Hasta La Creative!

Just because you’re not Jewish doesn’t mean you can’t attend this year’s Toronto Jewish Film Festival.

That’s the message of a new campaign created by FCB Toronto to promote the event, which runs from April 30-May 10 (and only the films have to be Jewish, FYI). To highlight that sense of all-inclusiveness, FCB helmed a few spots that indulge in some rather ridiculous stereotyping to hammer home the “just because you’re this doesn’t mean can’t do this” missive.

Thanks to our clueless interviewer, we learn that white guys do eat tacos, Asian guys do drive Volvos, and you needn’t know yoga’s Hindu history to practice it.

The campaign as a whole is silly, but it’s easy to understand what FCB and TJFF are going for.

Check out the other two spots below.

Agency: FCB Toronto
CEO: Tyler Turnbull
Chief Creative Officer: Jon Flannery
Account Planning: Heather Segal & Mona Chammas
VP Group Creative Director: Jeff Hilts
Writers: Dave Delibato, Krystle Mullin, Sabiha Chaudry, Dave Hayes & Joseph Vernuccio
Art Director: Rob Dean & Naeem Walji
Account Service: Sunil Sekhar,  Marci Mancinelli
Producer: Tony DeSousa
Print Production: Victor Carvalho
Project Management: Rameez Al Aghbar & Kinga Karadi
Traffic: Stefanie Saganski

Production: Fuel Studio
Director: Alex Ogus
Executive Producer: Peter Grech
DOP: Doug Koch

Executive VFX Producer: Laurie Kerr-Jones
VFX Producer: Jodie Moore

W+K Portland celebrates the myth of the American Dream in a new 60-second spot for Chrysler for the new 2015 Chrysler 300 entitled “The Kings and Queens of America,” narrated by Game of Thrones’ Peter Dinklage.

“There is no royal blood in this country,” Dinklage begins at the beginning of the ad, with strings playing dramatically in the background, “Nothing is reserved for anyone.” The narration is matched by expertly crafted shots of men and women staring out at city skylines. “It’s all just out there, waiting for someone to reach out and take it,” Dinklage continues. While the sentiment behind the ad ignores the reality that social mobility is actually higher in most European countries than it is in the U.S., this is advertising, not sociology. Dinklage’s voice acting (which, of course, is typically brilliant) delivers well-written copy and is matched perfectly by visually impressive footage, courtesy of director Samuel Bayer.

The effort launches a “Drive Proud” campaign for Chrysler, which will also span digital and print and focuses on celebrating “success through hard work across all walks of life, from entrepreneurs and small-business owners to self-employed contractors, designers and artists” and features Becky Hammon (NBA assistant coach, San Antonio Spurs), Alexis Ohanian (cofounder of Reddit), Phil Ivey (professional gambler/entrepreneur), Kwaku Alston (photographer) and Caroline Styne (restaurant owner). Of course, the timing of the launch couldn’t be better either, with the imminent debut of season five of Game of Thrones making Dinklage’s involvement pure gold.

Credits:

W+K PORTLAND

Creative Directors Aaron Allen / Kevin Jones

Copywriter Alex Romans

Art Director John Dwight

Broadcast Producer Endy Hedman

Art Producer Grace Petrenka / Amy Berriochoa

Strategic Planning Cat Wilson / Sarah Biedak

Media/Comms Planning Alex Barwick

Account Team Cheryl Markley / Lani Reichenbach / Stephanie Montoya

Business Affairs Karen Murillo

Project Management Jane Monaghan / Annie Quach

Executive Creative Directors Joe Staples / Mark Fitzloff

Head of Production Ben Grylewicz

PRODUCTION

Production Company HSI

Director Samuel Bayer

Executive Producer Roger Zorovich

Line Producer William Green

Director of Photography Samuel Bayer

Photographer Samuel Bayer / John Clark

EDITORIAL

Editorial Company Joint

Editor Nicholas Davis

Assistant Editors Kristy Faris

Post Producer Leslie Carthy

Post Executive Producer Patty Brebner

VFX

VFX Company Joint

Lead Flame Artist Katrina Salicrup

Flame Artist David Stern

Smoke Artist David Jahns

VFX Producer Alex Thiesen

MUSIC + SOUND DESIGN

Songs “Blood and Stone”

