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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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…
Ogilvy and Mather NY’s latest spot for Time Warner Cable Sportscast, “Crazy,” directed by David Gray, asks if it’s crazy to love football so much that you do things that might be a little…unusual.
The simple :33 spot highlights a series of super-fan behaviors as a humorous way to advertise how missing a game is what would really make you crazy. The spot may have been more effective if they had went a little further out there with the “crazy” fan behaviors though, as most of them are pretty tame. The touchdown dance one, in particular, could have been replaced with something a little “crazier.” A lot of people don’t know how to dance.
Wearing the same outfit every game day? Setting up your daughter’s Brownie troop in shotgun formation? Growing a lucky beard?
In America, we use football to sell beer. In the UK, they use football (which we call soccer).
This summer Budweiser UK, an official Premier League sponsor, launched an initiative, backed by The League Managers Association, called ‘Budweiser Coach the Coaches.’ The initiative features leading professional managers spending the summer holding training sessions with non-league football clubs across England with the aim of helping non-league coaches enhance their training techniques and strategy, leading to a confidence boost heading into the season,
UK agency Octagon, prodco Spicer and Moore and Budweiser assembled footage from the campaign to share their results. At the beginning of the video, I’m informed I should be 18 years or older to watch it. This left me waiting for a boob to pop out, some gritty injury, or at least some good old-fashioned British cursing, but I was left thoroughly disappointed. Instead, Stuart Pearce talks tactics and strategy, without so much as a “bloody hell” or a “wanker.” Presumably, it’s the association with an alcoholic beverage that prompts the warning, which is quite different from here in the states, where we serve up hyper-sexualized beer ads with SportsCenter every morning. It’s interesting to note the similarities (sports!) and differences (lack of overt sexuality) in Budweiser’s UK strategy, which seems to appeal to the serious side of a game many take very, very seriously.
McDonald's and Burrell Communications update a classic Super Bowl spot from 1993, pitting Joe Flacco of the Baltimore Ravens and Colin Kaepernick of the San Francisco 49ers, the opposing quarterbacks from the big game in February, against each other in a contest for the chain's Mighty Wings. Their competition features improbable passes through distant goalposts. First one to miss watches the winner eat.
The original commercial starred Larry Bird and Michael Jordan playing a game of Horse for a Big Mac. Their increasingly crazy contest took them from a basketball arena to the top of Chicago's Sears Tower as Jordan called a fantastical shot: "Off the expressway, over the river, off the billboard, through the window, off the wall …"
That tale was self-contained, and fittingly, there was no winner, giving the impression that the two titans would battle for all eternity, ultimately bouncing balls off the moon and stars in their quest for a burger. (Luckily, McDonald's food would still be in decent condition no matter how long they played.) The reboot has two parts. The first 30-second installment (posted below) breaks on TV tonight and ends on a cliffhanger, as a power failure throws the quarterbacks into darkness—"Oh man, not again!"—and someone apparently tries to make off with their box of wings. Who could it be? Jordan and/or Bird? Tim Tebow? Miley Cyrus? (OK, we know it's not Tebow.) The revelation comes in Part 2, set to air Oct. 6.
Marlena Peleo-Lazar, chief creative officer at McDonald's USA, calls the remake "a fresh take on an idea our customers have loved, but in a sport they haven't seen us do it with." That's all well and good, and the effort is certainly getting buzz. Still, a remake with stars from a different sport was hardly necessary. And regardless of the big reveal, and even with original director Joe Pytka behind the camera, it was doomed to pale by comparison with the original commercial.
Don't get me wrong. The new ad is well-made and amusing … but Bird and Jordan, in this context, cannot be replaced. They were more than great athletes. They were transcendent figures who helped define the popular culture of their generation. Flacco and Kaepernick are gifted on-field performers, and seem like nice enough guys, but they lack the stature and quite frankly, the charisma of their predecessors. The 1993 spot felt right because you really could picture Larry and Michael playing a little one-on-one for their personal edification, sans cameras, ribbing each other for each missed shot. Flacco and Kaepernick, well, I guess they'd have a throwing contest if McDonald's paid them lots of money to do it in a commercial.
Plus, the blackout, echoing the one that stopped Super Bowl XLVII for 30 minutes, and the "To be continued" aspect feel like cutesy gimmicks added to compensate for the new spot's inability to match up to its inspiration.
If Bird and Jordan don't make an encore appearance in Part 2, it would be disappointing, because that's what the setup demands. If they do, it could seem pat and predictable. The original was nothing but net. So far, the remake feels like an incomplete pass.
ESPN and ESPN Deportes will kick off Hispanic Heritage Month — which is not actually a calendar month, but a month-long period from September 15 through October 15 — with a 60-minute primetime special celebrating the most renowned Hispanic athletes airing on both networks Monday, September 17 at 8 p.m.
The top 10 countdown is sponsored by Jack Daniel’s and Gillette and will include such legends as Roberto Clemente, Lionel Messi, Oscar de la Hoya, and the soon-to-be-retired Mariano Rivera. Athletes were ranked from an initial list of 50 athletes by a panel of journalists, entertainers, athletes and Hispanic community leaders. One Nación was produced in front of a live live audience in Los Angeles. The bilingual show will be hosted by ESPN Deportes’ Adriana Monsalve and SportsCenter anchor Max Bretos and features special guests unveiling the countdown.
In the social sphere, Gillette is sponsoring a live Twitter fan vote encouraging fans to choose between the number one and number two athletes while discussing the countdown, while Jack Daniel’s will sponsor a recap of the top ten during the show as the top athletes are revealed. Both brands will also be integrated through different live events and programs scheduled for the rest of Hispanic Heritage Month, including vignettes featuring Hispanic athletes such as Carmelo Anthony, Sergio Romo, Victor Cruz, and Omar Gonzalez.
Fresh from his U.S. Open triumph, Rafael Nadal comes on like the candy man in ESPN's latest tongue-in-cheek SportsCenter spot from Wieden + Kennedy in New York. Network personalities John Anderson and Bram Weinstein just can't figure out why Rafa is such a chick magnet around the ESPN offices. Could it be his tan? His dimples? Keep your shirts on, gentlemen, because the answer comes at the end, when we learn that it's the sweet, sweet stuff in Nadal's big, shiny cup that keeps them coming back for more. Roger Federer's commercial performances, even when he's pimping Lindt chocolates, are never as tasty.
Running-shoe brand Pearl Izumi recently learned, as we all must, that "Run until you kill your dog" isn't a message the public is ready to accept. This print ad, which is part of a campaign that includes a video, has been the target of much consumer umbrage since it appeared in Canadian Running magazine, and rightfully so. Images like that alienate people, and worse, they might prompt Sarah McLachlan to lecture us about giving to the ASPCA. Pearl Izumi has apologized at length, saying the ad "overstepped the bounds of good taste. A lot." The company also made a $10,000 donation to the Boulder Valley Humane Society.
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