Universe’s Most Indulgent Gum Gets a TV Commercial to Match

Stimorol Sensations, a South African gum that appears to be the same thing as Trident Layers, claims to be the most indulgent gum in the universe. In its latest spot by Ogilvy Cape Town, an office drone pops the layered gum, slips away into an indulgent fantasy of synchronized swimmers and fruit waterfalls that cop a feel, and, of course, walks across water to play a saxophone duet with a parrot. The whole thing was put together using an indulgent set that included 30 tons of pink goo. Check out the behind-the-scenes video for shots of the set and a delightfully unenlightening interview with the quirky director, Trevor Clarence. Credits below.

CREDITS
Client: Stimorol Sensations
Agency: Ogilvy & Mather, Cape Town, South Africa
Executive Creative Director: Chris Gotz
Associate Creative Director: Tommy Le Roux
Creative Group Head: Prabashan Panther
Agency Producer: Anthea Beylis
Art Directors: Reijer van der Vlugt, Matthew Pullen
Copywriters: Justin Osburn, Dean Paradise
Production Company: Your Girlfriend
Director: Trevor Clarence
Executive Producer: Linda Bogle
Postproduction: Black Ginger
Sound Design: We Love Jam
Voiceover Artist: Adam Behr


    

Up-and-Coming Actress Frenches the Rainbow in Latest Weird Skittles Ad

Skittles continues to walk the line between cute and creepy. How successfully it does so is, of course, a matter of personal taste. This new spot from DDB Chicago, "Skittles Smile," sets my choppers on edge for some reason, but I'm about 96 years past the target demo, and it probably works just fine for its intended audience. The ad's high-school-age heroine clearly savors the flavor of her deep-kiss encounter with a boy who has Skittles for teeth. (Were his baby teeth Pez?) The girl is played by Laura Spencer, who has gained a following from her role in The Lizzie Bennet Diaries, an Internet reboot of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. Spencer also appears in a current Sprint commercial, though swapping spit with her co-star in that one would've been a grave mistake. Credits below.

CREDITS
Client: Mars/Skittles
Agency: DDB, Chicago
Senior Vice President, Executive Creative Director: Mark Gross
Creative Director, Copywriter: Kathleen Tax
Creative Director, Art Director: Marisa Groenweghe
Vice President, Producer: Will St. Clair
Production Manager: Scott Terry
Vice President, Senior Account Director: Kate Christiansen
Vice President, Account Director: Gwen Hammes
Account Executive: Jennifer Marks
Account Manager: Trace Schlenker
Senior Vice President, Group Strategy Director: David "Chizzy" Chriswick


    

Dunkin’ Donuts Apologizes for Blackface Ad, but Not Everyone Is Sorry

Dunkin' Donuts in Thailand has just seen a 50 percent bump in sales on the heels of a new print, TV and Facebook ad campaign, and the CEO of the local franchise is crowing about the sugar rush. So what if it's all because of a controversial ad?

No, really, CEO Nadim Salhani says—so what? The ad in question shows a smiling woman in blackface with bright-pink lipstick holding the chain's new "charcoal donut." Predictably, this is kicking up a fury—outside its target region—though Salhani says that's just "paranoid American thinking." Salhani, whose teenage daughter is the model in the ad, further asks the Associated Press: "We're not allowed to use black to promote our donuts? I don't get it. What's the big fuss? What if the product was white and I painted someone white? Would that be racist?"

Dunkin' Donuts in the U.S. sees the situation differently, posting an apology on its website and promising a swift takedown due to the campaign's "insensitivity." Human Rights Watch called the ad "bizarre and racist." There's no word on whether Salhani, a surefire candidate in his own mind for father and marketer of the year, is still employed.


