Commentary

Out to Launch

Wilkinson SwordGentlemen, start your trimmers. Wilkinson Sword (the name for Schick in Europe) launched a global online campaign for its new Quattro Titanium body razor. Hair Off My Stuff begins with a three-minute video that shows the plight of three men with hair on their stuff. Armando has hair on his tennis racket, sneakers and tennis balls. He wins tennis matches, but not love from the ladies. Ferguson must re-wallpaper his apartment weekly to hide the hair on his stuff. Benton and Margelina are an adorable couple who met in a bookstore. The two move in together, with Margelina content and accepting of Benton's hair, found everywhere. That doesn't prevent her from fantasizing about a less-hairy environment. My favorite scene was Margelina talking on the phone, only to get hair in her mouth. Watch it here. Three instructional videos starring Margelina teach men how to remove hair from their back, their front, and their tools -- obviously the more amusing of the series. Margelina stands beside a workshop full of hairy nuts and bolts in multiple sizes. Once the tools are shaved, "your tools will be easier to find and handle," says the voiceover.On that topic,check out thishow-to-shave-your-groin video Gillette created last year. JWT New York created the campaign.

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TargetTarget launched a national brand campaign Sunday called "Life's a Moving Target." "Life Cycle" follows the story of a woman who buys a dress at Target, meets a guy, gets married, and has a kid, which leads to buying a dress at Target. Full-circle. See it here. "Contrary Mary" is adorable. It tells the story of Mary, a young girl who loves a different color every day. Mary pairs her likes to her color of the moment. I loved watching Mary decorate a cake with orange frosting, while wearing orange gloves. Watch it here. Wieden + Kennedy Portland created the ads.

GatoradeGatorade launched a TV spot to promote The G Series, a line of pre-, during- and post-workout gels and drinks. "Gatorade Has Evolved" begins at a time when basketball was played with peach baskets, tennis racquets were made of wood and hydration equaled water. The game changed in 1965 when Gatorade was created. I loved seeing the old footage of a football player drinking Gatorade from a glass bottle. Classic footage of Michael Jordan drinking Gatorade and a football coach being doused in it were used, leading up to present day and the launch of G series. "Prime to ignite. Fuel to perform. Protein to recover," closes the spot, seen here. TBWA/Chiat/Day Los Angeles created the ad.

LiptonLipton Yellow Label launched a global brand campaign -- in countries including Turkey, Russia, Poland, Chile, Australia and Japan -- that recreates famous moments of clarity. The launch spot, "Lalo," goes back in time, 1966 to be exact, to observe composer Lalo Schifrin composing a music score as he sips a cup of tea. He revises the score on paper as viewers watch the orchestra building inside his head take shape. Whenever Schifrin makes a change, musicians drop from the sky. Some drop gently, others with a bang. The score begins to take shape, and with a final sip of tea, Schifrin lands at his "aha" moment, completing the theme to "Mission: Impossible." "Tea sharpens the mind. Lipton Yellow Label. A sip of inspiration," closes the ad, seen here. DDB Paris created the ad, directed by Noam Murro of Biscuit Filmworks.

Lincoln MarathonHow better to promote the Lincoln Marathon, held yearly in Lincoln, Neb., than by tweaking the opening line of the Gettysburg address to make it more runner-friendly? Instead of four score and seven years ago, it's one score and 6.2 miles. It might not flow like the original text, but couple it with Lincoln-esque images runners can appreciate, and you've run a PR. This year's poster lists Lincoln's seat losses for state legislator, speaker, congress and land officer, among others, but closes with his win for the presidency. See it here. An ad from 2005 shows the Lincoln Memorial, with one noticeable addition: Lincoln's feet are sitting in a bucket of ice water. My favorite ad ran in 2000 and features a sweat-stained stovepipe hat. See it here. Bailey Lauerman created all the ads.

Mobile Loaves and FishesMobile Loaves & Fishes, an Austin-based nonprofit that provides food and shelter to the homeless and working poor, launched a billboard campaign called, "I Am Here." And someone really was there. Danny, a former steelworker and homeless man, stayed atop a billboard over the course of two days in an effort to put a face to this cause. The billboard encouraged passersby to text "Danny" to 20222, which would donate $10 towards helping Danny and others get a home through MLF's Habitat on Wheels program. For every 1,200 texts the nonprofit receives, a person gets a home. See the billboard here. T3 created the campaign and Reagan Outdoor donated the billboard.

XboxI am constantly amazed at the depth of storytelling that takes place in video game trailers. This week's trailer, "Birth of a Spartan," promotesXbox's "Halo: Reach," slated for a fall 2010 release. The ad is airing in the U.S. and the U.K., and in theaters before "Iron Man 2." "Birth of a Spartan" is the journey of Carter-259, the future leader of Noble Team, as he undergoes medical augmentation procedures that transform him from average man to Spartan III super-soldier. These procedures turn his brown eyes blue. Once he's injected and transformed to super-soldier, Carter stares at his future uniform. "Welcome to Noble team," closes the ad, seen here. agencytwofifteen created the ad, directed by Noam Murro of Biscuit Filmworks.

NissanNissan didn't reinvent the "Wheel." It wants you to break away from it. The brand launched "Wheel" as part of its "Best Part of Your Day" campaign. Viewers follow a man throughout his workday, as he wakes up, showers, commutes, participates in meetings, eats lunch and leaves the office. The man is running in a hamster wheel the entire time, until he spots a Nissan Sentra outside his office. Once he steps inside, he's free of the cage. Funny, he didn't use it on his way to work... See the spot here. TBWA/Toronto created the ad, directed by Mark Zibert of Sons and Daughters.

Cheese or Font appRandom iPhone App of the week: Baldessare. Cheese or Font? It's a font, and there are many more words available for gamers to decide whether they are looking at the name of a cheese or a type font. This game is harder than you'd think. It's not like they're throwing Times New Roman in there as an option. Actually, they do. Bad. Give me a hard one, like Beaumarchais, for example. Font. The App is available for free at the App Store and if you don't own an iPhone, test your knowledge online

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