Out to Launch
Wednesday, May 6, 2015
A car fueled by cow poop. An app that tracks your inactivity. Let's launch!
  • Sun worshippers are offered a reward for relaxing in the shade to bring awareness and help prevent skin cancer. "Shadow WiFi" stations are popping up on beaches, offering free WiFi to folks who relax in the shade. Developed by ad agency Happiness Brussels, the first installation launched at the Playa Agua Dulce beach resort in Peru, in conjunction with the Peruvian League Against Cancer. New Zealand and San Francisco beaches are next to receive installations.

    The Shadow WiFi system, developed by Happiness technologists, uses a narrow-beam directional WiFi antenna custom-designed to deliver WiFi only to a designated shadow area. Users lose the connection if they move away from the shade. The cancer association gets analytics on how much time users spent on the network and out of the sun. Each system can provide WiFi for up to 250 simultaneous users. See how it works here. The agency has opened access to the software to organizations for not-for-profit use.

  • coxAs someone who just binge-watched the fourth season of "Game of Thrones," I can relate to this ad for Cox Communications. The company has anointed itself the "official sponsor of binge-watching," given its sizable 1,000 hours of DVR storage. A 60-second spot illustrates the potential side effects of binge-watching a TV series for one couple. The couple takes a staycation to power through a new TV series. They also take a vacation from showering, shaving, changing clothes and cooking, so the pizza delivery man practically becomes a member of the family. Initially, the pizza guy and husband banter about the TV series being watched -- but as the week progresses, the mail piles up, the couple look unkempt and delivery guy lets himself in the house to drop off the pizza and collect his money. In a moment of weakness, the husband asks how the series ends, causing the wife to jump on the couch -- Tom Cruise-style -- and order delivery guy not to spill the beans. Watch it here, created by FCB Chicago.

  • subaruThe Subaru BRZ is a sexy, affordable sportscar that will trick the paps into thinking you are a celebrity worth chasing. The average person mistakes the BRZ as a fancy, high-priced car in two 20-second ads created by Red Urban. A couple on an evening stroll come across the BRZ and do what any car enthusiast would do: take as many selfies with the BRZ until the car's owner shows up and interrupts the fun. See it here. The second ad shows a couple driving the BRZ and surrounded by paparazzi. Stopped at a red light, the couple lower the window to a man asking, "Who are they?" "Drive like the 1%," closes the ad, seen here. The spots were directed by Mark Gilbert of Untitled Films and edited by Marc Langley of Rooster Post.

  • volvoThis four-minute video is more of a love letter to Sweden than it is an ad for Volvo. For those unaware, Volvo is made in Sweden -- and the automaker pays tribute to its homeland with a look at Sweden's dark side: winter. "Vintersaga" tips its cap to the residents of Sweden who choose to stay when the weather is bleak, there's little daylight and feelings of melancholy set in. The dark video is set to a dark song, also named "Vintersaga," sung by Swedish singer Amanda Bergman. Her haunting voice, similar to Kate Bush's, lulls viewers into a trance-like state as scenes of frozen water, snow-covered trees and windy mountain roads flicker throughout the video. See it here, created by Forsman & Bodenfors, directed by Gustav Johansson and produced by New Land.

  • toyotaGet your poop jokes ready for Droga5's campaign for the hydrogen-powered Toyota Mirai, debuting in California this fall. The "Fueled By Everything" series aims to illustrate that hydrogen fuel cell technology is legit, while illustrating various methods of fuel production which exist. First up in the series is "Fueled By Bullsh*t." And they're not joking. The three minute video targets the skeptics who believe that fuel cell vehicles are bullsh*t. So it's apropos that hydrogen fuel was produced from a large, steaming pile of cow poop. Directed by Morgan Spurlock, the video features an engineer, dairy farmer, a herd of cows and manure straight from the source. I'd be lying if I didn't admit to zoning out while the engineer explains the process of stripping the hydrogen from the manure -- but I did enjoy seeing the farmer, himself a skeptic, drive off in a car fueled by his cow's poop. See the video here.

  • unforgottenAn out-of-home exhibit that will break your heart. The Illinois Council Against Handgun Violence created the "Unforgotten," a traveling exhibit of memorial statues to victims killed by gun violence. The statues are dressed in actual clothing belonging to each victim. The exhibit launched in St. James Square in Chicago and an accompanying documentary video includes moving interviews with relatives of the victims about what happened to their loved ones and their decision to participate in the "Unforgotten" project. Never forget. See the video here, created by FCB Chicago.

  • ymcaJonathan Nowak directed a trio of amusing ads for the Greater Twin Cities YMCA. Three extreme, and highly unlikely, scenarios play out with the main character able to trump evil, thanks to a YMCA membership. Telling fictional scary stories around a campfire gets real for a father and son when Cyclops appears. The boy is able to climb a tree to safety, while dad is left hanging, unable to pull himself up. Cyclops prefers a challenge. See it here. A hike turns scary for a group of friends when a black bear starts chasing them. One woman runs fast and far away, even smiling a bit when she hears the sound of someone screaming. Watch it here. The final ad show a man wearing cement shoes being pushed off a bridge. He's in such great shape that he's able to swim to safety above the fishes. See it here. Each spot ends with the tagline: "Another Reason Y." Preston Kelly created the campaign.

  • charlesschwabCharles Schwab launched an ad campaign to promote its new digital platform, Schwab Intelligent Portfolios. The debut TV spot brings the technology to life with "Blue" introducing himself and describing his online financial capabilities. Schwab Intelligent Portfolios use computer algorithms to build, monitor and rebalance diversified portfolios based on an investor's stated goals, without charging advisory fees, commissions or account services fees. Meet "Blue" here. CP+B LA created the campaign.

  • joeboxerRandom iPhone App of the week:Joe Boxer launched the Inactivity Tracker, an app that tracks doing nothing. For those who are lazy or anti-Fitbit, this is for you. The app tracks a lack of movement and actually rewards users who do the least. So don't sync this with your Fitbit, but do use this the next time you binge-watch your favorite TV show. Download the free app here, created by FCB Chicago.