Taking its cues from the great 1997 documentary Hands on a Hardbody, Dodge and Wieden + Kennedy will launch a contest Tuesday called Hands on Ron Burgundy—an online test of endurance that will feature daily prizes as well as a grand prize of (as in the movie) a new car. In the film, contestants put their hands on a pickup truck, and the last person to take his or her hand off won the truck. The Burgundy contest, part of a larger campaign promoting the Dodge Durango and the upcoming film Anchorman 2, will go live at noon ET on Tuesday—and it looks like it will challenge users to click on Burgundy in photo after photo. The details will become clearer tomorrow, but it will surely take some serious stamina to win the car.
This kind of advertising as punishment was popular a few years back, when Burger King made people watch a spinning Whopper for hours on end to get coupons—and, in a somewhat similar idea to Dodge's, Peugeot had people click and hold their mouse button on a car for a chance at a free week's rental. People lasted up to 15 hours in that contest (and 77 hours in the movie)—so, proceed with this Burgundy thing with caution.
Twofifteenmccann’s new campaign for Xbox One exclusive “Ryse: Son of Rome” is cinematic in approach and scope.
At the heart of the campaign is the 60 second TV spot “Path of Vengeance” (featured above) which sees the game’s protagonist, Marius, “fight his way from the wilds of the Roman frontier in Brittania, across the Coliseum floor and into the Imperial Palace itself.” In one of the spot’s more interesting touches, the action is accompanied by whispers from Roman citizens spreading his legend. Twofifteen wanted to represent how in ancient Rome “deeds of epic heroism were quickly spread by word of mouth, and the story changed based on who was doing the telling,” which they mimicked with the differing accounts of Marius in the spot. It’s a nice, immersive little detail that’s telling of the overall approach to the campaign.
In addition to the TV spot, Twofifteenmccann, in conjunction with production company Smuggler, created a web series featured on Machinima. Entitled “The Fall,” the series features four, five-minute mini-epics detailing Marius’ backstory, history and motives. The agency claims that each installment is a “mini epic film unto itself.” While that may be overstating a point, this is a very large-scale approach to market the game, and “The Fall” is a solid accomplishment in its own right. It also succeeds quite well at making the game look badass, with what appears to be a pretty compelling story. You can check out the first installment of “The Fall” after the break, along with campaign credits. continued…
Last month, “#4ThePlayers Since 1995″ had us feeling all kinds of nostalgia for Playstation memories from bygone eras. Now, 180 Amsterdam looks toward the future with their “For The Players” international PS4 campaign targeting the Christmas gift market.
The integrated campaign runs in Europe, Australia, New Zealand, India, South Africa and the Middle East, comprising “teasers, events and an interactive social media experience ‘The Players Monument” (playstation.com/4theplayers) where people can declare themselves players, adding themselves to a digital interactive monument, and becoming part of the PS4 community.” Make no mistake, this is a huge campaign, one of the most anticipated of the year.
The sentiment behind the campaign is that the design of Sony’s next-gen system centers around the player. Unlike recent Xbox One spots, which emphasize the system’s capabilities as an entertainment system with multiple uses, Sony is very clearly positioning PS4 as a gaming system. While Microsoft attempts to scoop up the casual “attach this to your TV for a high-quality Netflix/Blu-ray player that you can play games with as well” market, Sony is going for the gamers.
The spot features a first person perspective through an immersive world where multiple gaming worlds have been set free. You’ll recognize some of “the most famous heroes and villains ever to play a part in PlayStation’s” gaming worlds throughout the ads scenarios. I won’t give away too much, as spotting these for yourself is part of the fun. It’s a great way to build anticipation from nostalgia, and look toward the future as the spot highlights upcoming PS4 titles as well. The spot was shot in Budapest by director Scott Lyon for production company Outsider. Al Moseley, President & Chief Creative Officer, 180 Amsterdam described the campaign as “drenched in gaming culture, incredible effects and with every detail and every pixel it delivers to the true gamer.” If all that’s not enough to get you excited for the PS4, this should be. Credits after the jump. continued…
On October 1, Zambezi released the first installment of an uncensored interview with Michael Jordan to coincide with the release of NBA 2K14. We’re pleased to cover the release of the second part as MJ, known to be private over the years, opens up a bit about his career, life, and family. When MJ talks about on-court incidents, the viewer can see brief reenactments of his most famous moments using the game’s graphics. The game has been out for awhile, but now that the NBA season is hitting its stride, 2K is looking for another marketing jolt to go with the PS4 and Xbox One releases in the next 10 days.
