It’s ‘Your Can’s Year’ as W+K Kicks Off Football Season for Bud Light

Is it time for football again already?? Yes, it is.

That means it’s time for a new W+K campaign promoting Bud Light’s NFL team branded cans.

The launch spot “This Is Your Can’s Year” opens with voiceover courtesy of actor Michael K. Williams (aka Omar Little), who asks,”Will this can repeat? Will this can make it back?” over shots of a hand reaching into a cooler full of ice to pull out a Bud Light can with the Broncos logo on it and a Carolina Panthers can awaiting a drinker at a tailgating party.

“Or is this your can’s year?” the voiceover adds, as someone opens a fridge full of New England Patriots cans. The spot plays up both the brand’s legacy and the legacy of individual teams with the line “You root for this can, your father roots for this can, your father’s father rooted for this can.”

“This Is Your Can’s Year” also manages to work in cameos from former NFL stars Bo Jackson, Justin Tuck and Tim Couch. The approach is almost a given for the brand and NFL sponsor, as cans branded with fans favorite teams is an obvious selling point for a beer long associated with football. The spot, directed by Mark Romanek, manages to work in references to a wide variety of teams in ways that speak to either the teams’ recent history or location (a man struggling to open a frozen Buffalo Bills can, for example) and the brisk pacing keeps things from getting boring. It makes its broadcast debut this Thursday during Thursday Night Football. The campaign also includes local OOH executions targeting fans of individual teams. 

“Just like wearing your favorite player’s jersey or team colors is a badge of honor, so is drinking from your Bud Light team can,”  Mark Goldman, senior marketing director, Bud Light, said in a statement. “Our mission with our new film was to pay tribute to the passion fans feel for their team, and capture the optimism that we all feel as NFL fans at the beginning of the season, when it truly can be your team’s year.”

“The game wouldn’t be the same for us players without the fans who put their heart and soul into game day,” added Tuck. “The Bud Light ad honors each and every one of these fans and their passion for the sport.”

That’s cool. We are just glad to report that Amy Schumer and Seth Rogen were nowhere near this spot.

W+K Portland Launches ‘Never Finished’ for Nike, Starring Richard Sherman

W+K Portland got Richard Sherman to star in its new spot “Never Finished” for Nike, following on the heels of Sherman’s recent appearances for Neff earlier this month and Campbell’s in August.

The new spot deals with the hype train surrounding Sherman, as he is constantly bombarded with media discussions of whether or not he is “the best.” “Never Finished” does a good job at finding humor in the situation, aided by a believably exasperated Sherman. The highlight is probably the made for TV biopic, starring Damon Wayans Jr.

Sherman’s roles in ads so far have mostly seen the Seahawks star not taking himself seriously and playing with his public persona. That definitely continues with “Never Finished,” but the schtick is much less over the top than some of his past roles, and the more nuanced characterization fits Sherman well as the spot, more than anything, mocks the media hype that surrounds star players. It makes for an entertaining ad, and Sherman’s most enjoyable performance by far.

The campaign, which runs until October 9th, also includes five additional videos, with special cameos from Johnny Manziel, Victor Cruz, Ndamukong Suh and Ken Griffey Jr.
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Bono Tries to Guilt You Into Downloading U2?s New Song

You probably saw the trailer for U2′s new music video, directed by Mark Romanek, for their latest release “Invisible” during the big game last night, but here it is in case you fell asleep during one of the most boring Super Bowl games in recent memory.

“Invisible,” which was produced by Danger Mouse and mixed by Tom Elmhirst, is available for free on iTunes today until 11:59 PM (the track first became available for download last night following the Super Bowl). While normally that would still be too much to pay for a new U2 song, for every download Bank of America will be making a one dollar donation to the Global Fund via RED, Bono‘s organization set up to channel funds to the Global Fund to Fight Aids. This new partnership “sees Bank of America committing $10m to (RED), and has resulted in a $10 million match from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, as well as $1 million each from both SAP and South Africa’s Motsepe Family – bringing the total commitment to $22 million.” So the latest development in the “Well his music really sucks, but at least he does all those nice things for AIDS relief in Africa,” sees Bono attempting to guilt you into downloading U2′s latest snoozefest so that you can make a contribution to RED free of charge. Or you could just go ahead and make a donation, essentially paying a fee to avoid having anything to do with U2′s music. Credits after the jump. continued…

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Rihanna Joins Jay-Z in Translation, Budweiser’s ‘Made for Music’ Campaign

Budweiser’s new campaign “Made for Music” launches in 85 countries today, featuring Jay-Z and Rihanna carefully dispersed amidst other artists including an ice sculptor and street art painter. Jay-Z’s ad is backed by his song PSA, while Rihanna’s features her newest single, “Right Now.” Both spots are directed by Mark Romanek (Never Let Me Go, Bee Season) and each closes with inspirational words from Bud: “It begins and ends with what you make.”

Made for Music was inspired by the Budweiser Made in America Festival which debuted in Philly last year and Jay-Z headlined. This year, Beyonce and Nine Inch Nails will take the marquee billing over Labor Day Weekend.

Jay and RiRi’s ads are mildly inspiring with their filmic, black-and-white “creative spirit.” After the Samsung deal, Jay-Z’s authenticity feels slightly compromised, but both he and Rihanna are still solid examples of hard-working performers. The scenes are nothing new–star reads in the car, star makes decisions with sweeping hand motions, star stands triumphant as the lights go down–so I wouldn’t mind a bit of original dialogue, but all in all these spots do the job. Time to turn up Magna Carta Holy Grail and channel HOV’s productivity.

Credits after the jump as well as clips from our interview last year with Translation CEO Steve Stoute on his agency’s relationship with “the king of beers.”

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