St. Louis, Boston Agencies Throw Down in World Series Bet

They take their baseball pretty seriously in St. Louis and Boston, and that includes at each city’s respective ad agencies. The ad agencies for each team –Boston based CTP and St. Louis based HLK — have thrown down for the Beards vs. Birds challenge, which includes some unique betting terms that you can read below.

1. The losing team donates to the winning team’s charity. CTP would donate to Cardinals Care a “non-profit foundation providing assistance to children’s agencies through efforts such as building baseball fields and supporting youth baseball teams,” while HLK would donate to Red Sox Scholars, a program providing “mentoring, enrichment activities and college scholarships to 220 Boston Public School students.”

2. The losing agency’s CEO will intern for a day at the winning agency. 

3. The losing agency serves the winning agency dinner. If the Red Sox lose, CTP will bring Harpoon ale, Fenway franks and clam chowder to HLK. If the Cardinals lose, HLK will bring Budweiser, toasted ravioli and pork steaks to CTP.

4. The losing agency will turn over their website and social media sites to the winning agency the day of the victory parade. The winning agency will also get to re-write the email signatures of the losing agency. Plus the losing agency’s receptionist must answer the phone, “Congratulations to the World Series Champion (Boston/St. Louis), you have reached (HLK/CTP).”

5. The losing agency will rename their softball team in honor of the winning team.

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Houston Texans Will Turn into Giant Robot, Destroy You (Just Kidding! They’re Terrible!)

From production company The Famous Group comes the above pre-kickoff 3D opener meant to pump up the Houston Texans crowd and help them momentarily forget that they’re currently on a five-game losing streak. Bear in mind that they’re only seven games in right now. Yep.

Despite what the Transformers-esque Megabull would have you think, the Seattle Seahawks actually defeated the Texans during this Sept. 29th game by a score of 23-20. In case you missed it, Texans QB Matt Schaub called an audible late in the 4th quarter that demanded his offense lift him onto their shoulders to create a massive stack of football players somewhat resembling Megabull. The Seahawks defense countered by turning into a large bird of prey with the help of billionaire owner Paul Allen‘s record-breaking 50-yard wide hang glider.

As the Megabull tried in vain to jump-punch the Megahawk, the Megahawk swooped in circles around the Reliant Stadium rafters. After Megabull succumbed to fatigue, Megahawk snatched the football from the right horn of Megabull (also Schaub’s right arm), took it to the end zone, and ate it. As football fans know, this is the robot equivalent of a game-winning field goal, securing victory of the Seahawks. As Megahawk flew home to regurgitate pieces of the football for its young to feed on, the Houston crowed turned their ire  Matt Schaub, and the “Fuck Megabull” chant was heard far and wide throughout Texas that day. ‘Twas truly a harrowing moment for the game of football.

On top of this elaborate tale from the gridiron, The Famous Group would like to note that this video was created in cooperation with New Zealand animation shop, Flux Animation, and that this video was specially made for the debut of Reliant Stadium’s new 14,549 sq. foot Mitsubishi Diamond Vision screen, the world’s largest in-stadium HD video screen.

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Muh-Tay-Zik Hof-fer Lets Fans Take the Court Against Golden State Warriors

#WeAreWarriors, the latest social and broadcast Golden State Warriors campaign from MUH·TAY·ZIK HOF·FER, shows what would happen if NBA fans got to take the court with their favorite team’s NBA players. The sentiment is spot-on, especially considering how fans like to use the first-person plural when talking about their teams, even though these fans are not paid to play basketball for a living. The Warriors have always been progressive with their social media and fan interaction – including last year’s promotional Social Media Night – and this is another way for the organization to connect on and off the court with fans.

The 30-second spot titled “A Little Help” shows one average Joe getting posted up by Warriors 7-foot Australian behemoth Andrew Bogut. Unfortunately, because of the height difference, the fan’s face keeps bouncing against Bogut’s butt. But like most crazy sports fans, he probably liked it. And he probably bragged about it to his friends. And deep down, his friends were probably jealous. There will be three additional #WeAreWarriors spots in the future, all of which are focused on the team’s fans. Here’s to hoping they will also include Warriors guard Kent Bazemore (seen here as the other guy offering a hand to help up the fallen fan). Bazemore is the NBA’s best and most-celebrated benchwarmer. You can see why here. Yes, a fan created a compilation video of Bazemore’s bench celebrations. That’s wonderful.

