Out to Launch
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Adam Carolla is more of a Nissan man. Twinings gets you back to you. Let's launch!
  • ChevyChevrolet launched a pair of TV spots promoting its Silverado trucks. “Like Father, Like Son” is just adorable. A young boy plays with his toy truck, hauling Barrels of Monkeys in the truck bed, rescuing a My Little Pony trailer from under a chair, and then hauling a boat over his sleeping dog. A door slams outside and the boy sees his father, a Silverado owner, returning from work. See it here. When someone asks, “What do you do,” is the answer easy or complex? For a Silverado driver, he’s left speechless, as he’s shown both working hard and playing hard. “For those who live life for a living, the 2012 Silverado” closes the ad, seen here. Goodby, Silverstein & Partners created the campaign.

    VW HeistStealing is encouraged in this campaign. Volkswagen Canada placed a series of framed, limited-edition long-exposure light-painting photographs in major cities throughout Canada to promote the 2012 Jetta. These pop-up “Performance Art” galleries consist of a trio of frames that are easily removable by passersby. Those with sticky fingers are encouraged to share what they stole on Volkswagen Canada’s Facebook page and Twitter. Watch some thieves in action here. Due to the campaign’s popularity, Volkswagen Canada is launching a second phase of the Art Heist, this time using online and social media elements to drop clues. Red Urban created the campaign.

    VersaRoad trip, anyone? Nissan Versa wants to send six groups of friends on their dream road trip in a 2012 Versa. Visitors to MyVersaRoadTrip.com can choose their trip buddies and plot their course. The more creative the course, the better your chances are of winning. And you get to keep the car. The contest starts today and ends Nov. 14, so get plotting and prepare to have your every move filmed. Stop-motion cameras will be placed in the cars, and footage will be used for an online film festival in January. In addition to the contest, Versa is sponsoring a series of Adam Carolla videos that show the comedian sick and tired of his Toyota-esque last name. His mission is to change his name to Adam Versa, since he’s more of a Nissan man. See the first video here. TBWA/Chiat/Day LA created the campaign.

    Honda PilotKeeping with the theme of road trips, Honda Pilot’s latest TV spot shows just that: a crew of eight on a “Road Trip,” passing the time on a stretch of desert highway by keying up to sing familiar notes to a very familiar song. Spoiler alert: it’s “Crazy Train.” One boy starts the song and each friend and family member follows with a different instrument sound, until the entire car is rockin’ to Ozzy. See it here. The spot will air during “Dancing With the Stars,” “The Big Bang Theory” and “The Biggest Loser.” RPA created the campaign and handled the media buy.

    TwinningsA nice cup of tea can help you weather any storm, bring serenity back to your life or simply make the end of a hectic day more relaxing. Twinings tea launched a TV ad in the U.K. that “Gets You Back To You.” Set to a cover of The Calling’s “Wherever You Will Go,” the animated ad watches a woman rowing a small boat through treacherous waters. She loses an oar and holds on for dear life as the waves send her boat high above the water. She makes it to shore and hugs a woman waiting for her arrival. Turns out, it’s a version of herself, drinking a cup of tea. See the ad here, created by Abbott Mead Vickers BBDO and produced by Psyop/Smuggler.

    JamesonJameson Irish Whiskey launched “Hawk of Achill,” the latest in its “Legendary Tales of John Jameson” campaign. The larger-than-life hawk kidnapped the mason’s daughter, a tragedy. After the hawk swiped a barrel of Jameson whiskey, it was war. The hawk stole a second barrel, not realizing Jameson himself was hidden inside. Dropped in the hawk’s nest, he recovered his whiskey, the mason’s daughter and killed the hawk, feeding the entire town in the process. See the ad here, created by TBWA/Chiat/Day New York.

    Ultimat
VodkaUltimat vodka launched a print and outdoor campaign targeting investment bankers, hedge-fund managers, securities traders and other financial professionals. The “Find Balance, Find Ultimat” campaign illustrates the challenge of finding the balance between work and play. Copy describes the long working hours that take away from family time. “Your kids love their Christmas gifts. Your wife adores the diamond earrings. They called your office to tell you,” reads one ad. “You work for the best firm in the city. You make seven figures. You spend less time outside than prisoners on Rikers Island,” reads another. See the ads here, here and here, created by Amalgamated.

    outbackOutback Steakhouse launched a new Wood-Fire Grill cooking platform in its restaurants and wanted a unique way to garner attention – so setting a billboard on fire seems completely logical. What appears to be a homemade video of workers prepping a billboard for a controlled fire gets out of hand quickly once the “controlled” fire lights the entire billboard on fire. But even that was planned. The requisite swearing can be heard in the background, but my favorite part is the guy standing on the billboard. He takes off his vest and tries to smother the fire. Really? I’d be jumping off that billboard, because there’s no way one tiny vest was extinguishing that fire. But that’s just me. Check out the video here, created by Deutsch NY.

    CoronaRandom iPhone App of the week: Now there’s an app that will further reward you for doing things like checking into Foursquare. Thankfully, it also rewards you for logging off social media sites, too. Pereira & O’Dell created an app for Corona called Beach Break. It plays off Corona’s “Find your beach” campaign by challenging Corona fans to find their beach state of mind in social aspects. This could mean anything from checking in at your favorite bar during happy hour, uploading pictures online, to hosting a football-themed party or connecting the mobile app to Facebook. Users will earn points for prizes like Corona gear, a round of golf or a trip to Mexico. Once earned, points will be deposited into the participant’s online point bank, to be redeemed in the Beach Break Store.” Download the app for free in the App Store.