Hasta La Creative!

After playing foil to Larry David for several years on Curb Your Enthusiasm and hosting his own MSG show Four Courses, funnyman J.B. Smoove continues to pad his resume by taking on the role of “Legit-a-Master” for Rent.com.

This is the company’s first-ever ad campaign, created by MDC agency Doner. Doner emphasizes the word “legit” in its overall rebranding effort for Rent.com–a free national listings site targeted at both renters and property managers–which also includes a new logo and updated website.

In the debut spot above, we’re introduced to Smoove’s character and his mission: to ensure that every listing on Rent.com is legit and that every review is certified. While the actor/comedian doesn’t go full Smoove in the initial ad, his presence alone adds some levity to the campaign, which will soon find his character dealing with renters/dog owners and the always-contentious issue of picking up after your pets.

According to Doner co-CEO/CCO Rob Strasberg, the Rent.com ad debut is aimed at–you guessed it–younger millennials, hence its airing on cable networks such as Spike, Adult Swim, MTV and VH1 along with the usual broadcast channels.

Co-CEO, Chief Creative Officer: Rob Strasberg
EVP, Executive Creative Director: Brad Emmett
VP, Creative Director: Mark Cooke
VP, Creative Director: Bryan Hutson
Writer: Matt Livengood
Art Director: Dominique Wilson
Art Director: Bert Loera
EVP, Brand Leadership: Lisa Nardone
SVP, Brand Leader: Dennis Castillo
VP, Brand Leader: Stephanie Giorio
Brand Leader: Kari Weaver
Account Executive: Brad Sanders
VP, Strategic Planning: Alima Trapp
SVP, Director of Business Affairs: Sherryll Kollin
VP, Executive Producer: Paul Renusch
VP, Business Management Supervisor: Katherine Simmonds
SVP, Media Strategy and Activation: Bruce Haynes
VP, Associate Media Director: Alicia Lingenfelter

Venice, California-based agency Zambezi created a broadcast spot entitled “Transparent “to help The Honest Company launch its “Lifestyle” lineup of “non-toxic, eco-friendly, effective” cleaning products.

Unsurprisingly, the 30-second spot highlights the brand’s transparency, as the brand prides itself with being clear and open with customers and its cleaning liquid and the bottle it comes in are both clear. To illustrate transparency, while shooting for the cuteness factor, Zambezi created a spot around a little girl with X-Ray glasses. She uses them to find her father’s wallet as her mother is doing laundry, which she then trades for a cookie. As the father is wiping down the counter with, the girl slips the glasses on and off while looking at the kitchen cleaning liquid bottle, without a noticeable difference (since The Honest Company’s products are so transparent). While the ad may come across as a bit hokey and obvious at times, it’s refreshing how it nonchalantly features a mixed race family and both the cutesiness and the brand message should appeal to parents with young children. Unfortunately, the ad concludes with a tired attempt at humor, as the father slips on the X-Ray glasses to look at the mom. Waka waka.

Credits:

Founder, CEO: Chris Raih
Executive Creative Director: Josh DiMarcantonio
Associate Creative Director: Nick Rodgers
Associate Creative Director: Ben George
Executive Producer: Alex Cohn
Senior Producer: Nathan Nowak
Managing Director: Pete Brown
Communications Director: Nicole Bush
Account Executive: Nicole Younger
Designer: Briana Espinosa
Production Company: Hungry Man
Director: Ric Cantor
Executive Producer/Managing Partner: Kevin Byrne
Executive Producer/Director of Sales: Dan Duffy
Executive Producer: Mino Jarjoura
Executive Producer: Nancy Hacohen
Producer: James Kadonoff
Production Supervisor: Nora Resnick
Editing House: Zambezi
Editor: Ling Ly
Asst Editor: Paul Oh
Composer: Claire George (track title: Hummingway)
Sound Design and Mix: Lime Studios
Color Correction: Apache Color

This Cannes submission from Grey Latam’s Argentinian office deals in a bit more psychological nuance than your average North American campaign.

