Chevron "Anthem" (2016) :30 (USA)

Nothing’s gonna stop the tractors and semi pullers and miners and loggers and excavators from working, because they’ve got Chevron Delo in their engines. It’s a very rugged spot and shot to emphasize the unforgiving terrain these guys have to navigate. It’s a fun twist on the Postman’s creed as well. Starting off as normal with neither rain nor snow..and then listing off their equipment. Championing the worker. I love it.

Chevron "Creed" (2016) :30 (USA)

This spot features Lisa Kelly, from History Network’s Ice Road Truckers reciting the Postman’s Creed and then amping it up further to include the failed missions of other truckers, to acts of god and more to make the point that no frontier is too foreboding enough to prevent her from hauling that big ass truck to her destination. All thanks to Chevron’s Delo in her engine. The tagline “Let’s Go Further” reminds me too much of Toyota’s “Let’s Go Places,” though. Seems like this is the go-to idea of most vehicle-related brands these days. I’d love to see a brand come out with a line that is a bit more surprising in the future.

Powerade "The power of blue blood" (2016) 1:00 (USA)

Meet the new blue bloods. Giving it their all, especially in Rio during the Olympics. Not settling for anything less than victory just like the knights from days of yore. Visually it’s quite the metaphor. And a nice way to put athletes on the same pedestal thanks to the blue liquid. Shame they decided to spoil a good moment with an awkward product explanation. You had me until electrolytes. I guess I should spare some wrath since they didn’t use the word “hydration.” BY the way, sports drinks, no one says hydrate except brand team members and maybe sports coaches. The rest of us are still using the word “drink.”

Gymboree "Summer is over" (2016) :30 (USA)

Summer’s over, this spot tells us, using adorable kids dressed in Gymboree’s Fall 2016 collection. And there are some new rules to be followed, they tell us, as the camera slowly pans across all these kids one more adorable than the next. Leave the pet nickname at home. If I say I’m going to make lunch do not let me make lunch. Math is gonna suck for us both this year, etc. The kids end on the delightfully out of sync line “Don’t worry even though we don’t act like it, we definitely need you: you make everything happy!” Great casting in this spot, too. By the way, it wasn’t really one long take. An outdoor green screen studio provided the background for the children. They shot each one individually. Then they went back in and make it look seamless. Magical, huh?

Chick-fil-A – Michelangelo – (2016) :30 (US)A

Chick-fil-A - Michelangelo - (2016) :30 (US)A
Erich & Kallman, a new San Francisco-based advertising agency, is launching a new national advertising campaign for Chick-fil-A using famous historical figures to teach us that chicken for breakfast is not so crazy. It’s a long way from those cows climbing on billboards everywhere. It’s all TV and all odd, here’s Michelangelo being “this guy”. Just quirky enough to stick out pf the clutter but tame enough to not offend anyone.

“The campaign is a really fun way to go right at the inherent tension, as choosing chicken for breakfast isn’t an obvious option to many right now.” said Creative Director and agency co-founder Eric Kallman. “We’re thrilled to have the opportunity to work with Chick-fil-A on such a big campaign.”

GMC – "Arrived" – (2016) :30 (USA)

The precision engineering of GMC’s redesigned Acadia is compared to a world-class orchestra in a beautifully-crafted new spot, directed by Bully Pictures’ Sebastian Weiland for Digitas and Leo Burnett. Shots of a symphony orchestra, playing the introduction to The Who’s classic Eminence Front, are seamlessly blended with images of the “next generation” SUV driving through spectacular urban locales and landscapes. The voiceover invokes the “confidence” and “attention to detail” embodied by both orchestra and vehicle.

The commercial’s cast included 73 professional musicians led by Kazem Abdullah, an American-born conductor who serves as General Music Director of the city of Aachen, Germany. They perform the Who song (in a special orchestration from music house Mophonics) live. “None of the musicians had met before, but after a couple practice sessions, they sounded like they had been playing together for years,” notes Weiland. “It was an amazing experience.” The production included shoots in New York and Seattle.

Weiland subtly reinforces the comparison between the orchestra and Acadia through a series of artfully-designed shots. The strings of a cello mirror the cables of a suspension bridge. An image of the SUV’s steering wheel and gauges dissolves into an overhead shot of the musicians arranged in a nearly identical, semi-circular pattern.

“We use very clean shots throughout,” Weiland observes. “It was important to me that we built the story. Near the end, we transition from inside the cabin of the car to a wide shot of the audience giving the orchestra a standing ovation. That leads to our hero moment, as we reveal the car in all its beauty and glory.”

