Hasta La Creative!

Deutsch LA is taking Mophie to the Super Bowl with an apocalyptic 60-second ad that is also the brand’s broadcast debut.

The spot, entitled “All Powerless” depicts all kinds of doomsday events, from gravity ceasing to function properly, to flying penguins, natural disasters and, for some reason, dogs walking their owners. Drawing in viewers with its visual imagination and mysterious premise, the ad finally brings everything together in its final seconds with the reveal that the preceding events were God’s cell phone losing power.

“All Powerless” was built around the insight that cellphone users feel powerless when their phone dies, which can have all kind of disastrous effects on their day. Deutsch LA places the dilemma on an epic scale by imagining what it would be like for a higher being.

“When your phone loses power, you lose power,” Pete Favat, chief creative officer, Deutsch LA, told Adweek.  “We’ve all had that feeling of vulnerability…For us, that might mean missing important meetings, getting lost while traveling or being unable to make that one important phone call. For the most powerful being in the universe, losing power truly means losing power.”

Favat went on to explain the strategy behind the fledgling brand’s costly broadcast debut, telling Adweek, “We’re trying to establish a new market with this ad. There’s 10 percent category awareness, 9 percent brand awareness for us. There’s no better opportunity than the Super Bowl to get attention for your brand.”

Mophie will support the broadcast spot with a promotional sweepstakes, giving away one million dollars worth of prizes should the game go into overtime (currently a 16:1 shot), and $10,000 in prizes if it does not.

Deutsch LA introduces Taco Bell to Destiny in a new ad promoting the chain’s PS4 Destiny bundle sweepstakes with its Quesarito Big Box.

In the spot, a small guy enjoying a Quesarito Big Box is thrown into the world of Destiny, where a commanding officer refers to him as “The Chosen One” and expect him to lead the vanguard. “I’m from New Jersey, I don’t know what he’s talking about,” the guy says after explaining (in a perhaps too obvious line) that he won bought a Quesarito Big Box and won a PS4. “The Chosen One” manages a blunder near the end of the spot that may make his leader second guess his notions that he’ll lead them to victory, leading into an explanation of the promotion, which runs until November 19th. The spot makes sure to mention that there’s “a winner about every 15 minutes,” a claim that may sound pretty convincing to young viewers with a hankering for some Taco Bell and PS4. (more…)

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Deutsch L.A. teamed up with production company Moxie Pictures for a new broadcast campaign promoting Taco Bell’s new breakfast menu, coming on the heels of the brand’s digital campaign from Digitas.

Directed by Errol Morris, with editing from Rock Paper Scissors, the spots collect a group of individuals all named Ronald McDonald to share their thoughts on the new Taco Bell breakfast items. The Ronald McDonalds saying they love Taco Bell approach is used across the three spots in the campaign, and necessitates a “These Ronald McDonalds are not affiliated with McDonald’s corporation and were individually selected as paid endorsers of Taco Bell Breakfast, but man, they sure did love it.” disclaimer. That’s pretty much the entire campaign, the Ronald McDonald idea, but it’s a clever one and doesn’t feel especially stretched over the course of the three 30-second spots. It probably doesn’t have all that much more life in it, though, so hopefully it’s just Deutsch’s launch idea. Stick around for the “Waffle Taco” spot and credits after the jump. continued…

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Unfortunately, we were at the airport yesterday morning awaiting the flight back home (sans laptop, still trying to stay off grid) when multiple tips poured in about Pete Favat leaving Arnold. Where to, we didn’t know at the time, but alas, the news broke as we were somewhere above the Midwest that the 14-year Arnold vet did indeed leave the Havas-owned agency to assume the CCO post at Deutsch L.A. Wading through the Favat-related tips this morning, we came across one which is basically Arnold global CEO Robert LePlae‘s memo to staff regarding the move and the appointment of Wade Devers and Pete Johnson as lead creative partners of Boston ops. It’s nothing shocking or anything you haven’t really read in the other trades, but if you want something verbatim from the inside, read on after the jump.

“All,

I am reaching out to let you know that after many years with Arnold, Pete Favat will be leaving the agency.

With a long held ambition to live on the west coast and new opportunities for his family, Pete has accepted a position in Los Angeles.  This is a desire that Pete has harbored for many years, and one he now has an opportunity to fulfill.

There is a plan prepared plan for this evolution.  Earlier this year we elevated Wade Devers to Executive Creative Director in Boston.  Wade is a brilliant craftsman, long-time leader at Arnold, and responsible for much of the best work that comes out of the agency.

Pete Johnson will partner with Wade as Executive Creative Directors.  He joined Arnold last year as one of the leading digital creative and content talents in the country.  It was a coupe for Arnold to get him, he’s delivered on all of our expectations, and we have a high degree of confidence in his talent, and ability to lead.

Wade and Pete Johnson bring a rich combination of conceptual ability, digital creative expertise, craftsmanship and design to the roles.  The increasing demands of creative leaders in recent years require this broad collective skill set, and we’re fortunate to have it readily in place.

I share this news with mixed emotions because of our genuine fondness for Pete Favat, and the many contributions he’s made. At the same time, there’s a talent evolution going on in our business, and we’re feeling quite good about the ability of our creative choices to drive this new direction for Arnold Boston.

Please join me in wishing Pete Favat the best in his new life, congratulating Wade and Pete Johnson in their new roles, and the great energy and success that can come with new leadership.

RLP”

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Conveniently timed for the 4th of July, Arnold Worldwide and New Balance have launched a campaign celebrating the latter’s commitment to the United States. In a four-video series titled, “Our U.S. Factory Workers vs. Their U.S. Factory Workers,” actual NB factory workers compete in a hot-dog eating contest, ping-point match, basketball game, and ice hockey challenge. The pitch is their home factory, and the catch is that they have no opponents.

According to the parties involved, while 25 percent of New Balance shoes are made or assembled in the U.S., their competitors represent an embarrassing goose egg: NB employs more than 1300 U.S. factory workers, while their competitors employ none.

One-fourth still isn’t a huge amount, but it’s clearly not an exaggeration to say NB wins the game when it comes to patriotism. That makes for a lot of pride, and a lonely hot dog eating contest.

Credits and other videos after the jump

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Considering game 7 is tonight, let’s just call this timely. This McDonald’s commercial from Arnold featuring Stephen A. Smith and LeBron James (sort of) isn’t exactly new, but it’s taken on some belated relevance following the headbandless fourth quarter performance from King James in last night’s NBA Finals Game 6. Once you get over the fact that Stephen A. is in a commercial, and the fact that the typical ESPN #embracedebate could be replaced in this case with #embracerecedinghairlines, you’ll see that the “greatest of all time” discussion usually reserved for LeBron vs. Michael Jordan discussions has been morphed, with good spirits, into a battle between chicken nuggets and hamburgers.

In a second local spot, Stephen A. apparently used the hashtag #headbandontootight in relation to LeBron’s fondness for fatty fried chicken and accidentally struck viral marketing gold for Arnold Worldwide. Nevermind that LeBron probably hasn’t had a chicken nugget in 8 years – when the timing is right, the timing is right.

Credits after the jump.

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Shots fired! According to this new car spot from Arnold Worldwide, Volvos are for real people, but Mercedes-Benzes are for snooty women of the 1% who preen at themselves in rearview mirrors. This is some good, clean class warfare, automobile-style, and luxury brands better watch out.

A few years ago, a Volvo was a boring car for people who needed affordable transportation. Now, the price hasn’t changed much, but the image has shifted slowly. It’s not that crazy to think that someone with enough money would pick a Volvo over a Benz. And the new spot tugs at the right cords of today’s economic realities to make the comparison seem not only feasible, but preferable. There are also a few campaign teasers on Facebook that flesh out the appeal of Volvo as “luxury for real people,” including: If your dog has a wardrobe, the Volvo s60 probably isn’t for you. Now they’re going after snobby women and people who dress up their dogs! More shots fired, Volvo. I’m in. Credits after the jump.

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From Arnold comes the latest TV spot for Progressive, “Rate Suckers,” helmed by director Ruben Fleischer (of  pretty great Zombieland and pretty terrible Gangster Squad fame). Depicting bad drivers as the soul-sucking, rate-hiking leeches they are, the ad also introduces Progressive’s new “Snapshot” technology.

“Snapshot,” a little device that sticks underneath your dashboard, ostensibly counts how many times a driver slams on the brakes, calculates the time of day and how many miles a car has driven. Then it rewards good drivers with Pez or something, but as the spot doesn’t say what the hell it is, none of this really matters now does it?

Noticeably absent from this spot is Flo, Progressive’s chipper apron-ed spokesperson. I know that we, the car insurance-purchasing consumers, were always supposed to really like Flo because everyone in Progressive’s ads sure did. However, the Flo-lessness of this spot reminds me that I kind of hate Flo, and I hope to never see her ever again. Credits after the jump.

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