Hasta La Creative!

NASCAR wants very badly to expand its viewership.

That’s what we took from this ad by Ogilvy New York, which debuted during the Daytona 500 race just over a week ago.

In the campaign, driver Carl Edwards (what do you mean, you’ve never heard of him?!) uses the science of sports cars to stimulate students’ academic curiosity in what looks like his second job as a substitute teacher.

It all ends well: Edwards supplements his meager NASCAR salary by working as a public educator and the kids get ice cream for…well, nothing, really.

As the press release describes it, the NASCAR Acceleration Nation initiative (created in partnership with Scholastic) will “make learning [math and science] fun for kids” while coincidentally turning them into lifetime racing fans.

Of course, if the young lady in question had only known that this year’s Daytona 500 (which effectively serves as opening day for NASCAR) included a four-song set by Kid Rock, she would have aced her physics exam for a chance to go.

Credits

Creative:

Chief Creative Officer: Chris Garbutt: CCO, Ogilvy & Mather New York

Group Creative Director: Terry Finley, Senior Partner

Executive Creative Director: Tommy Henvey

Creative Director: Rich Wallace, Senior Partner

Production: 

Executive Producer: Patti McConnell, Senior Partner,

Producer: Dave Lambert

Music Production Coordinator: Chris Mazur

Senior Producer: Michael Freeman

Account Management/Planning:

Managing Director: Martin Murphy

Management Supervisor: Aditi Reddy

Account Executive: Emily Zale

Group Planning Director: Jennifer Peterson

Planner: Jake Stanley

Business Manager: Meg McGinley

In its newest auto campaign, the Madrid office of Del Campo Saatchi & Saatchi aims to address a chronic issue with meteorologists: their often inaccurate weather forecasts (there’s a classic Curb Your Enthusiasm episode devoted to this very topic).

In this new work for Toyota Europe’s sporty Aygo line, Del Camp decided to gather three notable Euro weather folks from Paris, Milan and Madrid — they would be Tatiana Silva, Paolo Corazzon and Roberto Brasero — in order to take on a “weather challenge.”

In a statement, Maxi Itzkoff & Mariano Serkin, CCOs at Saatchi&Saatchi Europe, explain:

“We gave the new Aygo to three famous forecasters in three different European cities, for a month. The roof of the car was synchronized to each forecaster’s weather prediction.  If they predicted rain, the canvas roof would stay closed.  But if they predicted sun, the roof would remain open, no matter what the weather.”

The online film has rolled out in Italy and France already with plans to expand across the continent in the coming weeks.

AGENCY: DEL CAMPO SAATCHI&SAATICHI MADRID

CLIENT: TOYOTA MOTORS EUROPE

MODEL: AYGO

CCO: MAXI ITZKOFF / MARIANO SERKIN

ECD: ARIEL SERKIN / JUAN PABLO LUFRANO / RAFAEL SANTAMARINA

CW: BRITTANY POOLE / TOBIAS TERCIC

AD: TODD GRINHAM / HERNAN GARCIA

PRODUCER: RAFFAELLA SCARPETTI / PETER MONTGOMERY

ACCOUNTS: MAURO MESSINA / MICHAELA CHWEIDAN

PRODUCTION COMPANY: SMUGGLER

DIRECTOR: JAMIE RAFN

DOP: BRENDAN GALVIN

EDITOR: TIM HARDY

The Richards Group has launched an initiative for Wolf Appliances calling on Americans to “Reclaim the Kitchen” and start preparing more meals at home.

An online spot introduces the initiative by first explaining what exactly viewers are “reclaiming” their kitchen from. It points out that in 1900, “we had 98 percent of our meals in the home,” while today it’s less than 50 percent. It also points the finger at fast and processed foods while admitting, “It’s kind of all our faults.”

But the campaign isn’t about shaming people back into the kitchen. It also offers some advice for how to spend more time preparing healthy meals at home, while offering the encouragement that once you get into the swing of things, it’s not as hard as it initially seems. Proposing small steps, like starting with one home-cooked meal a day, setting aside time to cook with screens off, and planning ahead, makes the task seem less daunting and the campaign accessible. The ad ends by directing viewers to the campaign page, where they can learn more about how to get started (including some simple recipes).