    

The Weird, Sweet Story of Chocolate Bars in Europe That Are Mysteriously Missing Pieces

Chocolate is both the medium and message in this Milka campaign from Paris agency Buzzman. Some 10 million of the chocolatier's flagship Alpine milk bars destined for sale in France and Germany, the brand's biggest markets, were cast in new molds for a September promotion. Each bar is missing a single chocolate square, though the overall 100-gram weight has been maintained, as the remaining squares are a tad larger. Using a code on each package, consumers can either request the missing squares for themselves … or send them to someone else, along with a "tender note" explaining the gift. (The offer is actually subject to local weather conditions, to avoid melting.) Milka says the effort is designed to let people truly experience its "Dare to be tender" tagline. It's a clever idea, but you know … even with a note, I'm not so sure I'd really get the point from a single, tiny chocolate square. If your feelings are so tender, just send me the whole bar! I'm partial to almonds. Also, caramel. A carton would be nice. Via Adverve.


    

Burger King Takes Laziness to a New Level With Its French Fry Burger

Nothing complements flame-grilled perfection better than golden fries, right? The problem is, it's too much work to eat a burger, then put it down, and then pick up, dip and eat a french fry. It's madness really. (Lightbulb!) Thankfully, Burger King has answered our prayers with the "French Fry Burger." It's a burger topped with, you guessed it, delicious french fries. The chain will be offering the flame-grilled masterpiece starting Sept. 1 through the fall for $1 in an effort to push back against McDonald's Dollar Menu. Now, if only Burger King could manage to work out a burger, fry and drink sandwich. Now, that would be impressive.


    

Taco Bell Brings Doritos Locos Tacos to Canada, Makes Impatient Critics Literally Eat Their Words

Be careful what you say about Taco Bell in Canada. The chain is liable to etch your angry rants on taco shells and force them down your throat. That's what happened in this stunt from ad agency Grip Limited in Toronto, which marked the long-awaited arrival of the celebrated Doritos Locos Tacos in the country by using a special laser to burn exasperated tweets from impatient customers right on the first batch of shells—and then invited those same customers to a "special fan event" where they literally ate their words.

Back in the U.S., meanwhile, Taco Bell has rolled out the new Fiery Doritos Locos Tacos, and is promoting them with two new spots from Deutsch LA. The first, titled "The World's Most Hottest Idea," shows various people discussing the spicy taco's flavor, oblivious to actual fires erupting around them. (Note the movie marquee in the last frame, "Gordy and Brian Take on Delaware," which refers to the creative team who created the spot.)

The other new spot, "No Pican," is the first commercial from the Deutsch LAtino multicultural marketing practice, and will target Latino audiences.

See those two spots, and credits for all three, below.

CREDITS
Client: Taco Bell Canada
Campaign: "DLT Eat Your Words"
Agency: Grip Limited, Toronto
Creative Directors: Ben Weinberg, Pat Andrews
Copywriter: Trevor Gourley
Art Director: Julia Morra
Social Content Strategist: Patrick Tomasso
Director of Client Services: John Miller
Account Director: Cheryl Gosling
Business Manager: Liliana Coimbra
Producer: Liz Crofton
Production House: Data Armada
Editor: Duane Vandermeulen
Music, Sound: Imprint Music
Postproduction: Grip Limited
Chief Marketing Officer: David Vivenes
Director of Marketing: Michael Van Horne
Marketing Manager: Veronica Castillo

—————

Client: Taco Bell
Spot: "The World's Most Hottest Idea"

Client Credits
President: Brian Niccol
Chief Marketing, Innovation Officer: Chris Brandt
Brand Creative Director: Tracee LaRocca
Senior Manager, Brand Experience: Aron North
Manager, Brand Experience: Ashley Prollamante

Agency: Deutsch, Los Angeles
Group Creative Director: Brett Craig
Creative Directors: Jason Karley, Josh DiMarcantonio
Senior Art Director: Gordy Sang
Senior Copywriter: Brian Siedband
Director of Integrated Production: Vic Palumbo

Executive Producer: Paul Roy
Senior Producer: Mila Davis
Music Supervisor: Dave Rocco

Production Company
Arts and Sciences, Los Angeles
Director: Matt Aselton
Director of Photography: Nigel Bluck
Executive Producer: Marc Marrie
Managing Director: Mal Ward
Line Producer: Scott Kaplan
First Assistant Director: Craig Pinckes

Editorial Company
Cut and Run, Santa Monica, Calif.
Editor: Jay Nelson
Assistant Editors: Luke McIntosh, Sean Stender
Senior Producer: Amburr Faris
Executive Producer: Carr Schilling

