The cast of “30
Rock” is a group after my own heart… or stomach. In an ad for Google Docs, Liz Lemon starts the brainstorming process by asking for sketch ideas. Radio silence ensues
until she asks the gang for lunch ideas. This time, the ideas runneth over. My kind of team. Watch it here, created
by Goodby Silverstein & Partners and Google Creative Labs.
What kind of ranch could a meatless company possible have? In
Lightlife’s meat-free world, animals are made from vegetables. In “E-I-E-I-O,” kids sing a tweaked version of “Old Macdonald Had a Farm.” This ranch
houses cows that are made from peppers, pigs made of asparagus and corn -- and chickens don’t lay eggs, they lay turnips. See it here, created by Venables Bell & Partners.
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Automaker Citroën
paid tribute to its familiar spokesrobot with a "Robots Chorus." It reminded me of a “We are the world” tribute, with robots and singers paying homage to Citroën’s
automotive strides that benefit men, women and children. Watch it here, created by Agence H
Paris and produced by The Embassy.
“Make anything spectacular” is the theme for Canadian
fashion brand Smythe. And it means it. The brand proves that one can chop wood and gut fish and look damn good in the process. In the first video, a model takes her ax and chops wood
with ease, leaving the viewer to exclaim: that vest, those buttons, that arm strength! See it here. I always
keep a butcher block deep in the forest of my backyard and I always dress to the nines when gutting fish: that’s the gist of the next video, seen here. Each ad shows creations from Smythe’s Fall 2012 collection. Open created the
campaign, directed by Christina Hodnet of Sons & Daughters.
Do not try this while on vacation, unless you consider yourself the
ultimate multitasker. Hotels.com promoted its mobile app’s ease of use by sending stuntman Andy Bell to Pamplona, Spain to run with bulls. As if that’s not hard enough,
Bell was tasked with booking a hotel room while avoiding said bulls. Bell completed both tasks unscathed and quickly hightailed it to his nearby hotel for, presumably, some R&R. Watch it here, created by Y&R Midwest and produced by
humble.
Crouching tiger, pollen dragon? I have to hand it to Microsoft Advertising, Y&R New York and visual effects firm, Gravity, for
making an ad piece targeting media buyers and CMOs not boring. It’s shown as a mini case study for Johnson & Johnson’s Zyrtec product. The video features a pair of Samurais fighting a
pollen dragon. One man is hit hard by a dragon’s venomous pollen. Ready to end his life, the master is saved by his student, who informs him that “you are suffering from allergies. There
is no shame in this, master! I suggest visiting the allergy solution center at MSN.com. It is both entertaining and informative.” Sure, the last part gets a little hokey, but the 2-minute video
sure beats a PowerPoint presentation. Watch it here.
Random iPhone App of the
week: Like lacrosse? Then you might enjoy Brine’s “Shootout" app, giving the player a viewpoint of an athlete getting ready to shoot. Users simply flick a finger
across the screen to make a shot. The game consists of four venues: Backyard, High School, College and Pro. To start, only Backyard is available; new venues are unlocked by scoring 50 goals in the
hardest available venue. Once another venue has been unlocked, the player can choose to start the game there. The app, created by Young & Laramore, is available for free in the App Store.