MIX

Mix Company Joint

Mixer Noah Woodburn

Producer Sarah Fink

Grey New York released a series of new ads for DirecTV which signal the end of its campaign with Rob Lowe, which launched last September.

That campaign didn’t sit well with Comcast, and on Tuesday the National Advertising Division of the Council of Better Business Bureaus ruled that DirecTV needed to stop using several of the claims it made in those ads. In Lowe’s place is Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition’s cover model Hannah Davis, who appears in a pair of ads which made their debut last weekend. In the first of the ads, Davis talks up the wireless aspect of DirecTV, which she says makes it so you don’t have to look at “ugly wires and boxes.” She then tells viewers you don’t have to take it from her, you can take it straight from her horse’s mouth, who then starts talking. In a second spot, Davis mentions DirecTV being rated higher than cable in customer satisfaction for the 14th year in a row before her horse goes off on a tangent.

As Adweek notes, the new efforts from Grey trade in three of the most tired advertising cliches: casual sex appeal, a talking animal and a literal interpretation of figurative language. While the Rob Lowe campaign was far from innovative, it at least started out as entertaining, before inevitably running out of steam. This campaign doesn’t have the same kind of potential, but at least it’s not likely to result in a lawsuit.

mcgarrybowen launched an extension of Chase’s “So You Can” campaign this week entitled “Masters,” designed to highlight its consumer banking products.

In the 60-second anthem ad (above), featuring Serena Williams, fencing champion Tim Morehouse and The Rockettes, mcgarrybowen contrasts the years these individuals took honing their craft with the seconds it takes to the moments it takes to pay bills at Chase.com, depositing checks at Chase ATMs and transferring funds using the bank’s mobile app. There’s also a 90-second online spot profiling The Rockettes, including what goes into each performance and the years of intense dance training it took the performers to get where they are. Since the dancers only get one day off a week, using Chase’s consumer banking products help them multitask and pay their bills backstage. A 30-second spot, recycling some of the footage from the anthem ad, takes a look at Chase’s role in Morehouse’s routine. We don’t recommend his method of receipt retrieval, however, as it would likely get you thrown out of most bank locations. The ads are supported by social media, sponsorship and in-branch efforts.

Credits:

Agency: mcgarrybowen, New York

Chief Creative Officer: Mark Koelfgen

Executive Creative Director: Ahmer Kalam

Creative Director: Malaika Danovitz

Sr. Art Director: Kevin Gladwin

Managing Director Content Production: Dante Piacenza

Sr. Producer: Stacy Kay

Sr. Music Producer: Jean Scofield

Executive Planning Director: Tata Sato

Managing Director: Andrea Huemmer

Account Director: Alex Ciociola

Account Supervisor: Max Lemberger

Account Executive: Kelly Malacarne

Production Company: Smuggler

Director: Brian Beletic

Producer: Erin Wile

Director of Photography: Bradford Young

Editor: Biff Butler @ Rock Paper Scissors

VFX: The Mill

Audio: Sonic Union

It’s not very often that an advertising creative boasts about putting you to sleep with one of his campaigns, but in the case of Floyd Hayes, it’s the foundation of his latest work for the airport hotel brand Yotel.

With the epic, 30-minute film “Yawn” — which Hayes himself says is his “favorite project so far” — the self-proclaimed “Ideas Man” (who you know from well-publicized efforts like “World’s Fastest Agency“) is hyping Yotel and Serta’s new Smartbed while trying to induce sleep at the same time.

