Hasta La Creative!

When I was a kid, my sister and I would play a car game where we would hold our breath in the back of our parents’ minivan every time we went into a tunnel—and see who could hold it longer. Our faces would turn red, and then blue, as we hurtled toward the distant light—seeing if we could make it to the end without passing out.

As we got older, we would just pretend to hold our breath, but we’d still writhe around and grasp at our throats with our cheeks puffed out like Louis Armstrong. And we’d always make it, heroically, back into the sunlight.

Which brings us to this ad from Finland and agency Havas Worldwide, with a boy holding his breath longer and longer in each scene. We won’t spoil it, but the ending isn’t exactly the light at the end of the tunnel. 

Via Ads of the World.

CREDITS
Agency: Havas Worldwide, Helsinki, Finland
Creative Director: Marko Vuorensola
Planner: Johanna Vuorensola
Art Director: Jon Gustavson
Copywriter: Marko Vuorinen
Account director: Nina Myllyharju
Project planner: Muusa Salminen
Communications Consultant: Laura Lyyvuo
Web Developer: Mika Niemi
Production Company: Studio Arkadena
Executive producer: Hana Kovic
Director: Mikko / Sauna International
Director’s Producer: Kojo Abban
DoP: Jure Verovsek
Editor: Simon Sedmak
1st AD: Sara Isa Djukanovic
Colorist: NuFrame/TeoRiznar
Line producer: Urska Vardijan
Set designer / Art director: Spela Kropusek
Stylist: Katja Hrobat
Make Up: Natasa Sevcnikar
Sound design: Silencio Helsinki
Music: Accu “Rock”
Digital production: Havas Worldwide Helsinki

This holiday, McCann Helsinki is seeking to make copywriters and creatives everywhere hate them with the fire of a thousand slightly burnt gingerbread men. They're offering free, tailor-made slogans in a two-hour turnaround time with their Lean Mean Slogan Machine, backed by a photo of a shirtless guy in a cowboy hat (Liquid Plumr, your ideas are leaking—PUN!). Visit the site, type in your business name, and within two hours you'll have your own slogan.

Some taglines from their gallery:
• Mayer/McCann Erickson: "But ma! Mayer came in last! Why can he always sit in the front?"
• Google: "Don't just doodle."
• Anitotes: "For anyone without a bag."
• FP7/CAI: "Kind of like AC/DC, only advertising."
• Leo Burnett: "Porn to be wild."
• Starbucks: "Covering up mermaid boobs does not make us a sellout."

OK, so maybe the slogans aren't billboard worthy, but it's a fun idea nonetheless. Jyrki Poutanen, one of the creative directors at McCann Helsinki, spoke with AdFreak about the campaign:

What's the story behind the Lean Mean Slogan Machine?
We wanted to give our clients, affiliates and fans something for Christmas. Something that we think we're good at and that they'd hopefully enjoy. Something that would show excessive commitment to plain silliness. And it does, you know—we've been responding to the requests almost 24/7. Especially when the requests started pouring in from your continent; your day is our night. During the first 48 hours we had written about 300 slogans. And there's only three of us writing.

Do you have hate mail coming in? As a copywriter, I'm working on my draft to you now.
Not yet. You'll be the first then. Sure, mail it in, we'll stamp it with a fitting slogan, and you'll have your hate mail back in two hours. 🙂

Shouldn't you guys look for new jobs if it only takes you two hours to write a slogan?
We've always been good, or at least enjoying, verbal acrobatics. So yes, there may be a better future for us in professional athletics—gymnastics, that is. And if you're referring to the slogan machine mocking the copy profession, luckily there's so much more to our work nowadays than just taglines. And naturally the really, really great ones, the ones to live with us for decades, take a bit more than two hours to create. But I'm also a big believer in spontaneous stupidness that just might become some greater universal stupidness just because it wasn't so analyzed, chopped to pieces through and through.

What's your favorite slogan ever?
Hmmm. Tough one. I remember really liking Honda's "The Power of Dreams" when it first came out. Having said that, it really doesn't portray my typical favorite slogan. I usually like them 40 percent rebellious, 40 percent stupid and 30 percent clever. Yeah, I know, the math's not right, but I may have proven a point there? But I can't think of any of that sort right at the moment. So maybe my favorites really aren't that good, then. Oh, there was this slogan once for PeakPerformance (I think) … "Boredom Comes to Those Who Wait," which really stuck to my mind.

Santa needs a new slogan. Any ideas?
A rebel with a claus.

A weekly summary of world events and news broadcast by Finnish state radio in classical Latin has helped bring together fans of the ancient tongue.

Réalisée par Flatlight Films pour la promotion de la Laponie, cette vidéo magnifique nous emmène dans une région boréale aux paysages incroyables. En effet, cette création pour Only In Lapland permet de promouvoir avec poésie cette région du monde au-delà du cercle polaire arctique. A découvrir dans la suite.

Advertising Agency: Publicis Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
Creative Director: Anthony Wolch
Art Director: Sami Anttila
Copywriter: Tomi Winberg
Directors: Alexander Kiesl & Steffen Knocke / Unexpected
Producer: Carlo Trulli / SPY Films
Aired: September 2007

Advertising Agency: Euro RSCG Helsinki, Finland
Creative Director / Art Director: Pasi Rama
Photographer: Justus Jarnefelt / Studio Fotonokka
Published: January 2008

Advertising Agency: PHS, Finland
Art Director: Mikko Torvinen
Copywriters: Erkko Mannila, Tommy Makinen

What would Jesus do?

Advertising Agency: TBWA\PHS Helsinki Oy, Helsinki, Finland
Art Directors: Mikko Torvinen, Ossi Honkanen
Copywriters: Antti Toivonen, Tommi Laiho
Published: November 2007

I can see you hurt inside, tough guy.

Advertising Agency: TBWA\PHS Helsinki Oy, Helsinki, Finland
Art Directors: Mikko Torvinen, Ossi Honkanen
Copywriters: Antti Toivonen, Tommi Laiho
Published: November 2007

Jesse really digs ya, man.

Advertising Agency: TBWA\PHS Helsinki Oy, Helsinki, Finland
Art Directors: Mikko Torvinen, Ossi Honkanen
Copywriters: Antti Toivonen, Tommi Laiho
Published: November 2007