Hasta La Creative!

Last summer, W+K New York debuted its first ads for Heineken Light starring Neil Patrick Harris after the brand signed the actor to an 18 month endorsement deal. Harris is back in the agency’s latest, introducing a money back guarantee in a 15-second broadcast ad and dealing with the aftermath in a longer online spot.

“Heineken Light, the best light beer you’ve ever tasted or I’ll give you your money back,” Harris says to open the ad. He then spends the rest of the spot clarifying that no, he personally will not be refunding any money but rather “Someone at Heineken, I’m guessing.” The tone is in line with the dry humor of previous spots starring Harris, and also a clear example of a trend Adweek dubs the “comically reluctant celebrity endorser.” Anna Kendrick really got the trend rolling in Droga5’s “If We Made It” campaign for Newcastle, and the brand followed up this year with a series of spots starring the sarcastic Aubrey Plaza, while Ricky Gervais nailed the approach in last week’s Optus ads.

The campaign gets self-referential in the longer online spot. A creepy fan confronts Harris, who he recognizes as “that guy from the Heineken Light ads,” while he’s in the grocery store and soon he has a crowd gathered around him asking questions about the promotion which Harris clearly doesn’t know the answers to. Both ads end by referencing Heineken Light’s two consecutive wins for best-tasting low-calorie lager at the 2013 and 2014 World Beer Championships, following a reformulation in 2013 that saw the addition of Cascade hops to the recipe (undoubtedly a nod to the popularity of hop-forward craft brews).

“According to the Consumer Edge Insights’ Beverage DemandTracker, we found that 40 percent of 21- to 27-years-olds desire light beer with a more full-flavored taste,” Ralph Rijks, vice president of Heineken USA, told Adweek. “To meet consumer demand for fuller flavored beers, Heineken reformulated the brew with Cascade hops in 2013, which are particularly beneficial in enhancing the taste and give it a fuller flavor, crisper aftertaste and a clean finish, yet we’ve preserved the easy-to-drink, effervescent, low-calorie beer that Heineken Light drinkers love.”

The new formula was meant to target a younger demographic that companies like Heineken have lost a lot of ground with, and the recent campaign starring Harris certainly seems to have the same audience in mind. Heineken deserves some kudos for making the effort to actually change their product, while its competitors sit on their laurels, and match it with a well-chosen celebrity endorser, but you have to wonder why none of its advertising thus far has mentioned the change in formula — which certainly help distinguish it from the competition.

TBWA DANParis launched a new campaign for OPI, creating an alphabet and language using shades of the brand’s nail polish.

The brand introduces the idea with the 90-second launch video above. In it, a red drop introduces itself as the letter “A,” saying, “My mom thinks I’m very classy, but I can also be pretty naughty.” From there, all the other letters are presented, and the idea really starts to come to life when they are used to form words and sentences. These range from “Hello world,” to “Happy birthday Grandma,” to “Marry me now” and a certain four-letter word (you can find out which one for yourself). At the center of the campaign is an app which allows users to send messages using the language, and translates incoming messages. The campaign also includes print and OOH executions that make use of the same branded language, as well as merchandise like a t-shirt, mug and tote featuring different executions of the idea.

Credits:

Client: OPI
Agency: DANParis
Client Managers: Suzi Weiss-Fischmann, Ruthi Stirling, Marleine Pacilio, Katie Barth
Agency Managers: Julie Hardy, Philippe Simonet, Hugues Cholez, Franck Botbol
Creative Directors: Franck Botbol, Hugues Cholez, Nathalie Huni
Conception/Copywriter: Glen Troadec
Artistic Directors: Nicolas Cremmydas, Nicolas Barres
Movie Producer: Christophe Courty
Photography: Baptiste Massé/Mécanique Générale
Producers: Justine Myard-Guidi, Mathieu Gauchée
Chief Technology Officer: Ivan Zindovic
Lead Developer: Sidney Bourgallé
Social Media Planning: Lydia Faraj
Music Production: Benoît DunaigreElse

With “If I Only Had a Heart” from The Wizard of Oz serving as an ironic soundtrack, New York agency DeVito/Verdi and bi-coastal/Cape Town-based production company Backyard introduce us to a handful of heartless bankers who can’t help but show off their Broadway chops for NEFCU.