The ad is directed by MTZHF co-founder/ECD John Matejczyk and written by its ACD/CW, Josh Bogdan. Credits and some behind-the-scenes footage after the jump.

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NBA on ESPN Crew Bunks Up for New RV Spot

Another day, another team-up between ESPN and W+K. “Inner Monologue,” the latest 30-second NBA on ESPN RV ad created by W+K New York, answers very important questions about the crew’s sleeping arrangements. Yes, some players and analysts do have to bunk up. Bulls All-Star center Joakim Noah has to sleep in the same bed as ESPN kingpin Bill Simmons, even though neither of them are happy with the situation. Noah, who stands 6’11″, probably has a better argument than Simmons, who is listed at an unconvincing 6’2″. Simmons, for all his Boston sports proclivities, is in bed with a Bull. He’s actually sleeping with the enemy. But wait…as with most of the RV spots, there’s a Jeff Van Gundy punchline. And as usual, it’s the best part of the clip. Not only is Van Gundy funny-looking, but if you’ve been following his RV escapades, whether getting stuck on the stunt double vehicle or trading glasses with Russell Westbrook, you know that JVG is also funny. And in a sports media world that is often lacking in self-deprecation and humor, the silly shtick from the NBA on ESPN panel is always nice to see. Credits after the jump.

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ESPN, W+K Go Back to Roots in Latest ‘This Is SportsCenter’ Installment

After taking a different direction with their last SportsCenter spot, W+K New York and ESPN have gone back to what has made the “This Is SportsCenter” series so popular, employing humorous situations in the network’s Bristol HQ.

The spot, “Double Double,” stars Minnesota Timberwolves star Kevin Love as the guy responsible for pushing the coffee cart that keeps the SportsCenter crew caffeinated (UCLA mascot Joe Bruin can also be seen in the spot). This is an important job, because, as anchor Scott Van Pelt says, the SportsCenter crew relies “pretty heavily on the coffee cart” to keep going throughout the day. Love’s specialty is making “the best double-double,” which is two double espressos. Host Stan Verrett swears by Kevin’s double-doubles. In fact, he’s a little too fond of them. He requests another double-double from Love while he still has his two espressos in-hand, but Kevin says “I think maybe you should slow down.” Verrett continues to hound Love for more espresso as the spot goes on, with Kevin responsibly telling him he should just get through his show. At some point Love must have given in, and the results on Stan Verrett‘s show are pretty funny, as well as startling to co-host Neil Everett.

It’s a return to form for W+K, who play to their strengths with “Double Double.” The strategy seen here has worked for the “This Is Sportscenter” series in the past, and “Double Double” is the best SportsCenter spot in recent memory, with a good setup and comedic payoff thanks to Love and Verrett’s delivery. Let’s hope agency and brand continue sticking with what works in the future. Credits after the jump. continued…

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LeBron James Drops a New, Nearly Hour-Long Training Video for Powerade

Naming your own training regiment LeBrontime might cause some people to shake their heads, but when the best basketball player in the world offers a window into his personal workout routines, it’s easy to overlook the title. As part of a new push for Powerade Zero Drops, this effort from W+K Portland is essentially the Coca-Cola brand’s response to rival Gatorade’s Chews. In an interesting twist, Gatorade happens to be endorsed by LeBron’s buddy/teammate, Dwyane Wade, and his chief rival, Kevin Durant. But, neither Wade nor Durant have made an effort to sell sugared water by revealing their workouts to the public. LeBron has, tilted-up headband and all.

On Powerade’s YouTube channel, you can watch the full 58-minute video as well as other clips that include teammates and trainers gushing about their guy and/or giving out useful tips. A writer at SportsGrid even decided to list every exercise and the number of reps in the video. They say, to beat the best, you have to train with the best. Now you can. Just don’t hurt yourself trying to relive glory days from high school. And make sure to slip some Gatorade into your backpack before you and LeBron train, because nobody really likes Powerade, right?

