Out to Launch
Wednesday, July 15, 2015
How much do you love bacon? A campaign only teens can decipher. Let's launch!
  • Oscar Mayer P3 pranked unsuspecting gym-goers, obsessed with the latest trendy fitness class, with a new workout called FRIQ (pronounced "freak"). The video coincides with the launch of two new P3 new varieties: Nut Clusters and Grill Snackers. The enthusiastic instructor has the group begin with normal exercises, like tricep dips, but quickly dives off the deep end with moves like a caged bear, wine-stomping -- and my personal favorite, wrapping people in bubble wrap and having them roll around to pop all the bubbles. After class, the instructor offers folks a sludgy, protein-filled,  drink, which is refused by all but one. The prank is finally revealed, and everyone gets a P3 snack. "Don't fall for the hype in your workout. Don't fall  for the hype in your protein," closes the video, seen here, and created by Olson Engage.

  • Is there a doctor in the house? Any adult who fondly recalls playing the Hasbro game Operation as a kid will undoubtedly love the latest ad from Geico's "It's what you do campaign." The ad begins on a serious note, with an ER trauma unit prepping for an ill patient. The man has multiple foreign objects inside his body; the surgeon knows this will be a difficult case. When the surgeon tries to remove an object, viewers hear a loud buzzing. The camera pans out to show the patient is a life-sized version of the beloved Hasbro game of yesteryear. It's nice to see actual doctors have trouble, too. Watch it here, created by The Martin Agency.

  • Add emoji to the group of languages I can't understand. The Partnership for Drug-Free Kids launched a campaign using only emojis, so it's probably only understood by teenagers. The campaign, entitled #WeGotYou, consists of emoji sentences featured in digital out-of-home, cinema, mobile, social, pre-roll and print advertising. Each sentence is a hidden message that encourages teens to crack the code via a unique URL featured at the end of each ad. The campaign is part of the Partnership's Above the Influence teen program and tackles issues teenagers face like bullying, drugs, alcohol and sex. Horizon Media is supporting the #WeGotYou campaign with $8 million of pro-bono digital out-of-home media support spread across various markets, including Times Square. One ad reads "I want to fit in but I don't want to smoke," while another says "It feels like everyone's doing it." Just reading the emojis used for sex made me feel juvenile. Other ads read: "Acting cool all the time is hard" and "I'm scared people won't think I'm cool if I don't drink." See the ads here, here and here, created by Hill Holliday.

  • Four friends and a junkyard funeral could be the name for this ad for the 2015 Nissan Sentra. In "Wake," four lifelong friends gather in a junkyard to send off a beloved, but old, Nissan Sentra, undoubtedly a place where memories were made and secrets shared. Before the old Sentra is crushed like a pancake, an older woman plays Miley Cyrus' "Wrecking Ball" on a keyboard. It's a somber moment until everyone realizes that life goes on and they need to get to work. The group drives off in a 2015 Sentra with Cyrus' song playing in the background. See it here, created by TBWA/Chiat/Day LA.

  • Taco Bell is promoting its new Bacon Club Chalupa with a TV and social media campaign that shows the extreme side of the crazy bacon bandwagon.  In the TV spot, a teenage boy rides a mall escalator as "Mad World" plays in the background. He is surrounded by faux bacon products, like bacologne, bacon shoes and bacon clothes. When he reaches the top of the escalator, he is greeted by a Taco Bell stand where he can buy the bacon he can actually eat. See it here. In a series of online and social media videos, Taco Bell highlights fake bacon products that may be cute but won't satisfy your bacon cravings. Watch the 15-second videos to learn more about bacologne, bacon headphones (Beats by Bacon?), a bacon gaming chair, bacon hightops -- and my personal favorite, the bacon USB drive. Deutsch LA created the campaign.

  • Who better to narrate a car ad dubbed "The Kings & Queens of America" than an actor who plays royalty in a hit HBO show? Peter Dinklage of "Game of Thrones" narrates the 60-second spot that promotes the 2015 Chrysler 300. Since there's no royalty in America, if someone wants something, they must work hard and take it. The ad, part of the "Drive Proud" campaign, celebrates the success of Becky Hammon, NBA assistant coach of the San Antonio Spurs; Alexis Ohanian, cofounder of Reddit; Phil Ivey, professional gambler/entrepreneur; Kwaku Alston, photographer; and Caroline Styne, restaurant owner. Watch the ad here, created by Wieden+Kennedy Portland.

  • Airbnb launched a print campaign in the New York Times, Washington Post and Wall Street Journal to promote the expansion of the home rental service into Cuba. The first ad likens the expansion to landing on the moon. The Cuban and United States flags are planted on the moon with copy stating: "One giant leap for man's kindness. The doors to 1,000 real Cuban homes are now open to you." See it here. The second ad, seen here, is the Cuban flag with an open door at the bottom. TBWA\Chiat\Day LA created the campaign.

  • Here's a different way to advertise floors. Shaw Floors launched a sweet 60-second brand campaign that depicts family life from the point of view of Shaw Floors. "Awesome Happens on Shaw Floors" marks the brand's first campaign in five years and celebrates everyday, yet memorable, moments that take place at home. From a baby playing with building blocks to a couple running a small business to a mother teaching her son how to dance, along with siblings creating an epic fort, Shaw Floors sees it all. See it here, created by Resource/Ammirati.

  • Random iPhone App of the week: AMC is safely turning regular folks into mobsters with its "Mobbed Up" app, promoting the series "The Making of the Mob: New York." The app allows users to take a selfie and edit the photo using period props, filters and textures taken from the show. Once users have created their portrait, they can share it via Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. It's a great way to let friends know who the kingpin in the relationship is. "The Making of The Mob: New York" is an eight-part series that begins in 1905 and spans more than 50 years to trace the rise of Charles "Lucky" Luciano, Meyer Lansky, Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel and other notorious gangsters. Download the free app here.