• by Amy Corr , Staff Writer @MediaPostOTL, June 22, 2011

Volkswagen GolfCanada created the first two ads in its "Drive Until..." campaign, and wants John Q. Public to create the third and conclude the series. After all, VW means "people's car" in German. Those interested can visit VWDriveUntil.com, a site that leads to Volkswagen Canada's Facebook page, where users can submit their commercial script, complete with cast, music and VW car to be featured. The first two ads follow a man as he takes two very important steps in his life. In "Courage," the man drives his Golf around the block until he's mentally ready to propose to his girlfriend. "Drive until you find the courage," closes the ad, seen here. "Time" shows our man driving his Golf and spending time with his three best friends the night before his wedding. "Drive until it's time" concludes the ad, as he parks in front of the church. Watch it here. So what's next? Bringing home baby? Sending a child off to college? Red Urban created the campaign.

Progressive launched "Meant to be Together," marking the first time that Flo has left her work grounds. Flo goes fishing, catches butterflies, rides an ATV and sits by a campfire with a handsome suitor. "We make a great pair," Flo says to her outdoorsy guy. She means Progressive and the great outdoors. Turns out, Flo never left the store and the prospective insurance buyer was daydreaming about a long-term future with the peppy spokeswoman outside work boundaries. See the ad here, created by Arnold Worldwide.

State Farm launched three amusing TV ads using the tagline "Get to a Better State." A wife catches her husband discreetly talking on the phone at 3 a.m. in "State of Unrest." He's speaking to Jake, a State Farm rep. The wife grabs the phone asks Jake what he's wearing and tells her husband: "She sounds hideous." "Well, she's a guy, so..." responds her hubby. Watch it here. A man calls his former State Farm agent in "State of Regret." Jerry's car is up a pole and he's unable to get in touch with his new insurance provider, even though it only took 15 minutes to sign up. Cough, cough, Geico. See it here. In "State of Confusion," people are saving so much money by switching to State Farm that they're using the extra money on extravagant items, like a falcon, jumbo-sized gumball machine, tuba, Segway, Viking helmet and jukebox. Watch it here. DDB Chicago created the campaign.

In The Raw launched a trio of TV spots supporting its all-natural sweeteners, Sugar In The Raw and Stevia In The Raw. Voiced by actress Frances McDormand, the "It's Only Natural" spots cover personal relationships and the ideal sweetener-to-tea ratio. A waitress forgets the free bread basket and delivers a BLT sandwich without the bacon. That's nothing compared to refilling a woman's iced tea, throwing the sweetener-to-tea ratio off-balance. The woman remains calm and adds Stevia in the Raw to her drink and daydreams about the lousy tip she'll leave her waitress. See it here. A man is unsure whether he should buy Sugar In The Raw or Stevia In The Raw. He didn't write down what his wife requested and rather than potentially offend her, he'll pick up both to be on the safe side. Smart move. Watch it here. My favorite is "Breakup." A woman sits in her kitchen corner, eating newly baked brownies with a fork, straight from the baking pan. Her boyfriend of four years dumped her by email, so the chocolate goodies are well-needed comfort food. See it here. Mother New York created the campaign.

A day without Betty White is a day with less laughter. White's two latest TV spots for AARP show that despite her age, she still has a youthful, sometimes childlike personality. In "Car Wash," White stands outside her sprawling mansion, with hose in hand, watching a shirtless stud wash her car. She periodically wets the car, ensuring the stud will continue to dry it off. See it here. Betty makes a slew of "Funny Calls" in the next ad, even using some outdated phones to wreak havoc. Doesn't she know about caller ID? She orders pizza without its necessary ingredients, mimics whatever another caller says, and gets flirty with one person, asking, "What are you wearing?" Watch it here. GSD&M created the campaign. 

Sony and Intel gave five Michigan high school students a nautical adventure with Project Shiphunt. Led by nautical archaeologist Dr. James Delgado and armed with Sony VAIO laptops with Intel 2nd Gen Core Processors, the students will search for sunken ships throughout Lake Huron's "Shipwreck Alley." The first film released, seen here, profiles the team and an overview of the challenge. A future video will report on their findings. I'm sure they will find at least one missing ship. What a tremendous learning experience for these kids. The campaign was created by 180LA and produced and directed by @radical.media.

Following the riots that ensued when the Boston Bruins defeated the Vancouver Canucks to win the Stanley Cup, Tourism Vancouver and DDB Canada launched a Web site to show that the actions of a few don't define the city. This is our Vancouver aggregates images, video and comments generated by those who love and care about Vancouver. Content is found on Facebook, Twitter, Flickr and YouTube and stored in one place. Looking to improve its image while the city continues its massive clean-up, the site encourages Canadians to contribute things they believe best describes the city.

We already know it fooled people with its vibrant colors. Now, AT&T highlights the sharp colors of the Samsung Infuse 4G by tricking adorable animals into thinking the screen is something that it's not. The campaign is running online and on AT&T's Facebook page. There, users can choose a door and see what animal comes out to interact with the phone. My favorites were the adorable kitten playing with an interactive ball of yarn, a mouse petrified to grab a piece of cheese atop the phone, until the screen fades to black, removing the sight of a mouse trap, and a frog climbing the phone when it sees green leaves onscreen. Watch a demo here. BBDO New York created the campaign.

The makers of Stride gum will go to extreme lengths to have consumers upgrade to Stride 2.0. Stride's CEO, a human billboard at a mall, accosts a consumer unwilling to upgrade his gum. The CEO hops on a skateboard and chases the young man throughout the mall, eventually catching him and throwing him atop a waiting van. After switching the gum, the CEO hops into the van, driven by snowboarder Shaun White. See the ad here, created by JWT New York. 

Random iPad App of the week: Auryn Ink launched an iPad app that simulates watercolor painting. It's an impressive app that makes watching paint dry fun. The app targets intermediate and high level artists, along with anyone who enjoys watercolor painting. Users can control the amount of water on the brush, which influences flow effects, along with the type of canvas texture to paint on. The app is also sensitive to gravity, so paint flows downward when the iPad is tilted. The app costs $3.99 in the App Store. Get your paint on.