Out to Launch
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Real dogs eat meat. Crime Stoppers catches criminals and keeps witnesses pixelated. The Secret Sherry Society is not so secret. Let's launch!
  • Everyone is happy that Tiger Woods is back in the game following knee surgery, except his competitors. Nike Golf launched a very funny TV spot that shows how good the other PGA players have it when Woods isn't winning every tournament in sight. Stewart Cink, Anthony Kim and Justin Leonard are three of the golfers reaping benefits in Tiger's absence, having career games, collecting big paychecks and landing on the cover of golf magazines. It all comes crashing down when Woods appears in the locker room, silencing a loud group of golfers hamming it up. "Good to see you," says Leonard to Woods. The party's over, guys. Watch the ad here, which launches today. Wieden + Kennedy Portland created the ad.

    Hidden cell-phone fees are annoying, but getting hit in the face by a woman's flowing armpit hair is not. Because she's rocking a tank top so her hair is up front and not a secret... but it should be. Ick. Boost Mobile launched two TV spots promoting its Monthly Unlimited plan that offers unlimited anytime nationwide talk, text, Web and Walkie-Talkie services for $50 a month. A man and woman ride a bicycle built for two in the first ad, seen here. The woman's armpit hair is hitting the man in his face. "What, you think this is wrong," she says to the camera. "I'll tell you what's wrong. It's cell phone companies charging hidden fees." The second ad, "Coroner," launched Monday and combines mealtime with work time. In this instance, a coroner is performing an autopsy while eating a breakfast burrito. The coroner drops his burrito on the cadaver, picks it up and takes a bite. If this is "unwrong'd," then I want to be wrong. Watch the ad here. 180LA created the campaign and Mindshare handled the media buy.

    Flowers that look good enough to eat can be devoured if  Eini & Co. created them. The Toronto-based company creates high-end cupcakes for weddings, birthdays and corporate events and launched a wild poster and point-of-sale campaign in Canada that treats the flowers made of icing as real flowers. A hummingbird flutters around a "flower" in one ad, while a bee makes a beeline for a floral creation in another ad. Remaining ads include shears and a spade, making it appear that the flowers were recently uprooted. I loved seeing chocolate crumbs used to resemble dirt. See the ads here, here, here and here, created by Juniper Park.

    Full disclosure: as a child, I dressed my cocker spaniel in doggie sweaters. I regret nothing. Alpo launched a Web site, five-second online ads on Hulu.com and print posters across the country that target sweater-wearing, spa-loving dogs that prefer pedicures to playing fetch. I love these ads. Posters mimic lost-and-found flyers -- except the only thing lost is a dog's dignity and the "respect of every cat and squirrel in the neighborhood." Tear-away strips that normally house a phone number list Alpo's long URL of QuickGetThatDogSomeAlpo.com. Other ads show dogs in compromising positions: wearing dresses or taking abuse from a cat, along with the statement, "Real dogs eat meat." See the ads here, here, here, here, here and here. The Web site offers recipes of things real dogs would cook if they could, along with a questionnaire that determines whether your dog is a Fifi or a Fido. Fallon created the campaign and handled the outdoor media buy. Spark handled the online media buy.

    "You remain anonymous, criminals don't," reads the tagline for a Greater Vancouver Crime Stoppers PSA. The campaign encourages people to report crimes and suspicious behavior, while ensuring anonymity for those who come forward with information that can help solve a crime. Four ads show a different crime in progress: a murder, robbery, purse snatching and gang violence. Each ad reveals a clear picture of the criminal in question, while the victims and surrounding witnesses are pixelated, distorting their identity. See the ads here, here, here and here. The campaign consists of newspaper, billboard, transit shelter, bus and restaurant ads. DDB Canada created the pro bono campaign.

    Did you know that a secret sherry society exists? I'm sure it's more laid back then, say, Skull and Bones, but it's intriguing nonetheless. The Sherry Council of America launched a campaign promoting this secret society, a members-only club that touts itself as "guardians of wine's best-kept secret." The SSS recruited members at the South Beach Wine and Food Festival, which took place Feb. 19-22, via large signs leading revelers to the society's tasting booth. See a non-secretive print ad, here. Prospective members can also sign up online or look for clandestine members at the International Wine, Spirits & Beer Event and the Food & Wine Classic. Creature created the campaign and handled the media buy.

    CorningWare SimplyLite glass bakeware is 50% lighter than traditional ceramic bakeware, according to a 30-second spot, seen here. So light, it floats. Why the dinner guests in the spot also experience weightlessness remains a mystery. The print and TV campaign targets 25- to 34-year-old women and marks CorningWare's first campaign in four years. Print ads, running in The Nest, Domino, Everyday with Rachael Ray and Everyday Food take on an ethereal quality as guests at a barbeque and dinner party, along with their dining ware, defy gravity. See the ads here, here and here. Cramer-Krasselt created the campaign and handled the media buy.

    DIRECTV TV launched a TV spot promoting its remote DVR programming capability. Faux competitive company CableCorp is looking for ways to take market share away from DirecTV. One suit comes up with a new branding campaign called "Get Youthenized." Execs love it. "We're gonna youthenize America," says one businessman. Watch the ad here, created by Deutsch Los Angeles.