Commentary

Out to Launch

Kids fight cavities while chewing gum and causing trouble in a trio of spots for Trident sugarless gum. In "Makeup," a young girl chews gum and applies makeup... to her kid brother. And not a bad job, either. See it here. A brother and sister spy a neighbor's jet ski in "Rocket." The duo aims their foam water rocket next door, and it's a direct hit. Watch it here. Two boys attempt to scale a living room wall, using plungers attached to their legs and arms in "Wall Walk." Mom asks what the pair is up to and their response is, "fighting cavities." See it here. Each ad, created by JWT New York, uses the new tagline "Smile on."

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Aug. 10 is a big day for gamers: EA SPORTS' Madden NFL 11 comes out. The spot begins with Drew Brees breezing into Times Square, challenging fans to a game of Madden on a ginormous 40' x 40' screen. The San Diego Chargers' Antonio Gates drops in on an unexpected gamer and Luis Castillo, also from the Chargers, crashes an 11-year-old's birthday party. The ad's tagline, "Madden to the People," was taken literally. In total, 2,000 games were distributed to fans while filming the campaign. Watch the ad here. Heat created the campaign and Wieden + Kennedy Portland handled the media buy.

The year was 2005. Sony Bravia shot an ad in San Francisco using 250,000 bouncy balls that changed the way people viewed advertising. It clocked in at 2 minutes 30 seconds, yet not once did you feel as if you were watching a commercial. In 2010, the ad gets spoofed. My question: What took so long? Save for this spoof ad from four years ago, it was quiet on the spoof homefront. Nissan Qashqai uses colorful, bouncing bowling balls in "Urban Bowling." Yes, damage is done. The ad begins much like "Balls": atop a steep hill, coupled with slow music. As the balls get closer, viewers realize they're bowling balls and the music changes to a more grungy tone. That's when the havoc begins. Trash cans fall, a motorcycle tips, cars are dented, and windshields are shattered, along with headlights and side mirrors. Post-carnage, the balls slowly roll down the street as a Nissan Qashqai pulls out of its parking spot without a scratch. "Urbanproof" closes the spot, seen here and created by TBWA/G1 and TBWA/Paris.

Corona Light launched "Moonlight," an energetic TV spot featuring the Michael Franti and Spearhead song, "Say Hey." The ad takes place at the beach, where a group of friends are dancing to music just before sunset. Once it gets dark, the sound system is unplugged and schlepped through the jungle to the other side of the beach, where dancing resumes by moonlight. "It Only Gets Better," closes the ad, seen here and created by La Comunidad.

The mini-giraffe gets me every time. A wealthy Russian man is extravagant with his money in an ad for DirecTV. "Opulence" follows the Russian throughout his home, where dogs really do play poker and his TV remote sits atop six gold bars. Despite the excessive spending, our guy likes saving money. So he signed up for five free months of DirecTV's premium package. The spot closes with the Russian kissing his mini-giraffe, lounging on a pillow. Watch it here. Grey, New York created the campaign, directed by Tim Godsall of Biscuit Filmworks and edited by Goeff Hounsell of Arcade Edit.

I hope there's a hand sanitizer station posted nearby this interactive campaign. FirstBank launched an outdoor campaign at the Denver International Airport with one objective. "Tire your kids out so they sleep on the plane," reads a plexiglass rotating signboard. Below that are kid-sized handprints with instructions stating, "Have children place hand here." The signboard makes one revolution every 30 seconds. Who knows how many times a kid will walk around this signboard? See creative here and here. TDA Advertising & Design created the campaign and handled the media buy.

I feel the need. The need for speed. ESPN launched "Obsession" as part of its "Cause It's Racing" campaign that supports the network's coverage of the NASCAR Sprint Cup. The ad takes place on a temporarily empty racetrack. Fans cheer from the sidelines as they patiently await the bevy of racecars barreling down past them. Talk about having the earth move under their feet. The ad placed viewers as close to the action as possible, ending with a close-up of one racer's eyes: they're focused and determined. See the ad here, created by Wieden + Kennedy New York.

Volvo launched a pair of TV spots earlier this year that illustrated differences in drivers despite vehicle similarities. An opera-loving man drives a Volvo 2011 C30. So does a hip-hop fan. The two merge at an intersection and smile. See it here. "Switch" is funny. Identical red Volvos are parked outside a coffee shop. Two men are inside the shop while their significant others wait in the cars. They decide to pull a switcheroo on their men. Clothes are swapped, sunglasses are worn and a car with the top down now has the top up. One man emerges with his coffee and drives off in the wrong car, leaving the other man staring at the remaining Volvo with a confused look. Watch it here. Arnold created the campaign and MPG/Media Contacts handled the media buy.

Random iPhone App of the week: Where's Waldo? He's on your iPhone. The beloved children's book is available as a game for your mobile device. The app has been downloaded more than 1 million times since its December 2009 launch. The app, created by Ludia and Classic Media, costs $2.99 and is available in the App Store.

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