Out to Launch
Wednesday, March 4, 2015
Rube Goldberg contraption promotes love for science. Order Bud Light with one finger tap. Let's launch!
  • bnymelonWhat's in a name? Plenty. The latest ad for BNY Mellon Wealth Management demonstrates the importance of having your wealth manager actually mange your investments. As a sold-out concert hall eagerly awaits Itzhak Perlman, the audience learns that another Perlman will sub for the talented violinist: Rhea Perlman. The actress takes the stage, says hello to the audience, drops her bow and begins playing the violin like any amateur would: making the violin sound like nails in a chalkboard. The ad closes by explaining the importance of having the right experts managing your money. See the ad here, created by TBWA\Chiat\Day New York.

  • apartments.comApartments.com has launched a trippy ad campaign starring Jeff Goldblum as Brad Bellflower, an eccentric Silicon Valley maverick behind the revamped Apartments.com site. New features include custom search filters, photos, video walk-throughs and detailed neighborhood information. Bellflower dresses only in black and puts on a black-and-white presentation that describes the new Apartments.com. Lightbulbs spell out popular industry terms like paradigm, synergistic and thought-provoking, with Bellflower in the center, surrounded by darkness. The background lights up behind him to showcase the new site and search capabilities. "Change your apartment. Change the world," closes the ad, seen here. I feel like I just attended a motivational speaking seminar. RPA created the campaign.

  • heroinMany country music songs are sad, dark and depressing; the same goes for a country-sounding song for the National Council on Alcoholism & Drug Abuse that describes the awful effects of heroin addiction. A 60-second TV spot, "That's How," shows a teenage boy who steals his mother's pain pills. When the pills are gone, he gets heroin from a drug dealer. The spot ends with his mother finding the teen dead from a heroin overdose in his bedroom, all while the country-themed song plays. See it here, created by Schupp Consulting and Mix Kitchen.

  • Nat GeoWho doesn't love a good Rube Goldberg contraption? To promote its "Entertain Your Brain" science-minded programming block, National Geographic Channels International created a spot featuring a Rube-Goldberg-inspired, four-ton contraption with 38 triggers and 71 moving pieces. Tim Shaw, host of one of the shows ("Street Genius"), starts the series of chain reactions in the 60-second ad. Filmed outside Mexico City at the Otomi Ceremonial Center, the stunt brings a little fun to science newbies. My first introduction to a Rube Goldberg device? "The Goonies." The spot, seen here, will air worldwide.Click Entertainment created the spot.

  • 7up7up launched a global brand campaign that celebrates quirky, original, everyday people, a nod to the way the brand characterizes itself. "Feels Good To Be You" kicked off with lots of yarn -- 20 suitcases, to be exact. Urban knitter Magda Sayeg traveled to London and Chile to decorate a double-decker bus and park with colorful knitted creations. In a 30-second TV spot, Sayeg brings color and life to a forgotten square in Santiago, Chile, decorating trees, bicycles, benches, a tire and fountain with her handiwork. "Do what you do," closes the ad, seen here. In a two-minute video, Sayeg discusses originality and wraps a double-decker bus, inside and out, with yarn. It took three days to do -- and then it was time to get the bus on the streets of London. See it here. Sevenfive Creative created the campaign.

  • bud lightRandom Android App of the week:Anheuser-Busch and AKQA have made life easier for Bud Light drinkers in D.C. The Bud Light Button allows users to order between one and 100 cases of beer with one finger tap, delivered in under an hour by Klink, an app that uses independent retailers to make deliveries. Once the app is installed, users can scan their credit card for repeat purchases. The app then tracks the user's current location, hence the one-tap function for delivery. The brand combined the app with its "Up for Whatever" experiences, so some spontaneous fun might accompany the beer. The Bud Light Button app is available now on the Android platform, with iOS coming soon. Download it here and see a video about the app here.

  • earthboundEarthbound Farm Organic launched a redesigned website that touts the brand's story, bevy of products and 30 years providing organic food to those looking to eat healthy. The rich site features many recipes -- all searchable by type of dish, dietary restriction, cuisine and event; bold graphics; a store finder; and Organic Bound, where users can sign up for coupons and share recipes and stories via social media. Haberman Minneapolis redesigned the site.

  • leftswipethatThe latest anti-smoking campaign from the truth is a long-form music video and 60-second TV spot educating young people on one disadvantage to smoking: less dates. The video capitalizes on the rise of social media and dating apps that use the "left swipe" motion as a way to deem someone uninteresting or not your type. The video discusses research showing that dating-profile pics with cigarettes are twice as likely to get left-swiped than non-smoking ones. The video stars Becky G & Fifth Harmony singing catchy and hysterical lyrics of potential scenarios of men and women being left-swiped. There's a man smoking while hang-gliding and another smoking atop a mountain. A bevy of attractive women are promptly given the left swipe because smoking is a deal-breaker. Watch the video here, created by 72andSunny.

  • getlifebackA print campaign for the Utah Department of Health's Anti-Tobacco initiative shows former smokers turning the tables on the grim reaper. Each ad shows a former smoker, even one with an oxygen tank, placing the grim reaper in various defensive take-down poses, like a chokehold. Each ad reads: "Get your life back. Death can wait. Find the power to quit smoking today." See the ads here, here and here, created by R&R Partners.