Foxwoods brings back 'The Wonder of It All'
Foxwoods is reintroducing its once-ubiquitous and oft-maligned ad theme song, "The Wonder of It All," and you could be the one singing it in upcoming commercials. The casino explains: "Anyone with even the slightest clue about pop culture throughout the 1990s could likely sing a few lines." True, but we've been working so hard to scrub those schmaltzy brass notes from our collective memory. Why make us relive the nightmare? Foxwoods says it wants to "find a new voice" for the song through a contest that invites artists to upload their own MP3 versions. Jeez, instead of sub-Sinatra rendition by John Pizzarelli (who?), there'll be dozens of renditions floating around the Web! Good lord, Dokken could give it a go, with harmonies from the chicken. I'm betting that no matter which version wins, the jingle will still sound like craps. |
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Published on November 10, 2009 | Permalink
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Wieden makes jewelry out of charts, graphs
Wieden + Kennedy in London is the latest agency to wander off into the product world. Its take is jewelry inspired by sexy graphs. The idea for the PLOT jewelry line came from planner Lisa Prince, who saw a certain beauty in a jagged line from a PowerPoint presentation. She teamed with art director Nicholla Longley and jewelry maker Hannah Havana to make a product line melding data with design. First up are a bunch of necklaces with artsy representations of commodity prices over the years. Wieden managing director Neil Christie says it's all about getting away from that pesky business of making ads. "We're always looking for the opportunity to work in new ways that are beyond traditional advertising channels," he writes on the shop's blog. The jury's still out on whether these agency forays into product making are more than a diversion to keep the staff happy and maybe squeeze out a Fast Company profile suggesting they're "reinventing the ad agency model." One agency guy gave me a simple explanation for the spate of agency product projects: "That's because the ad-agency biz blows." —Posted by Brian Morrissey |
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Published on November 10, 2009 | Permalink
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Cigarette-butt mosaics reveal smoking's toll
It might seem clichéd to compare deaths caused by smoking to those caused by guns, drugs, poison, fires and suicide. Still, it's not what you do, but how you do it. And this memorable poster campaign by Indian agency 1-Point Design is certainly a breath of fresh air (ha!) that puts a different spin on familiar anti-smoking themes. Or does it? Well, it turns out there's a different sort of smoking gun, as the work resembles a campaign by the Cancer Society of Finland. Sure, it's the same basic concept, but for a good cause, and this kind of overlap is inevitable in a creative business. There's no such thing as a new idea—no ifs, ands or butts about it! Previously on AdFreak: |
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Published on November 10, 2009 | Permalink
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Droid phone will enthrall and/or enslave you
Mix the totalitarian subjugation of 1984 with the sinister cybernetic intelligence of 2001, and you get mcgarrybowen's launch spot (posted below) for Verizon's much-ballyhooed Droid phone. (I swear that's HAL 9000's all-seeing red eye about 22 seconds in.) It picks up the dark and industrial vibe from the tail end of the otherwise goofy and lighthearted teaser spot, which got lots of attention, particularly from Apple fans. The new spot stars intimidating robots who crush rocks and punch holes to assert their metallic superiority. And unless I've missed the point (unlikely, as I never have on AdFreak before, at least not that I'd admit), humans will do these droids' bidding once Earth is enslaved, toiling in factories and slugging it out in bloody boxing matches for their overlords' amusement. This isn't a smartphone, the ad warns, it's a robotphone. You don't talk to the boss on a Droid, the phone is your boss. Droid doesn't relay orders, it gives them. On the plus side, Justin Long will be among the first to go in the man-vs.-machine struggle. John Hodgman, a robot passing as flesh and blood, will probably get to run Cleveland. —Posted by David Gianatasio Previously on AdFreak: |
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Published on November 9, 2009 | Permalink
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A coffee maker saves George Clooney's lifeGeorge Clooney and John Malkovich star in this new McCann Paris ad, directed by Robert Rodriguez, for Nestlé's Nespresso. Clooney gets demolished by a falling piano, but Malkovich, at the pearly gates, gives him a second chance at life in exchange for his Nespresso coffee maker. Clooney once insisted he wouldn't do just any old commercial, but this spot isn't even as good as Spike Jonze's Softbank spots with Brad Pitt. Via Animal. —Posted by Tim Nudd
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Published on November 9, 2009 | Permalink
