Hasta La Creative!

Adweek described Deutsch LA’s “MicroRave” for Pop Secret perfectly as “like a sad, seizure-inducing nightclub for corn,” in a post that also questioned whether it was the worst ad of the year.

Deutsch LA points out, defensively, “This wasn’t intended as an ad, but as a quickie video for social media meant to celebrate the EDC festival happening the weekend we launched it,” which may disqualify it from that title. The premise of the spot (or “quickie video” or whatever you want to call it) is simple: popcorn attend a “MicroRave” complete with blasting electronic music, seizure-inducing lighting, beads of butter-sweat (which doesn’t exactly make Pop Secret seem appetizing) and a trail of kernels sadly waiting to get in. As if that wasn’t enough already, there’s also a 20-minute long “Extended Party Version,” which we’ve included for anyone masochistic enough to attempt to sit through it after the jump.  (more…)

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In what is surely one of the strangest campaigns you’ll see this week, Kentucky-based Cornett — the agency behind “Beardvertising” and “Kentucky Kicks Ass” has introduced “Kentucky Fried Chicken Bone Gold Necklaces” for KFC.

Cornett notes that “many great inventions have come out of Kentucky” — such as bourbon, the bowie knife, and, of course, fried chicken. So now, the Kentucky-based integrated agency has “ taken one great Kentucky invention and turned it into a completely new Kentucky invention.” “Like Willy Wonka’s ’Everlasting Gobstopper,’” they’ve “ figured about a way to make it possible to savor a single piece of Kentucky Fried Chicken forever.” That would be by dipping the bones in 14 kt gold and turning them into necklaces. The agency teamed up with Kentucky jewelry designer Meg C to create a line of “Kentucky Fried Chicken Bone Gold Necklaces.” Just what you always wanted! They’re releasing a limited run of 20 “Gold Kentucky Fried Chicken Wang Bone Necklaces on Friday, June 27th (that would be tomorrow) at 10:00 AM. Click here to learn more.

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Back in December Geometry Global raised some eyebrows with their “Animal Instincts Pet Condoms” campaign.

The agency put up what appeared to be a free pet condom dispenser in a San Francisco park. When passers-by used the dispenser they received “condom shaped brochures explaining the importance of spaying and neutering pets.” People were directed to the Pet Condoms website, which appears to promote condom use for pets, but really just encourages spaying and neutering. The man’s face in the video above, when he receives what he believes to be a pet condom, pretty much says it all.

The campaign, which debuted back in December, generated “Over 30,000 + site visits, social chatter in over 166 countries” and became the number one trending topic on Reddit within 36 hours. All this buzz got Cannes’ attention, and the campaign was short listed at Cannes for a Promo & Activation Lion in two categories: Use of Guerrilla Marketing in a Promotional Campaign (Small Scale), Use of Promotional Stunts and Live Advertising.

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Want to watch a few top creatives at Australian agencies have some straight-faced fun at the expense of current industry trends? Sure you do.

Yes, the video is a little long–but it does manage to allow CCOs and ECDs from Ogilvy, BBDO, JWT, etc. to get some camera time and drop a few inside jokes.

Of course, it’s all about promoting a Creative Fuel conference in Sydney next month, at which speakers like RGA founder Bob Greenberg will apparently encourage agency professionals to “cut the bullshit and refocus on creativity.”

Still, “The World’s First Crowd Sourced 3D-Printed QR Code Live Streamed Via Go Pro To A Smart Phone Or Tablet Device Drone Delivery Ticket System Project” almost sounds believable, doesn’t it?

If you’re really pressed for time, skip ahead to 4:00 for a bit of light slapstick.

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Grey San Francisco has created a new rebranding campaign for Norton that demonstrates a certain flair for the dramatic.

The anthem ad at the center of the campaign features lines like “The boldest gift has yet to be given,” “The boldest file has yet to be downloaded, without a second thought” and “The boldest life is out there.” At its conclusion, the spot advises, “Go boldly and you will find bliss.”

To us, this message translates as: “Go ahead and download that torrent; your antivirus software can handle it.”

Our protagonist–presumably so excited by Norton’s software that he can’t contain himself–proceeds to triumphantly rip off his own shirt. Maybe it was the confidence that came from knowing that his photo folders are safe…even if they’re not on the cloud.

Digital ads will appear on CBS News, CNN, Forbes and YouTube, with print ads planned for The Wall Street Journal and Forbes.

We’ve got credits after the jump. continued…

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Leo Burnett Toronto has a new campaign for Coors Light, called “Say Yes to Yes,” which doesn’t put up much of a front about promoting “drinking responsibly.” Instead, they’re promoting the kind of drinking that leads to pantlessness, “going to bed not in your bed,” and “winning donkeys named Richard.” Coors Light can’t promise you all these things will happen, but they can promise “Saying yes to adventure” (in this case, “adventure” means “watery light beer”) will lead to better stories.

