Hasta La Creative!

McCann Worldgroup Milan created “Fair Play Machines” for Coca-Cola, bringing together rival fans at the San Siro Stadium in Milan.

Internazionale di Milano and A.C. Milan have a fierce rivalry dating back decades, which often leaves neighbors, friends, and even family enemies when the two teams meet. So, as part of Coca-Cola’s ongoing “#ShareTheGood” campaign, in the moments leading up to kickoff at an important Internazionale di Milano versus A.C. Milan match at a very divided San Siro Stadium in Milan, McCann Worldgroup installed two vending machines in the stadium, one on each side of arena. The catch: fans couldn’t get a Coke for themselves, only for fans of the rival team. Pressing a button on one of the machines, connected to the other via video and audio, sent a Coke down a chute and delivered it to a rival fan. In under an hour, both machines were emptied, bringing rival fans closer together and supporting fair play.

“Coca-Cola reminds us that even in the face of seeming differences, happiness can be found through simple moments of human connection,” explains Claudia Navarro, director, integrated marketing communications, central & southern Europe. Check out the video above to see the campaign in action, and stick around for credits after the jump. continued…

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With Mother’s Day around the corner, the folks at Cadillac have unveiled this timely effort that might just warm your cockles and put your old flowers-and-card gift for moms to shame in the process. The automaker, armed with director Spike Lee and his SpikeDDB unit, Lawson Clarke (aka @Malecopywriter) and art director Khari Streeter (from Hill Holliday and Rogue, respectively) as well as Grenadier’s Mark St. Amant, have turned the spotlight on Teddy Bridgewater, University of Louisville QB who’s now a top NFL draft prospect. You see, folks, as a wee lad–when he was nine-years-old, to be exact–Bridgewater made a promise to his mom that one day, he would buy her a pink Cadillac (and yes, the Springsteen tune is rolling along in our heads). Well, as you can see in the 7-minute Lee-directed doc above called  “A #Promise2Rose” (ideal for lunchtime viewing), consider mission accomplished.

According to ABC News, the pink Cadillac has even more significant meaning than just a promise from son to mother fulfilled, though, as  Bridgewater’s mother also raised her son while battling, and eventually beating, breast cancer. Yes, folks, it is getting hella dusty in here.

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Papa John’s is releasing a new ad promoting their Sweet Chili Chicken Pizza today starring Indiana Pacers all star Paul George alongside Papa John’s founder, chairman and CEO, John Schnatter. While John’s named Grey its national agency of record back in February, this spot comes to us via ZGroup, an arm of Zimmerman Advertising.

The cheesy spot features typically terrible acting from Schnatter, who trades lines with George. “Here’s how I make my dough,” George retorts, before the spot cuts to footage of him dunking. “Sweet,” says Papa John, “like my new Sweet Chili Chicken Pizza,” in some of the most transparent copy we’ve seen in awhile. In a surprise move, George then dunks his slice in one of Papa John’s artery-clogging dipping sauces. The spot is the latest in Papa John’s line of sports-themed advertising that in the past has included the likes of Peyton Manning and Joe Montana. It’s a shame they couldn’t go a less obvious route with the Pacers star, but the Papa clearly likes to play it safe. The new ad will run nationally on cable entertainment and sports channels, as well as syndicated shows, until May 11th.

“Papa John’s is about fresh new tastes, which is why we love our partnership with Paul George,” said Schnatter in a painfully rehearsed statement. “Paul brings a fresh approach to basketball as one of the game’s new stars, which works perfectly with Papa John’s because new and fresh is the message we’re delivering with our partnership and with our new Sweet Chili Chicken Pizza.”

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You've probably never wondered whether Ken Block is better at playing soccer in a car than Neymar is at playing soccer not in a car.

Yet, in the run-up to the World Cup in June, Castrol presents Footkhana—a mashup of football (aka, soccer) and gymkhana (aka, course-based stunt driving). In other words, you get to watch the racing star spin donuts around the soccer player while the soccer player juggles the ball. Then you get to see how the two compete against each other in a shootout.

It does feel a bit like it's just riding the coattails of DC Shoes' wild success with the first five Ken Block Gymkhana videos (three of which are among the 20 most-shared ads ever posted online) and a sixth one promoting video game franchise Need for Speed). The soccer tie-in adds enough of a twist, though, to keep it from getting stale. And beyond the obvious excess of motor-revving noises, a couple of unexpected moments make up for the length.

Now all we need is Curlkhana. Ken Block vs. the Canadian curling team.

Zurich Insurance is launching “Gator Golf,” an online video tutorial series, created by McCann Worldgroup, instructing golfers on how to deal with playing in close proximity to alligators.

