In a campaign scheduled to culminate with tonight’s first-ever College Football Championship, BBDO New York focuses on a single fact for client AT&T: the provider offers customers “the nation’s strongest LTE signal.”
This is not a new claim from AT&T, which began promoting the superiority of its LTE systems over a year ago and now states that its LTE “footprint” is larger than all of its competitors’.
But the “strength” concept did allow the agency to riff on a theme with the help of four retired football legends. In the first spot, “Mental Strength,” Herschel Walker pulls a Jedi mind trick on Doug Flutie:
The second spot rearranges the group to put another veteran in the hot seat.
Amazingly, comedians Craig Robinson and Jake Johnson had yet to appear in any major films, shows or campaigns together before this week.
That all changed with the release of these inaugural clips in W+K Portland‘s new campaign for client Dodge. The theme is simple: no one can touch Robinson’s new Dart — even his equally famous and strangely nosy neighbor.
We last encountered the #UpForWhatever tag in Bud Light’s spoof of the viral Mullen “World’s Toughest Job” ad (SPOILER: it was being a mom). That work came from Boston shop Relevant 24, but the newest sort-of-related spot comes to our inbox via BBDO’s Chicago and New York offices.
Here’s “Surprise Guest”:
You may notice that the spot is something of a tease: it’s only the latest in a series…
72andSunny mined memorable moments in film, TV, and the Internet for their new campaign unveiling Samsung’s Curved UHD TV, called “The Curve Changes Everything.”
The new broadcast spot debuted last night during primetime programing including AMC’s Mad Men, NBC’s Women of SNL, and the season finale of Fox’s execrable Family Guy, to name a few. The 60-second “The Curve Changes Everything,” mines such sources as Clueless, Jurassic Park, Gravity and that screaming goat you saw on YouTube to stitch together “not only excitement for the curve and the experience, but how the curve impacts different family scenarios and living room environments.” 72andSunny worked with production company Caviar, director Rian Johnson (Looper, a couple of great episodes of Breaking Bad) and Oscar-winning cinematographer Claudio Miranda (Life of Pi, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button) to bring the spot to life.
“The Samsung Curved TV is just a beautiful object,” said Rian Johnson. “Beyond the quality of the picture, the industrial design of the TV – with its subtle curve – is really stunning when you see it up close in person. We were tasked with finding ways to show off the curve, but you really just need to point a camera at the TV and it pops off the screen. It was a pleasure to shoot.”
In addition to broadcast, the campaign also features print, digital and out of home (OOH) components. “The Curve Changes Everything” will continue to run on major networks, cable and online. Stick around for credits after the jump. continued…
Caviar director Ruben Fleischer joined forces with cover girl Emma Stone, who recently starred in his film Gangster Squad, for a new original short for Vogue.
The spot sees Fleischer and Stone playing themselves, discussing Stone’s latest role. Fleischer, who wrote and directed the short, plays the stright man. Stone, meanwhile, has some unusual ideas to prepare for her role as a nun, all of which involve magic. As you may have guessed, things get a little bit silly, but the humor never quite connects and the premise feels a bit forced — even if “Everyone loves magic, even nuns.”
Stick around for credits after the jump. continued…
W+K Amsterdam have a launched a new, global World Cup 2014 campaign for Powerade, “the official sports drink of FIFA.”In addition to television, the campaign also includes print/out of home, digital, and online documentary films (more on that later).
“There’s Power in Every Game” centers around Andrés Iniesta, the Spanish star who scored the winning goal in the 2010 World Cup. He takes center stage in the 60-second spot (featured above), which also features five amateur athletes from around the world. Each of these athletes has “overcome challenges in their lives and in the process have lifted their teammates, rallied supporters and inspired communities through their dedication and achievements in the sport” — which exemplifies the campaign’s #PowerThrough message.
Each of these amateur athletes will be featured in their own documentary, starting with the inspirational story of Nicolai “Nico” Calabria. Debuted at the Kicking + Screaming Football Festival in New York last week and being released as a television spot in addition to its online release, the two minute film tells Nico’s story growing up with one leg and defying expectations to succeed as an athlete. Incorporating an impressively-edited mix of home video footage and live action film, it’s a powerful telling of Nico’s story, and well worth a watch.
“Nico’s story is one of unwavering determination,” said Brynn Bardacke, global group creative director for Powerade. “He truly embodies what we mean when we say there’s power in every player and power in every game.”
Stick around for “Nico & Powerade,” along with credits, after the jump. continued…
Amy Poehler shines as a boss with a pampered dog and an obsession with a prospective employee’s pants in Chandelier’s new spot for Old Navy, created in conjunction with Rock Paper Scissors and Sonic Union.
In the spot, the Parks and Recreation star/SNL alum Poehler is supposed to be conducting a job interview, but can’t get over the applicants’ Old Navy Pixie Pants. “Are all these questions going to be about my pants?” the girl asks. To which Poehler responds, “Uh, this is a law firm, so yes.”
When Poehler learns that the pants are only $25 and come with a free top, she hires the girl on the spot so that she can run out and buy a pair. All this is actually a good deal funnier than that synopsis sounds, thanks to Poehler’s signature deadpan humor. Poehler also helped write and direct the spot, which helps explain how it works so well with her brand of comedy. The :30 spot doesn’t waste any time getting to the funny, either, as Poehler opens the ad with a great throwaway line. Check it out for yourself above, and stick around for credits after the jump.
