• by Amy Corr , Staff Writer @MediaPostOTL, August 25, 2010

AT&Tcontinues to create fabulous TV spots, especially those that depict adults having childhood fun throughout typical stressful workdays. The latest round of ads promotes the BlackBerry Torch. The moment I heard Buddy Holly's song "Rollercoaster" used in an ad with the same name, I knew I'd love it. Then it got better. If only my commute was this fun. Subways are roller coasters, taxis are bumper cars, roller skates are an office must and elevators are freefall rides. The Blackberry Torch combines business and fun. See it here. Timing is everything in "Ballet." Side-by-side windows show an aspiring ballet dancer waiting for her phone to load. Thanks to a fast connection, a series of events leads the dancer to meet two ballet producers, score an audition and land a leading role. With a slow connection, she misses the chance meeting, practices, continues to waitress and watches ballet performances from the audience. "Every second matters," closes the ad, seen here. BBDO New York created the campaign.

Do you need a "printervention"? Kodak launched a DRTV ad promoting its 3250 printer for $79.99. A TV host invites a family on to his show so he can perform a "printervention." The Ross family can print more photos and save hundreds a year by switching to a Kodak printer. The family concludes their "printervention" rescue by dunking their old printer into a "printervention" ink sink, a giant, dirty tank where bad printers go to die. Watch the ad here, created by Deutsch New York.

Vitaminwater launched "Time to Collect," a crazy video starring Gary Busey as a sports lawyer demanding that his client, Adrian Peterson, receives compensation for his fantasy football rights. If you want crazy, Gary Busey is the way to go. He screams and yells at the camera, spouting things like: "If you refuse to pay our athletes, we'll come find you and squeeze it out of you like a tube of toothpaste." That quote reminded me of the time Busey was interviewed, in real life, and told a reporter: "I'm going to pull your endocrine system our of your body." Good times. There's a cameo by Shaquille O'Neal, who touts Busey's Norman Tugwater character as the best, only, and worst fantasy sports lawyer. See the ad here. Zambezi created the ad and Starcom MediaVest Group handled the media buy.

National Breastfeeding Month is upon us, so moms, whip out your boobs. TheBump.com launched a national PSA to help promote breastfeeding. Celebrity moms like Kelly Rutherford, Lisa Loeb and Ali Landry tell viewers their favorite name for their breasts (think funbags, knockers, boulders and the girls) while educating moms about the benefits of breastfeeding. Watch it here. An extended version of the PSA, featuring celeb moms describing their first time breastfeeding and their opinions on public breastfeeding (whip 'em out!), can be seen here. Another video goes into greater detail to describe the benefits of breastfeeding, which range from burning 500 calories a day, being good for the baby's brain, and lessening your chances of developing breast cancer. See it here. Crew Cuts edited the campaign.

Finally. I've been waiting for an ad to combat all those shoes that claim you'll have a butt you can bounce a quarter off of, just by walking in their shoes. I call BS. You have to work to achieve results. Walking to the lunchroom in special shoes will not give me the calves that running does. Nike Women launched a print ad with bold copy: "The ultimate quick fix" it reads, promoting its Nike Trainer One shoes with Diamond FLX technology. What differentiates this ad from posture and leg toning shoe ads is one minor thing: the tagline. "This shoe works if you do." To get results, you need to work hard. See the ad here, created by Wieden + Kennedy Portland.

Monday Night Football is almost here. Even ESPN is counting down to the excitement. "Monday Action" is part of the network's "Is It Monday Yet" campaign, and it compiles a series of things that could potentially go wrong en route to work. You can get rear-ended, have your umbrella turn inside out, get pooped on (although that's supposed to be good luck), sit on your glasses, or spill coffee on your keyboard. I'd like to add to the mix the time I was walking to work and a NYC bus drove through a puddle and splashed me. It was not a good day. The spot ends with an assembly line worker at a dessert factory coming across a treat shaped like a football. Watch the ad here, created by Wieden+Kennedy New York.

Miller Lite launched a billboard in Chicago on Monday that urges men to "Man Up." The billboard features an ad for Miller Lite, but it's missing the bottle. An adjoining ad shows a male model inside an ad for the faux brand Beaudoin Cologne holding the missing bottle. The billboards will remain up until October 2. See the ad here, created by Draftfcb Chicago.

 

 

The Florida Lottery launched a TV spot promoting its scratch-off game Lucky $200,000 a year for life. The ad spoofs home shopping channels by introducing viewers to the "Lottery Shopping Channel." Two hosts shill the $20 scratch-off ticket and take a viewer's phone call. The woman has won the big prize and cannot contain her excitement. She screams and drops the phone, while the hosts do the robot to celebrate her win. Watch the ad here, created by St. John & Partners.

Random iPhone App of the week: GE launched an updated version of its Morsel application for iPhone, Android and BlackBerry mobile devices. Part of the brand's Healthymagination campaign, Morsel is a free application that offers manageable daily health goals for anyone looking to improve their health. The rewards are attainable and realistic: stretch your arms out to the side and move them in circles 10 times. Users can navigate to other morsels or select them by category, and customize their experience to meet their daily needs. The app uses a gaming/reward system, where users can earn badges and level up to be encouraged to complete additional morsels daily. Big Spaceship created the app, available at the App Store.