Weiland has been directing high-end car commercials for nearly a decade, and is known for the unique way he lights and shoots cars, his attention to detail, and for the passion evident in his work. “This project involved a great collaboration with the agencies’ creative teams and the client,” he says. “All around, it was a great match.”

Chick-fil-A – Beethoven's song – (2016) :30 (USA)

Chick-fil-A - Beethoven's song - (2016) :30 (USA)
Remember in the 80’s when people had answering machnines messages playing “nobody is home… nobody’s hooooooome” to the tune of Beethoven? This is a bit like that, except about chicken.

Media Arts Lab / Lee Clow – The 10-year Tattoo

Media Arts Lab / Lee Clow -  The 10-year Tattoo
In celebration of the 10-year anniversary of TBWAMedia Arts Lab, the Founder and Chairman Lee Clow got a tattoo of the company’s updated bear logo on is shoulder.
Six years ago, Ad agency Miami’s founder and chairman celebrated his agency anniversary by tattooing the updated company logo in his shoulder.
Remember when Lee Clow was original?
Neither do I.

Happy birthday, Media Arts Lab.

Autotrader – #Drivenbystyle Auto Chameleon colour changing car stunt (2016)

Autotrader - #Drivenbystyle Auto Chameleon colour changing car stunt (2016)
So, Autotrader and ad agency Zambezi had this great idea for a stunt to show how easy it is to find your car in your favourite colour using the Autotrader site. Using color detection paired with 3D projection mapping tech a parked car changed colour at night to match the clothing worn by people who passed by. This 3D mapping tech changing colours on cars isn’t as new as you might think, in 2013, Opel did the color changing car event in the dark night in Denmark, using the same technique. The difference here is that people in Miami could affect the colour by sampling their shirts or shoes.

The “Driven By Style” event took place on Thursday, June 30th leading up to the Fourth of July weekend in the heart of Miami’s Wynwood Arts District.

“Autotrader enables people find their perfect car match, and we wanted to emphasize that you don’t have to search for a car in an expected way,” said Scott Thomas, Senior Director, Consumer Marketing at Cox Automotive, the parent company of Autotrader. “You can use your own life and sense of style as a filter for what you want and need in a car, and Autotrader will help you get there.”

“To us, Autotrader isn’t just a car shopping brand. It’s a technology brand. And nowhere is that more evident than in the technology Autotrader uses to match consumers with their perfect car,” says Zambezi Executive Creative Director Josh DiMarcantonio. “3D color-mapping was a fun, simple way to demonstrate in the real world how Autotrader can take any aspect of a person’s life, including what they’re wearing, and use that as a filter to find them the perfect car. ”

Of course they can’t do this without local social influencers… You will see these accounts promoting this clip with the hashtag #DrivenByStyle
Check @TheDapperMethod, @RemixTheDog, @hi_tola, @parcialmentenublada and @wooSupreme for photos & clips from the event.

United Airlines "One journey, two teams" (2016) 1:00 (USA)

USA olympians form different sports are running through the airport and on a Dreamliner 787, desperate to catch their plane, I guess, because airports suck. Still it’s fun to watch Dartanyon Crockett, Kerri Walsh Jennings, Carli Lloyd, Simone Biles, Missy Franklin, Logan Dooley and Ashton Eaton do their stuff. Nice touch updating the Gershwin theme (which United has been using since the 1700s) to give it that Brazilian flavor. Then again, it’s not the first time something like this has been done. It reminds me of Nike’s World Cup ad from 1998 featuring, what else? The Brazilian soccer team running through the airport and playing their sport,in a charming way, all set to a cover of a Brazilian song– Sergio Mendez'”Mas que nada.”

Google Translate "#EveryoneSpeaksFood" (2016) 2:44 (USA)

It doesn’t matter who you are or where you are food brings us all together. This branded content features 18 chefs coming together under one roof to create an experience called Small World, celebrating different cultures languages and food. Throughout we see chefs bringing their passion to life and of course mobile device usage as people use the translator to see what it is they’re going to eat. It’s pretty neat, but it’s also a no-brainer. They spent the first 45 second explaining how food is the great cultural uniter. Of course everyone is going to have a good time. And while it may be true that you don’t often see Scandinavian and African and Israeli and Japanese cuisine on one menu, it’s not like these foods haven’t been introduced to each other before. Not to get all nerdy but Brazilian cuisine is already a mixture of African, Portuguese and Indigenous. And we’ve already endured the fusion craze. So while it’s a cool idea, I’m missing the tension and the “so what,” factor. It feels less like some grand experiment and more like like one big dinner party at a trendy pop up restaurant in New York. With an app.