In case you didn’t know, NEFCU is a Northeastern credit union aiming to distinguish itself from proper banks with a dose of theatricality caricaturing the archetypal greedy finance guy.

Regarding the spot, DeVito/Verdi creative director Wayne Winfield says:

“There is power in clichés and stereotypes. Initially, we were looking for variations of the smug, silver-haired, well-fed banker (in other words, someone who looked as if he didn’t have a heart). Then, of course, there was the issue of being able to sing and dance. It was something of a fine line: We didn’t want polished performers, but at the same time they had be able to carry a tune and move in a way that looked natural and elicited a smile.”

We’d be glad to make the extra effort if a trip to the bank were this entertaining.

Agency: DeVito/Verdi

Creative Director: Wayne Winfield

Agency Producer: Karen Tomlin

Account Supervisor: Andy Brief

Vice President of Marketing & Community Relations: Valerie Garguilo

Senior Marketing Coordinator: Trish Graffingino

Production Company: Backyard

Director: Greg Bell

Director of Photography: Kris Kachikis

President/Partner: Blair Stribley

Managing Director/Partner: Chris Zander

VP/Executive Producer: Kris Mathur

Head of Production: Emily Malito

Line Producer: Candace Tomarken

Production Designer: Justin Trask

Editorial: PS 260

Managing Partner: Zarina Mak

Lead Editor: Dustin Stephens

Music Production: Duotone Audio Group

Executive Producer: David Leinheardt

Producer: Lissa Farquhar

Creative Director/Composer: Brian Deming

Composer: Brad Fischer

Music Supervisor: Karen Miller, The Albert Company

To celebrate Gatorade’s 50th anniversary, TBWA/Chiat/Day is celebrating the brand’s most iconic campaign, “Be Like Mike.”

A series of three new broadcast spots pay homage to the 90s classic, utilizing footage from the original or paying homage to it, while also resurfacing the “Be Like Mike” tagline (okay, it gets the hashtag treatment this time around) and song, which gets the remix treatment from Animal Music with a different version for each ad. In the 90-second spot, “Move Like Mike” (featured above), two young athletes train while watching footage of the classic commercial and listening to the song, recreating certain shots along the way, showing how even today athletes are inspired to “Be Like Mike.” At one point, the rim is raised to a level marked as “Like Mike” as a challenge designed to push the duo to new limits.

The campaign also includes two 60-second spots, “Groove Like Mike” and “Dream Like Mike.” In “Groove Like MIke,” TBWA/Chiat/Day echos the feeling of the original ad, with animation. Scenes from the original are recreated with the retro-feeling animated style, ending with the animated Jordan turning into footage from the original. “Dream Like Mike” pictures a young basketball player practicing in his yard and imitating Jordan. Over the course of the spot, he is inserted, in place of Jordan, into footage from the original spot, with Jordan lifted from the ad to appear in the new footage — a clever way to show how his routine is fueled by dreams of being like Michael Jordan.

The campaign has already proved to be tremendously popular online, racking up over 7 million views combined since being uploaded to YouTube. With the growing trend of nineties nostalgia, it’s easy to see why, but beyond its obvious appeal it really is the ultimate anniversary celebration for the brand.

Credits:

Advertising Agency: TBWAChiatDay Los Angeles, USA

Creative Director: Renato Fernandez

Art Director: Pierce Thiot

Copywriter: Scott Cleveland

Producer: Garrison Askew

Music Production Company: Animal Music

Operating under the insight that “Every year in the UK over 19,000 cyclists are involved in accidents,” Grey London and Volvo collaborated with Swedish startup Albedo100 to create a safety spray called LifePaint, designed to make cyclists more visible at night.

The above video begins by sharing the statistic, and documents the implementation of the initiative in London, a particularly dangerous locale for cyclists. For a car brand so focused on safety, the idea makes a lot of sense. As one cyclist in the video puts it, “…cycle safety in London is not all about bicycles; it’s about cars, it’s about pedestrians, it’s about sharing the road with other users. So it’s great that a car brand has got involved.”