Post Facility
MPC, Santa Monica, Calif.
Colorist: Ricky Gausis

Visual Effects Company
Method, Santa Monica, Calif.
Visual Effects, Online Artist: Jason Frank
Visual Effects Assistant Artist: Patrick Vollkommer
Creative Director: Claus Hansen
Producer: Stephanie Alllis

Music, Composer
Massive Music (Music festival scene only)
AFM Stock Music (Airbrushing scene only)

Sound Design Company
740 Sound Design, Los Angeles
Sound Designer: Rommel Mollina
Associate Producer: Jeff Martin
Executive Producer: Scott Ganary

Audio Post Company
Lime Studios, Santa Monica, Calif.
Mixer: Rohan Young
Assistant: Patrick Navarre
Executive Producer: Jessica Locke

End Tag Mnemonic:
Method Studios, Santa Monica, Calif.
Executive Producer: Robert Owens

Additional Deutsch Credits:
Chief Executive Officer: Mike Sheldon
Account Management Credits:
Group Account Director: Walter Smith
Account Directors: Amanda Rantuccio, Christi Johnson
Account Supervisor: Steve Scutellaro
Account Executive: McKenna Pickett
Account Planners:
Chief Strategic Officer: Jeffrey Blish
Group Planning Director: Christian Cocker
Traffic, Business Affairs:
Director of Business Affairs: Abilino Guillermo
Senior Business Affairs Manager: Ken Rongey
Business Affairs Manager: Nestor Gandia
Director or Broadcast Traffic: Carie Bonillo
Broadcast Traffic Manager: Sarah Brennan

—————

Client: Taco Bell
Spot: "No Pican"

Client Credits:
President: Brian Niccol
Chief Marketing, Innovation Officer: Chris Brandt
Brand Creative Director: Tracee LaRocca
Senior Manager, Brand Experience: Aron North
Manager, Brand Experience: Ashley Prollamante

Agency: Deutsch, Los Angeles
Group Creative Director: Brett Craig
Creative Directors: Jason Karley, Josh DiMarcantonio
Art Director: Luis Farfan
Senior Copywriter: Armando Samuels
Senior Copywriter: Natalia Cade
Director of Integrated Production: Vic Palumbo
Executive Producer: Paul Roy
Producer: Ilene Kramer
Music Supervisor: Dave Rocco

Production Company
Cortez Brothers, Marina Del Rey, Calif.
Director: Esteban Sapir
Director of Photography: Travis Cline
Executive Producer: Ed Rivero
Head of Production: Ashlee Cohen
Line Producer: Asori Soto
First Assistant Director: Mariano Andre

Editorial Company
Beast LA, Santa Monica, Calif.
Editor: Kevin Garcia
Assistant Editor: Gabriel Ordonez
Executive Producer: Jerry Sukys
Head of Production: Darby Walker
Producer: Mary Stasilli

Post Facility
CO3, Santa Monica, Calif.; Method Studios, Santa Monica
Colorist: Sean Coleman @ CO3
Online, Visual Effects Artist: Tim Rudgard @ Method Studios
Assistant: Louis Schachte @ Method Studios
Executive Producer: Robert Owens @ Method Studios
Producer: Stephanie Allis @ Method Studios

Visual Effects Company
Method Studios, Santa Monica, Calif. (graphics adapted from previous Taco Bell spots)
Visual Effects Artist: Tim Rudgard
Visual Effects Assistant Artist: Louis Schachte
Producer: Stephanie Allis

Music, Composer
Elias Arts, Santa Monica, Calif.
Executive Producer: Ann Haugen
Producer: Katie Overcash
Composer: Jack Shenker
Creative Director: Brett Nichols

Sound Designer
740 Sound Design & Mix, Los Angeles
Sound Designers: Rommel Molina, Nicholas Interlandi, Michael Dillenberger
Executive Producer: Scott Ganary
Associate Producer: Jeff Martin

Audio Post Company
Tono Studios, Santa Monica, Calif.
Mixer: Juan Felipe Valencia
Executive Producer: Noel Miranda
Producer: Monica Sotelo