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Citroen, CMW ‘Escape the Ordinary’ with Magic, Soccer

Illustrating a campaign called “Escape the Ordinary” with a magician and soccer players from Arsenal makes sense thematically: Magicians do magic, and who could be less ordinary in Europe than soccer players from the English Premier League? Other than the British royal family, it’s hard to think of anyone else.

However, for CMW and Citroen, making a three-minute promo clip with cars and magic with extraordinary actors still resulted in a very ordinary spot. As you’ll see, the build-up drags, and the trick – which is more fake mind-reading than magic – isn’t very exciting. Pick a color, a card, and a year (and for whatever reason, the creatives decided to have the magician guess the incorrect year, maybe so viewers will believe it’s real?) To his credit, magician Drummond Money-Coutts brings enough energy and effort to make the clip watchable. The Arsenal players, Ramsey, pretty-boy Giroux, etc., are just show ponies who aren’t there to do much. Magic is supposed to wow, especially online clips that can be manipulated with editing, yet from the pledge, there was little chance that this wobbly trick would shock, awe, or bring out any sort of emotional response. But, with all the high-priced talent, the best trick may have been making an advertising budget disappear so quickly.

Some brief credits after the jump.

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Plenty of Screaming Ensues in New LeBron-Focused Sprite Spot

Translation, which was recently tapped by Coca-Cola to handle marketing for Sprite, has a new spot for the green-bottled lemon-lime soft drink.

Although Sprite has changed agencies and approaches several times in recent years, this ad hits on well-trodden ground for the brand: LeBron James, basketball, and mentioning the word “thirst.” This time around there’s a lot of screaming, though. We open with LeBron James superhumanly blocking a dunk attempt and screaming in celebration. Then we see a marching band drummer “marching to his own beat,” a dude posting a video of some biking tricks, a guy with a lion tattoo, and a woman getting a truly bizarre haircut. All of them scream. Somewhere a silently screaming mime gets thrown in. “If you’re gonna put in the work to show the world who you are, you’re going to get thirsty. Then: drink a Sprite.” proclaims the voiceover, before adding in the tagline “For The Thirsty.” Reasonable enough logic here: lots of screaming will make you thirsty.

Here’s the thing though: soft drinks are actually terrible at quenching thirst. Why would you make that a selling point for your brand? Isn’t that playing to your weakness? Yes, it is a beverage, but it’s a sugary one made to be enjoyed for its taste, not to quench thirst. I get that they’ve gone with athlete endorsements aplenty to sell their product, and I get that this strategy harkens way back to their “Obey Your Thirst” days. But who is really reaching for a Sprite after a workout? Especially with the vast array of flavored bottled water drinks now available. Is marketing towards a function your product doesn’t actually serve really going to help sell your brand? I’ve never understood this. Who knows though, since Sprite is constantly changing their approach, maybe this tactic will die out soon as well.

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Doner, Miguel Cabrera Take the Road Well-Traveled (to Greatness) for Chrysler

If there’s one thing that Detroit has going for it right now, it’s the Tigers. And if there’s one thing the Tigers always have going for them, it’s the super-dependable Miguel Cabrera, arguably the best hitter in baseball. So, if you’re a Detroit car company, just slap Miguel Cabrera in an ad and you’ve got a winner, right?

Doner (which will inevitably be mocked as “boner” in the comments section) has tapped Cabrera’s talents for their latest spot for Chrysler. Alternating between shots of Cabrera, aspiring young baseball players training, and the Chrysler Town & Country while talking about how there’s “one road to greatness” and there are “no shortcuts” whether “you’re trying to become the world’s greatest player or build the world’s greatest car” the spot pretty much sticks to a well-trodden formula. Ending with the irritatingly nonsensical “Imported From Detroit” tagline, and the better thought out #NoShortcuts hashtag, the spot certainly feels familiar.