LifePaint is being given away at bicycle shops in London and Kent beginning today and, if successful, will roll out nationally — and perhaps even internationally. Grey London also created posters using LifePaint which are “invisible” until presented with the flash of a camera or smart phone. One such poster shares the message, “The best way to survive a crash is not to crash,” a line that appear in the video as well.

“Our job isn’t just to advertise our clients,” Nils Leonard, chairman and CCO of Grey London, told Adweek. “It’s to help them make a positive impact on culture. With the creation of LifePaint, we’ve turned Volvo safety inside out, giving it away to the most vulnerable road users. What more positive action can a brand take than to try to save lives?”

Credits:

Client: Volvo
Creative Agency: Grey London
Chief Creative Officer: Nils Leonard
Creative Director: Hollie Newton
Creative Team: Jonas Roth, Rasmus Smith Bech
Account Team: Cristyn Bevan, Sophie Critchley, Alex Nixon
Planning: Wiktor Skoog
Head of Film: Glenn Paton
Integrated Producer: Francesca Mair
Assistant Producer: Talia Shear
Designer/ Typographer: Chris Chapman
Creative Producers: Helen Llewelyn, Glen McLeod
LifePaint Collaborators: Albedo100
Production Company: Caviar
Director: Andrew Telling
DOP: Jeremy Valender
Executive Producer: Louise Gagen
Producer: Adam Smith
Editor: Matt Newman at GreyWorks
Colourist: Julien Biard at Finish
Post Production: Gramercy Park Studios
Sound Design: Munzie Thind at Grand Central Studios
Music Composition: Adam Halogen through Wake The Tow
Microsite: Paul Cackett, Piers Cleveland-Copeman and Johan Runge-Goransson @ clear.as

Ten days ago we shared BBDO’s “Legneds” March Madneess campaign for AT&T, featuring Shaquille O’Neal, Julius “Dr. J” Erving, Clyde Drexler and Christian Laettner. Now, BBDO has released the next round of ads for the campaign, with four more 30-second spots and a 15-second spot for good measure.

The ads all follow the same formula as their predecessors, with the legends presenting a series of questionable advice on how to stay strong through the end of the tournament. If you liked the previous efforts, the new broadcast spots (“Strong Dunk” and “Strong Bracket”) may appeal to you as well. But, as shouldn’t come as a surprise for a campaign that now totals nine spots, the newest pre-roll ads (“Strong Science” and “Strong Song” in particular) sort of feel like throwaways. The broadcast spots debut today during the NCAA Sweet 16, as the tournament kicks into high gear.

Credits:

Agency:  BBDO New York & Atlanta

Client: AT&T

Campaign: March Madness Legends

Title: “Strong Dunk” “Strong Bracket”

Pre-Roll: “Strong Grip” “Strong Science” “Strong Song”

Chief Creative Officer, Worldwide: David Lubars

Chief Creative Officer, New York: Greg Hahn

Executive Creative Director: Matt Macdonald

Senior Creative Director: Rob Munk

Senior Creative Director: Mark Voehringer

ACD/Art Director: Jesse Snyder

ACD/Copywriter: Tim Wassler

Group Executive Producer: Julie Collins

Senior Producer: Angela Narloch

Music Producer: Melissa Chester

Managing Director: Doug Walker

Group Account Director: Lesley Brown

Account Supervisor: Andrew Woodruff

Assistant Account Executive: Katie Bowers

Production Company: Imperial Woodpecker

Director: Stacy Wall

Director of Photography: John Lynch

Line Producer: Jenn Barrons

Editing Company: Arcade NY

Editor: Jeff Ferruzza (Strong Grip – Strong Song)

Editor: Dave Anderson (Strong Dunk – Strong Brackets – Strong Science)

Executive Producer: Sila Soyer

Producer: Lauren Cancelosi

Visual Effects: Framestore

VFX Producer: Nicholas Dziekonski

Audio Mixing: Heard City

Audio Mixer: Phil Loeb

mcgarrybowen has launched a new campaign for Marriott Residence Inn entitled “Take Residence,” targeting a younger demographic for the brand.