All these “not promises” are delivered from an unexpected, and pretty ridiculous source. Clearly, the target of the campaign is the barely above drinking age crowd, who can still be swayed into thinking Coors Light is the perfect thing a night of drunken debauchery. In addition to the 60-second version above, Coors Light will air a 30-second broadcast version, which will run until the end of the summer. Stick around for credits after the jump. continued…

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This one has been around for  a while, but we just couldn’t resist.

Agencies GMR (who handled talent selection, negotiation and management) and Integer (execution across retail) teamed up to bring together human keg stand Guy Fieri and watery swill Miller Lite to form an unholy alliance of annoying proportions. God have mercy on us all.

Fieri — who Anthony Bourdain once described as the product that would result “if Ed Hardy f*cked a juggalo” — is hosting a series of Miller Lite branded content on his site, Grill With Guy. One would assume that the toxic levels of hair gel Fieri applies would render himself extremely flammable, but Fieri just shares some summer grilling recipes, such as the beef and beer cheese nachos featured in the video, which we’ve left til after the jump.

Surprisingly, not all of the recipes call for Miller Lite, like the “Asian Style Grilled Salmon” (surprise: Fieri knows what mirin is), which instead ends with the instruction “Enjoy with a cold Miller Lite.” (Obviously you should never trust a recipe that ends this way.)

While it’s alarming to think that anyone who takes cooking advice from a man with a racing stripe on his refrigerator would be allowed near an open flame, it’s at least somewhat of a relief that they will have a watered-down lite beer on hand to extinguish the blaze should things get out of hand. Miller Lite and Fieri plan to keep their relationship going after the summer, with “flavorful ideas for football season” (whatever those might be).

continued…

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“What the hell was that?” — That is our (and, we’re guessing, your) reaction to “Oranjekoorts (Orange Fever),” W+K Amsterdam’s 2014 FIFA World Cup spot for Heineken, the agency’s first work for Heineken Netherlands.

The campaign actually began earlier this year with the search for Heineken’s first Chief Orange Officer (you can’t make this shit up), described as a “legitimate [cough] full-time role that sought a representative as Dutch as Heineken, but who shared the same international outlook and would be committed to spreading Orange Fever in The Netherlands and across the globe.” Heineken advertised the legitimate position on their own recruitment channels and throughout the Netherlands. After reviewing more than 2,500 applicants, the position was awarded to Marco van Houwelingen, who will fill the year long role at Heineken’s Amsterdam headquarters.

The 65-second spot features a float representing “everything great about the Netherlands and the Dutch,” making its way through a Brazilian Carnival. Lead by Heineken’s Chief Orange Officer, the float includes a windmill, illusionist Hans Klok, and Dennis Bergkamp, among various other weirdness. Float participants all dance to a samba version of the song “No Limit” by 2 Unlimited, “one of the world’s favorite 90’s anthems” (which is not how anybody outside the Netherlands would describe the song). Watch the confusing mess for yourself above, and stick around for credits after the jump. Maybe you just have to be Dutch to get it.

continued…

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About a month ago we brought you the sneak peek of “How to Do Everything in the World,” the web series Rooster created for Vans starring creative director/baby fighter/punk rock dad Gavin McInnes. Given some of Gavin’s funny hijinks in the past, we had high hopes for the series.

In “How to Do Everything in the World,” McInnes takes on such topics as how to drink in a bar, what to do if you get in a fight, how to fly the friendly skies, and how to survive prison with an expected dose of absurdity. Unfortunately, the humor misses the mark, occasionally painfully so. There was a lot of potential here, but something about the series just feels off, and not in a funny way. The highlight is probably “How To Fight,” which mostly just sees Gavin coming up with ways to get in a cheap shot and run away. That’s really the only one of these to even merit a chuckle, as they mostly confuse awkward with funny. (Awkward can be funny, but isn’t necessarily in and of itself funny, a mistake on full display here.) Mostly, the series sees McInnes screaming at people for being jerks (especially in  “How To Fly” and the painful “How To Drink”), which is basically one joke stretched over several “episodes” that are each several minutes long. It’s hard to imagine these catching on and getting shared, or even someone sitting through the entire series for its entertainment value. Let’s chalk this one up as a disappointing miss and hope Rooster delivers the goods next time. You can check out “How to Fight” above, and stick around for “How to Fly” and “How to Survive in Prison” after the jump, if you’re so inclined. continued…

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Well, that was quick: here’s the first of what will almost certainly be a series playing off this week’s viral Mullen “world’s toughest job” spot.

The ad loosely ties itself to the ongoing “Up for Whatever” campaign via hashtag.

Its underlying gender joke and brand association aren’t quite clear until the final shot, though the text makes sure to poke fun at the Mullen original by both linking to the clip and noting that the fake job listing behind it never actually existed.

UPDATE: The responsible agency is Boston-based Relevant 24, which has done work for Priceline, Arby’s, FOX Sports, Doritos and more (homepage here).

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