Coca-Cola debuted a TV spot in Australia promoting its energy drink, Mother. Targeting young, strapping men, the ad takes place in "Motherland," a carnival world where men blow up buildings, eat full steaks on a stick, bungee-jump sans cord and ride a roller-roaster through fire. The roller-roaster is conveniently equipped with a small opening, perfect for cooking that steak on a stick. See it here. Smart, Sydney created the ad, directed by David Gaddie of The Colony.
VH1 Latin America launched a print campaign called the "Wonderful World of VH1." Ads feature artists from four music genres: "Rap," "Blues," "Pop" and "Latino," morphing from ordinary, cookie-cutter artists to edgy and extreme. The edgier a performer becomes, the more records are sold. Three versions of each artist are shown per ad. I love how the Latino singer is surrounded by teddy bears -- and then lingerie. Each ad portrays a "fictional" artist, but if you don't see Amy Winehouse, 50 Cent and quite possibly a Jonas Brother in these renderings, then we need to talk. See the ads here, here, here and here, created by Young & Rubicam New York.
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Symmetry only Adrian Monk could love. Nissan launched a print and outdoor campaign in Europe promoting the Cube, its car targeted to a design audience... and shaped like a cube. Creative shows how three people look when their face and attire are symmetrical. Eyes are crossed, freckles have matching partners, hair curls perfectly and noses look creepy. "Humans aren't symmetrical. Why should their cars be," asks the ads, seen here, here and here. TBWA/Paris and TBWA/G1 created the campaign.
Keeping with oddly shaped faces, Boost Mobile launched a Hispanic campaign this week called "Facing Abuse." The first spot, "Long Face," takes place in a diner. A patron has an unusually long face because his wireless provider has lousy coverage, resulting in dropped calls. His waitress suggests Boost Mobile, which offers talk, text and Internet access for $50 a month. She's a changed woman now, wearing a badge depicting her former long face on her uniform. The ad, seen here, is airing nationally on Hispanic networks like Univision and Telemundo. iNSPIRE! created the ad.
Brita launched an Earth Day TV spot this week in Canada, chiding residents, without saying a word, for buying plastic water bottles. "Change" shows how intrusive plastic water bottles can be when accumulated throughout a household. A closet door opens, only to have countless water bottles spill out. A woman exercises with bottles strewn nearby, a man reads a newspaper while surrounded by bottles. My personal favorite is the woman longing to swim in her pool, only to see it's overrun with bottles. "Ever thought about how many plastic water bottles Canadians bought last year? The Earth needs Brita," concludes the ad, shown here and created by DDB Toronto.
Leave it to AXE Canada to take the theme of conserving water by showering with a friend and create an Earth Day campaign that encourages residents to take part in "Showerpooling." Why the Canadian tough love? Apparently, Canadians are second only to the United States when it comes to wasting water. AXE created a Facebook application where users can invite friends to Showerpool. A "Showerpooling Introduction Service" allows water-conscious folks to be introduced to each other by a mutual friend. Lastly, a satiric video was created to suggest ideas to save water parks and synchronized swimming. Shower with "like-minded acquaintances or attractive strangers." My favorite scene shows two pairs of water footprints getting down and dirty. "It's not just environmentally friendly, it's all kinds of friendly," concludes the video, seen here. Zig created the campaign.
Electrolux launched "Table," a TV spot touting "appliances that help you create more than just wonderful food." That translates into strange things happening at the dinner table. Animated water takes a child's sailboat birthday cake and moves it downward; a tiny man maneuvers clouds onto a table, resulting in a rainstorm; a train set interrupts dinner; a chicken dinner comes back to life, and green Play-Doh becomes a giant Tyrannosaurus rex. Strange, right? Watch it here. Lowe Brindfors created the ad, with visual effects by Smoke and Mirrors.
Runners of the world, check this out! Runner's World magazine launched Runner's World Route Finder, a site where runners can search for maps of running routes in their own neighborhood or travel destinations. Runners can learn the degree of difficulty ahead of time by viewing elevation profiles of any hills. Users can also drag and drop routes into their training log calendars. Routes recorded in the RW Route Finder can also be shared with friends on Facebook and Twitter. TrainingPeaks powers the site.
Random iPhone App of the week: Enjoy viewing magazine covers of the past? Newsweek launched "Flashback," a free app that allows users to do just that. Created by HUGE, the app gives users access to covers from the 1930s to present day. The mag's covers can by a viewed by date, year or decade -- or shake your phone to see a random one. Covers can be saved to phones and downloaded as wallpaper. Download the app here.
Amy, great round-up of Earth Day-themed launches!