In order to promote dishwashing liquid Magistral, the first spot essentially argues that the very act of washing dishes manually serves as a form of therapy that can help resolve whatever “issues” happen to be unsettling your mind at the moment.

Take, for example, the touchy-feely boss and the socially anxious employee:

The second ad in the series concerns a wife whose husband is considering an…awkward tattoo:

Nice to know that wives around the world have problematic relationships with their mothers-in-law and that almost every employee has a love/hate thing for his overly affectionate boss.

Yet, despite the therapeutic properties of what the release calls a “tedious, domestic task,” we still prefer to use a dishwasher whenever possible.

FCB Alliance agency Happiness launched a new effort for Italian fashion brand Pimkie introducing hotel visitors to the concept of “The Mini Fashion Bar.”

Based on the insight that packing the right clothes for vacation can be difficult, due to unforeseen weather or travel plans, Happiness borrowed the concept of the hotel mini bar and applied it to clothing. The agency filled a hotel closet with “an assortment of hand-selected, fashion-forward clothing” carefully curated by stylists and fashion bloggers based on the weather, location and nearby attractions. When guests realize they don’t have the right outfit for a given occasion, they can simply take something from the “Mini Fashion Bar” and pay for it upon checkout (if it’s really like a hotel mini bar, of course, the prices will be outrageous). If the clothes aren’t the right size, guests can contact the “Fashion Concierge” to have it exchanged. The campaign rolled out at Banks Boutique Hotel in Antwerp, the fashion capital of Belgium and there are already plans to extend the campaign to Milan, Barcelona, Berlin and Paris.

Credits:

Client: Pimkie International
Chief Marketing Officer: Dorothée Braure
Head of Marketing & Communication: Fanny Meilhac
Head of Visual Identity: Caroline Wicklacz
Project Manager: Julien Cazal

Agency: Happiness, an FCB Alliance
Executive Creative Management: Karen Corrigan
Chief Creative Officer: Geoffrey Hantson
Creative Director: Philippe Fass
Concept Provider / Copywriter: Catherine Hermans
Art Direction: Laurie Lacourt
Group Account Director: Nathalie Marchand
Project Manager: Emilie Dekeyser
Graphic Designer: Anna Touvron
Graphic Designer: Emilie Wauthelet
Copywriter FR: Bill Bilquin
Producer: Sophie Gunsbourg
Production: Bob Jeusette
Editor/Animator: Philippe Blondeau
Web Development: Bliss Interactive

72andSunny launced a campaign promoting the latest addition to the Skylanders, Skylanders SuperChargers, which is set for a September 20 release date. Thankfully, this time around Adam Carolla is not involved.

Instead, 72andSunny and Logan Productions worked with motocross stuntman Travis Pastrana to promote the new game’s introduction of vehicles to the Sklyanders universe with the 90-second “Buckle Up.” Pastrana claims to have tried just about every stunt in the book, showing off a few in the process before conceding he has nothing on the Skylanders crew. The characters show off their moves, with constant reminders that this is not actual gameplay footage, much to Pastrana’s amazement. “Buckle Up” ends with a peak at that actual game footage, showing Skylanders characters riding vehicles for the first time and giving viewers an indication of how the land, air and sea vehicles will change the game. While the spot may not do much to appeal to adults (the game is intended for children after all), the celebrity appearance feels less forced this time around and promotes the game much more convincingly.

Credits:

Client
CEO Activision Publishing: Eric Hirshberg
EVP, Chief Marketing Officer: Tim Ellis
SVP, Consumer Marketing: John Coyne
Sr. Manager, Consumer Marketing: Kelly Patt
Consumer Marketing Manager: Derrick Kuan

