Out to Launch
Wednesday, June 17, 2015
Father's Day ads. Chinet and Dixie want people to connect offline. Let's launch!
  • In honor of LGBT Pride Month, Google launched an endearing ad about gender transition and a gym that welcomes everyone. The beginning of the ad introduces viewers to Jacob, who was born female but identified as male from an early age. When Jacob decides to make the transition from female to male, he documents his journey in a series of YouTube videos. Once Jacob recovers from top surgery, the video segues into him getting back to exercising at his his local gym. "City Gym," located in Kansas City Missouri, has classes with a group of men who were born female. Not only are the men getting stronger each day, they are there to encourage and support one another, without judgment or reservation. Hailee Bland Walsh, the gym's owner, believes the gym "should be more than a place to work out. It should be a place to belong." Walsh uses Google My Business to inform potential consumers that her gym is a safe haven and all are welcome. Watch the video here, created by Venables Bell & Partners.

  • This ad shouldn't exist. It should be common sense to eat a leisurely meal on Sundays and spend quality time with friends and family. Dixie has launched "Be More Here," a campaign that encourages folks to put down the phones, tablets and anything else distracting and go #DarkForDinner. A 60-second spot eavesdrops on groups of families and friends eating a meal without disruption. The end result is someone learns something new about a family member, secrets are revealed or a joke sets an entire table into uncontrollable laughter. Without distraction, people are more present, more attentive to the company surrounding them. See it here. Every Sunday, starting June 14, Dixie will encourage friends and families to go #DarkforDinner and share their experiences via social media. Find out more at DarkForDinner.com. Droga5 created the campaign.

  • chinetChinet goes old-school in a TV spot and digital short that revert back to the original definition of being social: bonding with friends in real life, not online. And no one needs to wash any dishes. In "Terms," typical vernacular common on social media is paired with real-life events. The word "chat" is paired with a group of girlfriends gabbing on a sofa, while "share" accompanies a couple sharing their food at a party. "Remember what being social used to mean. Welcome back," closes the ad, seen here. An amusing 15-second digital short features a trio of friends at a picnic. When a friend approaches, he stands out like a sore thumb because he's not wearing any pants, a victim of becoming too accustomed to texting in his undies. Make an effort, folks. Watch it here. The Buntin Group created the campaign.

  • Fantasy, hallucination or homage to "Groundhog Day"? Johnsonville Sausage is making one father's dream come true with "Bratfast In Bed." Johnsonville is encouraging families to wake Dad up with a sizzling brat, then tweet @Johnsonville or post a picture on Johnsonville's Facebook page using the hashtag #BratfastInBed. To illustrate the concept, Johnsonville created a 60-second video where a father relives being awoken by his wife and son to "Bratfast in Bed." Since this is an odd dream/hallucination sequence, each time his family wakes him with a Father's Day surprise, everything involving the brat gets more and more creepy. First, the brat looks fine. Next, the brats multiply and have teeth. Then, an adult-sized brat appears onscreen to add mustard to the brats. And if that isn't odd enough, eventually his son has the voice of a horror movie villain, Dad wakes up as a brat, and Mom and son are brats. Finally, the man eyes his meaty family and says, "close enough" as he bites into his breakfast brat. The dream is never perfect, but close is better than nothing. See the video here, created by Droga5.

  • Dockers has launched a follow-up Father's Day video to "Stop Dad Pants," starring Taye Diggs and his swagger, paying homage to dads everywhere. Diggs sings "Get Down With Your Dad Self" in #DadJam, a 2:30 video that salutes fathers who make fatherhood look good in Dockers pants. Dads change diapers, play peek-a-boo, drive carpool and coach Little League, all in stylish pants. My two favorite scenes were Diggs twerking, and one dad using baby powder at a changing station the way LeBron James uses chalk before a basketball game. See it here. Red Tettemer O'Connell + Partners created the campaign.

  • Angel Soft launched a touching video that pays tribute to single mothers on Father's Day. "Happy Father's Day, Mom," features people sharing their personal stories about being raised by a single mom who had to play the roles of both mother and father to their children. Keep a hankie nearby. Everyone gets emotional when recollecting how their moms raised good kids under less than ideal circumstances. "Some days she had to be softer. Some days she had to be stronger. But every day she had to be both," closes the video, as participants wish their mom a happy Father's Day. See it here. The brand is encouraging people to share their own mom stories on Father's Day, using the hashtag #HappyFathersDayMom. Deutsch LA created the campaign.

  • Omaha Steaks launched a sweet, brand-free video that pays tributes to dads on Father's Day. While seated next to their dads, kids describe their parent/child relationship and reveal honest, endearing traits about dad. There's laughter, tears and a lot of hugs during the 3:20 video. My favorite pair was a father and his young daughter. She was asked whether she loved her house or her father more. She took an unusually long pause to mull things over before choosing her dad over the house. "To Dads near and far, Happy Father's Day," closes the video, seen here, and created by barrettSF.

  • Toyota took to the streets of Los Angeles and found the majority of passersby did not buy their fathers anything for Father's Day. And if anything was bought for the occasion, chances are it was socks. The automaker decided to lets these adult children redo Father's Day by giving dads a spontaneous phone call to say they are loved and appreciated. Many of the dads got emotional; Toyota flew one man living in California back to his childhood home in Wyoming so he could spend Father's Day with his dad. See it here, created by Saatchi & Saatchi LA.

  • When David Beckham stars in a campaign for luxury hotel and casino Sands and its Asia properties, the Venetian, Macao and Marina Bay Sands, Singapore, words are not necessary. In the first #NeverSettle ad, viewers see pictures of Beckham brooding, smoldering, driving a car, looking at the view from his luxury suite, riding an escalator, eating a nice meal and hanging at a nightclub.  See it here. The next ad promotes the Venetian Macao, and Beckham still does not speak. He arrives at the hotel, takes in a boxing match, enjoys an over-exaggerated party and kicks a soccer ball over a golden chandelier -- while in a suit, no less. Watch it here. AR New York created the campaign, directed by Anthony Mandler and produced by Believe Media.