Additional Deutsch Credits:
Chief Executive Officer: Mike Sheldon
Account Management Credits:
Group Account Director: Walter Smith
Integrated Account Supervisor: Steve Scutellaro
Account Directors: Amanda Rantuccio, Mildred Grijalva, Christi Johnson
Account Executive: McKenna Pickett
Account Planners:
Chief Strategic Officer: Jeffrey Blish
Senior Account Planner: Pearl Owen
Traffic, Business Affairs:
Director of Integrated Business Affairs: Abilino Guillermo
Senior Business Affairs Manager: Ken Rongey
Director of Broadcast Traffic: Carie Bonillo
Broadcast Traffic Manager: Sarah Brennan


    

Devin Graham Hooks Up With Mountain Dew for New Stunt: A Death-Defying Human Catapult

Devin Graham has always seemed right up Mountain Dew's alley. The director, aka Devin Supertramp, who specializes in building giant outdoor contraptions that fling attractive young people into the air, was even apparently the inspiration for a 2011 Mountain Dew spot—its footage of BMX bikers launching themselves into a lake sure looked a lot like this 2010 Graham production. Now, Mountain Dew has officially teamed up with Graham for a new video and an upcoming tour. The video, below, presents lots of woozy footage of people flying back and forth on a giant catapult—with plenty of Mountain Dew signage and products around. (One guy empties a bottle of the stuff on his face mid-'pult, adding to his own personal horror.) Attractive young people who missed out on this stunt, worry not. Dew and Devin are going on a road trip! As Graham writes on his site: "On September 1st, we're jumping into an RV full of Mountain Dew and all the equipment we need to pull off some seriously amazing stunts. And the best part is, YOU will be planning the locations and the stunts themselves right along with us!" Graham has worked with brands before—on stunts like this neck-breakingly awesome lake-jumping waterslide, co-branded by Vooray.

Check out the eight-minute behind-the-scenes video below, in which it takes all of 25 seconds for someone to suggest trying "two girls at the same time."


    

Chrissy Teigen Surprised by Giant Waterfall of Skittles at Photo Shoot

Chrissy Teigen, whom you may remember from her Sports Illustrated and Maxim appearances, was surprised by a Skittles waterfall during a recent photo shoot that was actually an ad stunt by Olson. It's generally a faux pas to dump candy all over someone without telling them first, but Chrissy took it in stride. She may have even welcomed it as a break from what was essentially the same retro pin-up photo shoot (with the same retro one-piece) that every other twentysomething girl in the country has been doing recently. "Surprise the Rainbow" is still a potentially dangerous piece of advice, though.


    

Mountain Dew’s Exquisite ‘Living Portraits’ Show Brand’s Endorsers in All Their Mythical Glory

Mountain Dew's "Living Portraits" series is one of the most innovative and intricate short-form campaigns of the year. Who'd've thunk it, especially after the brand's high-profile ad missteps a few months ago? Created by BBDO and Psyop, each 30-second "Living Portrait" spotlights a different Dew endorser—Nascar driver Dale Earnhardt Jr., skateboarder Paul Rodriguez and snowboarder Danny Davis. Fun, freaky symbolism is used to capture the essence of each and, for lack of a better term, mythologize their lives. The spots all take a similar approach, with the endorsers seated on stylized thrones and the shot slowly pulling back to reveal bedazzling details.

Davis sits on ornately sculptured ice, slurping Dew and strumming a guitar. The camera pulls back to reveal a wintry jam session with members of his crew, the ice sculptor, birds of prey and wolves in attendance. A yeti plays drums. Snowboarders soar in a rainbow sky. A cute, briefcase-sized eyeball lounges by the fire, diggin' Danny's vibes.

Components move at different speeds, mixing 3-D layering and 2-D animation with live action and matte effects. Yet there's no discord, and the elements combine to create harmonious representations of the endorsers' lives and achievements.

Fans can visit Mountain Dew's website to unlock the secrets behind each portrait's imagery. The outsized eyeball in Davis's spot refers to FrendsVision, where the snowboarder and his crew share information about the Frends brand and disseminate clips of themselves "performing skits, snowboarding, playing music and entertaining the public the best way they know how." So, basically, the eye opens onto another ad. I didn't see that coming.

