Out to Launch
Wednesday, January 11, 2017
Go big by being small. Jolly Green returns to TV. Let's launch!
  • I was unaware that NFL quarterbacks went above and beyond at Christmas with gifts for their offensive lines -- but this Christmas, Denver Broncos quarterback Trevor Siemian gave the best gift ever, if you're a Skittles fan.

    His teammates were gifted with parkas that dispense Skittles through a push-button mechanism, putting one-and-a-half single-serve Skittles packages into a clear front pocket.

    The jacket is also emblazoned with the Broncos logo along the sleeve, withan customized patch for each player and a Skittles lining. Where can the rest of us get one? Olson Engage created the campaign.

  • The world may judge you, but Planet Fitness will not. Think of it as a warm embrace in an otherwise harsh world, where even those who are typically on your side throw a little shade your way.

    "The World Judges, We Don't," is a New Year's Eve countdown of people encountering judgment in atypical places. A woman on a job interview has a killer resume but bad fashion sense, while another woman is rejected by a cat that she wants to adopt. A new dad is kicked in the face by his newborn baby. And when a woman gets the courage to ask out her co-worker, he, and all their colleagues, laugh in her face. The struggle is real.

    At least there's a safe haven where folks can work out and focus on bettering themselves. "The World Judges. We Don't. Planet Fitness. Be Free," closes the ad, created by Hill Holliday.

  • The Jolly Green Giant has returned, and he's more lifelike than you might remember. He promotes Green Giant's new series of products, which include Veggie Tots, Riced Vegetables, Mashed Cauliflower and Roasted Vegetables.

    "Snow Angel" marks the return of the the giant, sharing his food findings with families. JGG makes a mean snow angel with a young girl, much to the chagrin of Dad, who winds up underneath the giant.

    In "What Did He Learn," JGG reflects on his journey by dipping his toes in a pond. He crafted new recipes and also benefited greatly by adding jump squats to his exercise routine.

    Ads, created by Deutsch New York and directed by Ulf Johansson, are running on Bravo, Cooking Channel, E!, Lifetime, HGTV, VH1, Nick at Nite, and the Food Network.

  • Live large by being small in a 50-second ad for Princess Cruise Lines. Rather than go big or go home, the brand encourages travelers to consider themselves small and outnumbered by the beauty of the world.

    When you're outnumbered by stars, touching a ginormous glacier or standing at the bottom of a waterfall, being small doesn't sound so bad. "What if we dared to feel small," asks the video, created by Goodby Silverstein & Partners.

  • I had no idea Land O' Lakes is a farmer-owned co-op until watching this spot, created by The Martin Agency.  The 60-second ad meshes footage from a typical farmer's day with lines recited from Amelia E. Barr's poem, "The Farmer."

    A farmer's day begins at dawn, with feeding animals, tending to crops and seeding, and ends at dusk.

    "The farmer’s trade is one of worth;
    He's partner with the sky and earth,
    He’s partner with the sun and rain,
    And no man loses for his gain;
    And men may rise, or men may fall,
    But the farmer he must feed them all."

    The ad ran throughout several College Bowl games and will run online through the end of January.

  • I never saw the "Damn Daniel" video when it first went viral, so I didn't understand this remix when I first came across it. Actually, I still don't. LG USA remastered the popular "Damn Daniel" videos by giving them a modern update, courtesy of the LG V20. The video begins with snippets of the original video of two high school friends, one with a cool eye for fashion.

    The remastered version stars the original creators alongside an over-the-top '90s R&B group, who serenade the duo as they reenact the video. This part is a riot. Everything is slo-mo and the singers are sultry and following Daniel's every move. "You may not be this smooth, but your next video will be," closes the ad, created by SuperHeroes New York. The ad and vocals were recorded using an LG V20.

  • TBWA\G1 created a European outdoor campaign for Nissan called "Parking Is Not An Art." This is true, but we shouldn't become so dependent on technology we can't back out of a parking space without assistance.

    The creative is meant to resemble brushwork on a canvas. It is actually paint scraped on parking garage walls when a car has been unable to maneuver properly.

    With Nissan's Around View Monitor technology, you might not risk leaving your own Pollock at your local parking lot. The technology uses four cameras to give the driver a view of her car in its surroundings. See the ads here, here and here.

  • Microsoft and NFL launched an adorable video starring Drew Brees, Todd Gurley, Clay Matthews, Tyler Lockett and Brees' 5-year-old son Bowen.

    The Microsoft Surface is the official tablet the NFL and players use on and off the field. We see the NFL players training hard in the weight room, pool and on-field. After a play or workout, the men are able to view results and progress on their tablets.

    Offsetting the grueling workouts is the voice of a kid singing "If You're Happy and You Know It."

    At the end of the ad, we see Brees using his table to grab some face time with his son, who was singing the song. IMG created the video.

  • Random App of the week:Publicis Romania launched an app for the Automobile Club of Romania and FIA (Federation Internationale de l'Automobile) that teaches kids about traffic safety.

    "Mr. Bear Driver" was designed for kids to play during long road trips. The game is directly influenced by the actual speed of the car, via GPS.

    The main character in the game lets kids know when the real-life legal speed limit has been exceeded, and asks them to tell the driver to slow down. If the driver doesn't reduce speed immediately, the kids lose points and the game ends.

    The app is free in Google Play and the App Store.