Oct
19
Shots have been fired
Posted in: UncategorizedSomebody has finally said what we’ve all known for a long time now – that big brewers worry more about their latest gimmick than their actual brew. Well done, Breckenridge Brewery. Well done.
Jul
30
Shots have been fired
Posted in: UncategorizedSomebody has finally said what we’ve all known for a long time now – that big brewers worry more about their latest gimmick than their actual brew. Well done, Breckenridge Brewery. Well done.
Jun
10
Waiting in Line Goes From Boring to Brutal in Free-Sample Stunt
Posted in: Uncategorized
How far are people willing to go, physically and emotionally, to get a free sample? Australian agency Clemenger BBDO continues its quest to find out by making consumers work hard (and sometimes look a bit foolish) for free Fantastic Delites rice snacks.
Shoppers were asked to queue up for ridiculously long periods of time, even when there was no one standing ahead of them, to get a bag of Fantastic Delites Curls.
After making folks wait and then navigate a winding maze at an outdoor mall, the scenario was repeated at an ice rink and in a pond where the water looks kind of scummy, but no one seems to mind getting wet. Hey, they saved about $2, and the snacks are gluten-free!
The “How Far Would You Go” campaign’s been around for a few years, and it’s generated a couple of viral videos, so I’m assuming some, if not most, of the people who lined up had a notion of what they were in for.
“It seems no matter what challenge we throw out there, be it mindlessly pressing a button on a vending machine 5,000 times, or the indignity of dressing as a rodent and spinning a mouse wheel for five minutes, the punters always seem to come back for more,” says agency cd Matt O’Grady. “Maybe we’re not making them difficult enough?”
Wondering what sadistic challenge they’ll dream up next? Get in line.
Jun
10
This Rather Sexual Bakery Ad Shows How to Cook Up a Morning Quickie
Posted in: Uncategorized
In case Kraft’s Zesty Guy left you with any doubt that the world’s most boring food items can be eroticized, I present you this ad about having sex on a kitchen counter with an English muffin.
Already a viral hit in its home nation of Canada, “2-Minute Morning Quickie” from Dempster’s bakery is an entertainingly innuendo-filled romp about, essentially, how to make a homemade Egg McMuffin.
“It doesn’t matter if you’re going solo or as a couple, you can enjoy a morning quickie just about anywhere,” the prim but provocative hostess explains. “I like the kitchen for the ample counter space and easy cleanup.”
The ad from Toronto-based agency Cundari has tallied more than a million views, and a similar spot from earlier in the year has amassed an equally impressive 750,000 views. Check out both spots below, and then have fun imagining how awkward both ads would be if the genders were reversed.
May
16
Pop-Up Restaurant Lets You Pay With an Instagram
Posted in: Uncategorized
This week, a pop-up restaurant in London made paying a snap, literally, by allowing customers to settle their bills with Instagram shots of their meals.
Of course it was part of an ad campaign, for freezer veggie brand Birds Eye, and folks ate for free at The Picture House if they included the #BirdsEyeInspirations hashtag with their uploads to help promote a new line of frozen entrees. A professional food photographer was on hand to provide Instagram tutorials and filter out unappetizing images.
The brand's trying to leverage the current mania for sharing food pix online. Apparently, 40 percent of Brits "arrange" food on their plates for this purpose. That said, the shots that came out of the event weren't exactly the cream of the Instagram crop, largely because the lighting seemed to be a bit pink. Super pink, actually. When the whole event is meant to be Instagrammed, why not go with good old soft white light?
The Picture House pops up next month in Leeds and Manchester, so those folks can also fulfill their dreams of dining inside a huge advertisement. I dunno, it jut seems strange to be eating Birds Eye cuisine at a proper restaurant, instead of scarfing it down half-defrosted at home, as nature intended.
Via Design Taxi.
May
05
Pom Wonderful Wrote This Inspired Letter to John Oliver After He Called It ‘Dog Juice’
Posted in: Uncategorized
John Oliver clearly wasn't out to make marketing friends when his show Last Week Tonight debuted on HBO last month. In addition to bashing the Cover Oregon ads by Portland agency North, Oliver also dismissed Pom Wonderful as snake oil and suggested putting stickers on Pom's juice bottles saying it contains dogs.
While North replied with a vehemently defensive blog post, the pomegranate juice maker took a different route. On Sunday night's episode, Oliver read a lengthy letter from Pom, which also sent the host a refrigerator and several cases of the drink.
The strangely stilted letter ("We like to think we're able to take a joke. It was very funny. We laughed hard") definitely accomplished its goal, getting Oliver to give the brand a bit of a fairer shake (though not quite a free pass).
If nothing else, it's good to know Pom hasn't totally dismissed the idea of a pomegranate enema.