The best part is when MJ muses on his favorite Jordan shoe of all time, comparing it to choosing a favorite child, but then he goes ahead and rattles off his top-three in the next breath. By the transitive property, MJ could probably rank his offspring, which actually fits perfectly with his competitive and results-based history. Nothing wrong with that, just interesting insights that come from this four-minute candid interview.
Credits after the (basketball-related segue) jump.
With the Xbox One’s November 22nd launch date looming ever nearer, CP+B’s marketing blitz for Microsoft’s next-gen system continues with two new spots. Coming on the heels of the “Invitation” spot released late last month, the two new short spots highlight the system’s diverse capabilities while otherwise taking different approaches.
The first spot, “Retirement Home,” features recently retired NFL linebackers Ray Lewis and Brian Urlacher. Urlacher asks Lewis if he’s having any trouble adjusting to retirement as both watch football and play Madden 25 at the same time. Lewis claims not to be having any adjustment issues, but his actions say otherwise. It’s a funny little spot that will appeal to the (sizable) segment of the Xbox crowd who have always wished they could play Madden while watching the NFL.
The second spot, “His and Hers” addresses the apparent sexism of the “Invitation” spot (in which the only female featured uses the system only to watch movies, not play games). It highlights the voice recognition system by showing a woman command the Xbox One using her voice after arriving home to find her boyfriend watching soccer. She tells the system “Xbox go to Dead Rising 3″ and begins to play. Then she starts similarly commanding her boyfriend in a similar matter, telling him to get her a beer. It’s a bit over the top, but a welcome reversal of the gender stereotypes displayed in CP+B’s “Invitation” spot.
Credits and “His & Hers” after the jump. continued…
“Epic Night Out,” the splashy new 90-second Call of Duty: Ghosts spot from 72andSunny for Activision, is indeed epic, and easily riffs on the four-guys-who-have-fun-in-danger motif made popular by The Hangover. There are a few celebrity cameos, a crumbling Las Vegas set, and classic music, Sinatra’s “Live Until I Die.” Very epic. But no baby, though. Instead, the four heroes and their dog travel from desert wasteland, to cityscape, to outer space, and then to a frozen tundra. With the music and quick editing, it’s hard to pay attention to anything else.
I’m all for first-person shooters, and I don’t think they are ruining kids. If this spot were for the U.S. Armed Forces, that would be different. But, it’s worth pointing out that guns, explosions, apocalyptic Vegas, Frank Sinatra, and Megan Fox is way past the boiling point of glorying violence for a TV spot. That’s sensory overload for all of the juiced up gamer-guys who are going to sit in the basements and pretend not to pee in empty soda bottles. It’s also brilliant misdirection. And if not for the Grand Theft Auto V ads, this would be the best video game spot I’ve ever seen. Credits after the jump.
I may be something of a Sony loyalist, but I’ve got to admit CP+B’s new spot “Invitation” makes the Xbox One shine. Even some of Sony’s biggest fanboys might concede it looks a lot better than the recent PS4 spot.
Directed by Hungry Man’s Bryan Buckley, the commercial vet who recently helmed the R&B-inflected DirecTV spot starring the Manning bros (and who earned an Emmy nod for Grey Poupon’s “The Chase,” also from CP+B), “Invitation” features users invited into the world of several different games, and one movie. The spot opens with a giant robot warrior crashing a business meeting and making a “come here” gesture to a man giving a presentation. Then we see soccer player Steven Gerrard inviting a fan down from the stands. Spock invites a girl along for some sci-fi adventures. A sports car parks itself in front of some dude’s car and opens its door for him. (This is the automotive equivalent of “come here” apparently.) A zombie attempts to cajole a student in a library to join him, loses an arm, and then tells him to come along with the other arm.
