Sobieski Vodka Keeps Telling It Like It Is in Outdoor Ads

When Sobieski’s “Truth in Vodka” campaign began seven years ago, it skewered pomposity in the category. Since then, the effort has broadened to call out nonsense in any realm—and amen to that.

Topical targets in recent outdoor ads from lead shop Marty Weiss and Friends range from spy in exile Edward Snowden and social media to the World Cup. Weiss, the man behind memorable TV ads for Guinness and the Nynex Yellow Pages, proves once again that outdoor needn’t be a dull medium. You just need to have something witty—and pithy—to say.

This year’s ads, which target 25- to 29-year-olds in 17 cities, will continue throughout the summer before taking a break and returning in late fall. The brand’s media agency is Horizon Media.

More images below.



Marty Weiss Wants to Be Friends With Everyone in Ads for His New Agency

Whether you're a stranger, peer or client, Marty Weiss wants to be your friend. With that spirit in mind, Weiss has shot some short videos on the streets of New York City that feel less like a plug for the new name of his design and ad agency—Marty Weiss and Friends, of course—and more like the stunt that New York Mets ace Matt Harvey just pulled off for Jimmy Fallon. Like Harvey, Weiss comes across as calm and likable, unlike, say, vintage Stuttering John. Still, many people in the first video either stare incredulously or just plain walk away when Weiss first asks if they'll be his friend. Like any good adman, however, he wins over several strangers, including a drummer performing in Washington Square Park. Upcoming videos will take us to Weiss's West Village apartment, where he bonds with another familiar ad face, and the offices of clients. Look for them all on the agency's Facebook page and on YouTube, where you'll also find this little gem of a credentials reel that Weiss helped create at former shop Weiss Whitten Carroll Stagliano. Not before or since have we seen parents in an agency reel. Weiss certainly has a knack for branding his agency in a disarming way.