Hasta La Creative!

DDB Canada launched a pro-bono PSA campaign for Toronto Crime Stoppers examining the dangers of ecstasy use, entitled “Cookin’ with Molly.”

The spot, whose full-length version online runs 90 seconds, is presented as a cooking show with a drug dealer. Molly is a name for pure MDMA (commonly known as ecstasy), but, as the video shows, pills presented as “Molly” are often adulterated with substances ranging from methamphetamine and cocaine to heroin and even bath salts. “Welcome to ‘Cookin’ with Molly,’” says the host of the show at the beginning of the ad, “today’s secret ingredient is meth.” He adds just a pinch of bath salts to some ground up MDMA, a bunch of meth and finishes up with his “signature” blue color and some binder before pressing the pills. The online version of the spot ends by directing to viewers to the campaign landing site for more information. There are also 15 and 6 second broadcast versions of the spot. DDB Canada hopes the tongue-in-cheek approach of the campaign, which launched today and will run through the end of February, will resonate with the target audience of people between the ages of 15 and 25.

“These party-type drugs have been a growing concern, and Toronto Crime Stoppers wanted to tackle this head on without being heavy-handed, so the cooking show format is intended to be tongue-in-cheek,” explains Craig Ferguson, senior art director, DDB Canada Toronto. “At the same time, this creative still allows us to educate people on the harmful, hidden ingredients found in MDMA which was our key objective.” (more…)

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DDB Canada has a new campaign for Nordstrom entitled “Shoes That Move You,” that takes a nostalgic look back at customer’s childhoods.

In “Cardboard Box,” for example, a voiceover says, “When you were young, you could see endless possibility inside of a cardboard box…” over whimsically shot scenes of children making imaginative use of cardboard boxes. The spot then cuts to a woman opening up a box of Nordstrom shoes, as the voiceover finishes “…some things never change.” This transition is handled well, suggesting to the viewer that the woman at the spot’s conclusion is the cardboard astronaut from the previous shot. In the similarly-themed “Cake,” meanwhile, Nordstrom shoes are likened to getting the biggest slice of cake at a party. Both spots aim to capitalize on the cute factor, while making customers associate the brand with fond childhood memories. (more…)

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