The campaign attempts to show how business travelers can enjoy their limited leisure time at the hotel chain. In a 90-second anthem ad, viewers are invited to “Take advantage of your extended stay and take it all in.” Shot in the first person, the ad depicts a guest enjoying their stay in various ways. At times the spot switches to a split screen view with three small screens. A related interactive video at the Residence Inn site invites users to switch between three separate videos playing simultaneously. As Lee Remias and Kevin Thoem, creative directors, put it, the interactive video “basically allows you to become your own video DJ, while giving you a sense of all you can do while staying at a Residence Inn.”

In addition to the anthem ad and interactive video, the campaign also includes two 30-second broadcast ads, digital and social content, and a newly designed website. The shorter brodcast ads both feature the tagline, “It’s not a room, it’s a residence.”

Credits:

Chief Creative Officer: Ned Crowley                                                                                                                                                                                                                           Group Creative Director: Kevin Thoem                                                                                                                                                                                                                     Group Creative Director: Lee Remias                                                                                                                                                                                                                      Creative Director: William Cannon                                                                                                                                                                                                                 Copywriter: Kate Steinberg                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          Director of Broadcast Production: Steve Ross                                                                                                                                                                                                      Broadcast Production: Justin Lee                                                                                                                                                                                                                          Managing Director: Ida Rezvani                                                                                                                                                                                                                              Account Director: Jennifer Holmes                                                                                                                                                                                                                            Account Supervisor: Elizabeth Eldred                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Executive Planning Director: Shawna Ross

Deutsch New York created a lavishly-produced spot for PNC Bank, launching a new campaign entitled “Know.”

The 90-second ad depicts a father imagining his daughter’s dream wedding, followed by the message, “Know you can save today, for what’s important tomorrow.” While the spot certainly looks good — much of it is devoted to the over-the-top wedding, brought to life by Deutsch and production company Interrogate, utilizing a mix of live action and visual effects courtesy of The Mill — it’s certainly not without its flaws. A father dreaming of his daughter’s wedding day as the epitome of important moments to save for (and not, say, worrying about the rising cost of tuition) could be seen as a bit out of touch with the times. Beyond that, there’s little (if anything) to differentiate PNC in the ad, and the bank isn’t mentioned until small text pops up at the end of the lengthy ad, informing viewers of programs that can help them save for the future. Still, Deutsch New York and PNC hope the emotional tone of the ad strikes a chord with parents.

“It’s every father’s dream to give his daughter everything she has ever imagined, and more. And in our new campaign, ‘Know,’ we use emotional storytelling to highlight how PNC helps insight happen through the tools, guidance and experiences we offer,”  Deborah Van Valkenburgh, senior vice president of strategic brand management, corporate marketing, at PNC Bank, told Adweek.

Credits:

Client: PNC Bank
Agency: Deutsch, New York
Director: Albert Kodagolian
Production Company: Interrogate
Effects: The Mill
Costumes: Florencia Tellado

Translation launched a campaign for the NBA capitalizing on the popularity of March Madness and reminding hoops fans that “The Dance Never Ends” and the NBA Playoffs are right around the corner on April 18th.

In a series of 15-second spots, Translation visualizes the NCAA/NBA connection by transporting NBA stars back to their college years. Russell Westbrook gets the treatment in the ad above, slamming down a dunk and then morphing into a bear wearing a UCLA Bruins jersey. The same basic approach is applied to game footage of other stars, including Dwyane Wade, James Harden, Stephen Curry and Kyle Lowry. It’s a clever way to make the connection to the excitement of March Madness and get fans stoked for the upcoming NBA Playoff, as well as a reminder that some of the best players in the NCAA will be NBA stars soon enough (and finally getting a big payday).

It would appear that participants in a recent American Greetings survey read this blog: research by the card company found that “95 percent of American believe our country has a civility problem” and that 87 percent are “willing to do something about it.”