Emphasizing the immersive nature of the next-gen platform, the spot announces, “This is an invitation to a new generation: where your games and entertainment are no longer separated, but together, in one.” Showing Xbox One users utilizing the system’s voice activation to launch games like Titanfall, Dead Rising 3, and the movie Star Trek: Enter Darkness gives fans an idea of what they can expect on launch day. The spot also shows users making use of the motion sensitive Kinect. You know, the camera that might be spying on you.
Mixing live action with just the right amount of actual gameplay, “Invitation” is slickly produced and should have Xbox fanboys chomping at the bit for the console’s Nov. 22 release date. My biggest problem with the spot is that the one woman featured uses the Xbox One not for gaming, but to watch a movie. Aside from this perpetuation of the gaming industry’s prevailing sexism (which most people won’t even notice), it’s a really solid ad. The whole “invitation” approach works to emphasize both the immersive nature of the system and the all-in-one entertainment value it offers. The $499 starting price, however, is less inviting. Credits after the jump. continued…
If you’re a fan of the Call of Duty franchise, then you’ve been eagerly awaiting the release of Call of Duty: Ghosts while witnessing an all-out advertising assault for the game that began all the way back in May. The conclusion to that campaign is the new gameplay launch trailer from Ant Farm, the best look yet at what the game will actually look like.
Coming about a week after the UK spot “Faboom,” and two weeks after the Eminem music video “Survival” (also the song featured in this trailer), Ant Farm has unveiled a no-nonsense look at Call of Duty: Ghosts in all its gameplay glory. It packs as much action as possible into its 1:13 length, and really is quite well put together. For a gameplay trailer, it feels downright cinematic. It has about as many explosions as a trailer for a Michael Bay movie, but also shows enough of the unique scenarios in the game to give viewers an idea of what makes this Call of Duty installment unique. I’m not a big fan of first-person shooters, but I’ve got to say Ant Farm did a great job at making this game look badass. Not only will long-time fans of the series be salivating in anticipation of Call of Duty: Ghost‘s Nov. 5 release, they may win a few converts as well. Credits after the jump. continued…
This UK-centric, nostalgic PlayStation spot. “#4ThePlayers Since 1995,” traces the evolution of Sony’s gaming platform through the years by paralleling it with the evolution of one gamer’s room as he graduates from one console to the next.
At the start of the spot, he has the first Playstation and his room reeks of the 90s — complete with skateboard, turntables and a Blur poster. To fully immerse us in the nostalgia of the respective Playstation eras, Sony made sure all the details — from the dates on ticket stubs to the posters and magazines featured — were tailored to the time period. Other brands helped out, with Domino’s even donating pizza boxes for each of the Playstation consoles featured.
The spot was inspired by fans’ tweets and messages in response to the hashtag #PlaystationMemories, which trended worldwide earlier this year. Sony incorporated a lot of the ideas fans expressed and attempted to make a video to “represent what PlayStation has meant to all of us since 1995.” If, like me, you’ve been with Playstation since the first console, you’ll find it impossible not to feel nostalgic over the course of the 3:22 clip. Actually, Sony did such a good job representing the eras that even if you’re not a fan of their consoles, all the little details may have you feeling a touch sentimental anyway.
As someone who still has a ton of PS3 titles to play through (and can’t afford a PS4 any time soon anyway), it’s a little hard to get excited about the next-gen launch, but the games featured in this spot do a great job reminding me of all the good times I’ve had with Sony’s Playstation consoles over the years. It’s a great little look back at Playstation’s history as Sony looks toward the platform’s future. Well done, Sony. Well done. Anyone up for some Tekken?
Warner Brothers’ Batman: Arkham series has done for superhero video games what Christopher Nolan did for superhero movies, elevating the art form and raising the bar for all competitors. So there’s a lot of buzz surrounding the newest installment, Arkham Origins, to be released October 25th.