There’s really nothing new about Doner’s approach, but as a baseball fan, the spot works for me. The background music sounds like it was taken from a “serious sports spot” stockpile somewhere and the “work hard to achieve greatness” message is certainly nothing new for Chrysler. But Miguel Cabrera isn’t just a great baseball player, he’s a seriously likable one, no matter what team you root for, with a truly photogenic swing. So despite the tired tropes of the spot, I can’t find it irritating (except for that tagline). The hometown appeal is obvious, but having people associate your product with Cabrera is a good thing, no matter where they’re from. But please Doner, work on a new tagline. Credits after the jump.

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Young Hockey Players Can ‘Storm the Centre’ with Social Media, Skill

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From the very Canadian, but not Canadien, news bureau: Red Tettemer O’Connell + Partners and Under Armour are launching a youth hockey contest tomorrow, October 12, called “Storm the Centre.” Two teams of skating youngsters will eventually win a chance to play at the Air Canada Centre, home of the Toronto Maple Leafs. I want to spell it center, but it’s for the kids, so I’ll keep it Canadian.

The contest consists of three stages – social media engagement, teamwork, and finally, hockey skills. These sort of pee-wee competitions happen all the time, but adding a social media component is a cool twist from RTO+P, especially in a hockey-crazed country, where presumably, families will claw for the chance to see their kids play on a pro rink. The details of the challenges haven’t been released yet, but you can check team eligibility and sign up here. To all the little Charlie Conways out there, have fun.

Credits after the jump.

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Silverman Productions Capitalizes on NFL Talent, ‘Dancing with the Stars’ in Powerball Campaign

When you’re selling a product that in all likelihood will provide people with absolutely nothing, appearances become even more important.

So the Multi-State Lottery Assocation tapped director Jay Silverman and Silverman Productions for a $30 million campaign for Powerball, featuring NFL Hall of Fame players Terry Bradshaw, Warren Moon, Joe Namath, Jerry Rice, and Barry Sanders. They were very pleased with the results. Chuck Strutt, executive director of the Multi_State Lottery Association says in a statement, “Jay and his team manage to pull out the true personalities behind these legends, capturing them for all to see, without any guesswork.”

The campaign capitalizes not just on the popularity of these all-time great NFL players, but also on Dancing with the Stars, via Jerry Rice’s inclusion. There’s also an “Ultimate Tailgate Party” promotion, which will allow Powerball players to win admittance to the Pro Football Hall of Fame Fan Festival at Cleveland’s I-X Center on May 3–4, 2014 and attend a special tailgate party the night before.

The Ultimate Tailgate Party is plugged in the spot “Anniversary Gift,” in which a woman suggests to her significant other that they get each other Powerball tickets for their anniversary. “You could hang out with some of the greatest football players ever,” she suggests as we flash to a scene of the man interacting with Barry Sanders and Joe Namath. “But what will you do?” he asks, as we flash to a scene of her dancing with Jerry Rice. The woman claims to just be thinking of him, with a knowing smile.

In another spot, “The Fun of Powerball,” we see the same couple trying to decide on “something exciting to do” in the grocery store. Jerry Rice pops up out of nowhere and suggests they play Powerball. “Is that Jerry Rice?” the woman asks, excited. “The Hall of Fame football player?” responds the man, to which the woman says, “No, the dancer.” It’s a little hokey, but a humorous examination of how a couple might see Jerry Rice a little differently after his turn on Dancing with the Stars. I’m sure there are plenty of people out there who only know Rice from his time on the popular show. Each spot concludes with Terry Bradshaw enticing viewers to play Powerball for their chance to win.

This campaign has an almost nostalgic kind of cheesiness to it. These spots feel like they could have been made anytime between the 90s and now, if only Dancing with the Stars had existed back then (I’m really grateful it didn’t, though). There’s something reassuring in that.

 

 

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This is the Cutest Football-Related Ad You’ll See All Year

The newly re-branded Philly-based Red Tettemer O’Connell + Partners (who recently expanded with an L.A. office) are behind this super adorbs spot for The Big Ten Network’s BTN2Go mobile platform. Who knew tiny mascots could be so cute? Who knew that I could squeal like a teenage girl upon seeing mini-Bucky Badger? Oh man, I have a lot of self-reflection to do, huh?

