• by Amy Corr , Staff Writer @MediaPostOTL, September 7, 2011

EA Sports launched a trio of TV ads to promote its Madden NFL 12 game. Ben Affleck and his thick Boston accent make the ideal voiceover as heated rivalries come to a head. An older brother lays the smack on his teenaged sibling every time they play Madden NFL 12. The young grasshopper has been paying attention to his brother's weaknesses, however, resulting in David besting Goliath. Watch it here. An overconfident gamer expects to make mincemeat of his friend in "Mercy." The underdog remains patient and eventually takes the wind from his opponent's sails. See it here. Mark Sanchez and LaDainian Tomlinson are teammates on the field, but off field, the pair has a friendly rivalry. Sanchez takes the lead, in Tomlinson's house, no less, but the pleasure is short-lived, leaving Sanchez "crying like a little..." Watch it here. Heat created the ads, directed by Josh Taft of Supply&Demand Integrated. 

Bare Escentuals launched an ad campaign that focuses less on its bareMinerals foundation and more on the five models selected to appear in its ads. Models were chosen using an untraditional method: blind interviews. Yes, blind casting calls selected five women to participate in the brand's "Be a Force of Beauty" campaign. Women first answered a set of survey questions about their passions and values. The field was then narrowed and additional questions were asked, while Bare Escentuals execs were unable to see anyone's face and only able to hear responses. See? It's on the inside that counts. One ad, "Anthem," describes the difference between pretty and beauty. "Pretty is what you are. Beauty is what you do with it." See it here. Another ad focuses on one model, a volunteer firefighter, showing lots of close-up face shots and interactions with coworkers. Watch it here. TBWA/Chiat/Day Los Angeles created the campaign.

The Gate Worldwide launched a pair of ads for State Street Global Advisors' SPDR ETFs, funds that allow consumers to select investments for their precise investment strategy, despite living in an imprecise world. In "Jungle Gym," a father decides to forgo using directions when building his children's backyard amusement and wings it instead. The end result is an unusable monstrosity, leaving the kids entertaining themselves with the cardboard box the jungle gym came in. "Dads don't always hold precision in high regard. But SPDR ETF investors do," closes the ad, seen here. "Missing Piece," seen here, is funny, for a financial ad. A wealthy woman takes a hammer to an antique plate, smashing it to bits. She takes one piece of broken plate, rushes to her local museum, and places the shard inside a mosaic that's missing part of a blue eye. Perfect fit. "Is there an important piece missing from your portfolio? SPDR ETFs can help you fill it."

As expected, there's organized chaos taking place moments before the opening of a fashion show in the Hall of Mirrors at the Palace of Versailles. There are cameras flashing, impatient guests using their gold invitations as fans, and Charlize Theron arriving just prior to walking the runway. And this is just the start of an international campaign for Dior's fragrance J'adore. I haven't even mentioned the part where Theron hobnobs with digital recreations of Marilyn Monroe, Grace Kelly and Marlene Dietrich. For an ad that brings celebrities back from the dead, it's a good one. Theron air kisses Grace Kelly, nods approvingly to Dietrich and turns her head when she hears Monroe say, "Dior." See the ad here, created by TBWA/Paris and directed by Jean- Jacques Annaud.  

Daffy's mocks the high-fashion scene with a print campaign running in New York, just in time for New York's "Fashion Week." Models are placed in outlandish scenarios with a Daffy's twist. Take the model that's wearing a nest as a hat, for example. Sounds crazy, but as the copy states: "What's really ridiculous is her $120 coat is only $39.99." See it here. There's also a model trapped behind wallpaper, holding her poodle on a leash. The only thing visible is her discounted high-heeled shoes. See it here. The last model is on all fours, used as a table. That's been done before, but her dress costing a mere $29.99 might be a first. See it here. DeVito/Verdi created the campaign.

Who makes the better Philly cheesesteaks: Geno's or Pat's? I'd love to find out. Since they're right across the street from each other, I'd want to do a side-by-side comparison. The Neiman Group created Philly SteakOut, a site that takes real-time data from Foursquare to rank the top 25 cheesesteaks in Philly. This is cool stuff. It breaks down info by tourist and local ratings, to determine who goes where the most. The site even provides Yelp ratings, peak activity times and names the mayor of each establishment. Anyone else hungry? 

The VIA Agency created a TV spot for Welch's grape juice that plays heavily on the brand's family-owned farm roots. The ad takes place in upstate New York, where Welch's grapes are grown. Spokesman Alton Brown touts the brand's nutritional value as scenes of a family walking through an orchard are shown. See it here. 

 

Infiniti Europe launched an ad campaign throughout Europe in an effort to compete with the big 3 German car manufacturers: Mercedes, Audi and BMW. Creative shows the outlines of the Infiniti M Hybrid along with dancers in motion. I don't get it, especially when the ad ends with statements like: "Since now, the perfect line is a curve" and "Since now, there is Infiniti." See the ad here, created by TBWA/G1 and directed by Raf Wathion.

 

Random iPhone App of the week: PostSecret, the online art project created by Frank Warren, is now also an app. You know the site, where people design a postcard that hides a secret that they would like to tell. Some secrets are sweet, like someone with a crush, and others not so much. Warren reads through countless entries and posts a few dozen on his site every Sunday. Using the app, users can now read anonymous secrets and post their own admissions, like "I love spending time with you, even when we're standing in the pouring rain." The app launched on September 3 and already more than 50,000 secrets have been posted. All you need is a picture and a sentence. Bonobo created the app, available for $1.99 in the App Store.