Hasta La Creative!

Just when we thought we’d seen enough reaction to Germany’s shellacking of Brazil in Tuesday’s World Cup match, here is German radio station Radio Bayern 3 with a concise metaphorical translation. Um, cheers?

Via Digg.

The Ad Club, the advertising trade organization of New England, recently held its first “Brand-a-thon” contest for creative agencies to come up with branding campaigns for area startups in just three days.

Eight shops competed on behalf of nine startups. (Hill Holliday worked on two.) Third place and a check for $500 went to Forge Worldwide for its work on eyewear-on-wheels startup Project 2020. In second place, earning $1,000, was Allen & Gerritsen, which teamed with Supplet, an organic products subscription service for new moms.

The night’s big winner was Nail Communications in Providence, Rhode Island, which took home $2,500 and bragging rights for its work on Spray Cake, a product invented by a pair of Harvard students that “makes warm, fresh and delicious cake as easy as a whipped cream-style can of our batter, a pan, and an oven or microwave.”

That cash prize seems like a fair payout for a couple of all-nighters—even if Spray Cake, which won an innovation contest at Harvard and could be on store shelves by the end of the summer, isn’t the future of dessert.

Check out Nail’s Spray Cake video below.

When it comes to airports and traveling by plane, what’s not to love?

GSD&M spins the Beatles’ flower-power anthem “All You Need Is Love” in these Southwest Airlines ads celebrating the carrier’s emancipation from the Wright Amendment. The 35-year-old legislation restricted long-distance flights from Love Field in Dallas to protect business at the competing Dallas/Fort Worth International. When the amendment expires in October, Southwest can jet nonstop all over the country from Love Field.

Happy spots feature fireworks, a colorful water-cannon salute on the tarmac and an “All You Need Is Love” sing-along at a Texas Rangers game. “Love Moment,” the most offbeat commercial of the bunch, captures a few seconds of Love Field activity in super slow-motion—which is exactly how time seems to pass when your flight’s been delayed. Kidding, of course. The folks look as pleased as punch to hang around the terminal taking selfies.

An indie band called Echosmith provides the Fab Four cover. Their version’s got nothing on the original, but it sure beats airport muzak.

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Ahh, the morning paper. You’ve just settled into your seat on the train, or perhaps a park bench, to enjoy the morning light and digest the news of the day. But there are two things missing: your cup of morning joe, and another person to enjoy this peaceful moment of solitude with you.

Yes, the folks at Nescafé France have deemed reading a newspaper to be “a rather lonely moment.” As a cure for this intolerable isolation, they’ve invented branded newspaper wrappers that come with pop-up paper mugs, apparently with coffee powder in them. If you happen to be near some hot water, well you’re in luck! Instant coffee!

There are two mugs: one for you, and one for the person you are now sharing your Metro newspaper with! 

See below as actors convincingly use these paper advertisements as actual mugs, filling them with scalding liquid. And note the relief on their faces as they once again avoid another moment of being totally and inescapably alone. 

Via Ads of the World.

CREDITS
Client: Nescafé
Agency: Geometry Global, Paris
Chief executive officer: Reza Ghaem-Maghami
Executive creative director: Yvan Hiot
International creative director: Patrick Sullivan
Art director: Nicolas Gagner
Copywriter: Romain R. Nonis
Account manager: Margaux Delacommune
Art Director: David Lin
Art buyer: Annette Hallum
Chief Creative Officer / Worldwide Creative Director: Michael Kutschinski
Designer: Olivier brechon
Print manager: Karine Prigent / Redworks
Media planner: Severine Bernelin / Neo
Production: Ateliers Marina, Marsellus

To show off its “Smart Caring” driver assistance features, Hyundai set up an empty car convoy, in which a stuntman (who was blindfolded, mind you) led a bunch of driverless cars down an empty highway to test their response to some basic driver’s-ed-video stuff—namely the cruise control, lane keeping and emergency braking features.

Also, the stunt people who were driving the other cars all leaped from them on to a padded flatbed, which was pretty awesome.

The idea that these cars can drive themselves shouldn’t have to fight for my attention in a commercial, so Hyundai may have overdone it with all the extra Volvo Trucks-style stunt work here. But there’s really no better way to show off what these cars can do, so we’ll call it a wash and say that living in the future is great.

Today in self-deprecating celebrity humor, Mick Jagger delivers a somewhat stilted but still very amusing rant about opportunistic elderly people in this ad for the current Monty Python reunion. It seems Mick, no stranger himself to silly walks, can’t understand why anyone would pay to see “a bunch of wrinkly old men trying to relive their youth and make a load of money.” He wouldn’t know anything about that, of course. He adds, impishly, “I mean, the best one died years ago!”

The Monty Python Live (mostly) reunion launched Tuesday night with the first of 10 shows at London’s O2 Arena through July 20. Read The Guardian’s review of Tuesday’s performance here.

Levi’s is trying on a simple, straightforward message in its first big push since reuniting with longtime agency FCB (and also hiring The House Worldwide) in February.

Unveiling a global campaign tagged “Live in Levi’s,” the iconic brand is using print ads and posters to show twentysomethings strolling around, cavorting and generally enjoying life while clad in Levi’s denim. Copy lines include “A classic since right now,” “Fall head over heels” and “Look good on your way to what’s next.”

“It’s intended to be both inclusive and inspiring,” CMO Jennifer Sey explains on Levi’s Unzippe” blog. “It’s a celebration. It’s not cynical. Or dour. Or overly serious—as many fashion and style-oriented brands can be. It’s fun. People have fun in jeans. It should be fun.”