The new TV spot for the game, created by Blur Studios in collaboration with Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and DC Comics, shows a sequence of a young Bruce Wayne transforming from a troubled youth to his emergence as Batman. If this spot is any indication, the new game will place even more emphasis on cinematic sequences and the story than previous installments. This makes sense as the game features an original prequel storyline that, according to the press release, “showcases a young and unrefined Batman as he faces a defining moment in his early career as a crime fighter that sets his path to becoming the Dark Knight.
As the story unfolds, players will meet many important characters for the first time and forge key relationships.” It makes sense that storytelling would be more important to an origin game, and Arkham Origins seems poised to deliver. Players can also expect an expanded Arkham City in the title. The spot, directed by Tim Miller, does an excellent job of whetting viewers’ appetites; clueing them in to the emotional tone of the title and the emphasis on story, without giving away any important information. Fans of the previous Arkham games, and Batman fans in general, should be excited for this one.
The Batman: Arkham Origins spot airs on broadcast TV beginning October 19th. Batman: Arkham Origins will be released on October 25th and available for PS3, Xbox 360, Wii U and PC, with a handheld version developed by Armature Studios available for Playstation Vita and Nintendo 3DS. The Batman: Arkham Origins free-to-play mobile game is available now at the Apple App Store.
Another day, another commercial from the Call of Duty: Ghosts marketing blitzkrieg. “Faboom,” a 40-second spot for UK audiences comes from 72andSunny and shows regular folk reenacting their favorite moments from the game at work, out to dinner, even in the doctor’s office during a proctology exam – well played, 72.
The spot comes a week after Eminem premiered his “Survival” music video that also acts as a Call of Duty promo. “Faboom” doesn’t have any white rappers – however, most of the people in the commercial happen to be white – but despite the lack of celebrity punch, the energy and occasional humor gives this ad a universal feel that should work whether televised or shown online. The clip evokes a bit of the Dave Chappelle skit about a real-life version of Grand Theft Auto. Clearly, the sentiment has aged well, and appealing to the human connection to video games, rather than just showing out-of-context graphics for 30 seconds, seems to be the new go-to technique for gaming ads. Call of Duty: Ghosts comes out September 5. Credits after the jump.
The PlayStation 4 launches next month, and Sony is feeding the frenzy with its new "Perfect Day" commercial from BBH in New York. It's a follow-up to the widely popular PlayStation 4 trailer from June, and it coincides with the launch of Sony's "Greatness Awaits" website. In the ad, two young men role-play battle via scenes from the Elder Scrolls Online, Driveclub and Killzone: Shadow Fall, all to the tune of Lou Reed's "Perfect Day."
The song juxtaposes nicely against the battle scenes, and although Reed is not actually singing it, the actors belting it out off-key while fighting make for a fun spot. Reed spoke positively about the ad industry at Cannes earlier this year, which makes a lot of sense now that he's profiting off it (though still not profiting off iTunes, apparently). Is that a touch of irony in the song selection, too, since it's allegedly about addiction?
UPDATE: As Pete Shelly reminds us, Reed's original version of "Perfect Day" has been used in advertising before—in the beautiful AT&T spot below with Gretchen Bleiler, by BBDO New York and director Peter Thwaites, from the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.
