Commentary

Out to Launch

SealyA mattress falls off the bed of a truck. It’s life flashes before its eyes in an ad for Sealy, launching April 1. Actually, the life it reminisces about is the family that slept on it. Images of a couple first married, the addition of a puppy, then babies. Good times and bad are remembered, from romantic moments to an argument where the husband left to sleep on the couch. The spot ends with mom, dad, daughter and son hoisting the mattress back onto the truck. “Whatever you do in bed, Sealy supports it,” closes the ad, seen here and created by Arcana Academy. Let’s hope “whatever” also includes sleep.

VolkswagenA newborn baby leaves the hospital. It’s life flashes before its eyes when a van cuts off the car he’s riding in. Thankfully, mom and dad have him securely nestled in a Volkswagen Jetta. And since the little guy is days old, his memories consist of his mom, dad, and the van in a hurry. Be grateful they didn’t show the birth canal.  Watch “Baby” here, created by Deutsch LA and directed by Noam Murro.

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This week, babies are the new black.

WBEZWBEZ 91.5FM in Chicago created a unique campaign to increase its listeners by encouraging its fanbase to “Go Make Babies.” Dubbed the "2032 Membership Drive," the online, outdoor and print campaign encourages interesting people to hook up with interesting people and make more interesting people. So much for dinner and a movie. Let’s hope there’s still interesting jobs for the interesting babies in the semi-terrifying future where, thanks to rising health costs, we’ll be giving ourselves bypasses. Listeners can visit www.GoMakeBabies.com, where people can take an “Interesting Assessment” test that offers links to WBEZ content, based on their tastes, along with potential mates who share their likes. Sample print copy includes: “To anyone NOT currently running a virtual farm: GoMakeBabies.com” and “Hey interesting people, get a room already. And then put a crib in it.” See ads here, here and here, created by Xi Chicago.

JamesonJohn Jameson didn’t panic when the “Iron Horse” barreled through town, out of control. He calmly finished his breakfast – it is the most important meal of the day – then set off to stop the runaway train. He was hell-bent on saving its precious cargo: no, not its buxom passengers, but his barrels of whiskey. Happily, Jameson sends the Iron Horse over a cliff, coincidentally destroying an enemy ship. Three cheers for multitasking! The ad, seen here, is the latest in Jameson’s “Tall Tale” campaign. TBWA\Chiat\Day New York created the campaign.

BurtsBeesWhere do billboards go after their campaign runs? A Burt’s Bees’ billboard was put out to pasture to help irrigate a garden. Once the brand’s successful “A Natural Before and After” campaign was finished, the remaining vinyl sheeting was given to the Durham School of the Arts, where its Urban Gardening program converted the ad into a rain catchment system that will capture and reuse 6,300 gallons of rainwater a year for their crops. See how it works here. Baldwin&, Raleigh crafted the campaign.

UnderArmourUnder Armour launched a TV campaign for Armour39, a three-piece system that measures a person’s heart rate, calories burned and real-time intensity. Essentially, this equipment knows when you are giving it your all and when you’re just sliding by. The ad shows a man and woman, exercising while wearing the measurement gear. They pull ropes, do crunches on punching bags and hang midair on rings. I didn’t need exercise equipment to tell me the pair were working hard, but it will help hardcore gym rats measure their strengths and weaknesses. I need something like this with an added component that hides my weakness: bacon. See it here, created by ATTIK.

BayAreaCampA CPR dummy has multiple uses in an ad for the Bay Area Shakespeare Camp. A boy acts out the final scene in “Romeo and Juliet,” kissing his beloved and drinking a bottle of poison. When Juliet awakens, she stabs herself, as fellow group members watch, and a counselor wipes away a tear. “It just wouldn’t be summer camp without swords, daggers and poison,” closes the ad, seen here, and created by BBDO San Francisco. Forget the dummy; it’s an excellent ad for the power of live theater.

ConnectingCanadai2 Ideas and Issues Advertising launched an educational TV spot for The Canadian Energy Pipeline Association. The spot describes how pipelines provide energy to Canadians, using stop-motion and paper-craft inspired computer animation to educate viewers about CEPA and drive traffic to AboutPipelines.com. See it here, directed by Ozan Biron of The Embassy.

 

ChihulyAppRandom iPhone App of the week:The Martin Agency created a campaign for the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts that allows users to create a piece of blown glass by blowing in to their iPhone. The app promotes the museum’s exhibit of glassblower Dale Chihuly,called “Breathe Art into Life.” The finished product can be shared via Facebook, Twitter or email. The app is free in the App Store.

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