Gwen Stefani Stars in McCann XBC’s ‘Priceless Surprises’ for MasterCard

McCann XBC teamed up with Gwen Stefani in a new 30-second broadcast spot for MasterCard directed by Wondros’ Sophie Muller.

The spot focuses on MasterCard’s integration with Apple Pay and the “priceless surprises” the company is giving away to customers using the new feature. Stefani works a rocket launcher, sending these surprises — including a hand bag, concert tickets (to see Stefani, naturally) and a “golf experience” represented by a golf kart — flying through the air toward unsuspecting MasterCard users. At the end of the spot, an unsuspecting fan rocking Stefani’s old haircut wins a chance to meet the woman herself.

It’s pretty basic stuff, with McCann XBC and MasterCard counting on Stefani’s star power to win over viewers and the potential prizes to get them excited for MasterCard’s Apple Pay integration. The choice of Stefani isn’t simply a nostalgic one for the brand, as the singer’s recent single “Spark The Fire” is used as the spot’s soundtrack and she has both a solo album and an album with No Doubt in the works.

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DDB NY Dreams Up Incredible Bar Courtesy of New York Lottery Spot

There are a lot of bars in the state of New York, and from Brooklyn to Utica, it would cost a ridiculous amount of money to buy a round for however many patrons there’d be on any given night. But that’s what fictional Steve did. He gave a drink to everyone from the club dancer to the scarfed Bubbe, and everyone toasted to Steve even though nobody knew his identity. That’s what you can do when you win the lottery.

The minute-long spot ultimately drags a bit from relying on such a drawn-out punchline that cutting it in half would’ve been a good idea. However, “Toast” is another adequate ad for New York Lottery’s “Yeah, that kind of rich” slogan. The slogan is not be the cleverest or the simplest, but it lends itself to all kinds of silly plays on how lotto winners can spend their money. In the past, we’ve seen commercials about winners who paid for alien recreations and celebrity joke-writers.  You have to ask yourself, would somebody drop that much dough for an anonymous act of bar charity? Maybe, maybe not. But it’s certainly possible, and the next time you’re in a convenience store, you might think about it, too.

Credits after the jump.

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