Hasta La Creative!

Seeing as it’s a nice, comfy 25 degrees outside, complete with 40-50mph wind gusts, here in NYC today, what better time than to announce our annual AgencySpy spring formal. Ok, it’s not really a spring formal; we’re just hoping for damn spring already. Anyhow, as we’ve been doing each and every year for some time, we hear at the Spy are throwing a little biannual get-together, where the emphasis is simply on a little boozing, a little noshing and plenty of mingling.

This year, our shindig will take place on March 25 (*fingers crossed for even 50-degree temps) at Sidebar in NYC. Same bat time as always, 6:30-8:30. We can safely guarantee it’ll be quick and painless–even with a 30-second speech from yours truly–and, hey, you might even have some fun. If you care to come and knock on our door, feel free to register here (and yes, the event is free, too). We’ll be waiting for you.

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What the hell?

Well, credit Brazilian-based F/Nazca Saatchi & Saatchi for truly capturing that disorienting mix of horniness and fearfulness that comes with doing a bunch of drugs and then grinding up on a bunch of weirdos for a few hours. A new campaign for African and South American beer brand Skol (not to be confused with American chewing tobacco brand Skoal, which is still around apparently) advertises ‘The Summer Beats Festival,’ a series of 20 parties/concerts around Brazil that features the country’s best DJs.

What’s the appeal, your uncultured ‘Merican self might ask? Well, rumor has it that if you get fucked up enough and dance harder than anyone else, there’s a strong likelihood that you’ll have sex with a girl wearing a tiger mask, a guy wearing a rabbit mask, or (jackpot!) both at the same time. That certainly sounds fun, doesn’t it?

A collection of shorter sports promises that after your wild night of substance abuse and terrifying lovemaking, you get to relax on one of Brazil’s many gorgeous beaches, which may or may not be filled with floating piles of garbage. Then, of course, it’s out again for another night of intermittent bouts of crying and psychotic screaming. Woo! Two more spots, and credits, follow after the jump.

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An estimated 1.1 billion photos and videos were shared online during festivities this New Year’s Eve, a fact celebrated by Deutsche Telekom with their “Share 2014″ video.

The 90-second spot “was a tight and successful collaboration between Deutsche Telekom’s two roster agencies: Saatchi & Saatchi and DDB Tribal.” The agencies used crowdsourcing in ten European countries — Germany, Poland, Hungary, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Austria, Netherlands, Croatia, Montenegro and Macedonia — to compile some highlights of European’s New Year’s Eve celebrations. There are plenty of fireworks, people drinking, 2014 glasses, smooches, and dancing. But there’s also a little girl waking up an old man (possibly her grandfather) sleeping in a chair by blowing a party blower in his face — which is a good enough reason to give this one a view. The spot ends with the fitting #Share2014 hashtag and “Life is for Sharing” tagline.

The idea was to tap into people’s feelings of hope and excitement for 2014 “and use it to welcome a whole new year of sharing”, explains Jason Romeyko, Saatchi & Saatchi European creative director Deutsche Telekom. Links to the video on YouTube are being promoted via social media platforms in the ten participating countries. We expect lots of people will check it out to see if their footage made it. You can view “Share 2014″ above — it’s a perfect way to stoke your excitement for the new year while nursing that second day hangover.

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For the new campaign for Stoli Vodka, Toronto shop Jacknife asked directors to tell an origin story of their choice. Stoli’s tagline is “The Original Vodka for Original People,” whatever the hell that means, but the origin-story theme can make for some interesting recreations. Director Sean Wainsteim decided to focus his efforts on the origin of The French Exit, when people leave a party without saying goodbye. We’ve all been there. A clingy come-on at a bar, friends of friends who you don’t really know that well, the weird Uncle. For the anti-social, goodbyes are unnecessary social conventions usually meant for people you don’t care about.

You’ve probably never heard of Bentley Theodore French, but he invented The French Exit while at a stuffy, waspy party that may be set in the 1930s, at least according to Stoli’s two-minute narrative ad. Bentley even passes up the chance to dance with two ladies at the same time on his way out the door. I’m not sure why he’s at this party if he dislikes everyone in attendance, but he is a social innovator who will never be forgotten. I still use his work to this day. Credits after the jump.

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Advertising Week X, the tenth annual week for people in the advertising industry to celebrate advertising by talking about, awarding, and giving tips about advertising is only a week away. What more appropriate way to celebrate advertising than with an advertisement for celebrating advertising? Yay, advertising!

The above advertisement comes from SF-based advertising agency Mekanism, which doesn’t seem to be an official partner or sponsor of  Advertising Week so we’re assuming this advertisment was made just for love of the game. (The game is advertising, by the way.) While the ad does a good job of advertising all of the hipster/yuppie advertising people you’ll meet at Advertising Week, it doesn’t advertise one of the week’s biggest events: The Battle of the Ad Bands, in which advertising industry folks with trace amounts of musical acuity compete to be the best at simultaneously being in advertising and being in a band. I mean, CMJ is in town next week, but as an member of the advertising community, your attendance at the Battle of the Ad Bands should be mandatory if it isn’t already.

Advertising! Woo! Credits after the jump.

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If you’re as forgetful as we are, let us just remind those of you based in NYC who didn’t make the trek out to Nice that the Wrath of Cannes returns this Thursday. As we mentioned a few weeks ago, competition and judging returns for the seventh annual installment of Woods Witt Dealy & Sons’ annual event, which focuses on the agency’s new brew, Wrath of Cannes Bitter Ale. While WWD&S has a recipe, label design and brewer in tow, the agency needs funds to bring its Bitter Ale to life, hence why it’s going the Kickstarter route. The Wrath 7 competition itself is explained in this brief, which asks participants to devise a social media campaign to drive folks to Kickstarter and ultimately donate.

Those who feel like competing can submit ideas directly at this Thursday’s event, which takes place at 200 Orchard from 7-11 PM. You can get further updates by following WoC7 here.

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Yeah, the time change didn’t work in our favor,  but yes kids, we are here and broadcasting as well as we can. After flight delays and getting our badge just in the nick of time last night before the Austin Convention Center shut down, we hit up the JWT party at Lustre Pearl. Following a brief encounter down the street with a very cordial Alex Jones, who was doing his usual ranting and raving fresh off a protest downtown, we ventured down Driskill and encountered the homely spot, Lustre Pearl, where JWT played host to the band, Walk Off the Earth (below). Gotye cover aside, we were not so enthused with the multi-instrumental act, which sounded like a jam-band version of Arcade Fire, if that’s possible.

Nevertheless, talking shit with industry heads and all the JWT top brass including Jeff Benjamin, Mauro Cavelletti and Perry Fair, the last of whom is promoting the agency’s pop-up shop, Walter, was fine enough. Besides, don’t tell me you wouldn’t dance like an idiot in a sea of fog to Tiffany’s “I Think We’re Alone Now” if you didn’t just retain a major client. We will be hitting up Draftfcb, Crowdtap and Barbarian events tonight and will promptly be in bed my midnight. But we’ll talk to you beforehand with some panel thoughts.

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