How? Well, creative director Hayes, with the help of award-winning director Scott Elliott and UK electronic artist/Yotel music playlist curator Tom Middleton, has unveiled a sprawling film filled with slow-motion footage of several people (including the CD himself) heading into slumber as soothing, Vangelis-style music plays.

Regarding his contribution, Middleton says:

“I’ve designed the ultimate sleep soundtrack using psychoacoustic frequencies, grey noise and ASMR whispering voice textures. Combined with ethereal dissonance, sympathetic pulse/respiration rate reducing bio harmonics and stochastic ambience induce pure relaxation and a deep, rejuvenating sleep.”

Because Hayes’s latest project — which follows his other work for the chain like an interactive LEGO installation — was designed to inspire yawns, it may be best viewed in the comfort of your bed.

72andSunny launched a simple and direct campaign for 106-year-old Tillamook Dairy, entitled “Dairy Done Right.”

The campaign, which spans television, print and digital is designed to promote the dairy’s commitment to quality and transparency. In the broadcast and online spots, Tillamook products are shown against a minimalist background underscoring the brand’s “no tricks” approach. Each spot contains a simple message, delivered via text, related to Tillamook’s quality. The messages range from the titular “Farmer’s Not Shareholders” to the genuineness of their products in “Cheese Product” and the rBST-bashing “Dairy With Standards Not Artificial Growth Hormones.” Beyond the obvious messages delivered, the implicit message is that, while big brand competitors rely on gimicks and trickery, Tillamook just stands behind the quality of its products.

Clemenger BBDO Melbourne launched a new campaign for Transport Accident Commission emphasizing the importance of parental role models in determining childrens’ future driving behavior.

The 60-second “Strings” marks a drastic change in approach for Transport Accident Commission, which historically has relied on depicting car accidents to show the potential outcomes of poor driving decisions. “Strings,” on the other hand, the first work from Clemenger BBDO, doesn’t even have a car in it. Rather, it takes a simple but impactful approach to teach parents how their children are mirroring their driving behaviors. A child, attached to strings, mimics a series of driving gestures — such as checking his self phone for text messages, yelling at another driver and answering the phone. As the camera pans out, it is revealed his movements are controlled by his father in front of him, followed by the message, “What kind of driver are you raising?”

The shoot was not exactly easy to pull off, as Stephen de Wolf, Clemenger BBDO Melbourne creative director explains it involved “an intricate rig that linked our father and son, with professional puppeteers directing our talent,” with the spot filmed in a singled take, requiring “a perfectly timed and synchronised performance from both of them.”

Clemenger BBDO has carved out something of a niche for itself with thought-provoking driving PSAs such as “Local Legends” and “Mistakes,” so it’s no surprise that its Melborune division delivers a compelling take here for Transport Accident Commission.

Credits:

TAC

Amy Cockerell – Marketing Coordinator

Cherie Chandler – Marketing Project Manager

Samantha Buckis – Road Safety Project Coordinator

Samantha Cockfield – Senior Manager Road Safety

Clemenger BBDO Melbourne

James McGrath – Creative Chairman

Ant Keogh – Executive Creative Director

Stephen de Wolf – Creative Director

Jim Robbins – Senior Copywriter

Luke Thompson – Senior Art Director

Sharon Adams – Print Producer

Sonia Von Bibra – Executive TV Producer

Karolina Bozajkovska – Senior Agency TV Producer

Steve Pratt – Retoucher

Lee Simpson – Managing Partner

Naomi Gorringe – Group Account Director

Kate Joiner – Senior Account Manager

Patrick Nally – Account Executive

Production:

Tomas Mankovsky – Director (Blink)

Camilla Dehnert – Producer

Geoffrey Simpson – DOP/Cinematographer

Elodie Fouqueau – Editor

Lucinda Thompson – Designer

Duncan Horn – Flame Artist

Theodore Vidgen – Music Composer/Arranger

Stephen Boniface – Photographer (Match Photography)

Paul Le Coutier – Sound Designer/Engineer

Production Company – Finch/Blink (Co-production)

Post Production Company – Method Studio/Glassworks

Sound House – Flagstaff

Special/Visual Effects – Glassworks

Back in January, we learned that E*Trade had decided to drop Ogilvy as AOR after less than two years and go with R/GA, which had been creating digital work for the client for some time.