Digital and social elements are also in the mix, along with TV and cinema ads launching next month from director Fredrik Bond, who lensed the memorable Cannes Lion-winning “Simon the Ogre” mini-epic for Thomson Holidays.

Recent efforts from previous agency Wieden + Kennedy, themed “Go Forth,” weren’t cynical, exactly, nor dour nor overly serious, though some observers believe they worked too hard too be cool, plugging into the zeitgeist while sacrificing Levi’s unique heritage. I kind of agree. There were some memorable moments, but, overall, “Go Forth” seemed to be flying by the seat of its pants, chasing random hipness.

The back-to-basics approach of “Live in Levi’s” strives for a more comfortable brand fit. It’s well-shot by photographer Jason Nocito and nicely understated, though it risks blending in with all the other fashion ads that show happy/moody young people who like wearing clothes.

To be fair, that’s a very preliminary impression. Print is, after all, just the first leg of a multifaceted campaign.

There’s no way more American to celebrate the Fourth of July than selling out your country for an English beer, says Newcastle.

The Heineken-owned brand, brewed in Britain, and ad agency Droga5 continue their deft efforts to troll Independence Day, now with videos featuring Pittsburgh-born actor Zachary Quinto, pitching “Newport [sic] Brown Ale, the most American of non-American beers.”

It’s ballsy for any marketer to pay talent to purposefully mangle its name in an ad. But it’s also very much in keeping with the self-deprecating tone of Newcastle’s “If We Won” campaign, introduced by Stephen Merchant, and soon to present Elizabeth Hurley.

Overall, the tongue-in-cheek fantasy about how great America would be if Britain had won the Revolutionary War works pretty well, in large part because the brand is so happy to skewer itself—and the tagline’s totally absurd premise—along with the U.S.

“There’d be crumpets,” says the voiceover in another spot. “Also, we would have imprisoned the Founding Fathers, stripped Patriot supporters of the property and possessions and ruled your nation with an increasingly tyrannical hand. But just think … crumpets.”

The brand also has posted a new ad with Merchant riffing on the perks of a British accent. Additional sans-celebrity spots focus on Mount Rushmore, Prohibition and yellow cabs. As in so much great comedy, though, the funniest bits are the most surprisingly honest ones—try the take on English vs. American muffins.

Plus, there’s always the added entertainment of the most jingoistic YouTube commenters playing right into the brand’s hands by flying off the wall over the perceived diss. Because, you know, in case you didn’t get the memo … Britain didn’t win.
 

Leave it to brands to jump on Twitter and show their patriotism and support of American footballers today. The USA is playing Belgium at 4 p.m. ET in the World Cup, and embarrassingly, the only thing Americans seem to associate with Belgium are waffles—and by the way, Belgian waffles don’t even exist in Belgium.

Waffle House has even reportedly banned waffles from its menus for the day, and apparently can’t write “Belgian waffles” correctly.

We don’t believe in Belgium waffles

— Waffle House (@WaffleHouse) June 30, 2014

We can’t just point the finger at the brands, though. Even average Americans are starting a social media war with Belgium in the name of soccer:

Freedom Waffles for lunch anyone? #USA #1N1T #IBelieve pic.twitter.com/RlgSmPq0py

— Senator Ted Cruz (@SenTedCruz) July 1, 2014

HOW DARE THEY! pic.twitter.com/9SZs714OKm

— Nate Silver (@NateSilver538) July 1, 2014

So, take a look below and see how brands aren’t waffling when it comes to making the same joke—repeatedly. At least they aren’t taking stabs at Belgian beer. 

We ready #USA #WEBELIEVETHATWEWILLWIN pic.twitter.com/Sfdg0zXyNJ

— Waffle House (@WaffleHouse) July 1, 2014

We’re gonna smother you. #GoUSA #USAvsBEL #IBelieveThatWeWillWin pic.twitter.com/2RemBk3bqa

— Chobani (@Chobani) July 1, 2014

Ready for a sweet game today. Let’s do this USA! #IBelieveThatWeWillWin #USMNT #1N1T #USAvsBEL #WorldCup2014 pic.twitter.com/GaT1YZZkcv

— Domino Sugar (@dominosugar) July 1, 2014

Hey Belgium, how do you like them waffles? #GoUSA #IBelieveThatWeWillWin pic.twitter.com/ywmYFKnvUR

— Coors Light (@CoorsLight) July 1, 2014

We’ve been boycotting waffles since 1977. #BeatBelgiumWithBiscuits #USAvsBEL pic.twitter.com/IpXFXWq4hr

— Bojangles’ (@Bojangles1977) June 30, 2014

Pancakes for the win.

— IHOP (@IHOP) July 1, 2014

You may have heard there’s a little soccer game being played today. In honor of that game—USA versus Belgium, for those who have somehow avoided World Cup news (to which I ask, how?)—ESPN on Tuesday unleashed the new “I Believe” spot below.

If you need pumping up before the 4 p.m. kickoff—and shouting “USA! USA! USA!” in the mirror somehow isn’t enough—then checking it out. It has everything: slow-motion shots of players, close-ups of spit and snot and blood, enraged faces, the glory of vistory and the fear of defeat, all to the tune of an epic soundtrack.

To top it off, the in-house team at ESPN ended the spot by bringing back the “I Believe” chant. “The chant has caught fire in bars, fan clubs, public viewing events and social media and has become the unifying narrative for this U.S. World Cup journey,” said Seth Ader, senior director of sports marketing for ESPN.

Oh, and now that you’re pumped up and practically ready to explode, let’s put things in perspective: FiveThirtyEight says the USA has a 0.6 percent chance of winning the World Cup. Underdogs!