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Illinoisan running against Blagojevich's hair
Rod Blagojevich's hair is visual shorthand for corruption in this new campaign ad (posted below) from Andy McKenna, a Republican candidate for Illinois governor in 2010. We see the state capitol in a giant Blagojevich wig, and various other disgraced Illinois politicians wearing the same. The kid above is also apparently very corrupt. It's a smart way to employ one of the world's best-known political haircuts, though McKenna might be taking it a bit too far. He's on record criticizing Illinois' "hair-brained" financial schemes, and said of current Gov. Pat Quinn: "He's Rod Blagojevich with just a little bit less hair." —Posted by Tim Nudd Previously on AdFreak: |
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Published on November 9, 2009 | Permalink
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McCann's gamers highly stimulated by Xbox
The dude's enraptured look toward the end of this U.K. spot (posted below) by McCann Erickson for the Xbox 360 is, to cop a phrase from another McCann campaign, priceless. One might say even call it orgasmic. At any rate, he's clearly enjoying himself as he strums on his Guitar Hero mini-guitar. Note also, if you will, the position of said instrument. I'm not panning this approach or the spot by any means. On the contrary, such a take on gaming is more honest and compelling than most of the effects-crazed entries in the genre. Video games today are all about immersion. This guy, if nothing else, looks pretty darn immersed. His geeky pal off to the side playing DJ Hero seems awfully happy, too. You could interpret their looks as signs of near-euphoric digital satisfaction, which surely casts the product in a glowing light with much of its target audience. Casual gamers and those who don't indulge, of course, will smirk and assume the guys are just wasting time playing with themselves. —Posted by David Gianatasio |
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Published on November 9, 2009 | Permalink
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Ads tout sushi for that Rocky Mountain high
TDA Advertising & Design has served up this map-style ad for Hapa Sushi in Boulder, Colo., noting the proximity of the chain's four restaurants to 60 local medical marijuana dispensaries. Just in case, you know, anyone gets the munchies. According to The New York Times, the number of medical marijuana stores in Colorado has grown to more than 60 in Denver and Boulder alone, from just two dozen a year ago. Hapa likes to latch on to current events like this for its advertising. "By creating ads that people want to talk about, that are creative and maybe controversial, then at least they are talking about our ads and Hapa is top of mind," says the owner. The media buy includes alternative paper Westworld, which recently blew some smoke about interviewing people to write reviews of each of the dispensaries. I wonder if the restaurant serves pot stickers. Ha ha! Oh dude, I am so hungry right now. —Posted by David Gianatasio Previously on AdFreak: |
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Published on November 9, 2009 | Permalink
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Want the lowest prices on Earth? You got it!
On a recent trip up I-95, I stopped at JR Discount Outlets, which in addition to having the world's largest cigar shop and fabulous doll superstore, boasts the LOWEST PRICES ON EARTH! That's right, not the lowest in North Carolina, not the lowest in the U.S., but the lowest on EARTH! The dubious claim is posted on every item in the store. How do I know it's dubious? It took me 3.4 seconds and Google to find a lower price for the item I bought. You have to wonder, if you're going to make such a claim, why stop on Earth? Just go ahead and claim the whole universe. It's not like the FTC is going to get many off-world objections. —Posted by Rebecca Cullers
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Published on November 9, 2009 | Permalink
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Simian shoppers love Banana Nut Cheerios
Supermarket + guy in a gorilla suit + Banana Nut Cheerios = blah. This Publicis Modem spot aims to be goofy and outrageous, but it's mostly just dull. The background muzak doesn't help. It sounds like the stuff they played in grocery stores when I was a kid about 1,000 years ago. Today, we're tortured by classic rock and '60s pop. Surely the Monkees theme can't be that costly to use in ads. Look, the ape-costume bar has been set quite high since Cadbury's drumming gorilla. This simian has better manners than most grocery shoppers. How about a rampage in the aisles, with mini-Kong carrying a checkout gal to the pinnacle of a package display, clerks rushing to her aid with pricing guns? Letting the ape go bananas would've heightened his appeal. —Posted by David Gianatasio
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Published on November 9, 2009 | Permalink
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Are we laughing with eBay or at eBay here?
