Commentary

Out to Launch

What came first: the chicken or the egg? Looks can be deceiving. Sony products take a tumble. Let's launch!

People around the world pay it forward and "Share the Good," in the form of HeinekenPremium Light beers in a TV, print and outdoor campaign. A 60-second spot begins with an overdressed man giving a couple in a hot tub two Heinekens. The ad shows each person receiving a Heineken giving one to a complete stranger in return, until we see the man from the beginning of the ad getting a beer of his own from a stranger. And the song? Uber-catchy. Thankfully, I don't have iTunes on my work computer -- for the song would have been an immediate impulse download. Watch the long and short versions here and here. Print and outdoor ads follow suit in a simpler fashion; I like the ad with the couple's hands clasped making the message "share the good" come together. See the ads here, here, here, here, here and here. Wieden+Kennedy Portland created the campaign.

advertisement

advertisement

CareerBuilder launched another office worker survival video entitled "Identifying Your Office Persona." The video helps workers determine what type of person they are based on the way their fellow co-workers would describe them. Are you always in a nightmare relationship; do you organize happy hours; do you steal office supplies; are you a cougar that hits on office interns? Once you determine your persona, analyze whether you are happy with said persona. If not, find a new job. Watch the video here, created by Wieden+Kennedy Portland.

LG Electronics fooled me into thinking that a new TV series called "Scarlet" was readying a launch when in reality "Scarlet" is code name for its new LCD TV, the LG60. Part of me is ridiculously impressed with the depth of this campaign -- while another part is mad that there won't be a TV series called "Scarlet." Did you see those previews? I thought a revamped "Alias" was coming my way, and I was happy. But back to the campaign. Check out pre- and post-twist campaign TV spots here and here. Watching the two back to back, it almost seems obvious that there's some viewer deception happening. Check out pre- and post-launch print ads here, here and here. Agency.com led the campaign initiative that included help from partner agencies TEQUILA/London and Stream.

Sony products take a tumble in HD format for a spot promoting the brand's US Consumer Electronics. The spot opens on a movie being filmed on a mountaintop. A movie camera falls down the mountain, shattering into pieces that morph into Sony Blu-ray Disc players, which then tumble into video cameras that turn into digital cameras. The final transformation reveals the Sony Organic LED XEL-1 TV -- on which viewers see the mountaintop movie scene that was being filmed at the beginning of the ad. Watch it here. 180LA created the campaign and Universal McCann handled the media buy.

Microsoft created a series of online videos promoting MSN.com as the destination to find news, entertainment and local content. "No One Wants to Look Dumb" follows a student who's unable to answer a question posed by his crush. He redeems himself by visiting MSN. See the video here. A man about to leave his house runs off a checklist of things he needs to know -- keys: yes. Celebs in rehab and basketball scores: no, rendering him unable to leave the house. Watch the ad here. A guy is ill prepared from both a conversational and aesthetic standpoint for a first date. See it here. A woman hides in the supply closet because she's afraid to pass her co-workers loitering at the water cooler for fear of looking dumb. Watch it here. McCann Worldgroup San Francisco created the campaign.

Armstrong laminate flooring looks like hardwood flooring, but it's not. Playing off this tidbit, the company used impersonators of dead celebrities in a print campaign with the tagline, "It only looks like the real thing." Four executions launching in May and June issues of Better Homes and Gardens, Martha Stewart Living and Southern Living feature doppelgangers of Lucille Ball, James Dean, Dean Martin and Marlon Brando. See the ads here, here, here and here. I definitely did a double take at Dean Martin's look-alike. BBDO New York created the campaign and OMD handled the media buy.

Apple launched a new TV spot promoting the iPod -- and am I alone in thinking that it's been a while since Apple promoted it? Lately it's iPhone, iPhone, iPhone. The ad goes back to basics with catchy tunes and silhouettes of people rocking out to their iPods. The poppy tune this time is "shut up and let me go" by ting tings. It works. Watch the ad here. TBWA/Media Arts Lab created the campaign and handled the media buy.

McDonald's launched a Web site to answer the age-old question, "What came first, the chicken or the egg?" Visitors can upload pictures of themselves, become a chicken or an egg and choreograph moves for a dance-off to determine the winner: chicken or egg. The site supports the launch of McDonald's Southern Style Chicken Biscuit, its first-ever chicken for breakfast offering (which explains the play on "what came first?"), and the new Southern Style Chicken Sandwich. The site also houses a video of street interviews asking people what came first. There's also a Spanish-version of the site, found here. The Game Agency created the sites.

Next story loading loading..