Hasta La Creative!

Eating ice cream makes you feel good, so you’re more receptive to saying yes. To prove this, Colenso BBDO New Zealand and Tip Top ice cream made some custom sticks with questions submitted by consumers, hand delivered them, and then watched what happened. The results? 97% of the people who had a Tip Top said yes to whatever question was asked. They increased their reach on social media. And as a challenger brand to Unilever, they took some of the market share, too. Simple idea based on an actual insight? Yup. Still effective. Also, can I just say how awesome Tip Top’s logo and type face is? Nostalgic in all the right places.

Magnum believes “that everyone should indulge in their personal pleasure.” So they called on the drag queens to be their stars of this ad. Willam Belli, whom you may know from RuPaul’s Drag Race, Gregory Woo, Tye Olson (Taylor Quick) and Karis Wilde all strut their stuff. “Be True To Your Pleasure celebrates spontaneity and the joy of letting go. It means turning off that little voice inside our head that compels us to live up to social expectations and say no to pleasure. It’s about saying yes.” Set to a somber version of Rihannas “Umbrella” scouted by Jesper Gadeberg which is a Cannes good luck charm as practically everything he does ends up on the shortlist, the mood is more melancholic than your usual Magnum fare. I can’t put my finger on why, it may be the slow motion of the color-correction, but the ad has a slightly menacing vibe to it, and there are certain beauty shots shades that really don’t flatter the participants.

Sophie Galvani, global brand vice president for Magnum described this ad as “a beautiful illustration of Magnum’s philosophy. . .Everything we do at Magnum is about inspiring, enabling and daring people to take that moment of pleasure for themselves. It doesn’t matter who you are, or what you take pleasure in; this film has been created to inspire you to seize it. This film celebrates the ways one specific group of individuals embrace their personal pleasure in a particularly courageous way, in an effort to inspire and encourage all people to be true to their own pleasure.”

Adrianne Haslet-Davis was in the audience at the Boston Marathon finish line when the bombs went off, and she lost the lost the lower half of her leg. A professional ballroom dancer, she refused to give up dancing. After months of training, she danced a slow foxtrot on the finish line of the Boston Marathon, and did it triumphantly.

“Heroes of Summer”, created by Positivity, will be driven by paid social media engagement across Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, and will also receive support through Oberto-branded POP displays at major retailers across the country. Additionally, the campaign will be supported through online media buys on national active lifestyle media including Men’s Health, & Runner’s World. Consumers will also be able to share their own story of personal triumph or inspiration through the “Heroes of Summer” contest where they will have the chance to win a Toyota 4-Runner. Details of the contest will be outlined on the official Oberto “Heroes of Summer” microsite.

“Oberto is honored to shine a light on everyday heroes across America — from those overcoming overwhelming obstacles to those supporting their communities – that embody our brand message of “You Get Out What You Put In,”” said David Lakey, Vice President of Marketing at Oberto Brands. “Our “Heroes of Summer” program aims to inspire Oberto consumers with diligence, perseverance and optimism, that they can achieve their personal goals and overcome life’s hurdles.”

Born under a bad sign, the OG Hamburglar is nothing like the new hipster Hamburglar you’ve seen parading around in the press with his George Michael stubble and high top red sneakers. The #OGHamburglar is back in action (straight outta prison) brought to you by a team of rogue creatives who want to bring the beloved character back to life outside of lockdown. All we know about the creatives is that they’re from Canada. We think. Does McDonald’s know about this?

Creative Director Brian Engleman says, “I grew up watching Ronald McDonald and the gang sell hamburgers back in the eighties. I think the Hamburglar might be the reason I got into advertising.”
Creative Director Brett Landry says, “We love the Hamburglar and hope that McDonald’s will enjoy our interpretation of the original character.”