The initiative addresses a widespread problem in this country (how many people do you know that can’t even boil an egg?), and one that makes sense for the brand. While more old-fashioned readers might point out the lack of overt branding here, The Richards Group taps into an issue that is at the core of Wolf’s industry and aligns the brand with something almost anyone could get behind, while still managing to show off their products here and there at the same time.

The hardest thing about creating a pre-roll ad is attempting to find a way of getting people to not skip it after its first five seconds (during which time viewers unable to skip). As Adweek points out, according to some measures “94 percent of pre-roll gets skipped immediately after the first five seconds.” So, for its latest pre-roll ads for Geico, The Martin Agency decided to make ads that were “Unskippable.”

But how exactly do you accomplish that? In “Family” and “High Five,” The Martin Agency shows the “end” of the ad, followed by the message, “You can’t skip this Geico ad, because it’s already over.” In the aforementioned “Family” a mother says, “Don’t thank me, thank the savings” as the Geico logo comes onscreen, accompanied by the voiceover message. The family then attempts to sit perfectly still for the remainder of the 30 seconds, as their dog goes to town on their dinner.

The joke is kind of funny the first time around, but already feels a bit tired in “High Five.” It follows the same basic formula as its predecessor, only with two guys grilling and different shennanigans after the five second mark. While you have to give The Martin Agency some credit for finding a way to make “Unskippable” pre-roll ads, we have a feeling that, since this is Geico, the schtick is going to be milked for all it’s worth, until we can’t stand it anymore. We wouldn’t be surprised if this campaign spawns its share of imitators as well.

Credits:

Client: Geico
Vice President, Marketing: Ted Ward
Mgr., Broadcast Production and Agency Relations: Amy Hooks
Marketing Buyer: Katherine Kalec
Marketing Buyer: Brighid Griffin
Marketing Coordinator: Thomas Perlozzo

Agency: The Martin Agency, Richmond, Va.
Chief Creative Officer: Joe Alexander
SVP/Group Creative Director: Steve Bassett
SVP/Group Creative Director: Wade Alger
VP/Associate Creative Director: Neel Williams
Associate Creative Director: Mauricio Mazzariol
VP/Executive Producer: Brett Alexander
Broadcast Producer: Liza Miller
Junior Broadcast Producer: Coleman Sweeney
Business Affairs Supervisor: Suzanne Wieringo
Sr. Integrated Production Business Manager: Amy Trenz
Financial Manager: Monica Cox
SVP/ Group Account Director: Brad Higdon
Account Supervisor: Josh Lybarger
Account Executive: Allison Hensley
Senior Project Manager: Karen McEwan

Production Company: Park Pictures
Director: Terri Timely
Executive Producer: Justin Pollock
Line Producer: David Lambert

Editorial Company: Whitehouse Post
Editor: Caleb Hepler
Executive Producer: Kristin Branstetter
Producer: Jojo Sheer

Telecine: Co3
Colorist: Tim Mascik

Post Facility: Running with Scissors
Flame Artist: Chris Hagen
Executive Producer: Scott Friske
Senior Producer: Cheryl Lage

Music: APM

Audio Post Company: Rainmaker Studios
Engineer/Mixer: Jeff McManus

Bajibot is launching a causevertising campaign aligning Timex with Earth Hour in a new anthem ad.

Earth Hour, organized by the World Wildlife Fund is set for 8:30 PM on March 28th, at which time those participating will shut off all lights for one hour to conserve energy. Bajibot aligns Timex with the brand by inroducing, via montage, a series of young urbanites. All of them are noticeably rocking Timex, which becomes even more apparent when they check their watches and turn out the lights. But it’s not just lip service from Timex, the brand promises to donate a dollar for every pledge shared (up to a maximum donation of $50,000). Head on over to the Earth Hour Timex site for more info.

Longtime NASCAR sponsor NAPA Auto Parts just launched its first spot of the year for the auto racing giant. The campaign stars stock car racer Chase Elliott, who’s not even drinking age but apparently has enough swagger to attract overenthusiastic pitchmen like the one in the ad above.