From Pereira & O’Dell New York comes a new spot already being hailed by SB Nation as “weird” and “gross.” Starring FOX Sports’ Big East basketball commentators Gus Johnson (who FOX has been marketing as an overly loud spaz, as though that was a good thing) and Bill Raftery (who announced he was bringing his trademark nonsensical “onions!” catchphrase from ESPN to FOX in November), the spot imagines what it would be like if this odd duo was to analyze childbirth.
In addition to SB Nation‘s glowing review, Sports Grid is boldly declaring the spot an “early contender for worst ad of the year.” But don’t just take their word for it! “Terrible commercial. A bit disturbing. Not funny,” says one YouTube commenter. “Fire the idiot who approved this commercial,” says another! Well, you know what they say: When Gus Johnson pounds a desk and causes a newborn baby to come rocketing out of his mother’s vagina, you’re bound to get a big reaction. Credits after the jump.
BBDO’s “It’s Not Complicated”series for AT&T has been one of the most recognizable campaigns on television for a while now, offering up different variations on the “kids saying cute, funny things in a classroom discussion” theme with straight man Beck Bennett. Indeed, the campaign has been so ubiquitous and well-received that it basically landed him a spot on SNL.
The agency’s latest, Thanksgiving-themed “Pet Turkey,” while enjoyable, is not the greatest effort in the series. If you’re a fan of the approach, you’ll probably enjoy this new one; if you’re getting tired of this direction, chances are it won’t do anything to dissuade you.
“Pet Turkey” sees Bennett asking the group of kids, “What’s better on Thanksgiving?” When one boy suggests, “a pet turkey,” Bennett offers his rational take on that answer. Again, nothing new here, just more of the same approach from BBDO. Since this brand of cute funny has worked so well for them in the past, it’s understandable that they don’t see the need to change things up. But something about “Pet Turkey” makes it feel like BBDO is treading water, like the approach is finally losing steam and they need to inject “It’s Not Complicated” with some fresh ideas if they want to prolong its shelf life. Although with Bennett’s star on the rise, the campaign’s days may already be numbered.
“Pet Turkey” will debut this Sunday, November 24th and will run throughout the Thanksgiving holiday season. Credits after the jump. continued…
Dodge and Paramount have joined forces in a co-branded campaign from W+K launching the new 2014 Dodge Durango featuring Ron Burgundy (of Anchorman and the upcoming Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues, but you already knew that).
The campaign, which spans television, print, digital and social media, debuted October 5th online and on television. Be prepared to see it everywhere.
“With the personal involvement of Will Ferrell, our writer / director Adam McKay, the comedy team at Funny or Die, and the Dodge creative team at Wieden+Kennedy, we were able to create a truly epic partnership,” says CMO of Paramount Picture Josh Greenstein in a statement. But are the spots actually funny? Some of them — they really very widely in quality. Each of the spots takes advantage of the 70s aesthetic in the Anchorman films, taking place in a colorful, very 70s auto showroom. The first spot, “Horsepower” is a bit of a letdown. It resurrects the tired “comparing horse power to an actual horse” theme commonly used in spots for powerful vehicles.
The staring contest with the horse at the end is almost worth a chuckle though. “Glove Compartment” is a lot better: it features Ron Burgundy toting the Durango’s glove compartment, which can hold “two turkey sandwiches or seventy packs of gum.” Another spot finds Burgundy struggling with a script that touts the Durango’s “m.p.g.” performance. The highlight is definitely “Ballroom Dancers,” featured above, which has a comically angry showdown between Burgundy and dancers that he thinks may “live in the rafters.” A lot of this is stuff that only Ferrell could get away with delivering, and only about half of the time is the writing worthy of his talent, but when it works it works. Plus, it will whet people’s appetites for the Anchorman sequel, which is kind of the point.
Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues debuts in theaters December 20th. Credits and additional video after the jump. continued…
Hot Sauce. Skip to My Lou. Main Event. Kevin. The park league nickname has always been a valued tradition in the realm of streetball, meaningful monikers passed down from the basketball gods that can become legend, a la Dr. J or Pee Wee Kirkland. Kevin Durant, for all of his NBA greatness, has yet to merge his skills with an equally skillful nickname. Yes, there’s KD and the Durantula (and perhaps the best one via Jalen Rose, who resurrected the name Iceberg Slim), but it just doesn’t feel right yet.
For the latest Nike effort from W+K Portland, which was created in partnership with Foot Locker, the agency decided to take Durant’s lack of nicknameness and build an ad around it. The sixty-second spot, which features comedian Hannibal Buress as MC, is the coming-out party for Kevin “Kevin” Durant. Buress runs through pre-game introductions and calls out intricate nicknames for random guys like Don Juan Have a Picnic by the Pond, but when he gets to Durant, the crowd goes silent. Kevin Kevin: It’s funny because it’s true. Credits after the jump.
Let’s kill two birds, shall we? AT&T must really like little kids. First, we had the Beck Bennett commercials that ran incessantly during March Madness (and still run; check out the newest Mother’s Day-themed “It’s Not Complicated” clip from BBDO after the jump). Now, the telecom giant seems to think we want more, more, more. The latest work from Dallas-based multicultural agency Sanders\Wingo shows young’ns on their mobile devices, saying things like, “In my day…our connection was so slow, we had to take turns online.”
Some viewers may find this cute, others may find it scary, but as kids become more and more comfortable with the latest technology, these types of spots should become the norm. We already have videos of babies who can swipe a page on an iPad, but can’t turn the page in a book or magazine. Regardless, kids will always have to eat the trope-filled Brussels sprout before they get to use any of these devices, and that’s how we get the thirty-second “Veggies.”
Check out the second spot, “Haircut,” the aforementioned “It’s Not Complicated” Mother’s Day effort and credits for all after the jump.
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