McKinney Ruins Integrity of Battle for Mentos

McKinney continues in the wacky route with their new spot for Mentos, the 30-second “Never Surrender.”

“Never Surrender,” which marks both the first U.S. television spot for Mentos Gum and the first work for Mentos out of McKinney’s New York office, is set at an actual medieval castle and employs Monty Python and the Holy Grail-style goofiness. The hero of the ad is a happy-go-lucky soldier who is impaled by a dozen or so arrows but will not surrender until his gum loses its freshness. “You are ruining the integrity of battle!” exclaims a disgruntled enemy combatant. The spot ends by introducing the new tagline, “Long Last the Fresh.” While not quite funny, the ad does succeed at least at being memorable for its utter goofiness, and it’s easy to imagine a certain type of viewer repeating the “You are ruining the integrity of battle!” line, so the spot could work to spread awareness for Mentos’ new-ish product. Stick around for credits after the jump. continued…

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Barton F. Graf 9000, Psyop Charm with ‘Clash of Clans’ Anthem Ad

Gerry Graf’s Barton F. Graf 9000 NY has worked with production company Psyop, fresh off their game-developing debut with the Susan Sarandon-narrated Nightmare: Malaria, to develop this charming spot for the Supercell-developed strategy game Clash of Clans.

The one-minute anthem ad places the viewer in the middle of the action, on the same level as the melee taking place. To bring the game to life in the spot, Psyop “embraced the bright, stylized and saturated look of the game,” explained Psyop Director Fletcher Moules. “We wanted to fully conceptualize what the world would look like if we were running alongside the horde of barbarians, what would it feel like to be covered in their saliva.”

The impressively animated ad really does a good job transporting the viewer into the world of Clash of the Clans, thankfully without any saliva. One noteworthy moment occurs when two giants chuckle as they are hit with cannonballs. It was one of Psyop’s favorite segments to animate, as well. “It added the heart and the warmth that was only achieved when we removed ourselves a little from the ruckus to enjoy it from their perspective,” said Moules.

It would appear that Supercell’s audience is enthusiastic about Clash of Clans as well. The video was released on December 23rd, and garnered 14 million views in its first week. Credits after the jump. continued…

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