Apr
14
Make Her Prom Truly Magical With a KFC Chicken Corsage
Posted in: Uncategorized
Here we are in prom season again, and there's a delicious scent in the air. But this time it's not fragrant flowers. It's fried chicken.
Enter KFC, which is encouraging prom-goers to adorn their wrists with fried chicken before heading to the big dance and twerking all up on each other, which I assume is what the kids are doing these days.
You can actually order one for $20 (sorry, limit of 100). You get a lovely corsage for your date and a $5 gift card to go and buy the chicken yourself.
A note from the florist, Nanz and Kraft:
"Chicken not included (duh). Each corsage kit includes a $5 KFC gift check, so you can customize your corsage with Original Recipe, Extra Crispy or Kentucky Grilled Chicken. Whichever best matches her dress. Local corsages will have fresh baby's breath and out-of-town corsages will have silk baby's breath."
Take a look below at what will probably happen if you get this delicious bit of fast-food swag.
Via Buzzfeed.
Apr
08
There’s a Tiny, Adorable, Rather Messy Kitchen in Each Bottle of This Japanese Drink
Posted in: Uncategorized
If you want a drink that tastes like an entire kitchen, Japanese beverage marketer Kirin might suggest its Salt and Fruit soda. A new spot from the brand features a tiny, adorable kitchen (a 1/48 scale model, to be precise) inside a plastic bottle.
The miniature setup includes a sink, well-stocked refrigerator, cooking utensils and a woman. The craftsmanship is a pretty remarkable feat and comes complete with a soundtrack clearly designed to drive home the point that it is, in fact, very cute.
The beverage is part of Kirin's "Sekai no Kitchen Kara" series, which translates to "From the Kitchens of the World," and features flavors inspired by different locales. This one is apparently inspired by mothers in Thailand, though hopefully the flavors of moms and their cookware are relatively subtle.
Via Laughing Squid.
Mar
07
Better Than the Real Thing? These Diet Coke Ads Are Absolutely About Drugs
Posted in: Uncategorized
Sadly, these Diet Coke ads from Animal New York aren't the real thing, but they are pretty amusing spoofs of Droga5's new campaign, which is being interpreted by some as one big cocaine reference.
Created to mimic the look and feel of current posters with the new tagline "You're On," these parodies mock the campaign's brief aspirational vignettes, which include lines like: "You moved to New York with the clothes on your back, the cash in your pocket and your eyes on the prize. You're On. (Diet Coke)"
In Animal New York's version, we get coked-out internal monologues, like: "You haven't been able to sleep, eat or orgasm in three days, but good luck on that client meeting." You can check out the rest of the parody ads below.
With so many snorting at the soda's new campaign, I wonder how much longer the brand will decide to ride this long strange trip before it fizzles out.
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Jan
02
Coca-Cola Drops Gay Wedding From Irish Version of Heartwarming New Ad
Posted in: Uncategorized
Coca-Cola took a bold step when it included a gay marriage in the anthem spot for its new global campaign, but now gay-rights advocates say the brand is already backing down on its support by editing the scene out of an Irish version of the ad.
The "Reasons to Believe" anthem spot posted online and running in the Netherlands, Norway and Great Britain features an array of happy moments, including a same-sex male couple getting married. But as you can see in the comparison below, the version running in predominantly Catholic Ireland omits the scene.
A Coca-Cola spokesperson sent the following explanation to Ireland news site TheJournal.ie: "As you rightly say, the wedding images used in the ad for the UK and in other parts of Europe show two men getting married. The reason that this was changed for Ireland is that while civil partnership for gay people is legal, gay marriage currently is not."
But LGBT-focused EILE Magazine, which brought the issue to light, called the company's response disingenuous. The magazine noted that the wedding footage is actually from a civil union (not a state-sanctioned marriage) in Australia and that the uncut ad is also airing in Great Britain, where Scotland and Northern Ireland still do not allow same-sex marriage.
Obviously the brand will be under pretty intense scrutiny as it rolls out more versions customized to the countries where "Reasons to Believe" will be running.
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Dec
27
Terrell Owens Revisits His Days Being Despised by Philly Fans in Carl’s Jr. Ad
Posted in: Uncategorized
Terrell Owens may carry a lifelong albatross from his two ill-fated seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles, but at least he can laugh about it.
In a new Carl's Jr. ad for the Philly Cheesesteak Burger, Owens reenacts the local loathing he experienced after becoming known as an egotistical excuse-maker in the turbulent 2005 season. Cops, kids and everyone in between are down on T.O. in the burger spot, which contrasts his dismal days in Philly with his opulent life today as a poolside retiree.
It's not an ad likely to wearm the hearts of any haters, but they'll at least enjoy seeing T.O. getting a smackdown from a little kid.
