Commentary

Out to Launch

Olympus and Sony bow camera campaigns. Bombardier connects its trains and consumers through a universally known gesture. Let's launch!

The Grammy Awards won't happen until February, but that doesn't mean the Recording Academy can't start promoting them now. "The Next 50 Is Here" pays tribute to past and present musicians that have made an impact on the industry and consumers alike. It also marks the 50th Grammy awards. Ray Charles, Frank Sinatra, Bob Marley, Bette Midler, Stevie Wonder, Metallica, Sinead O'Connor, LL Cool J, Ben Folds, Foo Fighters and U2, are among the musicians featured in the ad, seen here. Phase two of the campaign launches in January. TBWA/Chiat/Day, Los Angeles created the campaign and Initiative handled the media buy.

advertisement

advertisement

EA Sports launched a TV spot for the Wii game "Family Play," persuading all family members to "Get in the game." An Eagle's player is tackled by a Redskins player - no big deal, but upon closer inspection, the tackler is an elderly woman high on adrenaline. "This is my house," shouts grandma as she emphatically beats her chest. Don't mess with granny. Watch the ad here. Wieden+Kennedy Portland created the campaign and handled the media buy.

Timing is everything, especially when you're taking pictures. If you've ever wondered what a famous photo would look like had it been taken a second or two later, then you're bound to enjoy this print campaign for Sony's Alpha DSLR-A700 camera. Imagine the construction workers eating lunch atop a steel beam while others were still working. Or a leopard readying to attack a baboon. What would happen if a referee stood in the way of Brandi Chastain's winning penalty kick and striptease? Click here, here and here to see the results. Ads are running in Time, Newsweek and Golf, to name a few. BBDO New York created the campaign and Universal McCann handled the media buy.

Olympus launched "Capture It All" last month, a print campaign promoting various camera offerings, including waterproof, crushproof and freeze-proof cameras. Print ads show the camera from the user's perspective, via a perforated die-cut camera that supports the Live View feature. I believe Nikon used a similar tactic in some of its print work. An eight-page insert supporting the E-3 camera uses imagery from photographers John Isaac, Jeffrey Aaronson, Ian Macdonald-Smith and Larry Price that centers each model as the photographers utilize different camera features. Ads are running in Photo District News, Men's Health and National Geographic Traveler. The campaign also includes an inventive coffee cup promotion. The cups contain scenic views such as fireworks above a city skyline and people surfing in crystal blue water. Coffee sleeves are the camera's viewfinder, allowing users to frame their favorite part of the picture. See the ads here, here and here. Deutsch created the campaign and DeutschMedia handled the media buy.

Bombardier, maker of planes and trains, launched an English and French TV campaign emphasizing its relationship with people from around the world. One ad even uses the universal gesture for "honk your horn," although I've used the gesture for truckers, not train conductors. A boat captain has an interesting relationship with a pilot in one ad. Boater flashes his lamp light twice, pilot follows suit. The spot closes with the boater assembling a group of onlookers to witness his talent. Watch the ad here. A train passing through a countryside, like clockwork, commands residents to stop everything to gesture for the conductor to blow his horn. "People always find a way to connect. We just make it easier," concludes the ad. TAXI Montreal created the campaign and Media Experts handled the media buy.

Yankee Spirits, a chain of discount liquor stores in Massachusetts, launched a series of ads in the state, along with Connecticut and Rhode Island, that promote the variety of liquors, beers and wines available. Looking for unique whiskies, vodkas, a pinot noir from Romania, or a sparkling wine from New England? And you're on the East Coast? This sounds like the place to shop. Watch the ads here, here, here, here and here. This strikes me as a low-budget campaign, for is it me or does the same man portray all five characters? Strategis created the campaign and handled the media buy. 

Hungry Howie's bowed two TV spots to promote its flavored-crust pizzas. Each ad describes the flavored crust through the eyes of the toppings usually found atop pizzas. "Pepperoni," portrayed by a ditzy blonde, plays with her gum and opines on why she's unintimidated by flavored crust, for pepperoni is the main attraction of the pizza. Watch the ad here. "Onion" is devastated by the addition of flavored crust. Competing with pepperoni is one thing, but this is too much for the bawling veggie. Don't you love that he's holding a roll of toilet paper while crying? Click here to watch. Tattoo Projects created the campaign and media buying was handled in-house.

Hue launched a print campaign, its first in ten years, in issues of Vogue, Elle, InStyle, Lucky, People StyleWatch and W Scoop. "How do you Hue?" highlights the brand's variety of leg wear and sleepwear using ginormous balls of colorful string. A model lightly attempts to roll a string bundle in one ad; another shows a ball of string tethered to a beat-up VW. The final ad features a woman surrounded by colorful socks. Slover and Company created the campaign and Leigh Marlow Media Services handled the media buy.

Next story loading loading..