In this new, extended clip created by CP+B to promote NBA2k15 (set to be released in October), Rockets guard James Harden has a problem. Not, it’s not his defense: it’s his beard, which is too intense for the game’s new “face scanning technology.”
In order to address the matter, he turns to the appropriately Germanic “Beard Guru”:
As people with beards, we love this spot. Anthony Davis’ cameo really makes it, and we’d like to test that scanning technology ourselves.
Unfortunately, the Guru is not real. Germans’ ability to grow and preen amazing facial hair, however, is almost too real.
Sony could be excused if they had decided not to bother advertising the release of MLB 14 The Show at all. The latest installation in the long-running franchise, the only baseball simulation for PS3 or PS4, has literally no competition (which is how Sony got away with releasing the PS4 version a full month into the baseball season). Instead, they tapped Portland-based boutique agency Mutt Industries, who teamed up with Eastbound and Down star Danny McBride for a integrated campaign spanning broadcast, digital and social media. At the center of the campaign is a really fun online spot starring McBride, who also stars in the broadcast version.
In the 1:45 spot, McBride tells you something you should already know: that “Baseball is Better” — better than all other sports, and better than babies. He goes on to list all the reasons baseball is the best: no crying, no flags, no clocks, etc., all while sporting a badass old school Brooklyn Dodgers uniform. McBride is inserted into the game itself (Hey Sony: You really should make Kenny Powers a playable character) allowing Mutt Industries to show MLB 14 The Show‘s shiny new graphics, which really do look great. Most fans of the franchise have been eagerly anticipating the title for months now, but “Baseball is Better” may convince a few converts that The Show is worth picking up this year.
Broadcast spots will air on on Adult Swim, ESPN, Discovery, FX, History, MLB Network, Comedy Central and other cable stations, while digital and social media content highlights top MLB players, including Miguel Cabrera, Andrew McCutchen, Brandon Phillips, and Buster Posey. Over the course of the baseball season, Mutt Industries will release over 100 unique videos for the campaign, with each player given a unique role and character. Interestingly, Mutt Industries developed, directed and produced the entire campaign in-house with creative director Mike McCommon doubling as the commercial director. Stick around for credits after the jump. continued…
Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Honey Whiskey has been repped by King Bee for a while now, with the insect always fiercely flying, always backed by rock and roll. In the latest spot, King Bee is followed by his swarm, representing the followers the brand has gained in the last year.
Pre-released on Twitter and Facebook, “Swarm” amassed over 10 million impressions before launching on TV. Though it was apparently carefully calibrated to get the right lighting and “a gritty feeling” (essential for any American whiskey brand), the spot’s not exactly rife with excitement or engagement. It works for exactly 30 seconds, though, and with the accompanying copywriting- “Like any good night out, things get interesting when there’s a swarm.” and “Fly straight. Drink responsibly,” King Bee and his crew get get an A for effort.
Another year, another round of PETA’s “Great Ape Pledge” PSA campaign which aims to bring awareness of the plight of primates that suffer physical/psychological abuse at the hands of the entertainment industry. BBDO New York, which has taken the “Pledge” before with its nifty auto-correct effort from two years ago, joins forces with PETA once again for the spot above, which also features VO services from Oscar-winner Adrien Brody and VFX/production work from The Mill. If you stick around for the end, you’ll see that no real ape was used in the above PSA, which reemphasizes PETA’s whole purpose for launching “The Great Ape Pledge” in the first place.
Instead, the parties involved hammer home the message that primates shouldn’t be used as actors by creating a photo-real CG chimp that’s seemingly at its wit’s end. If the stark message touched a nerve or inspired you to pledge (it’s perhaps a bit more effective than auto-correct messaging), you can go here. Credits after the jump.
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