For those wondering how BTN2Go works, here’s a write-up:

This multi-platform mobile extension gives fans the ability to watch the network streamed live from wherever they are. Available on desktops, smartphones and tablets, the app is free for any cable subscriber with BTN in their line-up. More than just a live simulcast of games, the app is customizable to set fan’s team preferences, highlights and stats.

But who cares, right? It’s just too cute. Holy shit, so cute. It’s just inspired Kiran to tell me he wants a pet. Bfljeabf! Credits after the jump.

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Lionel Messi Reconfigures a City for Samsung in ‘The Developer’

Question: What would a contemporary soccer-related version of “Les Miserables” look like if we replaced all the singing actors with kids and threw in the craftiest living man in cleats? Answer: This tw0-minute Leo Burnett commercial promoting Samsung’s Galaxy Note 3 and accompanying smart watch. When Lionel Messi isn’t dominating the pitch or allegedly evading taxes, he’s also rebuilding cities as an urban developer! For the kids!

From a narrative perspective, this spot is about as corny as it gets – I think it will be very tough to top the new pair of Samsung ads that show the progression of pop-culture smart watches over the years and harp on some brilliantly revealed nostalgia. But “The Developer” is enjoyable on a micro level if you don’t think about it too hard, kind of like every James Cameron movie. Messi on his suit and tie. Kids singing a cute version of Lorde’s single “Royals.” There’s even a building demolition scene if you’re into that. And if you’re not, there’s always Messi, on his suit and tie, smiling, playing soccer with kids. Everybody loves that.  Credits after the jump.

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‘NBA2K14? Makes it ‘Reign’ in Lebron James-Starring Spot

In a follow-up to the earlier NBA 2K14 spot which heralded Lebron James‘s first game cover, Zambezi returns with the official launch ad for the game featuring who most believe is the best in b-ball today. Yours truly hasn’t been much of a gamer since Mortal Kombat and Street Fighter 2 were in existence, but hell, we’re down to revisit the days when we were on fire in NBA Jam. Along with the spot, Zambezi curated an interview with the one and only Michael Jordan dubbed “Uncensored” in what perhaps the greatest basketball player ever actually goes against the grain and dubs Kobe Bryant the only one he probably couldn’t beat in the NBA today. Well, he did emulate his style to perfection after all, so maybe MJ’s on to something. Credits and the Jordan interview after the jump.

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Gordon & Taylor Get CDW to Build Technologically Advanced Stadium, Forget to Hire Team

Ogilvy Chicago’s latest spot in their “People Who Get It” campaign for CDW features Charles Barkley, Doug Flutie, and a technologically advanced stadium without a team.

In the spot, Jim Gordon takes you on a tour of Gordon and Taylor stadium, a domed football stadium he touts as “the most technologically advanced stadium in the world,” thanks to CDW. Features include “3,000 screens, stadium-wide wi-fi, seamless POS systems and a cloud infrastructure solution.” The funniest moment of the spot comes right after this list of features. “Do I know what those are? Not exactly,” Gordon admits. “But they sound impressive.” This should hit home with a lot of people who fall a good deal short of IT expert, myself included.

Over the course of the spot it’s revealed that Gordon has the perfect stadium, a half-time show, cheerleaders, a mascot, Charles Barkley and Doug Flutie on board — basically everything he needs, except a team. He seems to get more and more panicked about this as the spot goes on. Looks like Flutie may have to QB himself. The spot is fun and lighthearted, although I wish Barkley had more lines as he has a good comic presence. I wouldn’t be too surprised to see a follow-up spot

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Opera, Hip Hop and Justin Tucker Collide in Latest Spot for Dr. Pepper

Justin Tucker is one impressive dude, even if his flow is kind of weak.

Code and Theory’s “/1 One of a Kind” campaign for Dr. Pepper spotlights real die-hard Dr. Pepper fans with unique talents. One of those fans happens to be Justin Tucker, the undrafted, rookie, free-agent who helped the Ravens clinch the 2012 Super Bowl and bring some much-needed positivity to Charm City.