You know the Peperami mascot, he’s not a cuddy toy, nope. He’s too spicy for ya, a cannibal, and he won’t share a bag with anyone! Also he’s a fanimal and comes in BBQ flavour. “Animal” has been brought to life as an ad mascot again by Pierre and Bertrand of Not To Scale Amsterdam. Together with agency BSUR they developed a disruptive meaty snack spot, rebranding the original Peperami into a more modern, adventurous and tastier character. Peperami smashes its way through supermarket groceries with the help of his animal friends. Because you know, he’s a bit of an animal (Jolly Jolly Jolly!). Sometimes he’s even tender. This mascot stays young by exfoliating you know.

“Thanks to 3D techniques we were able to emphasize existing details and turn it into even more of an animal, exaggerating all the facial expressions, mouth, eyes, teeth and eyelids. We think we found the right balance between realistic meat and something which would fit our design,” says Pierre + Bertrand.

The additional characters will be seen in future TVCs, print campaigns and product packaging together, launched under brand name, BIFI in Germany and in the launch of Pork Juice, the next big thing in your juice bar. 100% Peperami, 100% juice, 100% spoof.

UberEATS is the newest food delivery service, ready to compete with all the others: Like Door Dash, or Seamless or Campusfood or Delivery.com or Just-Eat.com. What separates UberEATS from all those other ones? Nothing, except for the fact that by using UberEATS you can feel confident that you are gettingfresh hot food while contributing to the demise of the middle class from a Silicon Vally company that promises its independently contracted drivers the world, only to pull the rug when these drivers, wide-eyed at the thought of making 76,000 a year, realize the extra taxes, insurance, and 20% commission Uber takes only makes Uber wealthy. While the poor schlubs are making closer to 33K if even that.

As for the young successful childless couple in this spot: Get off your lazy asses and go to the fucking restaurant. Maybe if you tip the guy’s waitstaff — you know, the guy who is slaving away at four in the morning as a labor of love, he might be able to pay his rent, too. Labor of love. Why is it that it never occurs to people that chefs, artists, writers and musicians, or anyone in a non-corporate job also want to be financially successful? The condescension is the reason people get out their torches and pitchforks.

“On April 20th, we will introduce the BRRR-ito. And you’ll see why 4.20 will be exactly like 4.20.” So says Ben & Jerry’s the hippie-ice cream makers who are quite obviously targeting the stoner-munchie demographic with this Apple “1984” advertising spoof. Why not, Apple 1984 has been homaged before, selling everything from kids toothbrushes to dolls targeted at little girls so why not ice-cream? As soon as you feel your product is “revolutionary” in its category, you can parody the 1984 and thus not be revolutionary at all with your advertising. In this version of the 1984 story, our heroine delivers an ice-cream to the TV which is showing you a bland ice-cream sandwich. When the TV explodes, the stoners who were watching it, numb, smile and nod approvingly – then presumably they took another hit from the bong.

Does this mean that the two scoops of ice cream, drizzled with fudge and topped with cookie crumbs, rolled up in a soft and chewy waffle wrap is going to be $4.20? Because man, that sounds totally worth it and please let that be the price.

Blockbuster advertising is back.

In 1983, industry legend David Ogilvy published “Ogilvy on Advertising”. In it he wrote:

Celebrities rate below average in their ability to change brand preference. Viewers guess that the celebrity has been bought, and they are right. …The problem is that viewers have a way of remembering the celebrity while forgetting the product.

Featuring five mentions of the name “Warburtons” (that’s one Warburtons on average per 22 seconds), this flashy yet extremely clever ad leaves you with no doubt who’s bringing home the bacon baps. I have to admit, the tongue in cheek tone really nailed it for me. I absolutely cracked up at the “snappy one liners” line. Proving perhaps we’ve come a long way in 32 years.

If they’d played this ad as a straight piece of fiction, it would have been an awkward disaster. Instead, it’s just self-referential and silly enough that we buy into an incredible world where Sly Stallone wants to play a truck driver. The audience is made complicit in the fantasy, and we’re invited to laugh along at the absurdity of it all. However, there’s a striking product focus here, which is tied nicely back to the thing we’re being sold. Not a Hollywood star, but a simple loaf of bread.