Hasta La Creative!

You may have read about the controversy surrounding Draftcb Chicago’s new Joe Boxer spot for Kmart, “Show Your Joe.” If you actually watch the spot (featured above) and have any sense, you may wonder what all the fuss is about. Kmart, of course, is no stranger to controversial advertising: a recent Kmart spot featured Satan and Genghis Khan, and their “Ship My Pants” spot is still our favorite of the bunch.

“Show Your Joe” opens with a group of tuxedo-wearing men behind a curtain, ringing bells. After a few seconds the curtain is whisked away to reveal the men clad in only boxer shorts from the waist down, and they begin playing “Jingle Bells” by shaking their hips. Presumably the, uh, bells, are tucked away somewhere in those boxers. The men perform the chorus of the song…and that’s it. To be clear: there’s nothing all that risque about the execution — the camera is panned way out and these dudes are in boxers, okay? No junk visible. Repeat: no junk visible.

The holiday effort is a little juvenile perhaps, but offensive? Hardly. The most offensive thing about it may be that it’s not all that funny. Either the cries to arms are coming from those who feel this ad violates the “sanctity of Christmas” (you can see these people riding around in cars with “Put the Christ back in Christmas” bumper stickers and complaining about government handouts), or they are the typically hypocritical complaints that arise from anything remotely provocative associated with male body parts. Overtly sexualizing women in every single women’s underwear ad ever? That’s okay. Suggesting that a group of guys are playing “Jingle Bells” with parts tucked away in their boxers, away from view? Congratulations, you’ve just awakened the seven horses of the apocalypse.

Kmart has reportedly refused to pull the ad, despite a long list of complaints on their Facebook page (although a quick glance at the page while writing this turned up at least as many comments supporting the ad). Good for them. If anything, the controversy will just call more attention to the spot, Kmart and Joe Boxer. Let us know what you think about the so-called controversy surrounding “Show Your Joe” in the comments section. Credits after the jump. continued…

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GSD&M has Zales’ “Let Love Shine” holiday campaign with the spot “Balloon,” featuring the surprisingly not terrible music of Lord Huron. I say “surprisingly not terrible” because of the band’s name, but the diamond store chain boasts that in 2010, it did help propel The Black Keys (not my favorite but certainly not terrible) to stardom by using their music in an ad (and newer indie darlings like Alabama Shakes in subsequent campaigns).

While jewelry commercials are sentimental by nature, this one tries not to be too cloying about it. It shows a man trudge across a snow-covered city to propose to his girlfriend by holding a bunch of balloons to get her attention and then take out the engagement ring. It’s kind of cute, even if it’s a little perplexing to not be in the same room for a proposal.

I’m not quite ready for the onslaught of holiday advertising yet, but I know what I hate, and I don’t hate this spot for Zales “Celebration” bridal collection. And that’s rare for a jewelry spot, especially one around this time of year. Credits after the jump.

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Minnesota Twins fans don’t have much to cheer about these days. Their team is in 4th place in the AL Central, and they have a new outdoor stadium, which is problematic when you remember that playing baseball outdoors in Minnesota may not be fun in April or September. But, there is temporary relief. Today is National Hot Dog Day – I didn’t know, either – and Schweigert Meats, which produces the official hot dog of the Twins, has used the special occasion to release a couple of short video spots that show how the brand’s meat is “overly uncomplicated.” The brand is opting for a tongue-in-cheek tone with the videos and slogan as the campaign expands over the next few months with digital, print, and TV ads in the extended Minnesota region.

The campaign comes from Austin-based Proof Advertising and seems to appeal to a certain Northern blue-collar rural population that may find humor in the soft irony of things that are overly uncomplicated. But when it comes to Minnesota Twins advertising, Proof and Schweigert will have to step up their collective game to surpass the ability of the dandruffless Joe Mauer. Credits after the jump.

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Conveniently timed for the 4th of July, Arnold Worldwide and New Balance have launched a campaign celebrating the latter’s commitment to the United States. In a four-video series titled, “Our U.S. Factory Workers vs. Their U.S. Factory Workers,” actual NB factory workers compete in a hot-dog eating contest, ping-point match, basketball game, and ice hockey challenge. The pitch is their home factory, and the catch is that they have no opponents.

According to the parties involved, while 25 percent of New Balance shoes are made or assembled in the U.S., their competitors represent an embarrassing goose egg: NB employs more than 1300 U.S. factory workers, while their competitors employ none.

One-fourth still isn’t a huge amount, but it’s clearly not an exaggeration to say NB wins the game when it comes to patriotism. That makes for a lot of pride, and a lonely hot dog eating contest.

Credits and other videos after the jump

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For now, your guess is as good as ours, but apparently, a great reveal is on the way some time today from Mother, which for obvious reasons celebrates Mother’s Day (which is this Sunday, the 12th in case you forgot) as if it were Christmas. Case in point, we’ve been told that the agency is even closing shop this coming Monday so we’re assuming some Sunday revelry will be in order. We’re not sure what the hell that all entails exactly but in the meantime, see the teaser above to get a glimpse at what agency’s got in store today. We’ll update with the full reveal once we receive. We don’t know about you, but a “Momtract” kinda scares us.

Update: Well, the agency seems to have been delayed a bit, but as promised, here’s a full clip promoting Mother’s “Momtract,” which, yes, still scares us, as it’s a contract that “gives mothers back the power they woefully lost as their children aged.” Well, we do remember at a certain point in high school the folks saying that “just because you’re taller than us, doesn’t mean we can’t tell you what to do” (for real). Yep, this just refines that notion, we think. See promo below and, if you dare, draw up your own “Momtract” here:

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Rabbis around the world just collectively shuddered, but the conservative kids who struggle to sit through a Passover seder have something unique to look forward to. The Haggadah, the prayer book that tells the story of Passover, has just been remixed by Nathan Phillips, a senior writer at SS+K. You may be familiar with a Lena Dunham ad he wrote and directed for Barack Obama‘s reelection campaign last fall. Now, with the help of Art Director and shiksa Jessica Stewart, Phillips has unleashed a cool, creative affront to Jewish grandmothers: Bob Marley Passover.

Yes, Bob Marley Passover…as in, Bob Marley Passover. So brazen, it just might work. You can see the project site and download the haggadah here. Don’t forget to #BobMarleyPassover, which is further evidence that hashtagging has gotten way out of hand. But the haggadah itself is legitimate, if not light-hearted and full of a sense of humor bound to clash with almost anyone over 30.

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