Out to Launch
Wednesday, October 22, 2014
When Taylor Swift sips Diet Coke, kittens multiply. Kmart shows its love for 80's music. Let's launch!
  • playstationThe latest ad from PlayStation's "Greatness Awaits" campaign turns opponents on a basketball court into friends in the gaming realm. "Friendly Competition" debuted during Sunday Night Football's San Francisco 49ers vs. Denver Broncos game and features two pals playing basketball. The real-life experience takes a gamer twist, with each competitor now part of video games like NBA 2K15, Far Cry 4 and Destiny. In one snippet, NBA stars Kevin Durant and James Harden take the court with our two friends. In another, the pair are riding ATVs through different terrains to escape gun-toting assassins. The spot ends with the duo putting aside their differences to work together and destroy a mutual enemy. See it here, created by MOFILM.

  • southwestIf only every flight was this much fun. The New York-New York Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas teamed up with Southwest Airlines to give passengers a flight to remember. Here's the skinny. The Wright Amendment, a federal law governing traffic at Dallas Love Field airport, expired this week, which now allows Southwest Airlines to offer direct flight segments from Dallas to Vegas, Orlando, and other cities where they couldn't before. "Spread The Luck" took place during Southwest's first nonstop flight from Dallas Love Field to Las Vegas. On Oct. 13, passengers hit the jackpot just by arriving at their assigned seats, for everyone received a gift bundle from New York-New York Hotel & Casino that contained T-shirts and comps to restaurants and shops on-property. Every gift they received came in pairs, so each passenger could share their luck with someone else. Pay it forward. It got better mid-flight, when an emcee emerged with a prize wheel, pulling seat numbers at random, giving passengers the chance to win additional prizes, like discounts at the hotel spa or free rides on the roller coaster. At the end of the flight, one passenger was given an envelope containing a letter good for a free weekend at New York-New York, two tickets to the hotel's Cirque show, "Zumanity," and a $100 food & beverage credit to use during her stay in Vegas. Watch the fun here, created by David&Goliath.

  • lasvegasHow do you stop water cooler gossip before it starts? This is the challenge facing one man in an ad for visiting Las Vegas. Can't he go away for an epic weekend without being hounded by his co-workers first thing Monday morning? The latest "What happens here, stays here" spot shows a man standing at the water cooler, dreading the group gossip session that's about to take place. So he tips the cooler over and jumps on it -- and when confronted by three thirsty colleagues/potential busybodies, he feigns ignorance about the busted water cooler, simply adding "It looks like we're out of water." Very subtle. Users can tweet using the hashtag #StopWaterCoolerTalk to take this party online. See the ad here, created by R&R Partners.

  • Bra CamMcCann Paris and Nestle Cereals brand, FITNESS, equipped a woman with a "Bra Cam" to help fight breast cancer and illustrate the importance of regular self-examinations. As the woman walked through town, rode an elevator and went shopping, her chest was constantly checked out by men, women, children -- and even a small dog. Once the tally came close to 40 views, copy appeared onscreen: "Your breasts are checked out every day. So, when was the last time you checked your own?" The last shot is the woman wearing the bra cam and getting ready to check herself. Watch the video here and a behind the scenes of the video here.

  • dietcokeIf you are not a fan of Taylor Swift or adorable kittens, do not watch this ad for Diet Coke. There is so much sweetness in "Kittens" with Swift -- including her new feline, Olivia Benson (named for Mariska Hargitay's character on "Law and Order: SVU"), more kittens and whatever is used to sweeten Diet Coke -- that it might be overwhelming for some. But not me. "Kittens" opens with Swift sipping a Diet Coke and playing with the adorable Olivia. Each time Swift takes a swig of Diet Coke, though, more kittens appear. By the time Swift reaches the bottom of her Diet Coke bottle, her house is full of kittens. The ad debuts on TV Friday and gives fan a sneak peek at one of Swift's yet-to-be-released songs from new album "1989." "What if life tasted as good as Diet Coke?" closes the ad, along with a reminder that the album drops on Oct. 27. Watch it here, created by Droga5 New York.

  • KmartDo you remember the '80s music video for Bonnie Tyler's "Total Eclipse of the Heart?" It was "Eyes Wide Shut" before that movie even existed. Kmart is paying homage to that memorable video while promoting its Pay In Store program, through which consumers can reserve items online and then pay for them at their local Kmart any way they want. Much like Tyler's video, we have a lone woman running throughout a large mansion, past people in masks. She runs past items she longs to purchase, like blenders and vacuums, and finds the perfect website that allows her to reserve the goods and pay in-person. Dancing men with tablets attached to them make it quite convenient for our woman to do just that. Did I mention that throughout this experience, a man sings about how to use Kmart's Pay In Store? Get your karaoke groove on. See it here.

  • monopolyDavid&Goliath has partnered with Scientific Games to create a national lottery campaign to launch the Monopoly Millionaires' Club Game. This is the first time all lottery jurisdictions chose to run one national campaign rather than local marketing efforts for a specific game. The campaign will run in 23 states in 2014 and increase to 32 states by 2015. A 60-second spot, "Hot Air Balloon," is set to the Jimmy Durante tune "Make Someone Happy." What sets this game apart from other lottery games is that after the initial jackpot is won, multiple millionaire winners are awarded per drawing, hence the tagline: "Making More and More Millionaires." "Hot Air Balloon" begins with a group of people wearing a top hat, similar to the recognizable Monopoly hat. A fisherman, farmer, and couple on the beach all sport the iconic hat. In the city, a majority of subway riders also rock the look. When a hatless woman leaves her office, she finds a top hat on the ground, picks it up and wears it proudly. The hats are distributed by people in a hot air balloon -- and if you have one, you are a millionaire. If only making it rich was that easy. Watch it here.

  • Wet N Wild Steal This LookRandom App of the week: Those of us on a beauty budget are going to love "Steal This Look," an app from Wet n Wild Beauty. The free app allows users to steal an expensive look from a friend or beauty magazine by finding the less expensive equivalent color in wet n wild's line. Users can take of the picture of the look they'd like to copy, or select a picture from their camera roll. Then they choose the lip and eye colors to steal, and the skin tone that best matches their own. The app will then tell them what wet n wild products they need to replicate the look, and then locate the closest store nearby to purchase the products. Download the app, created by Olson, in the App Store or Google Play store.

  • Slim JimI haven't had a Slim Jim in ages, but the name brings back fond childhood memories -- and the remembrance that the product makes a decent convenience-store impulse buy. The brand has redesigned its web site, SlimJim.com, with quick snippets of content, targeting 18-29-year-old men. Created by Trisect, the site delivers fast humor, along with information on the popular meat snack. I like the small bits of content, not to mention the number of meaty options Slim Jim has to offer. Back in the day, your options were a regular or spicy meat stick. Now, the brand sells beef jerky and bacon jerky, among other items. See you at the convenience store!