Created by VML, which has served as NAPA’s agency of record for well over a year, the spot features our fake NAPA pitchman trying to get Elliott to embrace  merchandising — albeit via a handful of bad product ideas including dipsticks and blow-up dolls.

While Elliott obviously isn’t taking the bait, his buddy, veteran NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt. Jr., is totally into it.

Let the hijinks ensue.

Agency: VML

Client:

Today in We Saw This Coming news, an educational technology company called Instructure wants to be known as the first to create a real ad poking fun at the Nationwide Super Bowl campaign that got more exposure than the llamas OR the dress. You know the one.

Here is the ad, which was produced entirely in-house. Its purpose is to promote the company’s “move into the corporate learning space” or, more accurately, to sell a product called Bridge:

Do you have any idea what Bridge actually does after watching this spot? Does software have anything to do with personal job satisfaction? More importantly, who killed the cat? And why?

This is what people in the PR industry call “newsjacking” — and the client is ready for some blowback, because they just raised $40 million from some venture capitalists in preparation for an eventual IPO (and the press release includes more indecipherable jargon than your average chief digital officer on any given day).

Now which art director will write a thinkpiece exploring what #TheDress says about the state of modern design?

W+K Portland launched a 30-second, celebrity-filled new spot for Nike Golf’s Vapor driver.

Entitled “Why Change?” the ad promotes the Nike Vapor’s improved technology as being able to improve your game, no matter how good you are. It features appearances from athletes Tiger Woods, Charles Barkley, Rory McIlroy, Michelle Wie and Bo Jackson. Even the voiceover has star power, provided by comedian Keegan-Michael Key (of Key and Peele), who seems to be making the rounds in advertising lately. Key informs each athlete that, with the Vapor, they can improve their game, even if Barkley insists his swing is perfect. The approach is handled well, with Key’s expert comedic timing helping W+K to pull off the humorous spot. Plus, it’s really nice to see Bo Jackson getting some love.

“Why Change?” launched yesterday and will run on broadcast for two weeks. It is supported by a digital/interactive initiative, running until March 8th.

Credits:

W+K PORTLAND

Creative Directors: Chris Groom / Stuart Brown

Copywriter: Brock Kirby

Art Director: Derrick Ho

Producer: Jeff Selis

Interactive Strategy: Reid Schilperoort

Strategic Planning: Andy Lindblade/Brandon Thornton

Media/Comms Planning: Alex Dobson/Jocelyn Reist

Account Team: Alyssa Ramsey/Rob Archibald/Heather Morba/Ramiro Del-Cid

Business Affaires: Dusty Slowik

Project Management: Nancy Rea

Executive Creative Directors: Joe Staples/Mark Fizloff

Head of Production: Ben Grylewicz

PRODUCTION

Production Company: Biscuit Filmworks

Director: Steve Rogers

Executive Producer: Holly Vega

Line Producer: Vincent Landay

Director of Photography: Nicolas Karakatsanis

EDITORIAL

Editorial Company: Joint Editorial

Editor: Matthew Hilber

Post Producer: Leslie Carthy

Post Executive Producer: Patty Brebner

VFX

VFX Company: The Mill

VFX Supervisor: Tim Davies

VFX Producer: Will Lemmon

MUSIC + SOUND DESIGN

Music+Sound Company: Barking Owl

DIGITAL / INTERACTIVE

W+K PORTLAND

Creative Director: Chris Groom/Stuart Brown

Copywriter: Brock Kirby

Art Director: Derrick Ho

Producer: Jeff Selis

Interactive Strategy: Reid Schilperoort

Strategic Planning: Andy Lindblade/Brandon Thornton

Media/Comms Planning: Alex Dobson/Jocelyn Reist

Account Team: Alyssa Ramsey/Rob Archibald/Heather Morba/Ramiro Del-Cid

Executive Creative Directors: Joe Staples/Mark Fitzloff

Agency Executive Producer: Ben Grylewicz

Digital Designer: Rob Mumford

Exec Interactive Producer: Patrick Marzullo

Content Producer: Byron Oshiro/Sarah Gamazo

Broadcast: Jeff Selis

Art Buying: Amy Berriochoa

Photographer: Henrique Plantikow

Interactive Studio Artist: Adam Sirkin, Oliver Rokoff

Creating what’s essentially a PSA disguised as an art-house short film, Saatchi & Saatchi Italy recently unveiled this 90-second clip for Dompe, a Milan-based biopharmaceutical company that focuses on rare diseases.

