DDB Canada Cooks up Some E for Toronto Crime Stoppers

DDB Canada launched a pro-bono PSA campaign for Toronto Crime Stoppers examining the dangers of ecstasy use, entitled “Cookin’ with Molly.”

The spot, whose full-length version online runs 90 seconds, is presented as a cooking show with a drug dealer. Molly is a name for pure MDMA (commonly known as ecstasy), but, as the video shows, pills presented as “Molly” are often adulterated with substances ranging from methamphetamine and cocaine to heroin and even bath salts. “Welcome to ‘Cookin’ with Molly,’” says the host of the show at the beginning of the ad, “today’s secret ingredient is meth.” He adds just a pinch of bath salts to some ground up MDMA, a bunch of meth and finishes up with his “signature” blue color and some binder before pressing the pills. The online version of the spot ends by directing to viewers to the campaign landing site for more information. There are also 15 and 6 second broadcast versions of the spot. DDB Canada hopes the tongue-in-cheek approach of the campaign, which launched today and will run through the end of February, will resonate with the target audience of people between the ages of 15 and 25.

“These party-type drugs have been a growing concern, and Toronto Crime Stoppers wanted to tackle this head on without being heavy-handed, so the cooking show format is intended to be tongue-in-cheek,” explains Craig Ferguson, senior art director, DDB Canada Toronto. “At the same time, this creative still allows us to educate people on the harmful, hidden ingredients found in MDMA which was our key objective.” (more…)

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DDB Canada’s Netflix ‘Pep Talk’ Falls Flat

While Netflix is absolutely everywhere in the US, the streaming service has had some trouble catching on in Canada, where “research showed that Canadians struggled to see the value in the service.” So how do you get Canadians to like something? Hockey, definitely hockey.

So, DDB Canada Vancouver whipped up (and it does feel whipped up) a locker room spot for the new Canadian brand campaign entitled “Pep Talk,” in which a coach tells his players to “remember that scene from that movie on Netflix” where “the coach…gave that speech…well that, gentleman, is what I am saying!” rather than provide a speech of his own. The whole thing is reminiscent of a Simpsons joke from the 1992 episode “Homer at the Bat” in which Mr. Burns tells his softball team, “So I want you to remember some inspiring words that someone else might have told you over the course of your lives, and go out there and win!” But, you know, a lot less funny.

The idea was to show “how stories you can find on Netflix stay with you anywhere, anytime.” It would have helped to create an ad that stuck with you, instead of one this forgettable. Credits after the jump. continued…

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Zulu Alpha Kilo Explores Daddy Issues for Coke Zero’s Latest ‘Moment Zero’

For their latest campaign for Coke Zero,  Zulu Alpha Kilo, along with social media agency Dare, found real hockey stories online using social media and retold them with Tampa Bay Lightning star Steven Stamkos. The newly released second film in the series, “The Trade,” tells Shawn Warford‘s story of being traded from the team his father coached.

At the beginning of the spot, Stamkos (as Warford) enters his father’s office and is told he is being traded. “You can’t trade me, I’m your son” he replies, followed by an annoying and completely unnecessary voiceover intrusion proclaiming “That’s going to be an awkward car ride home.” Between the terrible acting and gratuitous VO, this is where, if I wasn’t paid to write about it, I would stop watching this ad. To be fair, it does pick up a little bit from here, thanks largely to Bob the zamboni driver.

Bob explains why Kevin Wheeler gives the team exactly what they’re looking for and is the perfect trade. He goes on to enthusiastically extoll the virtues of the team’s new addition at length. A fed up Stamkos asks for the new jersey, which is when the spot slows down to tell us this is his “Moment Zero.” In the first game with his new team, he goes on to score five goals, each dedicated to exacting revenge for a different moment his father pissed him off.  ”It’s a moment he wouldn’t trade for anything,” says the annoying narrator in what is supposed to be the payoff. At least they (eventually) used Stamkos for what he’s good at (scoring goals) after what felt like an eternity of Stamkos struggling through what he’s terrible at (acting). I understand and appreciate the social engagement the “real hockey stories” angle brings to the table, but next time let’s have a higher ratio of hockey to stories. Or get a hockey player that can act, if such a person exists. Credits and the first installment of the “Moment Zero” campaign after the jump. continued…

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NABS Vintage Intern Auction Could Be Auctioning Off Your Nightmare Boss

If you’ve ever had a nightmare boss in advertising, Zulu Alpha Kilo’s latest spot for NABS Vintage Intern Auction should appeal to you.

The NABS Vintage Intern Auction auctions off “twelve notable executives and thought leaders,” to be used as interns for a day, for the Canadian charitable group NABS, who provide assistance for people in communications and related industries who need help due to illness, injury, unemployment or financial difficulties. Winning bidders can assign their interns to do anything from giving a speech or holding a seminar to cleaning up the kitchen or getting coffee.

The spot highlights the revenge aspect of the auction, with bidders attempting to win the right to boss around a truly awful Chief Creative Officer. At the center of the spot is the eventual winning bidder, a man  with an eye patch who the CCO told, “If you can work from home, you can work from Intensive Care.” He outbids the woman the CCO called “Sarah in bed and then said ‘I’m so sorry, Diane,’ which isn’t [her] name either.” I don’t know what kind of work he has for the CCO, but it won’t be pretty. Perhaps cleaning the bathroom floor with a toothbrush?

As you can tell from the synopsis, Zulu Alpha Kilo isn’t afraid to push the boundaries a little bit with some risque humor, and the result is a spot that is actually funny. We’re guessing that since it’s for a good cause, no one will be offended. No CCOs were harmed in the making of this video. At least not any that didn’t deserve it.

Here’s the full list of the “interns” up for bids, in case your boss from hell is one of them:

Claude Carrier – President, DentsuBos

Mary Maddever – VP & Editorial Director, Brunico Publishing

Brent Choi – Chief Creative & Integration Officer – JWT

Lance Martin – Partner & Executive Creative Director, Union Creative

David Crichton – Partner, Creative Director, Grip Limited

Ian MacKellar – Chief Creative Officer, Ogilvy

Simon Jennings – President, Gesca

Angus Tucker – Partner, Co-Creative Director, John Street

Mitch Joel – Author and President, Twist Image

Kenneth Wong – Distinguished Professor of Marketing, Queen’s School of Business

Amber Mac – President, co-founder, Konnekt; and co-host of App Central

Christina Yu – Executive Vice President, Creative Director, Red Urban

continued…

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