Heard of Oculus Rift but still not sure what it is, exactly? Now you can become a little more familiar with the experience thanks to Wieden+Kennedy Portland.
But first, this September entry from W+K for client Chrysler is less an ad than a short “making of” documentary about the company’s interactive factory tour project:
New work after the jump.
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W+K and Dodge kick off an unusual digital contest today, “Hands on Ron Burgundy,” the latest in the cobranded marketing collaboration between Dodge and Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues. Based on the “Hands on a Hard Body Contest” — developed at a Texas auto dealership in the 1980s, that saw contestants compete to win a vehicle by keeping their hands on their desired automobile the longest — “Hands on Ron Burgundy” sees fans compete by “using a computer mouse or touchscreen to place their ‘hands’ on a digital image of Ron Burgundy.” The contestant who keeps their “hands” on Burgundy the longest in a single session time will win a new 2014 Dodge Durango. There are also hundreds of other prizes, including three trips to the premiere of Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues in New York on Dec. 15.
Hosted over at Funny or Die, the contest debuts today and runs through Nov. 25. Throughout the competition, Dodge will also be offering “mini-games and challenges to draw fans in and keep them engaged, while also learning about features and attributes of the new 2014 Dodge Durango.”
“Hands on Ron Burgundy” seems appropriately ridiculous for the Anchorman series, and fans should have a lot of fun with it. So far the partnership with Anchorman 2 has worked well for Dodge, with visits to the Dodge website up 80%, and “shopping” activities at the site up 100% since the beginning of the tie-in campaign. With the film’s national release of December 20th quickly approaching, fans’ anticipation should work in the campaign’s favor. Credits after the jump. continued…
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Dodge and Paramount have joined forces in a co-branded campaign from W+K launching the new 2014 Dodge Durango featuring Ron Burgundy (of Anchorman and the upcoming Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues, but you already knew that).
The campaign, which spans television, print, digital and social media, debuted October 5th online and on television. Be prepared to see it everywhere.
“With the personal involvement of Will Ferrell, our writer / director Adam McKay, the comedy team at Funny or Die, and the Dodge creative team at Wieden+Kennedy, we were able to create a truly epic partnership,” says CMO of Paramount Picture Josh Greenstein in a statement. But are the spots actually funny? Some of them — they really very widely in quality. Each of the spots takes advantage of the 70s aesthetic in the Anchorman films, taking place in a colorful, very 70s auto showroom. The first spot, “Horsepower” is a bit of a letdown. It resurrects the tired “comparing horse power to an actual horse” theme commonly used in spots for powerful vehicles.
The staring contest with the horse at the end is almost worth a chuckle though. “Glove Compartment” is a lot better: it features Ron Burgundy toting the Durango’s glove compartment, which can hold “two turkey sandwiches or seventy packs of gum.” Another spot finds Burgundy struggling with a script that touts the Durango’s “m.p.g.” performance. The highlight is definitely “Ballroom Dancers,” featured above, which has a comically angry showdown between Burgundy and dancers that he thinks may “live in the rafters.” A lot of this is stuff that only Ferrell could get away with delivering, and only about half of the time is the writing worthy of his talent, but when it works it works. Plus, it will whet people’s appetites for the Anchorman sequel, which is kind of the point.
Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues debuts in theaters December 20th. Credits and additional video after the jump. continued…
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