Out to Launch
Wednesday, March 15, 2017
Girls rule. Wet weather makes for better butter. Let's launch!
  • Hill Holliday launched a great unbranded video for Bank of America on behalf of the Special Olympics.

    The Special Olympics World Winter Games are happening in Schladming, Austria, from March 14-25. "See the Ability" debuted with a 3-minute video that profiles Chris O'Neill, a skier on the USA team.

    Viewers see O'Neill at home with his family, at his job at Lowell General Hospital and in his element on the slopes. Family members, friends and O'Neill are interviewed. The sweetest part was watching the moment O'Neill found out he made the Olympic team. A lot of tears.

    The video closes with the hashtag "#pickuphope."

  • FCB Canada created a brilliant campaign for the Canadian Down Syndrome Society. When parents learn their unborn child has Down Syndrome, they undoubtedly have scores of questions.

    A series of short videos feature people with Down Syndrome answering questions most-asked by expectant parents. In addition, whenever someone in Canada Googles a question about Down Syndrome, the videos will appear in the search results.

    Viewers learn when babies with Down Syndrome learn to talk, read, ride a bike, play sports, their life expectancy, what parent the condition come from and the definition of Down Syndrome.

    In addition, viewers find out if people with Down Syndrome can work, have children and the odds of a child developing Down Syndrome.

  • A set of branded videos for Mercedes-Benz, targeting Millennials and encouraging them to "Grow Up," are heavy for an automotive campaign. No Matthew McConaughey stretching out in the backseat here.

    Becoming an adult means facing tough situations, not running from them. Each of the five videos, running from four to five minutes, is chock full of life handing out lemons and the main characters finally facing uncomfortable events, typically inside a Mercedes.

    Each video follows a basic situation of adulthood like getting a job,settling down, starting a family. As we know, life isn't always a straight path; it's wrought with challenges and hurdles.

    We'll begin with the best video, which stars rapper A$AP Rocky. The New York rapper credits his late brother, who was shot and killed at age 20, for motivating him to get a "real job."

    Another video features parents of a young girl. The pair are no longer a couple and in the span of 5 minutes viewers see betrayal, infidelity, abandonment, apologies and a lost sock found.

    Then there's the ex-lovers who reunite for an impromptu get-together. Brunette girl rejected blonde girl and blonde girl is now moving to London for work. Brunette gal now feels rejected, but feels their friendship will remain intact. This one confused me the most. The two were more than friends. Why not acknowledge it?

    The final two videos involve a man who quit his stuffy day job and reconnected with his son, and a man missing his ex-girlfriend. The ex remembers their relationship differently, telling a man she was never happy, despite many efforts. He moves on by taking up his favorite pastime -- cycling -- and getting back on the bike after suffering a nasty fall.

    Gustav Johansson directed the ads, created by antoni GmbH, Berlin.

  • Timed again with International Women's Day, Microsoft launched its third #MakeWhatsNext campaign, which encourages young girls to continue an interest and degree in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) and make the world a better place.

    Only 6.7% of U.S. women and 16% of women globally graduate college with STEM degrees. The request is clear: Stay in STEM and #MakeWhatsNext.

    In the video, Microsoft asks girls about the problems they want to solve. Answers range from curing breast cancer or climate change, to making a self-sustaining environment.

    Through virtual reality, the girls are shown what's possible to make these changes -- and they're amazed. Microsoft then throws a curve ball, telling them of the small percentage of women with STEM degrees and the high probability that they will NOT help solve these world issues.

    Them's fightin' words. These facts don't deter the girls, it only makes the fire in their bellies stronger. "We need all hands on deck right now," says one girl. How true.

    m:united//McCann created the campaign.

  • Droga5 created #GirlsCount on behalf of Bono's ONE organization to draw attention to the staggering fact that 130 million girls are denied education globally.

    #GirlsCount consists of a website and online video that features celebrities and regular people counting. The campaign's goal is to have all numbers between one and 130 million counted aloud, edited into one long video and sent to our leaders to get schooling for these girls. On the website, users can pick from a score of available numbers and upload a picture of themselves holding the number or a video saying the number aloud.

  • Menstrual hygiene advocacy nonprofit Camions of Care has rebranded as PERIOD and launched a new website that educates and informs visitors about the company's objectives and menstrual issues.

    Founded in 2014, by then 16-year old high school student Nadya Okamoto, the organization supports the menstrual needs of at-risk and sheltered women throughout the U.S.

    The organization has expanded its cause movement to now include the repeal of the sales tax that 37 states place on menstrual hygiene products, and a national expansion of its campus chapter network.

    Created by Swift, the website maintains that menstrual hygiene is a right for all, not a privilege for some. Women shouldn't have to choose between buying food or tampons. The company donates menstrual products to homeless shelters nationwide. For information on ways to donate, check out the revamped website.

  • With St. Patrick's Day almost here, let's take a trip to the Emerald Isle, where, spoiler alert: It rains often.

    For Kerrygold butter, that's considered a "Perfect Day." The ad begins with a handsome man biking to work. It's pouring out, yet the man is happy as a clam. He passes young girls in their bathing suits, a wedding, and old men reading the newspaper. Everyone is soaked but stoked.

    The man arrives at a farm, where he seductively says: "Morning, ladies." He's talking to a meadow of cows, because "the wetter the weather, the better the butter."

    Karmarama created the campaign, directed by The Bobbsey Twins From Homicide.

  • It took me a few seconds to detect the woman's sarcasm in this ad for CobornsDelivers.com, a Twin Cities-based online grocer. I am one of the few people who actually enjoys grocery shopping... in a brick-and-mortar store... with an actual shopping cart.

    In the brand's first TV spot, by Shout Creative, we eye a woman relaxing at her kitchen island. She describes grocery shopping as a form of "me time" that allows her to focus. The ad quickly cuts to the woman sanitizing her grocery cart, navigating the aisles with a wobbly wheel and getting a shopping cart wheel to the Achilles.

    Now, the woman drinks her coffee, sits back, orders groceries and waits for the delivery. Maybe she can catch up on the finale of "This is Us"? Wait, that's what I need to do.

  • Random App of the week: Hersch Games created EyeCons, a match-two puzzle game that awards location-specific, physical prizes. Marketed as a customizable tile game for brands, EyeCons enables businesses, events and venues to promote themselves and affiliated sponsors.

    EyeCons features a series of tiles, each branded with a logo, product or prize. Players touch matching tiles as fast as possible to win prizes as they move up in levels. Basketball fans could win discounts on merchandise during halftime, or moms could nab family-oriented products while waiting for soccer practice to end.

    Created by Los York, the free app is available in the App Store and Google Play.