What you probably didn’t know about Justin Tucker is that he’s an opera aficionado, and a pretty passable opera singer at that. (Says someone who knows next to nothing about opera.) In the spot he can be seen belting out Mozart’s Don Giovanni at Baltimore’s historic Hippodrome Theatre. He also kicks a really nice field goal into the upper level seats. According to the spot, he can sing opera in seven different languages. Pretty impressive stuff.

Tucker also experiments with making beats — although we don’t actually hear any in the spot — and freestyle raps about Dr. Pepper in his car. His flow is kind of weak sauce, but still probably among the best for NFL kickers. The spot begins to drag a bit toward the end when Tucker explains himself how being a “beat-making, opera-signing, pro athlete” makes him one of a kind. I get that the one of a kind thing is what the campaign is all about, we just didn’t need to hear it from Tucker himself.

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Basketball Is Everything: The Real Return of Derrick Rose

Hours after Derrick Rose tore his ACL, way back in April of 2012, the Nike designer who created the shoe of LeBron James tweeted out this:

Pooh is the nickname given to Rose by his grandmother. @sevenzro1 is the Twitter handle of Jason Petrie, a dummy. The insensitive remark viraled its way around the Internet and added another layer of brand machismo to the Nike v. Adidas debate.

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Major League Baseball Honors Mariano Rivera With Newspaper Ads

Mariano Rivera, the great New York Yankees closer, threw his final pitches at Yankee Stadium on Thursday night, and will wrap up his legendary 19-year career in Houston this weekend. Among the admirers bidding farewell is Major League Baseball itself, which placed the ad above in four newspapers on Thursay—the New York Post, the Daily News, Metro New York and USA Today. The copy is maybe a little underwhelming, but the image is one that New Yorkers will remember for a long time to come. Via Deadspin.


    

Seahawks Fans Get Louder, 49ers Fans Whine

While 49ers fans would prefer if the Seattle fanbase could keep the noise level down to polite golf claps and the occasional “Good job, sport,” Seahawks fans will continue to bring the noise.

After setting a world record for crowd noise Sunday night, and pissing off some 49ers fans in the process, Seahawks fans, aka the 12th man, are synonymous with the word “loud.” Hometown agency Wexley School For Girls and Pico Sound have embraced that identity with their new spot, entitled simply “Louder.” The :30 spot shows Seahawks fans raising the decibel level while 49ers QB Colin Kaepernick tries to call a play at the line of scrimmage, only to be forced to settle for a timeout due to the deafening noise. “Louder” concludes with the tagline “Bigger Faster Stronger Louder” and the hashtag #Louder. That hashtag should provoke enthusiastic responses from the Seahawks faithful, and its share of angry tweets from 49ers fans, who would prefer the hashtag #SettleDownPleaseIt’sGettingALittleTooNoisyAtThisFootballMatch.

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Michel Gondry Directs ‘Training Tracks’ for Gillette

To celebrate the end of NFL training camps and the start of the regular season, Gillette and BBDO NY released “Training Tracks” a music video using only the sounds of NFL players and other athletes training.

Who could pull of such an unusual, even avant-garde concept? Probably only Academy Award-winning director Michel Gondry. So that’s who they got. Gondry directs the spot, based on a track conceived by Phil Mossman of LCD Soundsystem fame. The “music experiment” was produced at the acclaimed Ocean Way Studios in Hollywood.

“Training Tracks” features NFL stars Champ Bailey, Kayvon Webster, BenJarvus Green-Ellis and Giovani Berard, as well as former Notre Dame offensive guard Mike Golic, Jr., all of whom participated in Gillette’s  “Built for Training” program this summer. You may not recognize all the athletes as they come into and out of focus, but the sounds they make work surprisingly well. The spot is also expertly shot (obviously) and a much-welcome departure from Gillette’s normal blase approach to advertising (or worse yet, that terrible Adrien Brody/Andre 3000/Gael García Bernal campaign). Let’s hope they continue putting out more interesting and unique (an overused word in the ad world for sure, but one that definitely applies here) work like this spot with new agency Grey in the future. continued…

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