CREDITS Client: Sony PlayStation 4
Agency: BBH, New York Chief Creative Officer: John Patroulis Executive Creative Director: Ari Weiss Interactive Creative Director: Tim Nolan Creative Directors: Gerard Caputo, Chris Maiorino Lead Senior Producer: Jennifer Moore Bell Senior Producer: Kate Morrison Head of Integrated Production: Justin Booth-Clibborn Head of Account Management: Armando Turco Account Director: Melissa Hill Account Executive: Jon Moll Senior Broadcast Business Manager: Sean McGee Copywriter: Ian Hart Art Director: Dave Brown Visual Designer: Rahim Masunu User Experience Designer: Kelly Bignell Lead Producer: Martin Mlekicki Digital Producer: Victoria Fishel Chief Strategy Officer: Sarah Watson Strategist: Kendra Salvatore Strategist: Angela Sun Head of Comms Planning: Julian Cole Comms Planner: Ben Zoll
Production Company: MJZ Director: Matthijs Van Heijningen Director of Photography: Joost Van Gelder Executive Producer: Scott Howard Producer: Donald Taylor Production Designer: Robin Brown
Production Partner: HAUS Creative Director: Rasmus Blaesbjerg Technology Lead: Dino Petrone Senior Producer: Claudine Nichols Digital Producer: Tracey McAvoy
Editing: Union Edit Executive Producer: Caryn Maclean Senior Producer: Sara Mills Editor: Jono Griffith Assistant Editor: Megan Swados
Visual Effects, Finishing: The Mill Executive Producer: Sean Costelloe Senior Producers: Charlotte Arnold, Will Mok Assistant Producer: Juan Handal Color Producer: Heath Raymond Shoot Supervisors: Gavin Wellsman, Joji Tsuruga Colorist: Fergus McCall
Music: Lou Reed Additional Music Arrangement: Human Sound Design: Human Mix: Sound Lounge Mixer: Tom Jucarone
Sometimes, choosing the perfect song to set the mood can elevate a spot from good to great. That’s the case with BBH NY’s choice of Lou Reed’s “Perfect Day” in the latest ad that’s part of the ongoing “Greatness Awaits’ campaign for Playstation 4 (Sony also launched a new site to accompany the campaign here).
The song works as the perfect backdrop to the spot, conveying the feeling of a perfect day battling friends in a variety of games. Lou Reed’s classic song’s somber undertones fit perfectly with the onscreen mayhem, while the lyrics suggest that a day of slaughtering each other onscreen can in fact be a perfect day. I would have appreciated hearing the original version of the song, rather than having the actors in the spot sing it, but I guess BBH NY has decided it better underscores the theme of the effort to have the actors speaking the words directly. At any rate, the song choice is admirable and really makes the spot, which also does a pretty good job conveying the possibilities of the system without including any actual gameplay footage. It feels like a big step up from the earlier PS4 work, a more fully-realized conceptualization of the idea behind the campaign. Hopefully, the next time we see an ad for the system though, it will include some gameplay.
If you didn’t already really want a PS4 (you did) you do now. Or at least when it hits shelves Nov. 15. Credits after the jump.
As we've mentioned before, Activision and Interscope brought together two of its juggernaut franchises—Call of Duty and Eminem—for a cross-marketing push promoting the game's new Ghosts title and the rapper's upcoming album MMLP2 (short for Marshall Mathers LP 2). Today, the music video rolled out for Eminem's song "Survival," which is on the Call of Duty: Ghosts soundtrack. The video, which is a collaboration with Activision agency 72andSunny, is basically a four-and-a-half minute commercial for the game, with footage from it sprinkled throughout. (Ant Farm supplied the gameplay footage for the spot.) Eminem worked with Activision in 2009 on Modern Warfare 2 and in 2010 on Black Ops. For much more on the partnership, check out Sam Thielman's earlier story, linked above. For the video, see below (warning: explicit lyrics).
It used to be that music video premieres from popular artists were a highly anticipated event. You know, back when MTV actually showed music videos, and before songs were streaming the second they were released. Now they’re advertisement fodder, as evidenced by Eminem’s new music video that doubles as a Call of Duty: Ghosts spot. Since August’s Call of Duty: Ghosts’ trailer featured Eminem‘s single “Survival” in the background, Slim Shady’s new single “Survival” features Call of Duty: Ghosts in the background. Tit for tat if you will.
The latest in the partnership between Activision, 72andSunny, and Eminem features projected footage from the game in the background as Eminem does his thing, in a (kind of) new song about surviving adversity. “This is survival of the fittest,” goes the songs’ chorus, doubling as a tag line for the aforementioned game, in which “the fittest” is some acne-scarred high school freshman who spends all his free time playing first person shooters while downing Doritos and energy drinks. There’s obviously some audience overlap between the popular shooter and the hip-hop vet, and this partnership takes advantage of that.
