Hasta La Creative!

The buzz is heating up for Quiznos, who has scored a hit with its House of Cards/Game of Thrones mashup called House of Thrones.

Machiavellian Congressman Frank Underwood is transported to the Seven Kingdoms, where he eliminates characters as mercilessly as George R. R. Martin himself—though he avoids killing fan favorites like Tyrion Lannister, settling instead for a merciless teasing.

Hindered by a script that is only mildly funny, the spot is held aloft by an exceptional Kevin Spacey impersonator and a spot-on concept: crossing two of today's hottest properties for maximum viral effect. They even give a few spoiler-ish nods to the fans who've read all the way up through A Dance of Dragons.

Windowseat in Los Angeles created the video, which is part of Quiznos' new content strategy for its recently launched Toasty.tv site—an interesting ploy, considering that Quiznos has just filed for bankruptcy and people are questioning whether this kind of buzz will actually sell sandwiches.

Given the target market, this kind of advertising is great for the brand. But before they invest in entertainment, they should probably focus on making subs that aren't substandard.

Netflix's political series House of Cards got a rapid renewal on the heels of its watercoolery first season, and now it's taking the less-is-more approach to promoting season two. The first spot for the Feb. 14 premiere is just Robin Wright, shot in black and white, taking a long, luxurious pull on a cigarette, her back almost entirely to the camera. Wright's character gives scenery-chewing, camera-addressing narrator Kevin Spacey a run for his money in terms of pure, Machiavellian, chess-with-people politicking, and it's appropriate that Netflix has opted for the unexpected with this early spot. Time will tell whether the new season is as much fun as the last, but this trailer shows the network certainly isn't lacking for confidence.

In recapping Episode 12, Ashley Parker and David Carr conclude that journalists always vote for the better story.