W+K, Sofia Coppola Craft Holiday Efforts for Gap

Sofia Coppola (The Virgin Suicides, Lost in Translation) is the latest marquee Hollywood director enlisted for Wieden+Kennedy’s “Dress Normal” campaign for Gap, following David Fincher‘s efforts in August and taking the reigns of four holiday  spots — a pair each for broadcast and online.

The ads spin the “Dress Normal” tagline by showing some abnormal (and often cringe-inducing) family holiday moments. But then what’s more normal than pondering the family you’ll never understand? Each spot ends with the message “You don’t have to get them to give them Gap” preceding the tagline. It’s an interesting approach, positioning Gap as a gift for those family members you have no idea what to give to, but it sits well with the “Dress Normal” tagline and Coppola and company do a good job of making it work in most of the ads.

In perhaps the most successful of the spots, “Gauntlet” a girl returns home to her large, boisterous, and often odd family. Perfectly set to the Johnny Cash song “I Got Stripes,” she makes her way through the house greeting her relatives with an awkward expression on her face that says a lot about the effort she’s putting in to deal with these people. It feels like a telling glance into the lives of a particular family, which is the approach taken throughout these efforts and, along with some great song selections, what makes them charming. The other broadcast spot, “Mistletoe,” documents a particularly cringe-worthy moment under the mistletoe at a holiday party. It’s almost hard to watch, but then that makes it fit the “You don’t have to get them to give them Gap” all the more.

In addition to the two online ads — “Crooner” and “Pinball” — the campaign is supported by print and OOH elements, as well as digital banner ads launching on Gap’s social media channels and GapGiftGuide.com on November 3rd. (more…)

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W+K NY Introduces the ‘Young Gun’ for Southern Comfort

W+K New York introduce a new character for Southern Comfort in the new, 60-second spot entitled “Young Gun.”

Apparently, the real name of the “Young Gun” is Stephen, “an accomplished bartending journeyman,” with a self-described “not neat” style. “If you can’t be comfortable with yourself, how can you expect to make anyone else comfortable?” is his very brand-appropriate motto for aspiring bartenders. None of this is evident in the spot, however, which keeps things simple.

“Young Gun” shows its titular character emerging from the back room to man the soda guns. He does so with extreme speed, albeit not great neatness, even managing to throw in some dance moves to the song “Love Me” by The Phantom while servicing a large group of drinkers. The approach is simple and straightforward, but it’s pulled off well and the results are entertaining. “We’ve cultivated a true appreciation for the brand by encouraging consumers to be exactly as they are, rather than pushing them to be something they are not,” Gwen Risdale, marketing manager for Southern Comfort UK, told Marketing Week. Stick around for credits after the jump. (more…)

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BBDO/NY, Wondros Tap Celebrity Chefs for (RED)

BBDO New York teamed up with production company Wondros for a new campaign supporting AIDS charity (RED).

The 30-second spot, directed by Christian Weber, features food celebrities such as Chef Mario Batali, Chef Wylie Dufresne, Food and Wine Magazine editor-in-chief Dana Cowin, Martha Stewart and Top Chef’s Padma Lakshmi demonstrating how much food you can buy for 40 cents. Then Batali returns holding two pills, and informs viewers that 40 cents per day buys HIV sufferers the pills they need to survive. The spot ends by directing viewers to visit www.red.org to find a list of restaurants bars and food trucks participating in the 10-day EAT  (RED) DRINK (RED) SAVE LIVES event.

“Christian and I were on board the second BBDO & RED called. Having a chance to help bring awareness, and ultimately funding to support those living with HIV, is an honor,” said Wondros’ executive producer, Gina Zapata.

Stick around for credits after the jump. continued…

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BBDO Releases New Olympics Visa Spot, ‘Night Swim’

BBDO has just released a new Olympics spot for Visa featuring U.S. Olympic Freeskier Torin Yater-Wallace.

The 45 second spot, “Nightswim,” follows Torin on one of his night runs through “an ocean of snow,” where “it’s only [him] and the mountain.” Torin explains that he skis at night because the days just aren’t long enough, and he can engage his passion in private at night, without the pressures and distractions he faces during the day. The spot closes with Morgan Freeman‘s narration that Visa has been “supporting Olympic athletes for over 25 years.”

Like a lot of the Olympic advertising we’ve been seeing, “Nightswim” is pretty straightforward, allowing the athlete involved and the idea of Olympic sponsorship to speak for itself. The most unusual thing about the spot would have to be the nighttime setting, which allows for some interesting visuals, but also some moments where it’s kind of hard to tell what’s going on. Credits after the jump.

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GoDaddy Finally Moves Away from Douchebag Ads with ‘TMI’

About a year ago, GoDaddy hired Deutsch New York as their creative agency, and the world wondered whether we’d see the end of the “GoDaddy Girls” gimmick, or even the beginning of a more nuanced campaign. Instead, during this year’s Super Bowl, GoDaddy offered us Bar Rafaeli (“sexy”) making out with a red-faced man named Walter (“smart”). Danica Patrick narrated and did her best not to look embarrassed. Our op-ed contributor at the time, WWD&S co-head Harry Woods, may have captured the most accurate reaction: “The whole ugly thing once again sent us reaching for a wing bone, nacho or beer bottle cap to dig our eyes out.”

Thankfully no eyeball gouging is necessary with GoDaddy’s latest spot. In it, a Ron Weasley-esque man is introduced to the GoDaddy team. His name and its closest iterations are already taken by his colleagues, so the team tosses around other possibilities. Anyone who’s thought about buying a domain name is familiar with this brainstorming process, and Deutsch did well personifying it. The whole thing is off-kilter and amusing, and finally we see Danica Patrick in racing gear, not heels. She’s still hot.

Here’s hoping GoDaddy continues the curve away from their signature blunt, sensationalist spots.

Credits after the jump. [Ed: Welcome back, Ella]

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