Out to Launch
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Smith & Wollensky wants to be your Valentine. More iPhone ads. Who's up for a chocolate bath? Let's launch!
  • Smith & Wollensky wants to be your Valentine. More iPhone ads. Who's up for a chocolate bath? Let's launch!

    The writers' strike is over and it's all thanks to this campaign. Maybe not, but talk about timing! The Writers Guild of America launched a multi-tiered campaign Jan. 25 to raise money for out-of-work crew members. An outdoor campaign using witty remarks including, "You Write a Clever Slogan. I'm On Strike" and "If I Wanted Reality I Wouldn't Watch Television," drive eyeballs to BringBackTheDialogue.com, where visitors can purchase T-shirts whose proceeds benefit the Industry Support Fund. Click here, here and here to view creative. BooneOakley created the campaign and media buying was handled in-house.

    Old Spice launched a slew of TV spots promoting its Pro Strength antiperspirant using Will Ferrell playing Jackie Moon, his character in the upcoming movie "Semi Pro," as the spokesman. Moon describes the importance of Pro-Strength in "Cave Man" by comparing it to the good ole days of caveman times. No one wants to have a herniated colon and overactive sweat glands. Another ad shows Moon using Pro Strength after a tough workout. But this might be my favorite of the bunch -- I love any ad that can work the word cauterize into copy.  Moon uses scientific data to describe how perspiration, man nipples and most of the human brain, serves little purpose. Gross. Armpit hairs are stroked 100 times each in this ad. Watch if you dare. A young autograph seeker gets more than he bargained for from Moon. Rounding out the ads are Moon making a series of noises and equating sweating to taking a number two. Wieden+Kennedy Portland created the campaign and handled the media buy.

    Sure, the testers could have dipped only the chair in the vat of chocolate, but where's the fun in that? YES Essentials launched its first TV spot demonstrating its car seat's stain resistance. A British man sitting in a seat is hoisted down into a tub of chocolate. Both man and chair emerge soaked in chocolate, and after some technical difficulties, the chair is wiped clean and the man remains dirty. That man has some self-control; I would have at least licked the chocolate off my face. Don't judge me. Watch the ad here. Erwin-Penland created the campaign and handled the media buy.

    Have you seen the cutesy messages inside individually wrapped pieces of Dove Chocolate? Since I can't eat just one, I'm all too familiar with their usual sayings, like "Share a secret," or "Watch the sun rise." Now you can create your own mushy message and "speak from the heart" by personalizing a gift set of chocolates. The My Dove Chocolate Web site allows users to buy as few as three customized pieces or as many as 100 until March 31, when the campaign ends. ID Media created the campaign.

    Smith & Wollensky has a sensitive side, for a restaurant known for its macho-sized cuts of beef. The company is running its first-ever Valentine's Day ad in newspapers and Web sites in 10 markets, encouraging men to treat their ladyloves to a three-course, $75 per person prix fix dinner Feb. 14-16. The specialized menu is displayed between a fork and a lipstick-kissed knife in the ad, seen here. Seiter & Miller Advertising created the campaign and handled the media buy.

    Apple launched three new ads promoting its iPhone, and I'm now completely convinced that women don't own iPhones. At least give me a female voiceover in one ad. Please. A man gets a second opinion on car prices in one ad. I don't love Facebook enough to check it every five seconds, as recommended in another ad. The final ad promotes surfing the Net for anything from anywhere. TBWA/Media Arts Lab created the campaign and handled the media buy.

    A rubber ducky is lonely, and Huggies refreshing wipes are to blame. A little boy makes a mess throughout the day, eating lunch with his hands, finger-painting and dirtying his diaper. All three actions are bath-worthy in the eyes of the rubber duck. His plans are foiled, however, by the heavy-duty kid wipes. See the ad here. JWT created the campaign and MindShare handled the media buy.

    A man's "Free Will" is tested in an ad for the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority. The devil is trying to make a man do it -- have a good time, that is, when a trip to Vegas is planned. "Do you trust me? I got your best interests at heart," says the bad conscience as flames from a kitchen erupt behind him, making it look like his head is spewing fire. The spot ends with the man's good conscience partying hard, telling the man to listen to his bad self. Click here to watch. R&R Partners created the campaign and Initiative handled the media buy.