In order to combat this sense of animosity both online and off, the client called on AOR Mullen to follow up its recent viral “Toughest Job” work by creating #ThankList, a campaign built around encouraging followers to create “a bucket list of people you want to express gratitude towards for helping to shape your life.”

The resulting campaign is a series of short documentaries directed by Barbara Kopple, an Oscar winner perhaps best known for the classic pro-labor film Harlan County, USA and the Woody Allen jazz doc Wild Man Blues.

Here’s the “trailer” for the campaign:

And here are three of those five journeys, starting with the story of Marine vet and cancer survivor “Ron”:

Chuan’s film is a bit lighter as she thanks her dance instructor:

In what may be the most emotional chapter in the series, Air Force pilot Cholene thanks her adopted son, who formerly lived in slavery:

Check out two more on the campaign’s home page.

The hashtag hasn’t quite taken off on social yet, but the client already has a couple of celebrities on board: actress Elizabeth Banks promoted it on Jimmy Fallon last night and media oligarch Arianna Huffington moderated a panel on the topic at The New Museum:

Full of gratitude after last night’s #ThankList launch with @amgreetings and my 1st @jimmyfallon appearance. #ad http://t.co/X1S8QkyBQv

— Elizabeth Banks (@ElizabethBanks) March 25, 2015

Moderating today’s @amgreetings #ThankList panel on gratitude at the @newmuseum. What are you thankful for? pic.twitter.com/w2gEL221yq — Arianna Huffington (@ariannahuff) March 25, 2015

Will the project actually succeed in encouraging Americans be a little nicer to one another?

Let us know in the comments (just kidding).

CLIENT: American Greetings

PRODUCTION COMPANY: Nonfiction Unlimited
Director: Barbara Kopple
Executive Producer: Patrick Degan
Producer: Michael Manacop
DP: Jeff Stonehouse

DEVELOPMENT COMPANY: Nexus Interactive Arts// Factory Fifteen

AGENCY: MULLEN
Chief Creative Officer: Mark Wenneker
Executive Creative Director: Tim Vaccarino
Executive Creative Director: Dave Weist
Creative Director: Jon Ruby
Associate Creative Director/Copy: Andrea Mileskiewicz
Associate Creative Director/Art: Blake Winfree
Associate Creative Director/ Art Director: Scott Slagsvol
Exec Director of Integrated Production: Liza Near
Director of Broadcast Production: Zeke Bowman
Senior Digital Producer: Alanna Whelan
Producer: Vera Everson
Group Account Director: Rebekah Pagis
Account Director: Jessica Zdenek
Account Supervisor: Laila Lynch
Assistant Account Executive Clark Chamberlin
Director of Interactive: Mathew Ray
Senior Creative Technologist Costa Boudouvas
Senior Experience Designer Charlene McBride
Strategic Planning Director Ellie Gogan-Tilstone
Senior Brand Strategist Ryan Houts
VP Account Director, Public Relations Jaclyn Ruelle
Senior Account Executive, Public Relations Caroline Trainor
Senior Account Executive, Public Relations Lauren Brennan
Assistant Account Executive, Public Relations Emily Schmitt

EDITORIAL: Union
Editors: Sloane Klevin, Marco Perez
Assistant Editor: Adriana Machado
Sr. Producer: Susan Motamed
Executive Producer: Caryn Maclean

COLOR CORRECT: Co3
Colorist: Sofie Borup
VFX: Brickyard
VFX Artist: Sean McLean
VFX Artist: Andy Diefenbach
Executive Producer: Kirsten Andersen
Producer: Amy Appleton
AUDIO POST: Audio Engine
Sound Design/Mixer: Tom Goldblatt
MUSIC: Fall On Your Sword
Name of Track: Music by Fall on Your Sword: Keer, Chuan, Lexi and Waliek

MUSIC: Asche & Spencer
Name of Track: Music by Asche & Spencer: Ron
Specific Track Names: A&S Music Collection, Ambient, Track 143
A&S Music Collection, Ambient, Track 146c
MUSIC: Human
Name of Track: Original Music by Human: Teaser

MUSIC: Human New York, NY
Name of Track: Original Music by Human