Out to Launch
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
Troy Polamalu loves classical music. Hungry bulldog becomes man's best car opener. Let's launch!
  • VW“Vet,” a TV spot for the Volkswagen Jetta, is just a little too precious. An adorable bulldog, with an appetite that rivals mine, eats his owner’s car keys. The owner is able to get inside his car, using Jetta’s keyless system – which entails holding the bulldog up to the car door. Upon arriving at the animal hospital, the owner holds his pooch up to the door once again, this time to close the car windows. See it here, created by Deutsch LA and directed by Noam Murro.

    KayakComAn old, washed-up crooner drowns his sorrows in a hotel lobby bar. His problem: no longer being able to charm his way into a discounted hotel room rate. The bartender, sick of his complaining, tells the crooner about KAYAK.com, a site that saves travelers 25% on hotel rooms. Watch it here, created by Barton F. Graf 9000.

     

    SaveTheChildrenPrecious cargo helps save the lives of precious cargo – children in need, in an ad for Save the Children. A health worker in Malawi patiently waits for an important package. Once received, he bikes the package into a remote village where a line of children are waiting. Inside the package is a stethoscope and smartphone that records the heartbeats of the village children. These heartbeats were the inspiration behind OneRepublic’s song “Feel Again,” which can be downloaded at www.EveryBeatMatters.org. Proceeds benefit Save The Children. See the ad here, created pro bono by BBDO New York.

    CanadaWomensFoundationHere’s another PSA, this one for the Canadian Women's Foundation. “It’s a Girl” shows a usually joyous event -- a baby shower -- and adds a somber twist to illustrate the amount of abuse and poverty that many Canadian women and girls face. As an expectant mom unwraps her shower gifts, she opens one present, a black whistle. She’s confused, and the gift giver explains that it’s a rape whistle, bringing everyone to an awkward silence. “1 in 2 girls growing up in Canada will be physically or sexually abused,” closes the ad, seen here and created by DDB Canada's Toronto office.

    EnergizerLast year Energizer created "That's Positivenergy" for the Latin American market. The campaign showed the company’s social commitment to bring consumers products and ideas that help them make a positive impact on the world. This year, the TBWA Latin American regional team and TBWA/Buenos Aires created PositiveLand, a 3D digital city that makes positive differences in the real world. An intro video explains how users can sign in to PositiveLand with their Facebook account. Inside the city are eight real-life projects that need funding. Once a certain number of votes are reached, the digital project becomes a reality, with Energizer donating the necessary items needed to those in Latin America.

    PrestoneSummer has barely left the building, and already there are ads for winterizing your vehicles. This is the ideal time to get it done. Prestone wants users to avoid “The Reaper” of cars and trucks by prepping vehicles with its coolant and antifreeze. The Reaper -- a tow truck that’s ready to take your money for hauling your busted car in for work -- lurks in the dark. “Cheat the death of your car. Prestone it,” closes the ad, seen here and created by The Richards Group.

     

    HeadAndShouldersNFL star Troy Polamalu still has great hair and a soft-spoken voice. He also shows his love for classical music in an ad for Head & Shoulders Deep Clean. Unlike the shampoo of his college days, the revamped Head & Shoulders digs deep to clean his long locks, Polamalu explains as he plays piano. See "Deep Like Me" here, created by Saatchi & Saatchi NY.

     

    EastonSportsEaston Sports launched an online video called “Engineered for Glory,” showcasing sports from the inside out. The two-minute video is shown from the perspective of 100 GoPro cameras that were mounted over athletes’ heads, legs, arms, knees, chests and waists. The end result shows a side to baseball, hockey and lacrosse not typically seen by spectators. I loved seeing what it was like to dive head-first into a base or to make a leaping catch in an outfield. Watch the video here, created by Cutwater.

    NightTagRandom iPhone App of the week: Olmeca Tequila launched a social media- and music-themed app called NightTag. This app is ideal for those who want their Facebook friends to always know where they are and what they’re doing. NightTag lets users take a photo in a club, for example, where music will be playing. The app uses music-recognition software to determine the song playing, and your phone’s GPS pinpoints the location. NightTag then posts all three elements to the user’s Facebook Timeline as one photo post. Amsterdam Worldwide created the app, available for free in the App Store.