Hasta La Creative!

Now that Airbnb, that controversial apartment “sharing” (read: renting) business, has grown beyond its startup roots to become a company with an estimated value greater than the entire Hyatt Corporation, it needs a little creative work to show the world what it’s all about.

Today Pereira & O’Dell provided that work in the form of the very first Airbnb spot:

We’re not sure whether the business will catch on with the public at large and we can’t imagine warming to the idea of swapping apartments with strangers, but we also can’t think of a better way to summarize Airbnb’s appeal than with a series of views from alternate windows in a “you could be here, or here, or here” montage.

Unfortunately, you may still have a tough time describing the company’s product to your grandmother.

Credits after the jump.

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New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Most likely, this video of Macklemore and his Jazzy Jeff shadow Ryan Lewis is a staged marketing effort from TBWA\Chiat\Day LA to promote the 56th Grammy Awards. The two musicians hop on a New York City bus with a boombox and start performing an impromptu concert full of Macklemore’s signature exuberance and corny hand movements. The riders on the bus start dancing and feeling the music – the bus driver even starts clapping on (probably fake) closed circuit footage.

I’d probably react the same way if Macklemore came on the crosstown bus. But you know how I know it’s not real? Because if anyone came on NYC public transportation with a boombox and started making noise, there will undoubtedly be at least two people who hate it and tell them to shut it off before they turn into depressed and sarcastic versions of the Hulk.

But whether it is real or not, the question everyone wants to know is: where is Ray Dalton? Credits after the jump.

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TBWA\Chiat\Day LA and Tool have created a neat social extension of the TVC from a couple of months ago to promote the Nissan 2014 Versa Note.

The Passion Genome site allows users to “see the passions they share with their friends illustrated in a Passion Portrait, a personalized, interactive visualization of themselves.” How does that work exactly? Well, basically you link your Facebook account to the site so it can analyze your info and you choose a photo to represent yourself. It didn’t work so well for me, but then I don’t have any decent portrait shots on Facebook (my profile pic is currently a sloth astronaut).

Nissan seems very excited about the project as Jon Brancheau, VP/marketing for the automaker’s North American ops, says in a statement,”The Passion Genome displays passions and connections in an extraordinary and fascinating way, and we at Nissan can’t wait to see how it resonates with everyone who explores it.” The project was inspired by the idea that the 2014 Versa Note has a “sculpted, modern look” that “reflects the active lives of its target buyers.” That may be a bit of a stretch, but that’s no matter. People will share this on Facebook and spread awareness for Nissan. Especially because if you share your Passion Portrait on Facebook or Twitter (using the #PassionPortrait hashtag) you could win one of eight $1,000 gift cards from Amazon.com and have your portrait featured on PassionGenome.com. Go try it for yourself, and feel free to link to your Passion Portrait in the comments section. Credits after the jump.  continued…

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

About a year ago, GoDaddy hired Deutsch New York as their creative agency, and the world wondered whether we’d see the end of the “GoDaddy Girls” gimmick, or even the beginning of a more nuanced campaign. Instead, during this year’s Super Bowl, GoDaddy offered us Bar Rafaeli (“sexy”) making out with a red-faced man named Walter (“smart”). Danica Patrick narrated and did her best not to look embarrassed. Our op-ed contributor at the time, WWD&S co-head Harry Woods, may have captured the most accurate reaction: “The whole ugly thing once again sent us reaching for a wing bone, nacho or beer bottle cap to dig our eyes out.”

Thankfully no eyeball gouging is necessary with GoDaddy’s latest spot. In it, a Ron Weasley-esque man is introduced to the GoDaddy team. His name and its closest iterations are already taken by his colleagues, so the team tosses around other possibilities. Anyone who’s thought about buying a domain name is familiar with this brainstorming process, and Deutsch did well personifying it. The whole thing is off-kilter and amusing, and finally we see Danica Patrick in racing gear, not heels. She’s still hot.

Here’s hoping GoDaddy continues the curve away from their signature blunt, sensationalist spots.

Credits after the jump. [Ed: Welcome back, Ella]

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New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.