And we learn that the crew is jamming around a "peace fire," because "Danny lives his life preaching peace." That's a bit precious for me—sounds like an overblown piece of you know what—and I wonder if perhaps the symbols should have been left unexplained, adding to the mystery, allowing fans to debate their deeper meaning.

The yeti's presence isn't explained at all! Smelling a Pulitzer, I sent an email, and a rep for Mountain Dew parent PepsiCo explained: "The Yeti was included as it's part of mountain folklore." Rock on, noble yeti! That furry dude really keeps the beat.

See the other spots below.


    

Seattle Police Continue Being Awesome by Handing Out 1,000 Bags of Doritos to Stoners

Seattle police already had one of the most fascinating and amusing—not to mention relevant and informative—law-enforcement Twitter accounts in the country. But the department demonstrated again this weekend that engaging with your audience goes well beyond witty posts in social media.

Following the legalization of marijuana in Washington last fall, Seattle police decided to hand out 1,000 bags of Doritos to attendees of the three-day Hempfest pot festival—adding stickers to the bags that brilliantly reminded partakers of the do's and don'ts of marijuana use, even when it's legal. "Warning: The contents of this package are as delicious as they appear," the sticker read, while giving pointers like "Don't drive while high," "Don't use pot in public" and "Do listen to Dark Side of the Moon at a reasonable volume."

Jonah Spangenthal-Lee, a former police reporter who consults with the Seattle PD's social-media team, is credited with the Twitter account's wonderful conversational tone, and was also involved in the Doritos stunt. "All the pot stuff has involved a lot of brainstorming, a lot of late nights, and a lot of Doritos," he tells Forbes of the communications strategy around the issue.

Why Doritos? "We literally considered everything but Bugles. That would've just been cruel," he says. "We settled on Doritos pretty quickly, and then debated the merits of Cool Ranch vs. Nacho Cheese. I wish they still made Jumpin' Jack Flash, but that's just me. I mean, I think that's an actual flavor and not just a Whoopi Goldberg movie, but my snack chip memory isn't what it used to be."

Doritos wasn't involved in the planning of the stunt but didn't seem concerned about this particular product placement, says Spangenthal-Lee. "Doritos makes taco shells for Taco Bell, which pretty much exclusively caters to the stoned-and-up-late-crowd at this point," he says, "so I don't think so."


    

Weird Burger King Ad Says It’s Better to Be Addicted to Whoppers Than Drugs

In this controversial Burger King ad from Russia, a Whopper crushes a flower as a voiceover informs us: "This is a poppy. It was popular once, but now its time has passed." That's a rather strained drug reference, as a BK official in Russia explains that the poppy, used to make opium, symbolizes a "bad habit" that BK would happily help you replace with a Whopper addiction instead. (C'mon, people, it's obvious!) It's also apparently a play on words, as "mak" is both Russian for "poppy" and a slang term for McDonald's, whose time has also ostensibly run out. Major Russian media outlets won't run the commercial because it seems to position BK as an alternative to opiates. Have it your way, Russia! Of course, as these recent Big Mac ads illustrate, if you don't think McDonald's offers the ultimate psychedelic burger experience, you be trippin'.


    

Abducted by Clowns, Thrown From Airplane. Thanks, Heineken!

If you ever run across a marketer offering you an impromptu adventure overseas, you might first want to clarify whether it will entail you being kidnapped by clowns and dropped from an airplane. That was the terrifying fate of South African graphic designer Clint Jacobs, the final latest of four participants in Heineken's "Dropped" campaign from Wieden + Kennedy, Amsterdam. As you may have guessed, the campaign (which got a lot of buzz from the related Departure Roulette stunt in JFK) literally drops real people into remote destinations to film their adventures. In the campaign's last installment, a group of Heineklowns tosses the affable Jacobs into rural Poland and makes him hitchhike and tandem-bike his way to Germany, where he must host his own circus. This seems like the sort of proposition you'd have to be drunk to accept, so it works as a long-form beer commercial even if it seems like a total non sequitur. Watch how the story plays out after the jump.


