Hasta La Creative!

After successfully holding its “One Shot” contest, Optimus has finally completed and aired “Done,” the TV commercial based on the winning script from the Optimus “One Shot” contest. “Done” was initially aired on Comcast on January 22, and will be aired in 11 Chicago regions from January 26 through February 2.

The script by Jane Ackerson and Nate DeLeon of DDB was, as promised, brought to life and nurtured to maturity under the same roof.

For their first production, Jane and Nate were the key decision makers on every facet of the spot, and their creative instincts and natural talent impressed us thoroughly. They were a complete pleasure to work with, and we’re looking forward to more great things from this great team!

You can watch the video here.

(Source) Optimus

We are bound to see a lot of kids troop to the nearest Burger King outlet and it will not be surprising if a large part of those kids are Nickelodeon fans. Why? Well for one thing, Burger King will be selecting 25 winners who will go to Los Angeles to watch the 22nd Annual Kids Choice Awards. The contest will be up to January 28 only.

“Burger King Corp. has partnered with Nickelodeon on its Kids’ Choice Awards for the past 10 years, but the number of prizes being awarded makes this sweepstakes like nothing we’ve ever done,” says Cindy Syracuse, senior director, cultural marketing, Burger King Corp. “With the hottest stars under one roof, Nickelodeon’s Kids’ Choice Awards are a kid favorite, so we know parents will relish in the opportunity to win a once-in-a-lifetime trip for their family.”

(Source) QSR

Patrick Dempsey, famous for his role as Dr. McDreamy on Grey’s Anatomy is one of the sought after fans, at least for his autography. In fact, one fan really waited for him at the tracks later on revealing that his wife told him not to go home unless he gets Dr. McDreamy’s autograph.

“OK, OK the real reason I’m in line is because my wife said, ‘Don’t come home unless you get Patrick Dempsey’s autograph and a picture.’ The reality is I’m doing this for my wife.’

A self-proclaimed “car guy” Dempsey, 43, got the racing bug years ago and turned it into a serious pursuit. He wants nothing more than to be “one of the guys” in a drivers’ meeting or a race favorite on the starting grid.

So the best place to catch Dempsey is at the race tracks. That is until he is finished racing.

(Source) NASCAR

Taipei will enjoy IMAX digital protection technology as IMAX Corporation and VieShow Cinemas have come to terms in opening an IMAX® theatre in its Sun Cinemas multiplex in the city of Taipei. The installation is scheduled to be completed to take advantage of IMAX’s robust 2009 Hollywood slate. The deal continues IMAX’s international expansion momentum.

There are currently 75 IMAX theatres scheduled to be operating in Asia by 2012. To date, IMAX has signed contracts for more than 200 IMAX digital projection systems worldwide, with 46 currently in operation and at least 115 scheduled to be in operation by year end.

“The economics of IMAX’s digital projection system, combined with the increase in Hollywood content being released in IMAX’s format, made the decision to get into the IMAX business easy. We’re very excited to install the system during the first quarter, with the goal of offering our customers most of this year’s strong IMAX film slate.”

(Source) PR Newswire

Web Mail is a new online mailing service which can be accessed via the AOL website. AOL’s Products and Technologies Group today announced the launch of an enhanced version of AOL Web Mail that offers users one-click access to Gmail, Yahoo! Mail and a variety of third-party sites and destinations directly from the AOL Web Mail page, http://mail.aol.com.

“Web Mail is an integral part of the AOL experience and at the heart of our product offerings,” said Ted Cahall, President, AOL Products and Technologies. “With this new release, we can showcase the important role AOL products continue to play in the company. Enhancing products that already attract a large, engaged audience is a key goal for our organization.”

(Source) Press

Frito-Lays has been letting the imagination of its customers produce great commercial spoofs and apparently there is one production that is slowly rising above the rest. Titled “New Flavor Pitch”, this commercial shows an executive pitching Frito-Lay on the idea for a new beer-flavored Dorito.

This production is actually one of the finalists and the winner goes on to the Super Bowl ads where it will be shown.

Mr. Holmes, who plays a Frito-Lay executive, watches in horror. After he tells Mr. McCarthy that the beer-flavored chips aren’t a good idea, Mr. McCarthy is seen standing in only white underwear and a necktie. As a kicker, he yells, “You don’t know me!”

(Source) The New York Times

In case you missed it, Al Pacino was sporting a watch, a designer watch from Tutima which many viewers would hardly notice. Glued on to the plot (to which Al Pacino turned out to be the bad guy in the end), there were strings attached as far as the advertising premiums agreed upon by both parties, Millenium Films and Tutima USA. Apparently, the latter failed to deliver and both of them may see each other in court.

Millennium Films filed a lawsuit against watch manufacturers Tutima USA at Los Angeles County Superior Court claiming that they didn’t deliver on the agreed deal. According to the production company this promotional partnership would see Tutima pay $50,000 for a three second shot of the watch, a Tutima Flieger Chronograph F2 in the film and spend $1 million on advertising. They claim that neither of these were forthcoming, despite them delivering the lingering shot of the watch in their 2008 cop drama.

(Source) TMZ

Heinz has always been known to provide great condiments as far as ketchup is concerned. Who can live without the add-on of ketchup in burgers or certain meals? But while we are already familiar with the brand it looks like they are not yet content with the labeling which led them to draw up an entirely new look for this popular ketchup brand.

“The tomato is what makes Heinz Ketchup so extraordinary, and so with all due respect to the pickle, which has served Heinz dutifully since the 19th century, we are shifting the spotlight to the tomato,” says Heinz chairman, president, and CEO William R. Johnson. “Heinz tomatoes, which we carefully nurture from seed to vine to bottle, make the perfect ketchup. The redesign of our label underscores this commitment and highlights the true hero of our iconic product, the tomato.”

(Source) Packworld.com

The best way to get noticed is to have a short-film documentary of your company and it seems Honda has done just that. Binding all the corporate philosophies via an immersive website, the new “Power of Dreams” campaign showcases real stories from people on how Honda aims to provide solutions to their valued clients.

Three short documentary films: ‘Kick Out The Ladder,’ ‘Failure’ and ‘Mobility 2088’ (each about 6- 8 minutes long) debuted at the campaign launch; additional films will be added subsequently every few months. The first two films discuss core values that have inspired generations of Honda associates by telling the stories of impossible engineering challenges and exploring where failure brought Honda and what success came of it. The third film explores the future of mobility.

(Source) Design Taxi

Focusing largely on software solutions that most business find handy in making them efficient, Microsoft has focused their new wave of ads towards guiding people on the important of software in the world of business. A couple of these ads can be found on their website, although some have already been aired on various mediums of advertising such as TV, audio and print.

Taking off from their “I am a business (PC), and proud of it” slogan, you can expect Microsoft to aggressively hit the business sectors. But the thing is, will the business sector grasp these invectives despite the crisis today?

The release largely consists of a Q&A with the company’s general manager of its Advertising and Customer Engagement Team, Gayle Troberman, in which Troberman explains the strategy behind the ads.

(Source) ZDNet