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Dec
13
These Beer Ads Aren’t Afraid to Celebrate the Stupid Fun Fueled by Beer
Posted in: Uncategorized
When guys get together and have a few drinks, things tend to get a little stupid. That's a fact most alcohol marketers would prefer not to highlight, lest advocating stupid fun might come off sounding like promoting activities that are dangerously stupid.
Nonetheless, Carlton Dry is, with the help of Clemenger BBDO in Melbourne, Australia, embracing harmless idiocy. A series of vignettes, part of the brand's #HelloBeer campaign, features a group of bored, buzzed friends letting their imaginations run wild. It's good, inane fun, including high notes like a trash-bag-and-vacuum fat suit, an upside-down dance party and our favorite, cooking hot dogs in a dishwasher. We'll need to grab more than just one sixer before we're willing to try that stunt, though. Via The Drum.
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Dec
03
Want 1 Million Skittles Delivered to Your House? Of Course You Do
Posted in: Uncategorized
Canadians, you better be in a video-sharing frenzy today, because it's your last chance to be crowned a new Skittles Millionaire. The end of the day will mark the end of BBDO Toronto's crazy Get Skittles Rich promotion, in which one lucky Canadian consumer will have a million Skittles delivered directly to his or her house. That's 94 bulk cases, or a whopping 5,500 bags of rainbow wonder pills.
The campaign was designed as a pyramid-marketing scheme with a fictional spokesman named Danny Falcon. Participants had to sign in to the microsite and share Falcon's video, earning virtual Skittles for every pass around.
Falcon explains how Skittles flow up the sharing pyramid to make you Skittles rich. Then, he lounges in his own Skittles-filled pool as his associates liberally toss Skittles at each other in a dorky bacchanalia of sugar-fueled pleasure. It's enough to make you want your own pneumatic tube transport device filled with colorful deliciousness. According to the giveaway rules, the winner will be drawn on Dec. 10.
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Aug
15
Fiber One Helps Bring ‘Total Eclipse’ Back With a Vengeance
Posted in: Uncategorized
Who can argue that bombastic 1980s power ballad "Total Eclipse of the Heart" isn't the single greatest piece of music in human history? That's right: no one. Its appearance in a MasterCard spot a while back, with brand-centric lyrics performed by its original singer, Bonnie Tyler, was priceless. And these days, "Total Eclipse" has resurfaced with a vengeance. Diva impressionist Christina Bianco's performance of the song in the style of Adele, Cher, Streisand and others is approaching 2 million YouTube views since being posted earlier this week.
Now, Fiber One gets in on the act with a pair of amusing 30-second spots from Saatchi & Saatchi. As with MasterCard, the words have been altered to fit the brand profile. The "Turn around, bright eyes" chorus morphs into "Turn around, Barry" in one spot and "Turn around, Barbara" in the other as we watch various Barrys and Barbaras, deprived of the tasty-yet-unhealthy snacks they crave, discover the joys of Fiber One.
"Finally I have a manly chocolatey snack and fiber so my wife won't give me any more flak," wails Barry. Amen, brother, amen. "Forever I've been praying for a snack in my life, and now I have a brownie ending all of my strife," wails Barbara. True that, sister, true that.
While exaggerated, the humor is never so outrageous that it seems cartoonish or stupid, which could have thrown the spots out of whack. So I applaud Fiber One for finding the perfect balance and keeping things more or less … regular.
CREDITS:
Client: General Mills
Brand: Fiber One Bars/Brownies
Agency: Saatchi & Saatchi
Chief Creative Officer: Con Williamson
Creative Directors: Peter Smith, Johnnie Ingram
Art Director: Katherine Kuni
Copywriter: Chris Stevenson
Head of Broadcast Production: John Doris
Senior Producer: Nicole Gabrielle Ogborn
Music Producer: Eric Korte
Business Manager: Christina Mattson
Production Company: Little Minx
Director: Nico Perez Veiga of Nico & Martin
Director of Photography: Nanu Segal
Executive Producer: Rhea Scott
Line Producer: Deb Tietjen
Editing House: Rock, Paper, Scissors
Editor: Carlos Arias
Assistant Editor: Maria Lee
Flame Artist: Edward Reina
Producer: Helena Lee
Executive Producer: Eve Kornblum
Music Company: Butter Music and Sound
Executive Producer: Ian Jeffreys
Producer: Annick Mayer
Composition and Arrangement: David Quattrini and Andrew Sherman
Mix Company: Mr. Bronx Audio Post
Engineer: David Wolfe
Producer: Jaya Oleksnianski
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Aug
15
Mr. Peanut, Motivational Speaker, Wants You to Respect the Nuts
Posted in: Uncategorized
Planters has reinvented Mr. Peanut yet again, this time as a motivational speaker—voiced by Bill Hader, no less—who seems strangely obsessed with the magical power of his nuts. Each video spot in the campaign from ad agency Being mentions the product's protein and essential nutrients (I guess sodium is a nutrient now) while also shelling out Tony Robbins cultspeak and a fair share of innuendo. ("I'm going to show you how to put it inside you," Mr. Peanut promises in one clip, while in another, a young woman describes her dream man as "a guy who has a torque wrench in one hand and a bag of nuts in the other." A few more hip thrusts, and he'd be infringing on Tom Cruise's "Respect the Cock" shtick from Magnolia.) While the ads are hit or miss, their balance of practical product information and pseudo-enlightened gibberish is really impressive. And I'm most impressed that no actual motivational speaker had a trademark on “Successtimonials." More clips after the jump.