Would you buy a snowmobile on eBay because Jim Gaffigan tells you to? The answer, of course, is no. Could you enjoy his attempts to persuade you in a TV commercial? Well, yes ... in theory. In practice, however, viewers might hit the fast-forward button. Sadly, the same is true of much of this new campaign from Goodby, Silverstein & Partners for the fading auction powerhouse. See a whole bunch of ads here. eBay crested during Web 1.0, and this effort seems hell-bent on delivering old-hat, mostly unfunny schtick from a who's-who of cable-comedy refugees in set-ups that go nowhere. Even the stuff with the younger performers feels dated. It's so ... '90s. The absurdly annoying Michael Ian Black in a tattoo parlor? There's only one way that works: jam a needle in his neck. Alas, he escapes unpoked. Other featured comics include Michael Showalter and Kevin Hart. Overall, the campaign generates more yucks than yuks. These spots perfectly mirror the advertiser: mired in the past and outbid for fresh ideas by a new generation of socially minded Web rivals. |
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Published on November 6, 2009 | Permalink
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The 'ridiculous charade' of recording an ad
Few people suffer under the heavy egotistical load of the ad industry quite like the sound engineers who record audio for commercials. They're micromanaged by everyone from the client to the junior copywriter, so it's nice to see them get their revenge in this anonymously produced British video, created with the same Xtranormal text-to-movie software that gave us the bitter robot designer. Via American Copywriter. —Posted by David Griner |
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Published on November 6, 2009 | Permalink
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Kids would prefer you not destroy the Earth
Zig's cinematic spot for Moms Against Climate Change pits child protesters (shouldn't they be in school?) against cops (don't they have parking tickets to write?) to illustrate that if kids knew what was at stake, they'd take action. There's no denying it packs a punch. That said, something feels off. I think I was expecting a boffo climax to really drive the point home. Why not have the sides embrace, each kid finding one of his or her parents among the riot squad, to symbolize that we're all in this together? Conversely, acid rain pouring from above and "frying" every last person? That would make a strong statement! Sure, it's easy for me to second-guess—that's why I enjoy it so much. Still, using children is a form of hot-button emotional manipulation. And to stretch a metaphor, failing to turn up that flame delivers a lukewarm message on a globally incendiary issue. —Posted by David Gianatasio |
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Published on November 6, 2009 | Permalink
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HBO still taking shots at George W. Bush
The George W. Bush era is thankfully gone, but HBO and Venables, Bell & Partners channel the former president's less-than-lucid vibe and penchant for incoherent phrasing in this banner and billboard push touting the DVD release of the Will Ferrell special You're Welcome, America: A Final Night With George W. Bush. The election-poster-style ads include Bush-inspired slogans like "Never misunderestimate me," "Celebrate the era of strategery" and "Mission still not accomplished." The work's amusing, but the tongue-twisted ex-leader of the free world is such an easy target, attempts at parody are, as the man himself might say, akin to shooting fish in apparel. OK, he probably would've said something worse. He wasn't good with words, though his eight-year record of anti-achievement speaks for itself. |
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Published on November 6, 2009 | Permalink
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1993 Taurus a great car for today, says Ford
Great fake press conference here from The Onion, in which a Ford exec explains why the '93 Taurus is the best vehicle for today's cash-strapped consumers. If the $650 price tag doesn't grab you, surely the free cassette tape of Primus's Sailing the Seas of Cheese will. Via Consumerist. |
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Published on November 5, 2009 | Permalink
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Trivial Pursuit ponders which sex is smarter
Hasbro is pitting the lads against the lasses in a new campaign for its Trivial Pursuit board game that aims to determine, once and for all, which group is more intelligent. The comical video above makes arguments for each side based on stock footage of general stupidity. Meanwhile, at the Web site, TrivialPursuitExperiment.com, you're challenged to answer trivia questions on behalf of your entire gender, with the global tally being kept up top. (And don't try to be all smart by logging in as the opposite gender and acting stupid. Only correct answers affect the tally, you idiot.) Smartypants worldwide will enjoy the campaign, but might quibble with the tagline. Shouldn't it be, "Who's smarter than whom?" Via Adverblog. —Posted by Tim Nudd
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Published on November 5, 2009 | Permalink
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Liberty Mutual magically makes things good
Hill, Holliday employs arresting visuals to illustrate that "an accident doesn't have to slow you down" in this pair of Liberty Mutual spots touting new car replacement and guaranteed repairs. In the ad above, a guy convincingly plucks a "spare" vehicle from the trunk of his recently smashed-up car. The ad below follows the impact of a crash along the length of a car and shows the damage repairing itself almost as soon as it happens. The ads are impressively staged and memorable. Still, dealing with insurance companies after accidents can be a stressful, protracted, sometimes maddening experience—and these spots overreach a bit by making the process seem effortless, almost magical. It's probably wishful thinking to expect insurers' practices to be as special as the effects they use in commercials. —Posted by David Gianatasio
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Published on November 5, 2009 | Permalink
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Christ's death helps out Safeway customers
It's good to know that all that suffering on the cross wasn't in vain. Safeway prices really are to die for. Thanks, Jesus! Via The Denver Egotist. UPDATE: A guy at FAIL Blog is taking responsibility for this, and says it was a prank he pulled on a couple of Safeways in the Seattle area a few Easters ago. |
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Published on November 5, 2009 | Permalink
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Crowdsourcing leads to an ill-advised tattoo
Crowdsourcing is not everyone's cup of tea. Some find it a little insulting to advertising professionals who hone their craft only to see the unwashed masses debase themselves coming up with ideas for next to nothing. A new low may have been reached with a crowdsourcing logo contest run by Veer, a stock-photography brand owned by Corbis. Veer put a twist on its contest (the winner gets a Macbook Pro) by asking people to "re-create the Veer logo using real-world objects or materials." One eager beaver decided to use his arm and a tattoo needle. His submission is the video below. The best comment comes from the tattoo artist: "I ain't got to live with it." The fact that this dope is walking around with a stock-photography company's name on his arm alarms me. There's still time to top the tattoo, if anyone wants to literally get branded. The contest ends today. Thanks to @ijyoung. UPDATE: OK, it's a "faux" tattoo. |
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Published on November 5, 2009 | Permalink
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Actors bring ShareBuilder silhouettes to life
Ever want to step into an ad? It probably beats what most of us do all day. I'd like to enter an Apple poster and kick Mr. Long in the shins. But that's just me. If you'd rather kick Hodgman, that's fine, too. Unfortunately, it's not Apple but ShareBuilder that's letting folks "walk into" ads this week with window displays at the NBC Experience Store in New York's Rockefeller Plaza. It's a metaphor for walking into the world of personal investing. At the live installation, actors replace the silhouettes used in the client's new print campaign. Now, these aren't famous actors like Long or Hodgman, they're those off-Broadway types who make up about three-quarters of Manhattan's wait-staff and bartending ranks. Headlines promise that "anyone can invest and get a share of their favorite brands." Maybe those window actors can follow the advice, start "gradually buying up" chunks of Disney and Viacom and put themselves in some prime-time shows.
