Hasta La Creative!

m:united has a new ad for Microsoft’s Lenovo Yoga Pro 3 that takes aim squarely at a laptop from a certain popular competitor.

“Let’s Dance” opens with shots of the MacBook Air and Yoga Pro 3, as a “dance off” is staged between the two computers, set to the song “Neckbrace” by Ratatat. The spot then proceeds to tout the Yoga Pro 3?s superior thinness, tablet versatility, ability to form “the tent,” and touchscreen capabilities. “Game over” reads text at the end of the spot as the MacBook Air flips shut while the Yoga Pro 3 is going strong, deemed the winner of the “dance off.” Apple bashing is becoming one of the more tired trends in tech advertising, but m:united handles the strategy well enough here, finding an approach that’s a little more fun and less in your face than most by imagining the laptops squaring off on the dance floor. Still, m:united may want to change things up going forward, as this tactic can’t possibly have much more mileage. (more…)

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Jose Cuervo is introducing its new Cuervo Cinge — “Cuervo with a cinnamon sting”  – with a new animated spot by McCann NY and Elastic.

Directed by Andy Hall, “Get Stung” is pure eye-candy. The spot is well-animated, with a very appropriate red-tinted effect throughout (because cinnamon, get it?). There’s not a whole lot to the 30-second spot: scorpion walks into a bar, drinks tequila, sets bar on fire. But then there doesn’t have to be. Why the bartender serves tequila to a scorpion is never really explained, but suspension of disbelief, right?

As an introduction to a new product, the spot works well. If you like the idea of cinnamon-flavored tequila, this ad will make you excited to try it. If not, you can still appreciate the artistry that went into animating it. I’m rarely going to have something negative to say about a simple, well animated spot about liquor. I wasn’t crazy about the “Get Stung” tagline at first, but they make it work with the whole “sting of cinnamon” description and it serves its function as a way to help people remember the product.

It’s a departure from McCann’s “Have a Story” opus starring Kiefer Sutherland, and a welcome one. Perhaps the “be more interesting, be different…” approach typified by certain Dos Equis ads is finally on its way out. Hopefully this simple, elegantly animated approach from McCann spreads beyond their other work for Cuervo and starts a new trend in boozey advertising. Credits after the jump. continued…

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