Out to Launch
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Dogs. Zombies. Heineken's "Occasionally Perfect" billboard. Let's launch!
  • Wheel of FortuneI'd like to buy a vowel. Eeeek. The mighty have fallen -- and by mighty, I mean Pat Sajak and Vanna White in an ad for "Wheel of Fortune" lottery tickets. Pat trades his suit for a convenience store uniform -- while Vanna and her evening gown remain dutifully by his side. A woman buying a scratch-off ticket turns into an awkward giggler upon seeing Pat and Vanna behind the counter. She laughs uncontrollably as the pair politely smiles, just like they're on TV. See it here. In addition, players can enter to win a trip to Los Angeles to play a lottery players-only game of "Wheel of Fortune." TG Madison created the concepts, produced by Jay Silverman Productions.

    ESPNA marriage proposal went off without a hitch for one man in a spot for ESPN. From his girlfriend's perspective, it was more of a hot mess. "Decent Proposal" begins with a young girl dreaming of the day her prince will come. As she ages, her ideal proposal includes butterflies, a gondola and a romantic vacation destination. In reality, her boyfriend proposes at Comerica Park, on the JumboTron, during a Detroit Tigers game. She accepts, right about the time the overweight man sitting next to her realizes he can be seen on the JumboTron and spills beer on her. Watch it here. Wieden+Kennedy New York created the ad, directed by Jim Jenkins.

    Bakers Meaty MealsPurina launched "Heist," an adorable TV and cinema ad running in the U.K., to promote Bakers Meaty Meals, a soft, chewy dog food. A delivery van is stolen by a pack of adorable dogs that drive off with a load of Meaty Meals. All goes well until a sharp turn on a mountainside road sends the van spinning out of control, teetering between the road and a deadly plunge. The tiniest pooch saves the cargo and his friends, and they celebrate with lunch on the mountainside. See the ad here, created by DDB UK.

    Travelers InsuranceA dog, protective of his belongings, takes the term "Cat Burglar" seriously in an ad for Travelers Insurance. There's no way our dog will let a raccoon steal his beloved toy truck, boat and bone. If that means guarding his doghouse in a torrential rainstorm and forgoing fun walks with his owner, then so be it. The spot ends with the dog regaining his life and taking out a Travelers Insureance policy, just in case. See the ad here, created by Fallon, directed by Daniel Kleinman and edited by Eve Ashwell of Cut and Run

    Nutro"It's getting harder and harder to tell what's real," says a voiceover in an ad for Nutro dog food. A woman takes her dog to the beach for a fun game of fetch. She throws a stick, only to have it get stuck mid-air, confusing both the woman and her dog. That part definitely reminded me of the movie "The Truman Show" -- how about you? The spot ends with a voiceover encouraging dog owners to be conscious of the types of food they're feeding their animals: is it real or a hodgepodge of ingredients? Watch the ad here, created by BBDO San Francisco.

    HeinekenHeineken Light created an "Occasionally Perfect" billboard and placed it on the corner of Great Jones and Lafayette Street in New York City. By day, and most nights, it really is just a plain billboard, except for the night of Aug. 17. The billboard was transformed into a stage where the Brooklyn-based group "TV on the Radio" played a surprise performance for thousands of New Yorkers. See it here. The billboard will remain in New York for one more week. Which means there has to be at least one more surprise in the works. Check out the Heineken Light Facebook page and look for the hashtag #OccasionallyPerfect for hints. Wieden+Kennedy New York created the campaign.

    Call of DutyZombies, and lots of them, can be found inside the Call of Duty Zombie Labs, where scientists perform a variety of experiments to determine the best way to kill zombies in various elements. Who knew there were zombies on the moon? This elaborate video promotes the final chapter in "Call of Duty: Black Ops Rezurrection."  Questions the lab hopes to answer include: "How do zombies explode when there is no air  -- and how does the vacuum of space affect the zombie's appetite?" The latter question is posed while viewers watch a zombie walk a treadmill with a human brain dangled in front of it. TBWA/Chiat/Day created the video, directed by Rocky Morton.

    ToshibaToshiba launched another amusing TV spot where the company's CEO thinks of worse-case scenarios if products are shipped without extra features. Remember their zombie ad from last month? This time around, the CEO is told that tablets are ready to ship sans ports. He mulls this over and pictures movie time in a prison. The VCR breaks and a guard's tablet is the only viable option to watch the movie. Since there's no HDMI port, though, a prison riot breaks out, all the prisoners escape, and they take over the White House. Another no-brainer: the ports need to be included in the tablet. Watch the ad here, created by goodness Mfg. and directed by Ulf Johansson.

    Pimp Your Screen AppRandom iPhone and iPad App of the week: Apalon released an updated version of its Pimp Your Screen app that now includes a Lock Screen Maker feature, allowing users to customize their lock screen with different colors, textures and backgrounds. The update offers clock and slider skins options, along with personal photos, and even a calendar on the lock screen. The app costs 99 cents in the App Store.