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Published on November 5, 2009 | Permalink
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Rhett & Link now advertising cheap haircuts
Rhett & Link are back with another new ad in their ILoveLocalCommercials series. This one's for the Salt Lake Community College Barbering and Cosmetology School, where you can get a haircut for just $2, assuming you don't mind getting butchered by someone who's just learning the trade. It's not as good as the Cullman Liquidation or Ray's Midbell Music spots, but they're not going to hit it out of the park every time. As usual, they've also done a making-of video, which you can see here.
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Published on November 4, 2009 | Permalink
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Sorrell to Ad:Tech: You're lucky to have me
Martin Sorrell is apparently much in demand on the conference circuit. While speaking at Ad:Tech in New York on Wednesday morning, the WPP CEO reminded organizers not once but twice that they'd asked him for three years to appear before he agreed to grace the assembled digital nerds with his presence. Sorrell used the occasion to stroll Oprah style into the crowd at the Jacob Javits Center and basically regurgitate WPP's three-pronged strategy of focusing on emerging markets, digital media and consumer insights. A couple pieces of good news: The economy is "less worse," and WPP now finds Google a "much friendlier frenemy." A downer for the agency world came when Sorrell talked about industries dealing with "overcapacity" by shrinking their cost bases. That means more procurement torture sessions. "I have never known clients more focused on cost as they are now," Sorrell said, noting he's been in the business 33 years. —Posted by Brian Morrissey Previously on AdFreak: |
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Published on November 4, 2009 | Permalink
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Weezer and Snuggie warm up to each other
The unlikeliest product of the year has arrived: the Weezer Snuggie, which is being hawked in the infomercial above, packaged with the new Weezer CD, for the low, low price of just $29.99. Yes, the Weezer guys appear in the ad, and yes, the product is real. The band's frontman, Rivers Cuomo, told Rolling Stone about plans for a "Wuggie" back in May. "A Wuggie is basically exactly like a Snuggie, except it says Weezer on it," Cuomo said. "The people at Snuggie are doing it with us and promoting it with us. It's a totally legit Snuggie." Shame they didn't keep the Wuggie name.
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Published on November 4, 2009 | Permalink
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Douchebags reclaim dignity with proud PSA
Douchebags have had enough of people mocking them for their pink shirts, Axe body spray and public fondling of women. So, they've put together the moving commercial below (includes some foul language), in which they promise to take no more crap. They're even taking back the word, whose original meaning, they point out, has positive connotations. "Don't think of us as disgusting. Think of us as cleansing." Via YesButNoButYes. |
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Published on November 4, 2009 | Permalink
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Guinness plays God in its latest lavish spot
AMV BBDO didn't take many short cuts for this new Guinness ad (video below), called "World," which breaks today in the U.K. According to the Guardian, they shot in four countries (New Zealand, Canada, Fiji and the U.K.); took three months to build the set for the underwater scene; got army assistance to film the grass-hauling shots at an old bombing range; and hired the set designer from the third Lord of the Rings film to pull it all together. Was it worth it? The ad shows a bunch of men bringing a new world into existence. The connection to Guinness is a bit vague—a churning pint of just-poured Guinness apparently also evokes a sense of rebirth. Or something like that. The tagline, "Bring it to life," is also new, replacing the long-running slogan, "Good things come to those who wait." —Posted by Tim Nudd |
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Published on November 4, 2009 | Permalink
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