    

McDonald’s Figures It Needs Only the Product, Not the Branding, in Striking New Ads

All new from McDonald's: the McCloseUp. The chain is taking fast-food porn to new heights with a series of print ads from TBWA Paris that consist entirely of intimately photographed classic menu items (or at least, prop food dressed up as, for example, the ideal Big Mac). We already posted the TV spots from the same campaign, but these print ads are worth looking at in their own right. Mainly because they exclude Golden Arches or other overt branding—and they get away with it. In the on-point words of one commenter, "Lazy, but genius." The images are easily recognizable, and striking enough that, depending on your relationship with the brand, they'll either have you licking your chops or feeling a little queasy. Either way, they make an impression. More images below.

UPDATE: A reader points out that one of the executions features a wrapper with an "M" in the lower right corner. Because apparently, fish filet sandwiches are more generic—and therefore in need of a differentiating logo—than ice-cream sundaes.


    

BBH Interns Have Cronuts to Share, but Only If You Donate to NYC’s Food Bank

Hey, you, person who will spend $20 per pastry to a pastry scalper to get your hands on the newest hottest pastry invention. Or you, person who cries because you couldn't get your hands on one, because other people ate them all, even though you were really looking forward to it. Do humanity a favor and spend your extra money and emotional energy on feeding the hungry. Hell, you might even get your grubby paws on a Cronut after all. (For the ignorant, that's a cross between a croissant and a donut, natch.) "The Cronut Project," spearheaded by some BBH New York interns, partnering with NYC Food Bank and Cronut inventor Dominique Ansel, features a daily raffle—with the donor who pledges the most money, plus another random donor, getting a free Cronut. It all ends tomorrow, after which you'll have to buy a plane ticket to South Korea so you can get a Dunkin Donuts knockoff. Photo via.


    

McDonald’s Ads Are as Mouth-Watering as McDonald’s Food in New French Campaign

TBWA\Paris places ads within ads in this new McDonald's campaign, with print and billboard elements playing key roles in a series of understated TV commercials.

Branding cues such as the McDonald's name, tagline and Golden Arches are de-emphasized. In fact, they're entirely absent from the print ads and billboards. The goal is to focus on the iconic, instantly recognizable menu items. We get intense close-ups of crispy fries peeking out of familiar red-and-gold packaging, a giant McNugget dunked in tangy sauce and sundaes drizzled with nuts and chocolate.

Director Xavier Mairesse weaves these visuals into a trio of simple but effective TV spots that need no dialog to deliver their message. In "Dentist," a patient repeatedly opens and closes his mouth as he watches McDonald's fries cycle through a billboard outside. "Yoga" shows a group of enthusiasts chanting "Ommmmmm" as they ogle a full-page McNugget newspaper spread. Women who show up for a job "Interview" smear their lipstick by hungrily licking their lips when they spy a McDonald's sundae in a colorful magazine ad. (Integrating the unbranded work into high-profile commercials—and generating media coverage for the overall campaign—should help make the print ads and billboards even more readily identifiable as ads from McDonald's.)

This brand-as-icon strategy is the same basic approach used in Translation's earlier, pleasingly trippy Big Mac campaign. TBWA's humor, however, is more restrained, allowing the work to quietly make its point about the effect McDonald's food can have on consumers, even when that food is present only in the form of ads.

That in itself is a tad trippy and slightly surreal, and it makes a strong though surely unintended statement about the ubiquity and cultural impact of McDonald's advertising. Consider how much of it we see in our lifetimes—all the TV spots, billboards and print ads, the countless online banners and Web videos. Heck, we might see multiple spots during one night of TV or a single sitcom.

Through sheer volume, the chain's existence in the paid-media realm is just as palpable and perhaps even more intense than its presence in the physical world. So, it's fitting that it would craft a campaign in which its own ads are the stars.

