Out to Launch
Wednesday, June 15, 2016
Father's Day gift ideas. Organic seed with a dirty mouth. Let's launch!
  • Sonic Drive-In launched a social media campaign called #AmazeYourMouth that features a partnership with GIPHY's product, GIPHY Cam. Creative features amusing videos starring actors with cartoon characters painted around their mouths. You'll recognize Sonic's regular brandmen, Peter Grosz and T.J. Jagodowski, with the addition of John Lutz of "30 Rock" and "Second City" stars Chelsea Devantez and Carisa Barreca. A local newscast on a thief that steals Sonic frozen drinks finds the culprit is close to home. A campfire ghost story turns out to be true when a precious limeade goes missing. The final video shows catty teens at a sleepover. When one girl brings along a portal to another world, the remaining girls mock her for trying too hard to fit in. #AmazeYourMouth videos will run on Instagram, YouTube, Twitter and Facebook. Goodby Silverstein & Partners created the campaign.

  • Dads do some crazy things if it means making their child happy. One father endures hours of a "Tween Pop" concert when his daughter is under the weather. The ad for Samsung is the first spot to showcase a few Galaxy S7 devices including the S7 Edge, Gear 360 camera and Gear VR headset. Dad arrives at the venue, takes a deep breath, and plunges into his version of hell: a group of hormonal teen girls losing it over real-life boy band After Romeo. While the girls dance, dad remains still, holding his Gear 360 camera to record the night's events. The ad closes with dad and mom listening to their daughter sing the group's songs, in between sneezes, as she watches the evening unfold on her VR headset. Leo Burnett Chicago created the campaign.

  • Seed Matters, an initiative from the Clif Bar Family Foundation, launched "Mr. Seed," an animated short that doesn't beat around the bush. It tells viewers that "our food system is f*cked, but we can fix it." In the almost 5-minute video, we meet a dirty-mouthed organic seed, voiced by Pete Holmes, who takes on the messaging from large agrichemical companies that they are the only options when it comes to feeding the world. Mr. Seed, on the other hand, emphasizes the benefits of organic seed compared with chemically dependent alternatives. When it comes to breeding, organic seeds do it in the environment, possibly after reading the Karma Seedra (by far my favorite part of the video). Visit SeedMatters.org for more information. The Butler Bros created the video, directed by Buck. Music and sound design was handled by Antfood.

  • If you're a fan of "Shark Tank," chances are you saw the pitch for Felt, a free app that lets people create and mail handwritten cards, for a cost of $3, from their iPhones and iPads. The company launched a quirky Father's Day campaign called The Dad Gift Collection, which pairs handwritten cards with gift cards containing unexpected copy. "If I bribe you with this, will you please not vote for Trump?" begs an Applebee's gift card. "I love you enough to tell you that Costco is not a pants store," says a Macy's card. And my personal favorite: "You taught me if you want it done right, you have to do it yourself. "So buy your own damn gift, dad," says the Home Depot card. Humanaut created the campaign.

  • Under Armour has been gifting gear and accessories to its athletic social media followers who share their inspirational stories using the #RuleYourself hashtag on Twitter or Instagram. Users who share the rules that keep them motivated and pushing toward their goals are considered for daily awards from UA. The brand plans to give away more than 1,000 items during the length of the campaign. Look for Under Armour athletes like Michael Phelps, Stephen Curry, Carey Price and Jordan Spieth to share their rules.

  • Now is the time to get your yard looking spiffy, and Lowe's wants to help. A social media campaign, "Make Your Home Happy," brings inanimate decorations to life -- who hasn't imagined their garden gnome starting to talk -- to promote ways Lowe's can turn house goals into realities. A garden unicorn gets leg cramps eyeing his owner's lawn, since the man signed up for Lowe's lawn care program. A giraffe magnet loves the new family fridge, and the not-so-subliminal messages spelled out with magnets. A garden flamingo is surrounded by beautiful flowers, bought from Lowe's, that rival its own beauty. BBDO New York created the campaign.

  • Random iPhone App of the week: Finding the time and motivation to work out is half the battle. TRN is an on-demand fitness app, available to residents of New York City and Miami. Once users create a profile, they specify where they would like to work out (home, gym, outdoors) and what they would like to do. They can then browse through trainers specializing in their interests and book a meeting time with only a few hours notice. Trainers keep a log of your workout to monitor help you reach goals. Presently, the app helps consumers with general training, yoga, Pilates and swimming.

  • La Colombe cafes are few and far between, but fans of the coffee can now purchase Draft Lattes in cans. To support the launch, O3 World created a landing page where visitors used their mouse to wipe away frost and reveal cans of Draft Latte (frothed milk and cold-pressed espresso). On launch day alone, more than 10,000 cans were purchased. Additional flavors like Pure Black + White, Draft Mocha and Almond Milk Draft Latte will soon be available in cans. Anyone else ready for a caffeine break?

  • No matter how delicious Subway's chicken sans antibiotics may be, a used car salesman has a hard time convincing his colleague to give it a spin. The two co-workers go back and forth until one asks what it will take to sway his co-worker to try the sandwich. Potato chips is the counteroffer. The sandwich lover runs to his manager's office for approval. What will his commission be? Check out "Car Salesman" here, created by BBDO New York.