mcgarrybowen Celebrates ‘Mr. Amazing’ for Verizon

mcgarrybowen launched a spot for Verzion, entitled “Mr. Amazing,” which celebrates the company’s XLTE service and football season.

In the spot, some rather fantastical football leads into a man screaming “Yeah” at a field day type event, accompanied by the voiceover, “Don’t just dream about being the hero, make it happen.” The man, it is revealed, is streaming a football game at his daughter’s event, much to the relief of another father present. “So be that guy,” Verizon implores at the end of the spot, “with Verizon XLTE.” It’s a bit of an odd sendoff, as the phrasing of “that guy’ the way they use it usually has a negative connotation. It’s almost as if they can’t decide whether they want to make fun of the protagonist (who screams “Yeah!” after the initial fantasy segment) or celebrate him as “Mr. Amazing” and instead the spot attempts to do both. (more…)

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

72andSunny Quotes Pop Culture for Samsung’s New, Curvy TV

72andSunny mined memorable moments in film, TV, and the Internet for their new campaign unveiling Samsung’s Curved UHD TV, called “The Curve Changes Everything.”

The new broadcast spot debuted last night during primetime programing including AMC’s Mad Men,  NBC’s Women of SNL, and the season finale of Fox’s execrable Family Guy, to name a few. The 60-second “The Curve Changes Everything,” mines such sources as Clueless, Jurassic ParkGravity and that screaming goat you saw on YouTube to stitch together “not only excitement for the curve and the experience, but how the curve impacts different family scenarios and living room environments.” 72andSunny worked with production company Caviar, director Rian Johnson (Looper, a couple of great episodes of Breaking Bad) and Oscar-winning cinematographer Claudio Miranda (Life of Pi, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button) to bring the spot to life.

“The Samsung Curved TV is just a beautiful object,” said Rian Johnson. “Beyond the quality of the picture, the industrial design of the TV – with its subtle curve – is really stunning when you see it up close in person. We were tasked with finding ways to show off the curve, but you really just need to point a camera at the TV and it pops off the screen. It was a pleasure to shoot.”

In addition to broadcast, the campaign also features print, digital and out of home (OOH) components. “The Curve Changes Everything” will continue to run on major networks, cable and online. Stick around for credits after the jump. continued…

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

LeBron Kicks Back with Family, Friends for Samsung Galaxy

We are now in the season of LeBron James commercials. He’s like Victor Cruz, only taller, better, richer, and not a Time Warner Cable lackey. If you happened to watch the opening night of the NBA season, you saw three different LeBron endorsements, including a new two-minute Samsung spot (:60 version with just the family after the jump) that gives viewers a glimpse into the family life of the best basketball player in the world.

If you care about such things, you may remember last year’s Samsung/LBJ launch, which also premiered on opening night as the Miami Heat were getting their first set of rings. That 2012 spot was more about LeBron and his friends ruling Miami in barber shops and ice cream trucks. This year’s version is all about LeBron and his family: his sons hanging out in the pool or on a driveway basketball court as his wife films from a Samsung Galaxy. ”The Next Big Thing is Here” flashes on the screen as LeBron’s son celebrates after swishing a jump shot. We get it, but it’s still fairly interesting to let two little boys take some of the spotlight away from the real star.

The spot is an easy watch, a relaxing tone that rubs off on the viewer. Life is good for LeBron, and even though I typically prefer product-focused ads to lifestyle ads, when the spokesman is one of the most famous people on the planet, customers may take notice. Smiles all around and credits after the jump.

continued…

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

72andSunny Waxes Nostalgic in New Spots for Samsung Galaxy Gear

72andSunny pays homage to sci-fi and television history in their new campaign for Samsung Galaxy Gear.

The spot “Evolution” traces the evolution of wristwatch communication, from Dick Tracy and Star Trek to Inspector Gadget and even Predator. The spot ends with the text “After All These Years It’s Finally Real” before introducing Samsung’s latest product. It’s a fun way to highlight the evolution of modern technology and say “The future is now” while making Galaxy Gear seem pretty cool.

A second spot, “A Long Time Coming” pays similar homage, showing characters talking into their wrist pieces in rapid succession. It’s not quite as strong as “Evolution” and perhaps more than a touch too similar to the iPhone’s “Hello” spot, even if it does touch some similar bases.

The Samsung Galaxy Gear is available now for the futuristic price of $299. Knight Rider not included. Check out the second spot and “Evolution” credits after the jump.

continued…

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.