72andSunny Team
Co-founder, Chief Creative Officer: Glenn Cole
Partner, Chief Strategy Officer: Matt Jarvis
Group Creative Director: Frank Hahn
Creative Director, Designer: Peter Vattanatham
Creative Director, Writer: Tim Wolfe
Senior Designer: Travis Swingler
Senior Writer: Aron Fried
Junior Writer: Taylor Black
Group Strategy Director: John Graham
Senior Strategist: Daniel Teng
Chief Production Officer: Tom Dunlap
Director of Film Production: Sam Baerwald
Executive Film Producer: Dan Ruth
Senior Film Producer: Lizzie Marcy
Film Production Coordinator: Alissa Stevens
Group Brand Director: Mike Parseghian
Brand Director: Torie Gleicher
Brand Manager: Tashi Oszvald
Brand Coordinator: Emilia Podsadniak
Business Affairs Director: Alex Lebosq
Business Affairs Manager: Kelly Ventrelli
Business Affairs Manager: Casey Brown

Production Company: Logan Productions
Director: Ben Logan
Director of Photography: Florian Stadler
Head of Production: Scott Siegal
Executive Producer: Diego España
Line Producer: Jake Blasco

Editorial: Logan Media
Editor: Volkert Besseling
Producer: Sheri Patterson

Post Production: Logan Media
VFX Supervisor: Stephan Kosinski
CG Lead: Dan Kruse
Head of Production: Scott Siegal
Producer: Sheri Patterson

Recording & Mix: Lime Studios
Audio Mixer: Zac Fisher
Audio Assistant: Kevin McAlpine
Executive Producer: Susie Boyajan

Telecine: Incendio
Colorist: Clark Muller
Producer: Christina Caldwell
Data Assistant: Cassidy Greenwood

Original Music and Sound Design by Human

To promote the return of General Mills’ beloved French Toast Crunch cereal — which returned this January after being discontinued in 2006 — McCann teamed up with Picture Mill, Beacon Street and director Matt Piedmont for a campaign entitled “The Tiny & The Tasty.”

A series of ads parodies daytime soap operas, which were at their peak during French Toast Crunch’s heyday in the mid to late 90s (the brand launched in 1995) with a “mini mini-soap opera.” The 30-second spots cast a family of dolls and take on such soap opera cliches as “Amnesia,” “Murder,” “Inheritance” and pregnancy. In “Amnesia,” a couple’s son suffers from amnesia and forgets, among other things, to wear pants. That’s a pretty good barometer for the rest of the campaign as well, which deals in over-the-top silliness. The goofiness gets so ridiculous that it detracts from the intended nostalgia factor, though we imagine that all most fans of the brand need to run clamoring to the grocery store is a reminder that it’s back.

Bill Wright, global executive creative director at McCann, told Adweek the idea emerged from “the 1990s origin of French Toast Crunch. That was the decade when daytime dramas were at their height of popularity. So when you take soap operas and cross them with tiny dolls, you get a strangely awesome mashup.”

CP+B found a clever way to work with Facebook’s autoplay video ads playing on mute, releasing a pair of ads for Hotels.com which make use of the lack of sound.

In one of the ads, the brand’s spokesman Captain Obvious bangs away at a piano. Text relays the message “Ads autoplay silently on Facebook…which is good for you…because I don’t know how to play the piano” before letting users know they can get 10 percent off their first stay when they download the Hotels.com app. Another spot sees Captain Obvious paired with a sign language interpreter, despite the fact that the ad also has subtitles. He admits that the interpreter is technically unnecessary, but vouches for her awesomeness. The approach works a lot better with the first spot, where the silence is not only part of the gag, it actually makes it more watchable (since you don’t have to hear Captain Obvious’s painful attempts at piano music).

LeBron James returns for fashion headphones brand Beats (following the spot celebrating his Cleveland homecoming last fall) in the spot “You Deserve the Best,” presumably from R/GA-associated unit Hustle, following its “Hear What You Want” spot with Draymond Green last week.

The spot shows James putting on a fancy suit as the voiceover talks about fancy hotels and bespoke suits, explaining “That not why you put in the hours, the years, the reps. You do it for the wins, that’s your currency.” LeBron then slides on a pair of Beats Solo 2 Wireless as the voiceover delivers the line “And that’s why you deserve the best.” While anyone with even a cursory knowledge of headphone brands could tell you it’s ridiculous to attribute “best” status to Beats, that’s not what the line is really about. It’s an invitation giving the viewer permission to spend hundreds on the brand’s inflated sticker price, and as such it’s kind of clever. After all, who doesn’t want to think that they “deserve the best” for all their hard work?