    

Soda and Barbecue Brisket Finally Packaged Together in One Gnarly Bottle

Ever wanted to chomp a big, savory bite of barbecue brisket right out of the side of your soda bottle? Of course you haven't. That would be disgusting and real damn strange. But Texas-based soda brand Big Red is floating the idea anyway in its new ad for the (blessedly fictional) Big Red BBQ Bottle. The spot was created by Austin comedy duo Beef & Sage, who also partnered with the brand last year to create a surprisingly entertaining video series called "Don't Tell Mom We're Doing Experiments in the Garage." The Big Red BBQ Bottle is apparently the first of three new videos that will roll out this summer. "Our new series highlights new 'innovations' that Big Red created to either solve a common consumer problem or make the lives of our consumers better," Big Red marketing svp Thomas Oh tells AdFreak. "Complementing BBQ with the sweet, smooth flavor of Big Red is a fan favorite, so we wanted to feature a new way to enjoy both." Well, Thomas, mission disturbingly accomplished. Credits and more Big Red comedy clips after the jump.

CREDITS
Client: Big Red
Spot: "Big Red BBQ Bottle"
Agency: Real Normal/Beef & Sage
Copywriter: Beef & Sage
Executive Producer: Toby Schwartz
Director: Kirk Johnson
Art Director: Sam Webber
Director of Photography: Nathanael Vorce
Editor: Beef & Sage
Production Services: Real Normal

    

Man Reaches Center of Tootsie Pop in 850 Licks, Casting Doubt on Earlier Studies

Mark Holland has upgraded his social-media standing from "some random guy on Twitter" to "some random guy on Twitter who answered a largely rhetorical question from a 43-year-old TV ad." He did this by counting how many licks it takes to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop. Holland posted his final count, 850, on Twitter last Saturday. That number conflicts with at least three previous studies—Holland needed many more licks than most people. (Officially, Tootsie Pop says the number of licks "depends on a variety of factors such as the size of your mouth, the amount of saliva, etc. Basically, the world may never know.") While Holland's hard work should definitely be acknowledged (and mocked), we can't consider this question settled. More people need to keep doing this and posting their results so we can move ever so slowly toward an accurate number. Photo above via.

    

Carl’s Jr.’s Strawberry Pop-Tart Ice Cream Sandwich Gets a Fittingly Epic Debut Ad

You would think the epic-ness of a Strawberry Pop-Tart Ice Cream Sandwich would speak for itself. But just to be safe, Carl's Jr. has layered its new ad (via 72andSunny) for the dessert treat with breathless commentary from the blogosphere and perhaps the most awe-inspiring soundtrack around: Richard Strauss's "Also Sprach Zarathustra," otherwise known as the theme from 2001: A Space Odyssey. Can the product possibly stand up to this grand teaser? Judging by the early reviews, yes—yes, it can.

UPDATE: Carl's Jr.'s sister brand Hardee's rolled out a new spot from 72andSunny today—for the Texas Toast Breakfast Sandwich, featuring bull rider and Texas native Douglas Duncan. See that spot below.

    

Grumpy Cat Now Has Its Own Branded Coffee Drink, the Grumppuccino

Nothing says "this cultural phenomenon isn't cool anymore" like a branded coffee drink, so Grumpy Cat will have to make peace with being old hat now that it has one. It's called Grumpy Cat Grumppuccino (because Grumpspresso looked too awkward on the bottle, I guess), and it will have three flavors when it comes out, whenever that happens. The tagline is: "It's awfully good." Was coffee really the best they could do? A Grumpy Cat version of Duke Phillips's "You Smell" toy would have been more fun, and relevant to the cat's image.

    

Beer Labels Come Deliciously to Life in Great Animated GIFs

Here's a fun project for beer lovers. Boston-based video editor Trevor Carmick has started animating the labels of some of his favorite brews, sharing his creations as animated GIFs. The results are subtle but enjoyable, like the Magic Hat #9 can whose label now swirls hypnotically, practically mesmerizing you into drinking it. On his LinkedIn profile, Carmick notes the initial success of his side project: "To my surprise, people enthusiastically responded to my label creations and I now enjoy a small online following of craft beer lovers as well as several breweries." Given the way his site is making the rounds on some of the nation's largest blogs this week, he might need to rephrase that soon. Check out a few of his creations after the jump, and visit his site for more.