an unofficial creative review, DDB Chicago is launching a new campaign for State Farm, complete with a fresh tagline.

It appears that after over 40 years, the brand’s iconic “Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there” is being pushed aside in favor of the new “Here to help life go right.” Accompanying the new tagline is a new brand positioning, with State Farm depicted as not just being there for customers when things go wrong, but also helping to “make life go completely right.” DDB Chicago worked with State Farm’s in-house team and “a variety of supporting agencies” on a new anthem spot.

Everything about the 60-second “Wrong/Right” is a complete departure from the agency’s most recent efforts for the brand. 

Replacing The Coneheads is a more serious, cinematic ad with a young boy providing a voiceover contemplating where State Farm would be in a world where things stopped going wrong. If a child pontificating about how a pseudo-utopian scenario would impact a life insurance company seems strange, well, it is. After opening on a tornado turning into a rainbow, the voiceover begins, “What if we just woke up one day and everything just stopped going wrong?” as he pedals off to school on his bike. It’s a fair enough question, perhaps a bit advanced but not beyond the inquisitive mind of a child. When he specifically asks how the scenario would impact State Farm, though, things start to feel a little forced and incongruous. 

“Being a good neighbor is about being ‘here’ in all of life’s moments,” State Farm’s chief agency, sales and marketing officer Rand Harbert told Adweek. “Technology has had a dramatic impact on the way customers interact with businesses, but it can’t replace the value of human connections. Relationships are more important now than ever.”

The spot will make its broadcast debut tonight during the first game of the NBA Finals, with additional spots exploring the same theme rolling out during the series. It will be interesting to see where DDB Chicago and company take the brand with the new approach. 

San Francisco agency barrettSF launched a new campaign for Humboldt Redwood, promoting the brand with a little help from “spokesplank” Timothy McTimber.

McTimber is voiced by comedian Ross Brockley, who plays a builder/ventriloquist. The pair offer up deadpan observations about the quality of the brand’s wood. In one ad, “Just a Wall,” McTimber points out that “our ancestors didn’t have TV, the wall was the TV,” adding that they’d be blown away by the beautiful Redwood wall they’re looking at (as a pilgrim appears, transfixed by the wall). 

Other 30-second spots share similar titles (“Just a Deck,” “Just a Post,” “Just a Beam”) and a similar approach. “Just a Deck,” for example, sees McTimber explaining that the ad is just showing a deck, even though they could show you something else, but there’s no need (and then they do anyway). In “Just a Beam,” meanwhile, he asks if he isn’t beautiful, as Brockley states at a beautiful beam. Taken altogether, the spots can get a little redundant. But each functions well enough in its own right, showcasing the brand’s striking wood mixed with some lighthearted humor to make it a bit more memorable. Those afraid of ventriloquism might quickly tune it out, though.

Credits:

Agency: barrettSF
ECD: Jamie Barrett
ECD: Pete Harvey
Copywriter: Peter Henningsen
Art Director: Byron Wages
Managing Director: Patrick Kelly
Account Supervisor: Michael Reardon
Executive Producer: Frank Brooks
Associate Producer: Charlotte Dugoni

Client: Humboldt Redwood
Director, Marketing: Jessica Hewitt
Marketing Associate: Jessica Chandler
Marketing Associate: Amber Lucas

Production Company: MJZ
President: David Zander
Director: Mike Maguire
Sr. Executive Producer: Eriks Krumins
Line Producer: Tracy Broaddus
DP: Barry Peterson
Production Designer: Michael Broaddus

Editorial: Arcade
Editor: Sean Lagrange
Assistant Editor: Brian Meagher

Music: Tone Farmer

Audio Mix: One Union Recording
Engineer: Eben