Out to Launch
Wednesday, October 29, 2014
Trulia conducts a haunted open house. Real TVs have curves. Let's launch!
  • villaggioMystery and food are the stars of "The Bite," an adorable TV spot for Villaggio bread. Set in an Italian city, the ad features a young boy, lunchbox in hand, walking to school. His highlight of the day is lunch, so imagine his disappointment when he opens his lunchbox to find that someone has taken a bite from his sandwich. This could be playground war. The entire sandwich looks fantastic, so at least the perpetrator has great food taste. Determined to find the culprit, the boy keeps his lunchbox nearby at all times. In class, there's a missing bite; fishing with his pals, another missing bite. When the young boy eats lunch with a young girl friend, she, too, has a bite missing from her sandwich. "Villaggio?" she asks? The boy solemnly nods yes, realizing that the culprit is the person who makes his sandwiches: Mom. "Just try to resist," closes the ad, seen here, and created by JWT Canada.

  • wemoWEMO might be the closest thing to "The Jetsons" we'll ever see. For the record, I'm still waiting for my flying car... The technology allows users to control household electronics from mobile devices. And not just the lighting or the heat; we're talking coffee makers, curling irons, humidifiers, slow cookers and gaming consoles, too. It can make a person feel like they're home, even when they're away. Just like the romantic tech genius starring in "The Big Anniversary Rig," a 60-second online spot introducing WEMO to the masses. It's a husband and wife's first anniversary, but hubby can't be there physically to celebrate, so he does the next big thing: rigs the house so technology brings them together. When the woman arrives home to a dark house, she trips a motion sensor and there's light. Next, a record plays and her husband starts reading a poem he wrote. Their courtship is shown through pictures and video -- and her favorite meal is warming in the crockpot. The video ends as she sees her husband's face on an outdoor TV screen, fiddling with every WEMO device in the house. Imagine what this guy will do for their second anniversary. At the end of the spot, which launches on TV in November, are three "How Dan Did It" videos, which show how this elaborate surprise was achieved. See it here, created by CP+B LA.

  • truliaIt appears that Halloween is the favorite holiday of the folks at Trulia. The online resource for finding a new home had a great deal of fun leading up to Halloween, all at the expense of potential homebuyers. House hunting is difficult, but this spooky video takes it to a paranormal level. Trulia rigged a house with a doll that came to life, a sewing machine that functioned on its own, a mysterious falling book and zombie Grandma emerging from her bed telling visitors to leave her house. It was great; people freaked out. Good thing this open house was held during the day. See it here. In addition to the video, Trulia did research on where the most Zombies, Vampires and Ghosts in the U.S. are located, based on one's proximity to cemeteries, hospitals, prisons and campgrounds. How vulnerable are you? Find out by visiting your local info on Trulia. Olson created the campaign.

  • dodgeBoys and their toys. In this case, it's also their legacy. The latest commercial in the Dodge Brothers brand campaign is full of your typical case of sibling rivalry. "John vs Horace" tells the story of two men who are business partners, brothers, friends and competitors. In celebrating its 100-year anniversary, Dodge takes viewers on a car chase between the brothers. The chase begins in 1914, with the pair racing down a road surrounded by corn fields. As the car chase progresses, the cars they're driving become more current, until the only cars standing are the 2015 Charger and 2015 Challenger. That's one long race. When do the guys have time to eat and use the bathroom? Watch it here, created by Wieden+Kennedy Portland.

  • Doctors Without BordersTBWA\Hunt\Lascaris in Johannesburg launched a serious campaign for Medecins Sans Frontieres/ Doctors Without Borders, called #ToughDecisions. The objective is to encourage more South Africans to be more aware of medical humanitarian work and how they can help save lives by supporting MSF with donations. The #ToughDecisions TV spot places viewers in the position of MSF medics on the frontlines, where life-and-death decisions have to be made in a split second. Two small children are wounded, following a suicide bombing. There's only one operating room, yet two seriously injured children. What do you do? The nurse asks the doctor for his decision, wondering if he will choose pepper steak pie or sausage roll for lunch. Huh? The ad then showcases a person's Twitter feed, debating what to have for lunch. "What's the toughest decision you had to make today?" asks the ad, seen here. MSF hopes to recruit 10,000 new regular donors through the campaign.

  • intherawIn The Raw sweetener is a Brooklyn-based, family-owned company that produces a slew of natural sweeteners often found inside the small brown packets in coffee shops. The company launched a TV spot to educate consumers on the size of their family tree -- one that keeps sprouting new branches. "All In The Family" begins with a tiny sapling growing atop a bag of sugar. A strong tree root leads to healthy branches of the business, beginning with Sugar In The Raw, Stevia In The Raw, Monk Fruit In The Raw, Agave In The Raw and ending with the newest addition to the family, Sugar In The Raw Organic White. See it here. The ad will run on lifestyle, food and entertainment networks. Ammirati created the campaign.

  • burtbeesBurt's Bees has launched its first TV spot and it's quite the animated story. The ad begins with a pair of worker bees dropping a tube of Beeswax lip balm. Next, a mint parachute opens to soften the tube's fall as a grapefruit butterfly escapes a net of honey. Still with me? Cherries fall on a coconut umbrella, which turns into a sailboat that lands on an island of mangoes and pomegranates. The pomegranate seeds create an explosion, which concludes with an image of Burt's Bees lineup of lip balms. "Discover all the naturally moisturizing flavors of Burt's Bees Lip Balm," closes the ad, seen here and created by Baldwin&. TV will run on all broadcast networks and cable including Bravo, E!, TBS, TNT, and USA and CW.

  • samsungSamsung's curved UHD TV is stunning. And I bet the price tag is stinging. High fashion and sleek, modern architecture collide in "The Power Of The Curve." The 90-second video follows a handful of models as they walk through a house that's full of curved televisions. There's so many curved TVs that the models have difficulty determining what's real and what's a crisp, colorful image. My favorite scene is the model descending a spiral staircase with water flowing on the TV screens nearby. It definitely looks like a toilet flushing. The video ends with a model watching her curved TV from her penthouse apartment. The cityscape outside looks just like the view from her TV. Watch it here, created by Cheil Worldwide and directed by Floria Sigismondi of Believe Media.

  • boxtrollsRandom iPhone App of the week: The Boxtrolls launched its official mobile game, "The Boxtrolls: Slide 'n' Sneak," to coincide with the movie's theatrical release. The side-scrolling adventure game brings players to the underground-cavern-dwelling community of the Boxtrolls. Players must traverse the world of Cheesebridge to rescue captured Boxtrolls from the Red Hats' factory. A player can take up to three Boxtrolls on missions to collect gears and cogs in more than 30 levels inspired by the movie. Gamers receive a light bulb reward for completing a level successfully, or earn three for a perfect run. Download the free app here, developed by RED Games, a division of RED Interactive Agency.