Out to Launch
Wednesday, August 6, 2014
Father shows viewers #HowToDad in peanut butter Cheerios ad. Bret Michaels serenades Nissan van. Let's launch!
  • dodgeDodge Dart launched the first three of almost two dozen ads starring comedians/actors Craig Robinson and Jake Johnson. "Don't Touch My Dart" features Robinson as a new Dodge Dart owner and Johnson as his neighbor, coveting the car from a distance. Johnson is able to see a smidge of Robinson's new car just before the "Garage Door" is lowered. See it here. Robinson is so protective of his Dart than he punches Johnson in the face when he threatens to give the Dart its first scratch. Watch it here. Since Johnson can't physically touch the Dodge Dart, he voice touches it when Robinson answers a call while driving. See it here. Each ad drives viewers to DontTouchMyDart.com, an interactive YouTube experience where people will find out what happens if they try to touch Robinson's Dodge Dart. Wieden+Kennedy Portland created the campaign.

  • subaruThis campaign is for the adventurous souls who actually engage in fun, outdoorsy activities as opposed to the social media-obsessed who pretend to, in an effort to post an epic selfie online. Subaru Canada pokes fun at individuals dependent on social media in a TV spot promoting its 2015 Outback vehicle. The ad begins with a group of hipsters heading off to a camping trip. Supplies in-hand, the group pitches a tent, throws down a few chairs and sleeping bags and lights a grill, only so they can take a group selfie and post online that they were roughing it in the wilderness. Once the ideal picture is snapped, the group high-tails it back to civilization. Unlike this group, a couple in their Outback drive further into the woods to go kayaking on a secret lake. "Equipped For Life's Authentic Adventures," closes the ad, seen here, and created by DDB Canada Toronto.

  • pbcheeriosGeneral Mills Canada launched an adorable video that salutes dads and promotes peanut butter Cheerios, or the cereal I never knew I needed. The video follows a proud father of four around his house on a typical morning. It's chaotic, yet the dad takes everything in stride, even when his child wakes him by sitting on top of him wearing a horse's head mask. Dad serves his wife coffee, referring to both the beverage and his lady as "hot stuff," gives positive advice to each of his kids and refers to peanut butter Cheerios as "The Official Cereal of Dadhood." This cereal is so awesome that it's eaten for breakfast, lunch, dinner, as a reward, or to comfort a cranky kid. The video drives viewers to HowToDad.ca and concludes with a #HowToDad tagline. See the video here, created by Tribal Worldwide Toronto.

  • nissanI just picture Bret's next single: "Don't need nothin' but a good time... in my Nissan commercial vaaaaaan." Just imagine that as an episode on "Rock Of Love." Nissan launched a 4-minute video that promotes Nissan's Commercial Vehicle range but also serves as an awesome music video, where the frontman for Poison serenades "Endless Love" to a fleet of vans. His version of the song can even be downloaded for free from the Nissan website. The video takes place at Nissan's Arizona Testing Center and highlights the rigorous testing each van endures. Look closely and see six different tests (of the more than 6,000 official ones) conducted on the van, while Bret sweetly sings. He even makes a hazmat suit look good. The video contains a rocker chick who plays guitar and adoring fans, aka workers at the Testing Center, fawning over the crooner. When the tests are complete, Bret hops in a van -- a sexy brunette wearing a white lab coat at the wheel -- and rides off to his next tour venue. See the video here, created by TBWA\Chiat\Day LA.

  • dellWhat can you accomplish in five seconds? Marty Goldberg not only creates films in five-second intervals, he lives life the same way. That means fast eating, shaving only one side of your face a day -- and I don't even want to imagine how he showers. It could take five seconds to turn on the water! Goldberg is part of Dell's "Learning Meets Doing" back-to-school marketing campaign, and he's a figment of the brand's imagination. In the two-minute online video, Goldberg describes his "Goldberg Method" of directing and functioning in the world. His mother is super proud and his assistant is in awe of the aspiring director. The pair work on a new film, "The complete history of life," and shoot, edit and produce content using Dell products. When the film premieres, Goldberg and his assistant greet moviegoers and simply wait outside for them to leave, since the film is a mere five seconds. Watch the video here, created by Y&R New York.

  • babyclothesGoodby Silverstein & Partners launched a campaign for the Bay Area Council in Oakland that encourages parents to talk, sing and read to children to increase verbal development. The fact that affluent children hear 30 million more words than kids from lower income homes, has a significant impact on the development of their brains. GS&P created a clothing line, free to low income parents, and outdoor campaign that reminds parents to talk, read and sing to their kids. Onesies, blankets, shirts and other materials will be distributed free of charge at various Oakland hospitals, pediatric clinics, family playgroups, childcare programs and First 5 Alameda County. Clothing, for example, might prompt mom or dad to talk to their kids about colors or how many fingers and toes they have. Bus shelter ads follow the same path, asking parents to talk to their kids about the bus to help shape a child's development. Check out an instructional video here.

  • fatcatSpoiler alert: adorable cat in business suit appears in this ad. NJ-based Affinity Federal Credit Union wants to rid the world of fat-cat bankers, and playing the role of said fat cat is... an adorable fat cat. Two bankers pitch their fat-cat boss on the reasons why customer satisfaction decreases yearly. The fat cat interjects, explaining the reason he entered the banking business: to make money to spend on supreme cat houses, an endless supply of catnip and a trophy cat. Affinity Federal Credit Union encourages consumers to explore alternate banking needs sans fat cats. See it here, created by DiMassimo Goldstein.

  • realtorIn this modern age of technology, the typical home-buying manta of "location, location, location," has morphed into "accuracy, accuracy, accuracy," when it comes to looking at real estate listings online. Realtor.com launched a pair of TV ads highlighting the importance of such accuracy. In "Mom," a woman and her synchronized family search for a new house. The kids make their sandwiches in the same order and dad pushes them on the swings with precision accuracy -- until he falls out of rhythm and falls on his rear. Given outdated listings, the family show up at an open house only to find a man in his bathrobe, eating baked beans from the can. They switch real estate apps going forward. See it here. A pair of "Doghouse Architects" are looking for a home for themselves and Mr. Sausage. With listing updates every 15 minutes, realtor.com found everyone a home, even Mr. Sausage. Watch it here. Pereira & O'Dell New York created the campaign, directed by Daniel Strange of Uber Content.

  • foodRandom iPhone App of the week:Food.com launched an app that not only gives users access to 500,000 recipes, it also helps them save money at the grocery store. The app allows shoppers to check local circulars from neighboring grocery stores and compare what's on sale to what's on the night's grocery list to see which store holds the better bargain. Users can search and save recipes in a recipe box, create shopping lists and organize meal plans by day via a calendar feature. There's also a what's in your fridge feature that allows users to build recipes based on what's available at home. The app is available for free in the App Store. Download it here.