TP-LINK "Patio" (2016) :30 (USA)

Moving all your patio into the house ain’t no fix for bad wi-fi. Get TP-LINK instead. Also then you won’t have to deal with Cameron so that’s also a bonus.

TP-LINK "Bedroom" (2016) :30 (USA)

Here in this spot, a couple’s going to get hot and heavy to the sensuous sounds of elevator music. But the song keeps buffering, so the creepy internet dude is going to move their modem around and then eat a bag of popcorn while they gat back to doing the deed. What is it with ad concepts involving dudes sitting in a bedroom watching people have sex? Seems like the cd’s are spending too much time at work. I’m sensing a little frustration.

Shoe Carnival 'Show 'em whatcha got" (2016 :45 (USA)

Shoe Carnival 'Show 'em whatcha got
Shoe Carnival’s, inviting kids to show ’em whatcha got, just in time to go back to school. This spot stars KK Harris, Austin Spacy, Simrin Player and Du-Shant “Fik-shun”Stegall , the stars of DanceOn, the top digital-programming brand for music entertainment co-founded by none other than Madonna. izo, parent company of DanceOn, collaborated on these ads to make sure they hit that all important teen demographic. The campaign includes print, social (of course) pre-roll, in-store activations and digital. There’s also a sweepstakes on DanceOn’s website with the grand prize being an all-inclusive, three-day/two-night trip for two people to see the concert of their choice.

adidas "Y3 Fall/Winter 2016" (2016) 1:50 (USA)

Sound of glitches and glitchy typefaces and very cool clothes abound. Morose models in minimalist clothing stumble upon a former site of a rave, run through strangely lit underground passageways and emerge into the harsh light of reality only to get chased by a helicopter. But wait. Is it reality? Does the helicopter exist? Or is it only in their drug addled minds? Ladies and gentlemen, the 90’s are back. On your left is Roni Size, on your right a candy raver. We’ll be projecting Lawnmower Man on the wall tonight for your visual pleasure. We’ve tested the X, so no need to worry. But please remember to hydrate as you will be dancing uncontrollably for the next twelve hours. But for the love of god take that pacifier out of your mouth.

adidas "Creating new speed" (2016) 1:00 (USA)

Athletes chase a rabbit in a burning cane field area in South Florida known as Muck City. This area, known for its famed or fabled rabbit chasing has raised a redonk amount of football superstars over the years– not that you’d know it from this spot which either assumes you already know that, or just thinks it looks cool. Too bad Tevin Allen isn’t from there or any of the other athletes in the spot. But hey, no one will notice, right? It’s not like people are devoted to football….
Before anyone starts also protesting the whole chasing cute and fuzzy bunnies in a sugar cane field on fire, the American Humane Association was on set for the filming of and no animal was harmed.

Michelin "Beyond the driving test" (2016) 1:30 (USA)

Michelin is on a mission to ensure tire safety becomes part of the driver’s ed by 2020. They already have 31 out of 50 states in the US committed to make this happen. And now they’ve teamed up with Australian band 5 Seconds Of Summer to get the word out. They’re showing off this video before their concerts from July 15th to September 18th, part of the latter half of their tour. Want to know more? Go to Beyond The Driving Test where you’ll find handy dandy tips on how to check your tires, important stats about why tire safety matters and more. Kudos to Michelin for bringing the message without it being over-branded, too. Not sure how many amped up kids will receive the message loud and clear right before 5 Seconds of Summer Goes on. But Michelin’s tire safety team will also be out there to conduct tire safety demonstrations and that probably might just make them look at their car in the parking lot before leaving to make sure everything is okay. Either way– tire safety!

Cerebus welcomes Yuengling to New Orleans in a spec campaign

Yuengling is a family-owned brewery in Pottsville, Penn. that has for years has distributed its beers as far South as the beaches of Alabama. When New Orleans-based Cerberus got word that that Yuengling was coming to Louisiana, they created this spec campaign for America’s Oldest Brewery. Imagine these social posts were part of a campaign running in real life, in front of the biggest New Orleans landmarks, Yuengling. This could be your southern agency of record.

Hulu "Apartment" (2016) :30 (USA)

There’s always something good on Hulu starting at 7.99 a month. This is a fairly uneventful retail spot from Hulu, produced by Hulu. As a retail spot it does the job. As “original content,” it’s boring.

Hulu "Family room" (2016) :30 (USA)

There’s always something good on Hulu when you sit in the family room and pay 7.99 a month for content. This spot is oh so quiet it feels like Hulu wants us to turn the volume down on it.