Out to Launch
Wednesday, May 3, 2017
Rob Lowe is the latest KFC Colonel. Watch live music before the apocalypse, says StubHub. Let's launch!
  • I think of myself as an adventurous eater, so I'm intrigued by Houdini Sportswear's latest campaign that uses worn-out apparel to make compost to make soil to make food. I also think of how much I sweat after a long run and feel the need to reconsider my definition of adventurous eater.

    Houdini Sportswear created The Houdini Menu, a vegetarian tasting menu made from clothes. Old apparel is collected at any Houdini store; reparable pieces are fixed free of charge, and the rest are used to make new clothes, or food.

    The clothes, a mix of merino wool and biodegradable fibers, were placed in a compost pile and six months later the clothes were completely broken down.

    Using the soil created, Houdini grew vegetables and herbs that Chef Sebastian Thureson turned into a four-course vegetarian meal.

    This year, people were invited to book a seat at Agrikultur Restaurant in Stockholm to taste the Houdini menu.

    McCann Stockholm created the campaign.

  • In France, two children a day die from violence, and many people in the kids' lives fail to report abuse and neglect to the authorities. Innocence in Danger, a worldwide association to protect children from violence, shows how bystanders are also responsible with @GuiltyTags.

    The Instagram feed tells the stories of nine murdered children, each based on real cases.

    In each Instagram picture, everyone responsible for what happened to those children is tagged. Maybe it was a relative or schoolteacher who saw signs of abuse but never reported it. To recreate each story, 60 profiles and more than 1650 posts were created.

    As users explore each profile, people can dig deep and learn how each person played a tragic role in the death of a child. McCann Paris created the campaign.

  • Live music is like air, and according to StubHub, must be appreciated before the world ends.

    In "Machines," technology takes over the world, and not in a good way. Cars, phones, TVs, toasters and the beloved washing machine turn on humanity. The future is bleak and more so for one man, who realizes he never saw Sia live in concert. He's put out of his misery soon after by a possessed SUV.

    "Festival" tells the story of two people who found love on a night that neither wanted to go out. The two marry and hubby starts a job with his father-in-law. On hubby's first day on the job, he strikes oil -- and a movie is made based on his life story. If you stay home, you will never meet your soulmate or strike it rich. Mingle. Talk to people.

    Goodby Silverstein & Partners created the campaign, directed by Martin De Thurah of Epoch.

  • Rob Lowe is the latest actor to play Colonel Sanders in a KFC campaign -- but I believe he's the first to ditch the Southern accent. Although it does come and go. The Colonel promotes KFC's Zingers chicken sandwich with a promise to send a sandwich into space this summer.

    The Colonel, dressed in a space suit, addresses the media, and Americans, with an important message of exploring the unknown by sending a Zingers chicken sandwich into space. The Colonel's rallying cry has the nation riled up and excited about venturing into the unknown.

    The Colonel hopes it works out, since "our entire marketing campaign depends on it." Also, look for and relish the cameo by former game-show host Wink Martindale. Wieden + Kennedy Portland created the campaign.

  • It's been close to 20 years since actress Rachael Leigh Cook starred in the memorable "This Is Your Brain On Drugs" commercial. It's hard to forget the image of cracked eggs and a woman wielding a frying pan, destroying a kitchen.

    Cook now stars in an updated version of the ad, this time focusing on drug laws and how they target minorities.

    Created for the Drug Policy Alliance by Green Point Creative, the 80-second PSA starts with Cook holding a white egg, stating: "This is one of the millions of Americans who use drugs and won't get arrested." She then picks up a brown egg and says: "However, this American is several times more likely to be charged with a drug crime. Imagine it's you."

    The spot becomes an animated series of events, following brown egg from the time of his arrest, to the time he's out of jail. Life will never be the same. The man is accepted into collage but denied financial aid and applies for jobs that he never gets as a convicted felon. Interspersed throughout are shots of an animated frying pan destroying eggs.

    The video ends with Cook in the kitchen, holding a pan dripping with smashed eggs."The war on drugs is ruining people's lives," shes says. "It fuels mass incarceration. It targets people of color in greater numbers than their white counterparts. It cripples communities, costs billions and it doesn't work. Any questions?"

  • Uruguay legalized marijuana in 2013. To urge drivers not to smoke and drive, the Association of Cannabis created posters that warned of the dangers of driving after smoking.

    The posters were made from cannabis. Posters offered advice like: "When in doubt, hit the brakes" and "When raining, hit the brakes earlier." Each poster advises, "Marijuana aids you at the wheel, only if it preaches from this cannabis-made poster."

    The Electric Factory created the campaign.

  • 7UP wants to liven up your parties and recipes with its "Mix It UP a Little" campaign.

    In "Yacht," a couple who add 7UP to punch are informed by a voiceover that it makes a great addition to alcoholic beverages, too. The couple are then transported to a desert rave and a yacht owned by 2 Chainz.

    "Granny" follows a trio of grandmas livening things up. Not only can 7UP be added to lemon cake, but it can also be added to whisky as a beverage to drink while watching an underground fight ring that features a friend the group thought was dead. Esther is underground -- but not in the ground. Deutsch created the campaign.

  • It's no Extra Gum commercial, but this ad for the Lenovo Yoga Book is still sweet. The video begins with a boy and girl in preschool. The smitten boy is drawing a picture of his crush with a crayon. As the kids age, the boy continues to draw the girl with a pen, until one eagle-eyed teacher catches him and confiscates the notebook.

    The guy simply takes his Lenovo Yoga Book, finishes a sketch and holds it up for his crush to see. "Different is better," closes the ad, created by Madison + Vine.

  • Random app of the week: The Sunshine app was revamped to include current and local weather conditions, along with how the weather makes you feel. Do rainy days get you down? Is too much sun too much? Over time, the app learns these emotions and offers tips on how to make a gloomy day better.

    If a cloudy day makes you tired, the app would recommend a smell of peppermint or citrus for added pep in your step.

    The What's Happening button asks for a user's current weather: bright, cloudy, drizzly, smog or humid. The How Do You Feel button gets personal: Are you cold, tired, energetic, headache or focused? Once answered, customized advice is offered. The app is available in the App Store and Google Play.