Hasta La Creative!

Ever run to the store or to get takeout and think “ah what’s the big deal, I’ll just park in the so-called handicapped spot. Not like there’s anyone around.” They may not be around at the moment, but this spot for the Colorado Advisory Council for Persons With Disabilities reminds you that the parking spots are there for a reason.

Bacon you can’t eat is bacon you don’t need. Fair enough. Nice song choice. So melodramatic for bacon. I’ll bet this mall smells amazing.

Samsung and 72andsunny created this beautiful homage to surfing, in partnership with the World Surf League. We start in a dark rainy place, as the voice over rambles off their thank-you’s in a manifesto, thanking the friends, sponsors, groupies, the surf fascists, the bad boards, the almost boards and so on. The gorgeous imagery takes us through storms, though waves, into the circle of a paddle-out for an old friend. You’ll feel your fingers wrinkle by the end of the 90-seconds. Eliot Rausch perfectly captures so many things about surfing we’re all familiar with, from crashing waves to painful wounds, to beaches full of fans. Surfers are different. Surfing is almost like a religion, but while you may know your surfing friends, surfing is also a really solitaire affair – something this spot shows the opposite of. The tag “We are greater than I” stresses the group over the individual again, which may rub some surfers the wrong way.

Sure wish there was a salt-water proof Samsung to go with this ad.

In addition to rebranding its packaging, Lean Cuisine is also getting personal by introducing us to the women who eat it. In this case, RN Elizabeth Ryan who rides a motorcycle to work and delivers babies on the night shift. I like the fact they aren’t selling this as a usual diet food.

Air BnB aired this version of their “mankind” ad during the ESPYs, where Caitlyn Jenner received the bravery award. Caitlyn’s acceptance speech included the line: “Choosing this outfit, the right shoes – ladies I finally understand”, which sounded incredibly shallow to me. In womanhood there’s no cramps, no pain, no giving birth to a live human being which then feels like your vulnerable heart is running outside of your body, no feeling weak or strong – there’s just choosing outfits. Ignoring that, the idea of this Air BnB is a lofty dreamy thought of simply trying on someone elses life, walling a mile in their moccasins by sleeping in their beds and perhaps seeing their dreams. It feels like a softer, gentler manifesto ad that TBWAChiatDay are so known for doing, and the baby trundle toward the windowed door is perfection. Ending the ad with mankind, womankind, transkind, humankind as they seek to align Air BnB with humane stories and project the idea that someone letting you stay in their home while charging you money for it is a generous thing to do, not a business transaction. The ad hits the perfect tone for this, and Air BnB CMO Jonathan Mildenhall knows the risk running the “transkind” bit. “I am prepared for my inbox to be flooded with haters who are challenging the position of inclusion… It’s not going to be accepted by everyone.” The tailored spot with Angela Basset voice-over only ran once, during the ESPYs. Air BnB and Mildenhall were going to run another ad about racial harmony, but found the perfect opportunity in Jenners ESPY win to show their LGBT support. “I just wish there were more brands out there who were doing active work and pushing people.” Jonathan Mildenhall said to AdAge “If you lean into groups of people who are being ignored by marketers, the halo effect on your brand can be phenomenal.” If it pays off, the brand halo can last for years, but this is not without risk. Mildenhall added “Take Coke’s “Hilltop” ad for example” Mildenhall said, claiming his mother was “shocked” by the racially diverse perfectly hippie trendy advert.

“Every 53 minutes in America, someone is killed in a drunk driving crash. That equates to 27 people every day. ” Your initial reaction to this ad may be well, that escalated quickly as Albuquerque ad agency RK Venture and visual effects artist Sean Broughton go all out for this hard-hitting public awareness campaign for the New Mexico Department of Transportation.

“We wanted the ‘What’s The Worst That Can Happen?’ campaign to reflect the reality of just how deadly impaired and distracted driving is,” said RK Venture’s executive creative director Richard Kuhn. “We’ve worked with Sean Broughton on several award-winning projects, and knew that his expertise with visual effects, not to mention that fact that he has collaborated with Stanley Kubrick, Spike Lee and other renowned filmmakers, would result in spots that would startle with their realism, and thus, instigate behavioral changes among drivers. We, and more importantly our client, couldn’t be more pleased with what Sean delivered.”

“What’s the worst that can happen?”, “Buckle up” and Don’t Text are are available on ENDWI New Mexico youtube page.

This post is sponsored Endwi.

Launched via a press conference with New Mexico Governor Susana Martinez, the campaign is running statewide in English and Spanish through September, as part of the state’s 100 Days and Nights of Summer enforcement program.

Noam Murro’s short film for the 25th anniversary of Saatchi’s New Director Showcase at this year’s Cannes Lions.

As fast-paced and playful as Nike Tag from long ago, this ad shows a young man who is expected to be “the one guy short” in practically every team and every sport, ever. Famous athletes like Mike Trout, Garrett Richards, Misty May-Treanor, Miles and Lyle Thompson playing lacrosse, Mia Hamm, Andrew Luck, and Anthony Davis are all “one guy short” on their team, and the kid who responds to “hey kid” is more than willing to change gear and jump right in to pickup the slack. From basketball to running a 10K, from baseball to … Sumo wrestling? No, Nike does not sponsor any sumo wrestlers, instead he’ll play beach volleyball, lacrosse, soccer and even rugby. That could get hairy for a scrawny kid so he wisely runs away and ends up right back where he started – but now his old basketball buddy is Anthony Davis.

The soundtrack “Surfin’ Bird” by the American surf rock band The Trashmen from 1963 carries the quick cuts and repeated changing into new Nike gear very well, it’s infectious and fun. However, the song has been used as a running joke on Family Guy, so to the ears of the target market it may sound more like a joke than cool, which is slightly off-Nike tone of voice. Usually Nike has the perfect song for every ad, and more contemporary than old-school. Nike wants this ad to carry a social media effort with it, #TakeonTJ where “TJ” is that guy in any sport you want to beat.

I’m usually not a fan of self-referential advertising, but this one hits the mark. The campaign itself, commercial actors wanting to start their own Commercial Actor Fantasy League, is silly enough. But I’ve known many an actor who wanted to know their motivation. I once worked on a lottery account where the client was the same way. He’d love to say “What’s this guy’s story?” Um, IDK, the guy just one a million dollars and he’s happy? What else do you need to know?

Funny as it is to us in advertising, I do wonder how many civilians* actually think it’s funny.

*civilians = someone who isn’t in advertising.

ESPN Fantasy Football mocks bread and butter ads and conjures up a world where commercial actors want to start their own Fantasy Football leagues before any other actor does so they can be commissioner.