KFC wants to prove it doesn’t take the easy path. So it decided to invent a device that’s just shy of useless–namely, a cassette tape that offers driving directions. On what the brand describes as the world’s “first-ever GPS cassette,” pre-recorded audio of Colonel Sanders tells listeners how to drive from Louisville, Kentucky, where KFC’s…
If you’ve ever wanted to plant a tiny cactus farm in the middle of your living room, Patr?n is here to help. The tequila maker is trying to help consumers learn more about its different boozes by bringing its Jalisco, Mexico, distillery to audiences wherever they are–using Apple’s new augmented-reality toolkit. A new iOS11 app,…
Turning your haters into your most effective promoters isn’t the newest trick in the marketing playbook. Bars and restaurants have been at it for years, turning negative Yelp reviews into everything from hot-selling T-shirts to dramatic monologues. But here’s a fun twist that takes the idea to the next level, building an entire print and…
One of the great things about Ikea is that it’s not afraid to jump on current events and even have fun with other brands. So many market leaders are above that kind of thing–it’s an underdog strategy, mostly. But Ikea doesn’t just do it–it does it well. Its latest playful ads are inspired by Apple,…
Marketing that embodies a brand promise, rather than just communicating it, is always a delight. L.L.Bean gives us the latest example of this, with the outdoorsy retailer publishing a full-page newspaper ad you can only read outdoors. The ad, from The VIA Agency in Portland, Maine, appears in today’s New York Times. At first glance–if…
It’s not the kind of branded clothing that gets shot out of a T-shirt cannon at sporting events, but it’s mighty close. Bud Light, in a preview it swears is not a joke, has unveiled a line of “leisurewear” during London Fashion Week that features bright-blue logo-adorned kimonos, tube socks, “slider” shower shoes and scarves…
In the new “It’s On Us” PSA, former vice president Joe Biden delivers what may be his most emotional plea yet. “It’s On Us” began as a sexual assault awareness and prevention campaign under the White House in September 2014, working with creative agency Mekanism. Initial efforts featured President Obama, actor Jon Hamm and Biden…
You’re a brand nerd par excellence, and you think you’ve got your brand logos down cold. But then you’re asked to draw a well-known logo from memory–and you completely botch it. Brand logos are the most famous images of our time. But it turns out they’re exceedingly difficult to recreate without looking at them, as…
H&M and Naomi Campbell are taking an 1980s song about unemployed male empowerment and turning it into a 2017 ad about global female empowerment–through fashion. The clothing retailer is out with a new ad featuring the supermodel, set to the 1986 version of “Wham Rap (Enjoy What You Do),” by Wham!, the British pop duo…
AMV BBDO London and acclaimed director Henry-Alex Rubin have developed new advertising for Guinness that profiles the Compton Cowboys, young men who’ve managed to break the cycle of violence and fear in hardscrabble South Central Los Angeles. They’ve added purpose and meaning to their lives by caring for horses. In turn, the guys serve as…
After last year’s “Workin’ Out with Sasquatch” ads for Jack Link’s beef jerky, NFL stars Odell Beckham Jr. and Clay Matthews were hungry for more. The New York Giants wide receiver and Green Bay Packers linebacker make a return in the latest in the campaign from Carmichael Lynch, joined by brand ambassador Sasquatch, of course….
Why would anyone in their right mind put Charles Manson on a billboard? Good question. First, some context. WFMU 91.1 FM holds a special place in the hearts of rabid music fans in the greater New York City area. Since 1958, the station in East Orange, N.J., has been broadcasting sound waves from the farthest…
RPA’s “The Proof Is in the Poop” campaign for Halo dog food adds Poopsie the poop coil to America’s stable of anthropomorphic poop characters, right alongside Mr. Hankie and Nutty the Friendly Dump. What a time to be alive. In the two spots they’ve made so far, Halo explains that Poopsie comes from dogs and…
TBWAParis makes some of the most visually striking McDonald’s advertising anywhere, and its latest campaign might be its most artful so far. The agency got French sculptor Olivier Favart to create intricate light installations resembling three menu items–the Big Mac, french fries and sundae. Then, Helmut Stelzenberger photographed them with a bokeh effect, which blurs…
Not all of us get the fuss over soccer. Thankfully, there’s Heineken. In the beer brand’s self-bestowed role as great democratizer, and with help from Publicis Italy, a new series of Fredrik Bond-directed ads for its #SharetheDrama campaign interprets the stakes of the game by using cinematic tropes that non-sportspeople perhaps understand better. First up,…
Money is a fraught subject for many Americans, even relatively well-off ones. Investment company Wealthsimple takes on those often unspoken anxieties with a new campaign shot by Oscar-winning documentarian Errol Morris (and created in-house), featuring a wide range of regular people chatting about their worries. A staggering 56 short interview-style clips spotlight a range of…
You’ve probably seen the dystopian Halo Top ice cream commercial by now–the one directed by Mike Diva, the popular YouTuber with the twisted sense of humor. We wrote about it last week, and it’s also been playing in front of the movie It at cinemas. For a brand on the rise, it’s a subversive commercial…
Channel 4 viewers, there is nothing wrong with your television sets. Do not attempt to adjust the picture. Tonight, as part of National Eye Health Week, the British broadcaster joined with the Royal National Institute of Blind People for a series of unusual ad breaks designed to let folks experience various sight-loss conditions. Channel 4…
A week after Squarespace won the 2017 Emmy Award for best ad, advertisers lined up Sunday night to present their best commercial efforts to Emmy viewers in primetime. And while there was no single commercial that got everyone buzzing (? la Android’s “Rock Paper Scissors” from the 2016 Oscars), there were a handful standout spots….
Brussels, Belgium, has waited a good long while for its first-ever Burger King restaurant, and the transition hasn’t been smooth. Remember when we mentioned the brand likes to showboat? Early on, to tease its arrival in the Belgian capital, it released ads that literally asked people to choose between Burger King and the actual king…
This is site is run by Sascha Endlicher, M.A., during ungodly late night hours. Wanna know more about him? Connect via Social Media by jumping to about.me/sascha.endlicher.