The series was created to build buzz around the upcoming PGA Tour, Zurich Classic of New Orleans, where an alligator famously wandered onto the course during last year’s games. While not everyone finds alligators on the golf course a laughing matter, the series is tied to the larger “For Those Who Truly Love” brand platform, the idea being that those who truly love golf won’t let an alligator on the course stand in their way.  The “Gator Golf” series features “golfing and alligator expert” Jim Shanks offering up absurd solutions to gator-filled golf course problems. In the above video, for example, he recommends turning around and driving left-handed so that the gator behind you is “out of sight, out of mind,” while adding that if you’re attacked you should follow course etiquette and “die quietly.”

Gator Golf” is the social component of a larger integrated campaign including TV, print, online advertising and a microsite, and will appear on YouTube and on saud microsite in the lead up to the tournament, which takes place April 24 – 27.

Of course, when we read “Gator Golf,” we can’t help but think of this…

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Just in time for the playoffs, Sid Lee has launched a new spot for the Toronto Raptors which the Starks could totally get behind (there’s even a wolf). The new spot stokes fans’ anticipation of the upcoming games and northern pride with the tagline, “#WeTheNorth.”

The 60-second, Stark-approved spot starts with the line “We the north: In many ways we’re in a league of our own; one step removed; just beyond the boundaries…” and uses the Raptors’ distance from other NBA teams as a point of pride, a rallying call. “If that makes us outsiders, we’re in,” concludes the voiceover before a “Let’s go Raptors” chant emerges from the background. “#WeTheNorth,” which just launched yesterday, is part of a larger rebranding effort for the Raptors. If fans weren’t already excited for the Raptors’ bid in the NBA playoffs (starting tomorrow, against the Nets), the well-produced spot, which mixes game footage with stylized shots of a snowy Canada, should do its part to psyche them up. Credits after the jump.  continued…

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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…

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Adidas would like to introduce you to the official 2014 World Cup stalker ball.

The brand, with help from TBWA, has put six cameras inside a very special version of its official game ball for the tournament, and will send it on tour to places like London, Munich and Madrid, filming ball's-eye footage of soccer scenes and releasing video episodes in the run-up to this summer's games in Brazil.

This way, you can appreciate what it feels like to look at star players like Xavi Hernandez and Bastian Schweinsteiger in the face, and then watch them wind up to kick you in yours.

Lest you escape unscathed, the campaign comes with a pun—the camera-ridden ball is a "brazucam," a play on the official ball's name, "brazuca" (a word that refers to both Brazilian national pride and Brazilian expatriates).

You can follow @brazuca for updates, because it's always fun to give inanimate objects social media profiles.

Nick Kroll really wants to play in the NHL—so badly, he'll steal the Stanley Cup and hold it hostage.

At least, that's the premise of this long-form ad for NBC Sports' coverage of the hockey league as the playoffs approach. Kroll and his henchmen get up to predictably idiotic but entertaining antics. That includes, naturally, eating out of the trophy—first salad and then fondue. Kudos to them for keeping the meal balanced.

The ad was created by the Brooklyn Brothers, which is carving out a specialty of pairing comedians with sports leagues—it also turned Jason Sudeikis into a soccer coach for the Premier League on NBC last year. The network also airs NHL games, and reportedly recommended the agency for the hockey work.

NBC's own talent also makes cameos in the ad, including Jim Cramer—the perfect choice for a spot that shouldn't be taken seriously.

Maxus Partnerships has teamed up with Factory Media and their creative agency Prime & Fire for “Original Freedom,” a new campaign targeting extreme sports fans for Jeep Wrangler.

The campaign launches today with a road trip and mountain biking video (featured above), hosted on Factory Media’s digital action sports network MPORA. In addition to mountain biking, the campaign will also focus on snowboarding and surfing, “utilising major sporting athletes from these fields, including seasoned mountain bikers James Hughes and James McKnight.” Two more video edits will be released over the course of the campaign, which runs until the end of the year, via MPORA’s specialist sports brand social platforms. The campaign also includes three competitions to be hosted on the Jeep Wrangler website, giving visitors the chance to win snowboarding, surfing, and mountain biking equipment.

“Our target audience is made up of young adventure-seekers who are looking for a vehicle that can tackle tough terrain,” explained Damien Dally, head of brand at Jeep Wrangler, Fiat Group. “Maxus Partnerships offered a different, integrated solution for communicating the freedom of adventure message of the Wrangler. The agency has also added value by helping the brand move into territories which create great content that communicates to a younger audience and which can be pulled through-the-line.”

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