This win came as the agency planned “a new emphasis on TV work” for 2015, and its first broadcast campaign for the client quietly debuted nearly three weeks ago.

The campaigns are similar to Ogilvy’s work for the client in that they star Kevin Spacey, but the theme is now “Opportunity Is Everywhere.”

The first ad, “Beards,” is aimed at the kind of woman who might be spending a little too much time on the L train:

After watching Sunday night’s Mad Men, we can only say that we hope mustaches NEVER come back.

In the second spot, “Fast Food,” Spacey observes an investor who may be the last man on Earth to see the latest McDonald’s ads or stop by his local Chipotle:

Point taken, though. Finally, the most recent ad involves an impressionable everyman witnessing yet another thoroughly awful trend: “barefoot shoes.”

Cool. Now do “smart watches.”

Rather than go for blunt messaging to discuss the environment for the World Wildlife Fund, Grey Group Shanghai (with the help of a group of local 10th grade high school students) opted for a mix of subtlety and visual trickery to blur the line between illusion and reality.

With a campaign dubbed “Save the Vanishing Tree,” which was unveiled on March 21, the agency utilized “ambient media” — in this case, its team painted a strip around the trunk of a tree to give the illusion of transparency, ultimately giving the impression to passersby that part of the trunk had vanished.

Here’s the team at work:

Here’s a view of the work:

…and here are audience reaction shots:

According to a statement from Grey:

“The idea uses ambient media in a really clever way to disrupt and draw people’s attention, give them a dose of reality to a serious environmental problem. This is because as the country continues to prosper, we live under the illusion that everything is just fine.”

Along with the painting portion, QR codes were placed nearby the tree to drive people to the WWF website, which sheds light on the deforestation currently plaguing nations around the world. In China specifically, 12-15 million hectares of forest are lost each year — which is the equivalent of decimating one Forbidden City every three minutes.

The ultimate objective of the WWF initiative, which also includes print and OOH components, is to emphasize China’s increasing participation in the green movement in a rather clever way.

Expect the campaign to expand to other nations.

Agency: Grey Shanghai

Client: WWF China

Chief Creative Officer: Canon Wu

Creative Director: Jonathan Lim

Art Director: Yuki Xu, Sasa Yu

Copywriter: Top Yu

Planner: Rachel Woolley

Public Relations: Benjamin Li

Illustrator: Shanghai High School, International Division Grade 10 –

Ann Tang, Saku, Sarie, Anya

Production: Meethepeople

Swedish agency ANR BBDO created “The Lag Stress Test” for ume.net to test if individuals in high stress jobs could deal with lag without getting frustrated.

For part two in the brand’s “Living with Lag” campaign, ANR BBDO teamed up with production company B-Reel to create a custom game which responded to stress levels measured via an Emotiv EPOC brain-sensing headset and Mio FUSE heart rate monitor, increasing lag to correlate with frustration. As you might expect, while individual perfromances varied, ultimately no one was able to deal with lag without getting frustrated. “Lag always means frustration,” the spot concludes, before presenting ume.net’s “1000 mbit/s frustration free fiber” as the solution. The test is an effective way to prove the point, even if it was an obvious one, and highlights the service’s key benefit in a way anyone can appreciate.

“We want to be in the forefront when it comes to broadband innovation, said Agneta Filén, marketing Director at ume.net (part of Umea Energi), in a statement. “There are enough situations in our everyday life that can cause frustration. Slow Internet shouldn’t be one of them if there are other alternatives.”

Credits: