Hasta La Creative!

M&C Saatchi has released another ad for the San Diego Zoo as part of its ongoing campaign designed to stoke children’s interest in the zoo’s Tiger Trail exhibit.

In the spot, a boy has magically grown a full beard made entirely of bees. When a girl asks him how he grew it, he flashes back to a visit to the San Diego Zoo where he communed with tigers and apparently absorbed some kind of mysterious power. It builds off of M&C Saatchi’s previous work promoting the exhibit, focusing on the way interacting with wildlife helps stokes kids’ imaginations. It may, however, be a little too dependent on previous ads to understand its intention, as it otherwise can seem disjointed and a little nonsensical. Still, it’s hard to argue with a bee beard, especially one as convincing as this. To bring it to life, M&C Saatchi collaborated with production company Epoch Films and visual effects company Timber, combining footage of real swarming bees with CGI.

“?They were really committed to the process from our very first conversations, and delivered impressively on everything we talked about,” director Matthew Swanson told Great-Ads, “…the entire team at Timber made sure there wasn’t a single i undotted or t uncrossed.?” (more…)

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Newly-launched Venice,California-based agency Adams&Partners have debuted the first-ever campaign for thinkThin, which positions the “nutritionally balanced high protein bars” as something you don’t have to feel guilty about — unlike some other things.

The 30-second “Runner” takes this idea in a somewhat uncomfortable direction, with a group of women lecherously staring at a nearby guy on a morning run. When he passes them, he recognizes one of the women, saying, “Oh, hey Mrs. Adams. Hey, say ‘hi’ to Brian for me.” A voiceover follows, saying, “There are lots of things to feel guilty about. thinkThin isn’t one of them.” A second spot, “Text”also tackles mom guilt issues, but chooses a less uncomfortable target than staring at your son’s friend’s ass, which perhaps takes the approach a bit too far.

“We all have things that we feel guilty about,” explained Chris Adams, executive creative director at Adams&Partners. “This campaign is about laughing at the little things that make us feel guilty every day, while making the more serious point that eating thinkThin bars is something you should never have to feel guilty about.”

We’ve included “Text,” along with credits, after the jump. (more…)

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TBWA/Chiat Day celebrates Peyton Manning breaking the NFL single-season touchdown record with an inspirational campaign for Gatorade.

At the heart of the new campaign is the thirty second spot, “51 And Counting.” The simple spot shows photos of Peyton unleashing each of his 51 touchdown passes, set to inspirational narration about ignoring those who tell you what you can’t do. It’s a timely response to Manning’s record-breaking season, and the association with Peyton is sure to win Gatorade some points with fans. That TBWA/Chiat Day couldn’t follow up the last photo with footage of the record breaking pass being completed is something of a letdown, but I imagine logistical/legal concerns are to blame. The campaign also includes a celebratory print ad in Sports Illustrated, congratulating Manning on winning the Sportsman of the Year award “by painting a picture of what it means to win from within using only words and Manning’s number, 18.” Stay tuned for the print ad, and credits, after the jump. continued…

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We are now in the season of LeBron James commercials. He’s like Victor Cruz, only taller, better, richer, and not a Time Warner Cable lackey. If you happened to watch the opening night of the NBA season, you saw three different LeBron endorsements, including a new two-minute Samsung spot (:60 version with just the family after the jump) that gives viewers a glimpse into the family life of the best basketball player in the world.

If you care about such things, you may remember last year’s Samsung/LBJ launch, which also premiered on opening night as the Miami Heat were getting their first set of rings. That 2012 spot was more about LeBron and his friends ruling Miami in barber shops and ice cream trucks. This year’s version is all about LeBron and his family: his sons hanging out in the pool or on a driveway basketball court as his wife films from a Samsung Galaxy. ”The Next Big Thing is Here” flashes on the screen as LeBron’s son celebrates after swishing a jump shot. We get it, but it’s still fairly interesting to let two little boys take some of the spotlight away from the real star.

The spot is an easy watch, a relaxing tone that rubs off on the viewer. Life is good for LeBron, and even though I typically prefer product-focused ads to lifestyle ads, when the spokesman is one of the most famous people on the planet, customers may take notice. Smiles all around and credits after the jump.

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Trolli gummy candy wants to get funky. Apparently, the bright colors and odd shapes weren’t quirky enough, so the candy company called upon Minneapolis-based Periscope for some creative legwork. The result is the new “Weirdly Awesome” campaign, which features a couple of thirty-second spots that are off the reservation. Periscope seems to be tapping into a “Napoleon Dynamite” aesthetic that hasn’t really been relevant in the eight years or so. The only other comparable campaign I’ve covered in the last year is this strange bit of Bugle buffoonery from Canada. Trolli’s campaign is a little more appropriate because of the sour candy product, but I’m not so sure that weird is the new currency of cool.

You can watch the second spot and sort through some credits after the jump.

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In this Call of Duty: Ghosts trailer, Jake and Amir from CollegeHumor give us a preview of the action-packed prestige edition of the game. It includes a paracord strap, a Steelbook, and an HD Tactical Camera. “Naturally, we’re going to do what you do when you have a badass tactical camera strapped to your head,” the boys say. I realize I’m definitely not a video gamer when I have no idea what the next step will be. Parkour? Surveillance?

“We’re going to breach some stuff!!” Jake and Amir proceed to burst through doors, elevator doors, garden gates, and bathroom stalls, entering unexpected scenarios as they go. The best part is when they’re the uninvited guests at a little princess’s tea party. “Hi guys!” she squeaks, and we see them taking a moment to sip out of miniature purple plastic cups. The whole thing is a fun idea, far better than watching a fictional character slaughter everything in his path while the new Eminem single “Survival” plays. If only we all had disposable screen doors and wacky neighbors worthy of tactical camera footage. As it is, mothers should prepare for the onslaught of their teenage boys trying to karate chop the front door.

Check out the credits after the jump

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Sure, 72andSunny and Samsung have had some fun comparing the latter’s smartphones to Apple’s in recent years, but in the last several months, it seems like the brand’s finally getting over their complex and showcasing the product line on its own. First, they highlighted the Galaxy S4 with a graduation-centered campaign. Now, they’re showcasing new features for Father’s Day with “hip dads in action.”

In “Swaddle Master,” a befuddled father learns the tricks of the swaddling trade via Smart Pause YouTube. With “Quick Snooze” (below), meanwhile, the same cardigan-wearing dad watches the game with his little one at the end of the day. As his eyes droop shut, the game pauses. He reopens them and it picks up where he left off.

Though this creative work may not go viral or win awards, showing the practical (and less glamorous) application of the S4’s features will perhaps win the hearts of young parents everywhere. On a special occasion like Father’s Day, maybe hitting your target audience is enough?

Credits after the jump.

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