Hasta La Creative!

Coca-Cola's NOS Energy Drink takes stupidity to a "hiiire" level in a mind-meltingly over-the-top series of digital clips mocking the marketing tactics used by competitor brands like Monster and Red Bull.

Clocking in a bit under two minutes each, the clips from agency Mistress feature the many failed job interviews of Jordan Treehoefer, an "energy drink marketing stuntbrofessional for hiiire."

Treehoefer is the oafish em-bro-diment of loud, loutish, big-time energy drink promotions, and the videos detail his attempts to get a job hawking NOS, only to fail because the brand is too legit. An overcaffeinated pastiche of John Belushi, Bob Odenkirk and Randy Savage, Treehoefer is like an amped-up grizzly bear with a marketing degree.

This buffoon unloads many choice lines during his mildly NSFW "interviews" at NOS, such as: "Is your mind getting hard? I'm about to blow it;" "People respect you when you blow your wad;" "You've gotta blast your logo all over everyone's faces;" and his oft-repeated mantra, "People are stupid."

Treehoefer's all about staging outrageous stunts to promote NOS (and coincidentally satirize other energy drink brands). While wearing a spacesuit, he pitches a Red Bull-esque Mars expedition, screening animation of an astronaut whose head explodes into dollar bills as he removes his helmet. "Boom! THAT'S how you sell energy drinks!" He's got mad cycle tricks in his repertoire, such as the "McGloryHole3000," "McGrundle720" and his signature move, the "940McWankle," in which he rear-humps the handlebars while flying through the air.

Like the product being advertised, this stuff is an acquiiired taste. Some viewers won't last through 20 seconds of these videos—but they're probably not in the demographic, anyway. The brand's young male target market appears to be responding, with the ads generating more than 1.5 million combined YouTube views since the first clip was posted a month ago. Check them all out after the jump.

How does White Collar crime work? What if the safety harness on the roller coaster broke? What are 10 inventions we use daily that was first used at NASA? How does WiFi operate? Who is Aaron Fotheringham?

Aaron Fotheringham is the seventeen-year-old athlete featured in HowStuffWorks.com’s online and television ad campaign in support of the popular website. The spots have been released on YouTube, and will also be seen on TV starting this week. And, it’s not who Aaron is; it’s what he does:

Aaron, born with spina bifida, and dubbed with the nickname Wheelz, lives in Las Vegas, Nevada (which may play a part in his penchant for taking risks). One day, while his brother and friends were dropping into empty swimming pools on skateboards and BMX bikes, his brother suggested that he “drop in.” Although nervous, Aaron took his first “wheelchair drop” into the pool.

He’s now known as the inventor and pioneer of an extreme sport called “Hardcore Sitting” and competes in BMX racing. Against cyclists.

He’s been competing alongside BMX bikers since 2005 and has more than 10 corporate sponsors. He won the trophy at the BMX Intermediate Vegas AmJam 2005 Finals and spends about 30 to 40 hours per week practicing the sport he invented.

In mid-2006, Aaron became the first person in history to complete a back flip in a wheelchair. On Halloween, 2008, Guinness Book of World Records certified Aaron as the sole inventor and performer of the wheelchair back flip. No one has duplicated his feat. There is a section on HowStuffWorks.com devoted to Aaron Fotheringham and his journey.

Along with the sponsorships, the accolades, and the TV appearances, he’s launched a website, AaronFotheringham.com, and was awarded $20,000 by the FOX reality TV show “Secret Millionaire.” The money will help form a company that teaches other children in wheelchairs the sport of Hardcore Sitting.

This is the second ad campaign HowStuffWorks.com has launched and builds upon the highly successful “Scuba Cat” campaign launched this time last year. The new campaign also features a skydiving car, with both video spots centered around the theme of “Keep Asking.” The spots ask all types of questions, along with a voice-over, “For expert answers to the world’s great questions, go to HowStuffWorks.com.” The tagline “Keep Asking” demonstrates the ability to utilize a single execution to capture a full range of emotions and tackle a wide array of topics.

Preston Kelly, headquartered in Minneapolis, provided the creative juice that powers the campaign.

Jeff Louis: Strategic Media Planner, Project Manager, and New Business Account Coordinator. His passion is writing. Reach out and touch him: www.linkedin.com or www.twitter.com.