Hasta La Creative!

Back in September, McKinney created an ad for Samsung starring the almost-too-cute Kristen Bell and Dax Shepard preparing for a night out only to stay in wasting time on their Galaxy Tab S. Now the couple has returned in a holiday effort for Samsung, presumably also from McKinney that sees Dax decorating the house with a little help from a very pregnant Kristen.

In the spot, entitled “Home for the Holidays,” the couple communicates via video as Dax scours the attic for decorations and goes to the store for holiday treats and Dax shows off Samsung’s smart watch when he takes a call from Kristen while setting up lights on the roof. When they finally complete decorating and switch the lights on Kristen says suggestively, “You know what this gets me in the mood for?” — but it’s not what you think. Viewers who enjoyed the cutesy appeal of the couple’s previous Samsung ad will find plenty to like here. Those who found that spot a little cute for its own good will probably want to skip this one.

If you’re wondering how close to real life the couple’s antics in the spot are, the answer is pretty close. According to Todd Pendleton, chief marketing officer at Samsung Telecommunications America, “Kristen and Dax go big for the holidays and their traditions from wearing matching pajamas and sweaters to decorating the house Griswold style are all true to what they do in real life.”

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McKinney continues in the wacky route with their new spot for Mentos, the 30-second “Never Surrender.”

“Never Surrender,” which marks both the first U.S. television spot for Mentos Gum and the first work for Mentos out of McKinney’s New York office, is set at an actual medieval castle and employs Monty Python and the Holy Grail-style goofiness. The hero of the ad is a happy-go-lucky soldier who is impaled by a dozen or so arrows but will not surrender until his gum loses its freshness. “You are ruining the integrity of battle!” exclaims a disgruntled enemy combatant. The spot ends by introducing the new tagline, “Long Last the Fresh.” While not quite funny, the ad does succeed at least at being memorable for its utter goofiness, and it’s easy to imagine a certain type of viewer repeating the “You are ruining the integrity of battle!” line, so the spot could work to spread awareness for Mentos’ new-ish product. Stick around for credits after the jump. continued…

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