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Aug
14
This May Be the Funniest, Most Depressing Jell-O Ad of All Time
Posted in: Uncategorized
Well this escalated quickly. In Crispin Porter + Bogusky’s new ad for Jell-O pudding, a pleasant moment between a dad and his son abruptly turns into an emotionally traumatizing lecture on the soul-crushing drudgery of working life. It’s also pretty hilarious, largely thanks to the Bill Lumbergh-esque boss who has no respect for meticulous ninja craftsmanship. Via Fast Company.
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Aug
13
San Pellegrino App Lets You Control a Real-Time Robot on the Streets of Sicily
Posted in: Uncategorized
So, San Pellegrino will let folks remotely control robots on the ground and in the air over Italy … but NOT for the purpose of Dalek-like mass destruction? Where's the fun in that? To help bring the sparkling water's "Three Minutes in Italy" promotion to life, Ogilvy & Mather in New York partnered with Deeplocal to create five robots that Facebook users can control romotely to take in the sights of Italy. Four ground-gliding units and one skybot perched on a 40-foot pole allow users to take virtual tours of Taormina, a picturesque village in Sicily. San Pellegrino's Facebook fans can sign up to drive the ground-bots for 180 seconds, viewing the town in real time. The robots are equipped with tablets displaying users' Facebook profile pics, and a translation program allows participants to talk with local residents. Brand ambassadors are on the ground to facilitate engagement, or thwart any attempts to use the robots for evil ends, whichever comes first. Actually, the bots don't look very threatening, especially equipped with umbrellas to protect their components from the sun. (After the jump, watch one robotic romeo chat up an unsuspecting passerby named Christin; That's amore!) The campaign runs through Aug. 17, with virtual tours from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Eastern. It's a novel approach, and it seems only fitting that as robots take more of our jobs, they get to replace us on vacation, too. Via PSFK.
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Feb
22
Grey Poupon’s ‘Pardon Me’ Ad Is Reborn as Explosive Car Chase
Posted in: Uncategorized
With a sold-out inventory of spots costing $1.7 million per 30 seconds, this Sunday's Academy Awards presentation on ABC is looking to be quite an epic advertising event. But one brand will use its pricy piece of time to promote something even more epic. Grey Poupon is reviving its famed "Pardon me" ad campaign from the 1980s and '90s, though the new version by Crispin Porter + Bogusky seems to contain quite a bit more automotive combat and evasive driving. During the Oscars, watch for the 30-second teaser trailer below, which will be your sign that the full 2-minute ad is live on GreyPoupon.com. Then check out the March 4 issue of Adweek for the full story behind the ad's creation and execution. In case you need a reminder of how this all got started, we've added the original 1981 ad after the jump.
UPDATE: The full two-minute short film is now live. See below.
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May
20
Shots have been fired
Posted in: UncategorizedSomebody has finally said what we've all known for a long time now – that big brewers worry more about their latest gimmick than their actual brew. Well done, Breckenridge Brewery. Well done.
Dec
23
Giving to a food bank is always fashionable
Posted in: Uncategorizedpa href=”http://www.chicagosfoodbank.org/site/PageServer?pagename=luxury” style=”display: inline;”img alt=”Food-luxury” class=”at-xid-6a00d8341c51c053ef01053695a165970c ” src=”http://adweek.blogs.com/.a/6a00d8341c51c053ef01053695a165970c-450wi” style=”width: 425px;”/img/a/p
pLeo Burnett did this decent pro-bono campaign for the Greater Chicago Food Depository, featuring photos of models lounging around sensuously with various grub. The theme is, “a href=”http://www.chicagosfoodbank.org/site/PageServer?pagename=luxury”Food shouldn’t feel like a luxury/a.” The TV commercial below is perfectly ludicrous, and refreshingly comical for the PSA sector. It’s easy to donate to the food bank as well: Just text MEALS to 90999 to give $5. The ads are running on CTA trains and buses and other outdoor spaces through New Year’s Eve. brbrem—Posted by Tim Nudd/em/p
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