Since the launch of the new Call of Duty game is, arguably, more hotly anticipated than a new Eminem video, you may wonder why the game is featured so much in the background, but whatever the case, this is Eminem’s show. You could argue that he’s using the association with the game to sell his music at least as much as he’s helping to sell the game, so it works out pretty well for all parties involved. It’s really easy to overlook the COD footage unspooling in the background, especially since (if I’m not mistaken) the title of is never mentioned. But then that game’s fanboys will undoubtedly have remembered the song from the Call of Duty: Ghosts trailer, which may be why they’re watching the video in the first place. And anyone who can’t tell what the game in the background is probably isn’t buying the new Call of Duty in the first place.
The mix of violent gaming and explicit rapping should anger a few parents, so this video/spot has that going for it… Credits after the jump.
October 29. Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag comes out October 29, finally, which will end the drawn out advertising campaign that includes updates about historical paintings and a number of televised spots. It’s about time. Almost, since we still have three weeks. But, Ubisoft and Mistress have released a strong 60-second spot that should hold gamers over until October 29. Unless, of course, you want to play the Microsoft Windows version, which doesn’t come out in America until November 29. So, there will probably be more ads.
But, this spot is a finely-crafted clip of tension, impressive graphics, and enough rebellious plot to make even apathetic gamers take notice. The spot includes a compelling structure centered on the tattoos of Edward Kenway, the game’s main character. The tattoos cleverly connect camera movements and story transitions, making the commercial a bit more than just a simple trailer. The Assassin’s Creed brand may not bring in Grand Theft Auto money ($800 million in one day), but it’s one of the most successful franchises out there. This ad does the latest sequel justice. Credits after the jump.
In a follow-up to the earlier NBA 2K14 spot which heralded Lebron James‘s first game cover, Zambezi returns with the official launch ad for the game featuring who most believe is the best in b-ball today. Yours truly hasn’t been much of a gamer since Mortal Kombat and Street Fighter 2 were in existence, but hell, we’re down to revisit the days when we were on fire in NBA Jam. Along with the spot, Zambezi curated an interview with the one and only Michael Jordan dubbed “Uncensored” in what perhaps the greatest basketball player ever actually goes against the grain and dubs Kobe Bryant the only one he probably couldn’t beat in the NBA today. Well, he did emulate his style to perfection after all, so maybe MJ’s on to something. Credits and the Jordan interview after the jump.
Draftfcb San Francisco went the live-action route to show the immersive nature of the new free-to-play (up to a point) massive-multiplayer online game Star Wars: The Old Republic.
The whole thing looks more like a movie trailer than one for a video game. Groups of people gradually take to the streets, wielding familiar Jedi/Sith weapons, using mind control and otherwise looking fierce/menacing while drums pound in the background. A voiceover declares, “We are no longer friends, or neighbors: today, we choose a side and join the battle,” as a melee breaks out.
The live-action nature of the spot (which even foregoes including actual gameplay footage) underscores the immersive nature of Star Wars: The Old Republic, which puts players “at the center of [their] own story-driven Star Wars saga,” which takes place over 3,000 years before the original films. Players can choose to play not just as Jedi or Sith, but also as a Bounty Hunter, or from other iconic roles. Players can enjoy the story-driven game up to level 50 for free (with restrictions), or choose to become a subscriber for unlimited game access. So, to be fair, this isn’t exactly a “free game” as there are serious restrictions to the free-to-play mode and it’s used more as a way to ease gamers into paying for a subscription if they want to finish the game and enjoy all its features.
Nerds everywhere are seemingly eating this spot up right now, and those faithful to the franchise are undoubtedly going to play this game, but some of the non-Star Wars-obsessed gaming crowd might be left wondering if the gameplay-averse spot is hiding flaws with the game itself. Feel free to check out more and “join the battle” here.
Thanks to hundreds of gamers contributing to the Assassin’s Creed IV interactive painting promo, the finished artwork is now on digital display, two months before it will be shown in Le Musee de la Marine in Paris. To recap, fans of the franchise had the opportunity to take webcam pictures of their faces, and after an online vote, the winning pictures were transposed onto bodies in the painting. The campaign was spearheaded by Sid Lee Paris. And although the artistic nature of the project may not help with the game’s publicity all that much, it is cool that certain fans will be partially on display in a renowned museum. Assassin’s Creed IV for PS3 will come out on October 29, with versions for other systems to be released throughout November.
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