The aptly titled “The Rarest Ones” campaign uses the behaviors of animals ranging from bats to wolves to seals as metaphors to evoke the emotions of our male nude protagonist. The well-produced, beautifully shot short (directed by Roberto Saku Cinardi ) takes us through various landscapes in the Canary Islands and other destinations as our character waxes philosophical and indulges his animalistic side. The basic goal of the short is to highlight how actual wildlife facing possible extinction like the ones mentioned above garner much more attention than humans with rare, often untreatable diseases.

Regarding the film, which was launched to raise awareness of World Rare Disease Day on Feb. 28, star Tommaso Galluppi — a 22-year-old suffering from a medical condition known as Hyperphenylalaninemia — says, “I was looking for a ‘solid’ way of giving voice to people like me who struggle every day – and I found it in this project.”

He continues, “I had no hesitation in agreeing to take part in this film.  It was not easy because I had to bare not only my body, but also my soul, my personal experience with the world of rare diseases.  I found myself shooting in the desert, in the snow, in caves and in water.”

Tommaso’s dedication and the short’s imagery is certainly eye-opening.

Agency – Saatchi & Saatchi

Regional Creative Director EMEA – John Pallant

Executive Creative Director – Agostino Toscana

Creative Director – Alessandro Orlandi, Manuel Musilli

Art Director – Alessandro Orlandi, Manuel Musilli

Copywriter – Antonio Di Battista, Leonardo Cotti

Account manager – Francesca Bertocco

Senior Digital Strategist – Stefano Caridi

TV Producer – Erica Lora–Lamia

Production Company – Al One Srl

Director – Roberto Saku Cinardi

Dop – Luca Esposito

Executive Producer – Alan Vele

Editor – Marcello Saurino

Music – Guido Smider, Michele Caiati

Sound design – Guido Smider

PR Agency – MSL Group

Social Media Agency – Ambito5

Last year, Colorado became one of four states (and now Washington D.C.) to take the common-sense measure of ending cannabis prohibition, which may have left some residents with questions regarding the specifics of the plant’s legality. So Denver-based agency Cactus worked with production studio Roger on an animated PSA entitled “Good To Know” on behalf of the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (and possibly payed for by taxes on legal cannabis), the beginning of an 18-month educational campaign from the state, which will also include OOH, radio, print, digital and social components.

“Instead of just telling you what you can’t do, we’re going to tell you what you can do, too,” promises the voiceover near the beginning of the spot. “Good To Know” uses simple animation, which avoids seeming too cartoonish or psychedelic, to illustrate the answers to some common-sense questions about legal cannabis. The PSA lays out such basics as “don’t drive high,” keep it out of the reach of children and that you have to be 21 or over to purchase or use. It also points out that, should you choose to use, “public space, federal land, and your car aren’t the place.” The PSA also reminds viewers that cannabis bought in Colorado can’t leave the state, an issue that has caused some brushback from Colorado’s conservative neighbors. It ends by directing viewers to GoodToKnowColorado.com. While the information shared in the video seems pretty obvious and common-sense, it’s also important to make certain residents are on the same page and the PSA may ease the worries of less-informed Colorado residents who have concerns about the law.

“Our job was not to encourage marijuana use, or to judge it, but rather to create an educational campaign that’s interesting, relevant and likable in order to ensure the messages would be welcomed by, and helpful to, individuals on all sides of the issue,” explained Brian Watson, Cactus vice president, creative director. “Roger has been on our radar at Cactus for a while now, and as we began conversations with them about this project, it quickly became clear that they would be the perfect partner to execute the delicately balanced design and animation style we had in mind for this campaign.”

Credits: