Let’s Vicariously Enjoy One Lad’s Wild Night in the City Courtesy of Heineken, W+K

W+K Amsterdam is back with yet another sprawling, upbeat, frenetic spot for Heineken, which is part of the brew brand’s global campaign highlighting a man living it up in his cityscape. The latest spot, aptly dubbed “The City,” features a little Elvis swing as our hero goes on the hunt for a mysterious gal with the help of a host of lost business cards. Along the way, he experiences everything that makes his city so vibrant. The look, sound and feel is basically the template of what we’ve come to expect from Heineken ads in recent years, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Regarding the campaign concept, which revolves around encouraging men to explore their cities, Heineken global senior brand director Gianluca Di Tondo tells Marketing“Men of the world want to make the most out of their time in the city, because they know life only gives them one shot. So they really live their city by seeking out new experiences and adventures and they have an underlying fear of missing out on the best ones.” At the very least, it makes our desk job writing about such experiences rather lame. Credits after the jump.

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Kobe Bryant, Lionel Richie (!?) Star in New Nike/Foot Locker Spot from W+K

W+K’s trademark nonsensical humor is on full display in their latest, the new spot “Made by Kobe” promoting Kobe Bryant‘s Kobe 9 Collection for Nike, which launched on March 6th.

The spot imagines what it would be like if Kobe Bryant designed a piano: “It will turn piano boys into piano men. It will make Lionel Richie‘s tears cry tears.” Lionel Richie actually appears in the spot, tear slowly rolling down his cheek while he plays the piano, adding to the humorous tone. After talking up the hypothetical Kobe Piano, which looks pretty badass, the narrator introduces the “Made by Kobe*” Kobe 9 Collection. Although the product reveal comes 50 seconds into the 75 second spot, the sidelined Lakers star can be seen wearing his new line throughout the commercial.

The spot is exactly what we’ve come to expect from W+K, calling to mind some of their well-known past hits, like their famous work for Old Spice. The formula may be starting to show signs of age, but W+K still has a big leg up on the countless competitors attempting to imitate this kind of work. “Made by Kobe” will run until March 27th. Now if they’d only release that piano for real. Stick around for credits after the jump.

*Kobe is the name of a 12-year-old Chinese boy who works around the clock to handcraft the Kobe 9 Collection for 2 cents an hour. continued…

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M+M’s Create Faux Mini-Movie to Discourage Cell Phone Use in Actual Movies

People who use cell phones in movie theaters are annoying. So annoying, in fact, that some other people argue that cell phone use in movie theaters should literally be punished by death, though that may be a bit extreme according to law enforcement and those that cherish human life.

For some reason, otherwise rational human beings have a tendency to abandon logic upon entering movie theaters. Perhaps it’s the cover of darkness that detaches individuals from their transgressions, as otherwise measured requests like “Hey, will you shut the fuck up?” are routinely answered with, “Why don’t you come over here and make me, fuckface?” Then children cry and Cars 2 is ruined for everyone, which wouldn’t have been such a big deal had we not spent $30 on concessions. (That’s where they get you.) Thus, our nation’s fine cinema chains are forced to accept the fact that humans loses empathy for one another once the previews start. That’s where America’s favorite anthropomorphic M+M’s come in.

Not only is this mini-movie from BBDO NY groundbreaking because it’s “the first time all six beloved M&M’S spokescandies have been featured together in one spot,” but it actually features accompanying fake movie posters (see after jump) plastered around theaters that will surely disappoint your children when you have to explain to them that it’s only an ad. (“But you said you wanted to see Cars 2! What the fuck!”) Credits after the jump.

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Mother, Acer Introduce Us to Vernon, Assistant to the ‘World’s #1 DJ’

After showing us Kiefer Sutherland/Jack Bauer’s, er, softer side and making a case for Megan Fox as a marine biologist, Mother London and Acer have teamed up again for another fairly amusing web film to promote one of the computer brand’s Ultrabooks. This latest collaboration stars the globe-trotting Dutch progressive house DJ/producer now simply known as Tiesto and his hapless assistant, Vernon, who perhaps resembles a hybrid of Jonah Hill and Seth Rogen.

One would think that Tiesto, who probably earns at least six figures a gig in a million exotic destinations and has been lathered up by the likes of DJ Magazine and Rolling Stone as the “world’s #1 DJ” over the years, would hire someone a bit less befuddled than Vernon to run his affairs. But, as you can see, being adept at using an Acer Aspire P3 Ultrabook can turn even the most awkward of characters into a model-luring, scene-stealing star. We can all dare to dream. Credits after the jump.

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Virgin Mobile Wants to Colorfully Brainwash Customers

What about the trucker who just had to sit there while a waitress poured fake coffee into an overflowing mug? Or the egg on top of a diner table? The guy swimming with sharks? The wind-up brain toy? The geeky guy playing with a giant ball of yarn? Aloe vera tissues? Yes, all of these things are in the same “Retrain Your Brain” Virgin Mobile commercial, created by Mother NY. The spot is certainly unique, but that doesn’t mean it will get customers to switch from other carriers to Virgin Mobile.

“Retrain Your Brain” was birthed out of focus group findings that suggested customers wouldn’t switch mobile companies even if they were specifically told how much money they could save. So, Mother and Virgin Mobile decided to go with Brazilian triplets, Colonel Meow, and The Flaming Lips frontman Wayne Coyne.

Could it be that most customers just aren’t suited for short-term pay-as-you-go phone plans? (Shh, don’t tell Virgin Mobile). Regardless, the spot looks like a surrealist drug sequence from a bad student film. If you’re going to include Brazilian triplets, you might as well use them. Credits after the jump.

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