Out to Launch
Wednesday, May 13, 2015
We are often our own worst critic, especially when it comes to exercising. If we're not criticizing ourselves, we're comparing ourselves to other more fit and thinner athletes. That's the gist of a new campaign for Nike women that addresses our "Inner Thoughts."
  • We are often our own worst critic, especially when it comes to exercising. If we're not criticizing ourselves, we're comparing ourselves to other more fit and thinner athletes. That's the gist of a new campaign for Nike women that addresses our "Inner Thoughts." The 60-second ad shows women battling their negative thoughts while they run a half marathon, exercise in a gym or take yoga and spinning classes. I can 100% relate to the woman in her yoga class, waiting for it to change her life. It took me a long time to learn to "get" yoga, and now I love it. Each woman squashes her inner insecurities by pushing her workouts to the max, even if there are too many mirrors in the weight room and the beginning of a long run is always the hardest. "Better For It" closes the ad, seen here, created by Wieden+Kennedy Portland.

  • quiltednorthernQuilted Northern launched a series of TV spots with an unusual tagline: "Designed to be Forgotten." What about the poor bathroom accoutrements that can't turn away from the actions that occur in small quarters? They suffer in silence, but those who use Quilted Northern quickly forget their bathroom time. "Daddy Gator" and his child are beached on the bathroom sink, unable to avoid every bathroom visit. See it here. A ceramic bunny would rather be put out of her misery by a wayward elbow than have to watch one more bathroom visit. Watch it here. Ever consider the feeling of your frog toilet paper dispenser? Froggy can never look away or lower his arms. See it here. Avoid placing pictures of departed loved ones in the bathroom; it's not how they want to remember you. Watch it here. Even the bird wallpaper is watching you, except for the lone bird with an outlet for a face. See it here. The final ad shows the viewpoint of "Conductor Randy," a toy lost under the radiator with a bird's eye view of the toilet. Watch it here. Droga5 NY created the campaign, directed by Bennett Miller.

  • bacontextI enjoy watching foreign films, but if every foreign film had bacon for subtitles... well, a girl can dream. To promote the Chicago Latino Film Festival, LAPIZ sought to draw more attention to subtitled dialogue by creating a new font: bacon. A typographer was hired to create "Bacon Subtitles," a job I would be unable to complete because I would never get past creating the letter "A." The typographer had the same dilemma I would, so he hired a non-meat eater to complete the task. The alphabet never looked so good. The "mockumentary" ends with a snippet from a movie from the festival that used the bacon font for subtitles. Interestingly enough, the movie, "Pork Chops/Carnitas," tells the story of a young girl and her pet pig. See it here.

  • carhornI bet there would be less road rage if every car horn played classical music. Radio Filarmonia, the only Peruvian station that plays classical music, came up with a clever way to soften the loud, constant sound of blaring car horns throughout Lima. "Clasiclaxons," or "Classical Horns," transforms typical car horns and alarms into horns that play the likes of Vivaldi, Mozart, Strauss, Bach and Beethoven. The only part of the campaign that I felt didn't work was having police cruisers and fire trucks play classical music. Emergencies need to be taken seriously, and a tuneful horn seems unfitting. The smartest element is that the horns are available for purchase, giving the radio station additional income to keep itself  afloat. See the horns in action here, created by FCB Mayo.

  • treebookPequeno Editor, a children's book publisher based in Argentina, created a book that can be replanted once read. The book, Tree Book Tree, is made from acid-free paper, jacaranda seeds and ecological ink. The publisher's goal was to create an educational book for children ages 8-12. Once kids read the book, it can be planted as is, and a tree will eventually sprout. Hopefully, it's not a book that kids will enjoy reading over and over. See how the book is made here. FCB Buenos Aires created the campaign.

  • Skype launched "The Things We Can Do" a series of videos that highlight the different ways people use Skype around the world. The debut video,"Finding Donut," follows Valeriy Sugrobov, a Russian man who combs the streets of Moscow for lost pets, using Skype in the process. He shares his tips, from where to place lost and found posters, how to describe your lost pet, and why it's smart to not to offer a hefty reward. His main tip: Pets are a part of your family, so don't lose them. See it here, created by Pereira & O'Dell.

  • McDonald's Latin America encourages kids to be active, but at the same time wants to enhance their minds and imaginations. Since 2013, 5 million eBooks and physical books have been made available in Latin America by Arcos Dorados, the largest McDonald's franchisee in the world, based in 20 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean. McDonald's went to playgrounds in Brazil and Uruguay to see if a good book could stop kids in their tracks and capture their attention.  A woman with only a chair and a book would sit in the middle of a busy playground and start reading a story aloud. It didn't take long for the kids to stop playing and sit and listen to the story. See it here, created by TBWA\Paris.

  • dominosRandom iPhone App of the week:Domino's UK launched an app that deciphers stomach rumblings and turns them into a dinner order. The Tummy Translator uses "Gastro-Acoustic-Enterology" to help a hungry user navigate the Domino's menu. Users can decide if they are Peckish, Nibbly, Hungry or Famished to determine what to order. Iris created the free app, downloadable here, along with this funny video that outlines how the app's technology was developed.

  • infinitiThe Infiniti Q50 wants to be driven, rather than take the wheel away from the driver. I guess I should feel good about that? A driver takes a back seat in the beginning of the ad, but soon finds his match in the Q50. He gets out of the back seat and takes the wheel, driving off on a traffic-free highway. Watch "Driver's Seat" here, created by CP+B and directed by Samuel Bayer of HSI.