Out to Launch
Wednesday, September 23, 2015
A dating app for bacon lovers. SunnyD creates follow-up spot to ad from 1990s. Let's launch!
  • I'm on a boat... with James Bond! "The Chase" is a 90-second ad from Heineken that highlights the brand's partnership with the James Bond franchise and the upcoming film "SPECTRE." The ad stars Daniel Craig as the handsome international spy, who's outrunning the enemy. A foot chase soon becomes a high-speed boat chase, and a young woman out jet-skiing inadvertently goes along for the ride. The young woman impressively holds her own on jet skis while Bond looks to outmaneuver his enemies. Did I mention this woman is also carrying a tray of Heinekens? The woman gives beer to the good and flirts with the bad, to distract the driver to veer into rocks. When the woman finally makes it aboard the boat, she continues to aid Bond by throwing a hat at the henchman. Unfortunately, this hat didn't take the villain's head off, as it would have if this were "Goldfinger" and her name was Oddjob. Watch it here, created by Wieden + Kennedy Amsterdam.

  • Honda launched an incredible two-minute commercial, "Paper," on Sept. 20 during Sunday NFL on CBS. A feat that took months to create, the ad tells the evolution of Honda's engines through an elaborate paper-flipping sequence. "Paper" consists of thousands of hand-drawn and colored illustrations from multiple artists that were stitched together to create a seamless journey. These paper dreams begin with founder Soichiro Honda's use of a radio generator to power his wife's bicycle. The story continues with Honda's development of motorcycles' outboard motors and the first CVCC vehicle. I loved the stroll down memory lane when older models of the Civic and Accord were shown, followed by the 2016 Pilot, Indy racecars and jet engines. "You never know where a dream will lead you," closes the ad, seen here. In the coming weeks, people who watch the ad on YouTube will be prompted to visit an interactive version highlighting each product shown. Clicking a product will trigger a pop-up, allowing users to see the real product, and explore its history and significance to Honda. Watch a making-of-the-ad video here. RPA created the campaign, shot by PES.

  • Some people will do anything to save money -- like impersonating an animal. In Publicis London's first work for WestJet, a Canadian low-fare airline, viewers meet a man who's so frugal he has no problem dressing like a dog if it safes him money on airfare. "Dave The Dog" is a 90-second video promoting the launch of WestJet's routes between the U.K and Canada. Shot mockumentary-style, the video stars Dave, a man who loves his girlfriend but hates paying full price to visit her in Canada. So to cut costs he goes all in as a dog, from flying in a dog cage, being quarantined post-trip and eating dog food in a kennel. Dave is fine with all of this until he sees an ad for WestJet highlighting its cheap airfare and asks if the ad is a misprint. That kibble was hard to swallow. Watch it here.

  • Dogs really bring out the best in people. Check out "The Walk," an online ad for Pedigree. The black-and-white video begins with an older man taking his dog for a walk. The man walks his neighborhood with a scowl on his face and doesn't look like one for conversation. As he crosses a street, he encounters a teenage boy walking his dog. The pair might have little in common but on this day, they are brought together when their dogs greet each other. The two men smile, make small talk, and continue on their walks. The video ends with each dog eating a bowl of Pedigree dog food. See it here, created by BBDO New York and directed by Lance Accord.

  • Now this is my kind of dating app. Nothing says soulmate more than finding someone who loves bacon as much as you do. Oscar Mayer feels the same way and created Sizzl, a real dating app for people who rate their love of bacon closely near their love life. Sizzl figures out a person's potential soulmate based on how each individual loves their bacon. Do you like pork, turkey, crispy or burnt? Once decisions are made, Sizzl serves users potential matches that can be rated by holding down the Sizzl Meter. If you like someone and they like you back, each person will be notified that they're bacon lovers with the potential for some sizzling date nights. The app is free in the App Store;watch a cute video of how the Sizzl app works. 360i created the app and campaign.

  • SunnyD was such a staple for me growing up and if that's the case for you, I'm sure you'll remember this ad from the '90s with a cool mom hydrating her son and his friends with the popular orange drink. Fast-forward to 2015 to find SunnyD's agency, Grenadier, creating an update to the radical '90s ad. "Rollerblade" hysterically begins where the older ad left off, except the young rollerbladers are now in their mid-30's and goofing off. The aged mom tells her son that she's tired of supporting him and he needs a job. See it here.

  • Is it just me -- or does it seem as if every day is a holiday of some sort? Sept. 19 is "Talk Like A Pirate Day," and those who do so at their local Krispy Kreme will receive a free glazed doughnut. Baldwin& created a video and mobile website with downloadable, animated, virtual piratewear, for those who want to go that extra mile: Those wearing at least three pirate-themed items get a dozen doughnuts for free. The mobile campaign offers users a choice of eleven downloadable GIF-based, virtual, animated pirate accessories for anyone who might not have time to visit Party City before Saturday. Users have to be physically wearing two pirate items and can download one piece of virtual pirate apparel to score the dozen doughnuts. This seems like too much work. See a video of the mobile website in action here, or just visit the mobile site for gear and to use the pirate name generator.

  • The Honest Company launched "Transparent" to help launch its line of cleaning products. The ad depicts a young girl with X-Ray super-powers. When she spots her father's wallet in a pair of pants about to be washed, she wants to be rewarded with a cookie. The girl can also see through Honest Company cleaning bottles because the bottles are clear and the cleaning liquid is clear. The spot ends with Dad using special X-Ray glasses to see what's under Mom's sweater. Watch it here, created by Zambezi.

  • Cine-ma difference network, a series of movies theaters in France and Belgium that organizes movie showings for people with behavioral disorders, launched a PSA encouraging moviegoers to share the theater with everyone so in the future, organizations like Cine-ma difference network won't be necessary. "In The Role Of" features a man with autism playing the role of cowboy, gangster, superhero, king, samurai and astronaut. In reality, the young man wants to attend the movies but fellow moviegoers stare and frown upon it, causing his mom to bring him home. "Everyone should feel welcome at the cinema," closes the video, seen here and created by TBWA/Paris. Laure de Clermont-Tonnerre directed the spot, produced by Control Films.