BBDO New York launched a series of new broadcase ads for FedEx, promoting FedEx Ground as a way for small businesses to save money.

Four 30-second spots present humorous scenarios where FedEx Ground can help small businesses, presenting the service as a better alternative to other money-saving practices. In “Bed & Breakfast” for example, a startup resorts to moonlighting as a bed and breakfast, with disastrous results. When one employee suggests they save money with FedEx Ground instead, everyone agrees, although it may be too late for the plumbing. In another spot, the service is working well for a company, unlike it’s open floor plan. “Hotshots,” meanwhile takes a look at a kid-run business, while “Family Business” shows how the service can make you take your business more seriously. The humor works better in some cases than others (the ridiculousness of “Family Business” notably falls flat), as the ads straddle a difficult balance between product integration and lighthearted narrative. As far as ads in the category go, however, these are fairly memorable. And haters of open floor plans will get a kick out of “Open Floor Plan” in particular.

Credits:

Advertising Agency: BBDO, New York, USA
Chief Creative Officers: David Lubars, Greg Hahn
Executive Creative Directors: Gianfranco Arena, Peter Kain
Associate Creative Director / Art Director: Justin Bilicki
Associate Creative Director / Copywriter: Matt Herr
Group Executive Producer: Amy Wertheimer
Executive Producer: Tricia Lentini
Group Planning Director: Sangeet Pillai
Managing Director: Kirsten Flanik
Senior Account Director: Kathryn Brown
Account Director: Amanda Cruz
Account Manager: Joshua Mesquita
Account Executive: Trent Lyle
Production Company: MJZ
Director: Tom Kuntz
Executive Producer: Scott Howard
Line Producer: Emily Skinner
Director of Photography: Jo Williams
Edit House: Mack Cut
Editor: Ian Mackenzie
Assistant Editor: Mike Leuis
Executive Producer: Sasha Hirschfeld
Visual Effects House: Schmigital
Sound Mixer: Philip Loeb/Heard City
Casting: Francene Selkirk

SS+K launched a new campaign targeting millenials for international children’s charity Smile Train, entitled “Serious Baby.”

Inspired by baby memes, the campaign tells the story of Walter, a nine-month old who goes on a smile strike. “There’s kids who have trouble smiling because of their unrepaired clefts,” he explains in an online spot (through a gruff, serious voiceover, “If they’re not smiling, I’m not smiling.” He encourages viewers to donate if they want to see him smile.

It’s a big change in approach for SS+K and Smile Train, whose last spot for the charity, “Dreaming of Midnight,” featured an interactive story allowing viewers to change the fate of a young girl by donating. The baby’s demeanor aside, it’s a far less serious approach than what viewers typically associate with Smile Train, as many remember when its ads featured shot after shot of children suffering from cleft palate to garner viewers’ sympathy and encourage donations. SS+K began changing things up by focusing instead on a single child, as in its previous spot and last April’s “Power of a Smile.” This is a far more drastic departure, however, as the spot attempts a more light-hearted approach without making light of an important cause. The video, along with various memes featuring Walter are hosted on Smile Train’s  Tumblr microsite for the campaign.

“We wanted to take a bit of a risk and try something different,” Shari Mason, senior director of integrated marketing at Smile Train, told Digiday. “We realized that if we are able to put a humorous spin on a serious issue like this, it will have a bigger impact rather than shouting facts and figures and attract a younger audience, including millennials. Millennials like to support causes where they can see the impact they’re making.”

“We’re trying to build their audience base and reach out to a younger demographic,” added Armando Flores, creative director at SS+K. “They have their core audience, but what we’re really moving toward is figuring out interesting ways to get more people to make micro donations instead of just big charity amounts.”