Out to Launch
Wednesday, May 28, 2014
A paper towel dispenser that prints out news in real-time. A talking bear hat. Let's launch!
  • milkinstitueThe Strategic Milk Alliance, representing dairy producer organizations across English-speaking Canada, has launched the latest TV spots in its "Milk Every Moment" campaign. The campaign targets adults to drink milk by evoking fond childhood memories of a time when milk was the go-to beverage. Remember the days of milk and cookies or milk with cake? In "Rain Gear," there's adorable vignettes of kids making snow angels, hiding in an old school clothes hamper and taking a shower wearing full rain gear. Cute stuff. "Not everything we did when we were kids made sense," says ad copy that's followed with the kid drinking milk and eating a hearty slice of chocolate cake. "But drinking milk did," closes the ad, seen here. "Cushion" is the same idea, with different childhood memories of jumping on furniture, tying helium balloons in a girl's hair and putting clothes on backwards. Watch it here. Each spot drives viewers to http://www.milkeverymoment.ca, where they can review a collection of recipes for classic dishes and desserts that pair perfectly with a glass of milk. Like I need a website for that. DDB Canada Vancouver created the campaign.

  • miniabeMini-Abe is back as the pint-sized brand ambassador for the Illinois Office of Tourism. And this time, he's a man after my own heart... or should I say stomach? Mini-Abe highlights the best foods Illinois has to offer in "Be More Nom-Nom-Mmm." His appetite is bigger than he is, but Mini-Abe conquers each meal head-on, whether it's a nice steak, sushi, popcorn or a corn dog. Those with rumbling stomachs can find a list of Mini-Abe's favorite spots at EnjoyIllinois.com. See the ad here, created by JWT Chicago.

  • intelThe latest video from Intel's "Look Inside" series looks inside the offices of Intel for a solution to mining conflict-free minerals. Intel engineer Carolyn Duran sought to change the way many of the minerals used to build most pieces of technology are acquired. Some minerals are mined under warlords in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, making conditions for miners unsafe and deadly. Rather than abandon the region entirely, Duran and her team implemented a conflict-free tracking system over the course of a five-year period. This resulted in a 55% reduction in armed-group profits from tantalum, tungsten and tin mined in the region, along with the first conflict-free microprocessors available for consumer purchase. See the video here, created by Venables Bell & Partners and directed by Paul Freedman of Untitled.

  • coorsliteWhen you drink a Coors Light, you are essentially saying yes to adventure, or that mountain man wearing a talking-bear hat. The mountain man is a new character for Coors Light Canada, and it's hard not to look at a man whose hat does all the talking for him. The 60-second online spot can't guarantee that drinking Coors Light and embracing adventure will result in waking up on a beach, having a paint fight, wearing sumo wrestler costumes or wearing metal or furry handcuffs, but it can guarantee you'll have a better story to share with your friends compared to saying no to fun and excitement. See the ad here, created by Leo Burnett Toronto, directed by The Perlorian Brothers and edited by Marc Langley.

  • newspaperptIf real-time news was printed on paper towels and dispensed from corporate bathrooms, malls and cinemas, would you use more paper towels than usual? To drive website traffic to Mexico's largest free newspaper, Mas por Mas, FCB Mexico created some smart paper bowl dispensers that printed the latest news posted on Mas pro Mas' website.  Along with the news, each paper towel had a QR code printed on it for users to connect to the site. See the dispensers in action here. My favorite snippet shows two women reading a handful of paper towels by the sink. Must be some story.

  • drpepperDr Pepper launched a Memorial Day-themed TV spot, showcasing what makes Americans unique. "/1Americans" pays tribute to everyday athletes, dreamers, entrepreneurs, soldiers and veterans, along with a trio of famous, one-of-a-kind men who shaped the country: Abraham Lincoln, Johnny Cash and Muhammad Ali. "We're a one-of-a-kind people, always have been," begins the ad, voiced by actor Emile Hirsch. "Together, we're America. Together, we're one of a kind," he continues. See the ad here, created by Deutsch LA and directed by Keith Schofield.

  • altontowersAlton Towers has launched a TV campaign targeting parents with young families that promotes the May 24 launch of CBeebies Land. Created by TBWA/Manchester, the ad combines both the adult and kids' worlds by bringing CBeebies Land and its characters to life, as seen through a child's eyes. While a family of four takes a serious picture outside of Alton Towers, CBeebies characters are brought to life, photobombing the surprised family and leading them to CBeebies Land. Kids can play with their favorite CBeebies characters, visit interactive play areas and hop on rides. All in all, a pretty good day. See it here.

  • soccerWunderman Brazil launched "Linesmen for Peace," a 2-minute video for the Sao Paulo Soccer Federation that promotes nonviolence for soccer fans, whose passion for their sport can turn aggressive during and after games. In the video, the Soccer Federation had linesmen replace their traditional yellow and red flags with white flags, the universal symbol for peace. The goal was for fans to think of peace and unity whenever the white flag was raised, rather than something more aggressive and violent. "There should be no offsides in peace" closes the video, seen here. The campaign was launched during the Sao Paulo State Championship, one of Brazil's largest tournaments.

  • toppsRandom iPhone App of the week: My inner child is crying about this app. Baseball-card collecting has gone digital. What's next? The Garbage Pail Kids going digital? For those young enough that physical baseball cards are just what older folks talk about, The Topps Company launched BUNT 2014, a digital trading card app that works on the iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch. And it's popular, but just not the same as the real deal. BUNT, along with Topps' other digital collecting apps, Topps HUDDLES and Topps KICKS, have collectively sold more than 35 million packs of digital trading cards in less than a year. BUNT users can collect digital cards, trade with friends, and complete sets, just as one would do with physical baseball cards. There's also a game element to card collecting, where users can earn points in real-time, depending on how their players did in a recent game. The app is available for free in the App Store, with card packs available for purchase in-app. Download it here.