Out to Launch

by Amy Corr, Jan 4, 2012, 3:56 PM

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Tostitos debuted a spokesbag in its latest pair of TV spots. For talking plastic, he’s lovable and life of any party. We learn what inspired Tostitos to begin dipping in “Inspired to Dip.” After some soul-searching and looking at stuff, it was time for him to change shape and hold that dip and salsa. See it here. The bag even holds its own at any football party, telling stories and dancing on a coffee table. Watch it here. TBWA/Chiat/Day Los Angeles created the campaign. 

 

The “Mean Streets” of suburbia can be tough on any relationship. Just ask the young woman standing outside a perfectly manicured lawn, begging her boyfriend to get off the streets and turn his life around. Promoting its “Flavor Morph” chews, Starburst gives hope to the young woman that, like the flavor-changing chews, her boyfriend will change. After proclaiming that the streets are all he knows, he scoots down the block on his razor scooter. Gangsta, he’s not. Watch the ad here, created by DDB Chicago.

 

Honda launched “Passionate Fans,” a TV spot highlighting the automaker’s relationship with the NHL. Since I’m not a big hockey follower, this ad taught me a few things, like if a player pulls off a hat trick in a game, fans will throw their hats on the ice. The ad stars Corey Perry of the Anaheim Ducks and Nicklas Lidström of the Detroit Red Wings leaving an arena following a game. Once inside a Honda Pilot, a hat falls atop the car, prompting Lidström to ask Perry if he scored a hat trick last night. At this point, countless hats are hitting the car, until an octopus hits the windshield. For non-hockey fans like myself, apparently Red Wings’ fans throw octopi on the ice after home playoff wins. Must smell great. “They’ve got passionate fans. We’ve got passionate fans,” closes the ad, seen here, and created by RPA.

 

I think the man in this TV spot for Land Rover pre-owned cars has some issues with dirt and cleanliness. After a challenging trail run leaves him sweaty and muddy, he changes clothes and practically showers before getting inside his car. I get the whole changing of clothes and washing up, but this guy was hard-core scrubbing himself. On his ride home, the man drives through mud and water, arriving home with a filthy Land Rover that he scrubs clean the way he washed himself. See the ad here, created by Young & Rubicam, NY and edited by Cut + Run.

 

A sheep can be just as dangerous as a wolf in an ad for The Partnership at Drugfree.org. “Sheep” is a Spanish-language TV spot targeting Latino parents about the dangers of drug use and the sources for said drug. More times than not, they’re a child’s close friends that you wouldn’t expect to be abusing drugs. The spot shows a wolf creeping toward two adorable sheep. Before the wolf can take action, one sheep eats the other, highlighting that danger can be closer -- and cuter -- than you’d expect. “Danger doesn’t always look like danger. Drugs reach your kids from whom they least expect,” closes the ad, seen here, and created by Wing.

 

BankUnited wants consumers, especially small and mid-sized business owners, to stop putting up with BS* (bank speak). In “Yes Man,” a bank executive -- well, a minotaur -- talks freely to a prospective client. “Am I gonna blow hot air at you and tell you we have the best interest rates in town? Yes I am. Will I guarantee you a fast loan approval and then ignore your phone calls? You betcha,” he says. Thankfully, the consumer looks a tad skeptical. Watch the ad here, created by República.

 

Toro uses a “Snow Globe” analogy to illustrate that winter comes fast and snow can come unexpectedly. A hand shakes a snow globe, creating a wintry mix for a house surrounded by pine trees. The serene scene is temporary, once a Toro snow blower starts clearing snow off sidewalk and driveway paths. “Winter Comes Fast. Toro. Count on It,” ends the ad, seen here. Campbell Mithun, Minneapolis created the campaign, produced by Gravity.

 

Random iPad App of the week: Zeus Jones employs a bevy of Scotch lovers. So many that the agency created a social whiskey-tasting iPad app called PROOF that encourages users to conduct their own whisky tastings, test their knowledge of whisky and explore the Scottish regions that produce whisky. Download the app here, and Slainte Mhath.

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