Commentary

Out to Launch

Pizza. Ale. Grey Goose. Let's launch!

I love this ad. Nike has coupled its modern-day Maria (tennis star Maria Sharapova) with lyrics sung about another Maria (from "West Side Story"). From the moment she awakens, Sharapova, looking serious and focused while in New York for the U.S. Open, encounters people singing "I Feel Pretty" as she passes by. Hotel housekeepers, a taxi driver, paparazzi, a fellow tennis player (a cameo by Mary Joe Fernandez), fans, and even John McEnroe are bit with the singing bug. Yet, Sharapova won't crack a smile. The stadium continues to sing until Sharapova lets out a thunderous grunt, silencing the crowd. The ad promotes her line of Nike performance wear. "I Feel Pretty" launched on August 20 during the Teen Choice Awards and coincides with the upcoming start of the U.S. Open on August 28. Click here to watch the ad.Wieden + Kennedy handled all aspects of the campaign. Now, I'm sure you're asking, "What should Nike's follow-up ad be?" Having Sharapova's competition sing "How do you solve a problem like Maria?" from "The Sound of Music," of course!

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HP has been so successful with its "The computer is personal again" campaign that is was only a matter of time before Dell launched its own version--especially given Dell's negative perception in the customer service arena. "Purely You" plays off the "Pure Dell" slogan the company uses for its corporate market and was created by BBDO Atlanta, the second ad created by the agency since winning the account. The ad, running on network and cable TV, shows a guy whisked off his couch and into a Dell factory to have his own personal computer built before his eyes. The song's pretty catchy, too. "My head is a box full of nothing and that's the way I like it," sings Ben Lee. The spot ends with the computer shipped off to its owner. Click here to watch the ad. The campaign also consists of print and online ads. PMI Chicago, part of OMD, handled the media buy.

Grey Goose has launched two national television spots promoting both its regular and flavored vodka. "Lobby Bar L'Orange" marks the first time Grey Goose L'Orange has been advertised on television. The spot features a bartender pouring a freshly mixed Cosmopolitan as he states, "Grey Goose L'Orange makes a Cosmo more... cosmopolitan." A voiceover concludes with, "The world's best-tasting Cosmopolitan starts with Grey Goose L'Orange." "Lobby Bar" shows a female bartender pouring a Grey Goose Vodka martini. "All great cocktails have two things in common: Grey Goose and a glass," she says. The campaign launched last week and was created by Sugartown Creative. KSL handled the media buying.

Boston Pizza has launched a set of three ads under the "You're Among Friends" tag line. "Gargantuan Hands" shows a family with oversized hands checking their insecurities at the door at Boston Pizza. Click here to watch "Gargantuan Hands." "Fatal Flirt" shows the power one woman has over the opposite sex... in most places. Click here to watch "Fatal Flirt." "Pet Store" shows how one small sentence can result in different outcomes, depending on location. Click here to watch "Pet Store." The campaign also includes two 30-second radio spots. DDB Canada created the campaign and TBWA Vancouver handled the media buying.

Keeping with the restaurant theme, T.G.I. Friday's has launched a set of equally funny ads on network, cable and syndication. "Blind Date" shows a man meeting a date at Friday's, only to find out she went to the high school where he works. "Cackler" shows off a woman's annoying cackle over something not that funny. "Ex-Wife" shows a daughter introducing her parents to her new boyfriend, only problem is that Mom looks just like his ex-wife. The campaign is running through the end of the month. Deutsch handled all aspects of the campaign.

Snakes on a bottle of ale? I'd believe that... Newcastle Brown Ale has launched an outdoor campaign dubbed "Smooth Like No Other," combining smooth operators (a snake, golf swing, razor blade and body oil) with the smooth taste of Newcastle. Targeting 21- to 35-year-old men, the ads launched August 15 and will run until December 15 in markets such as Sacramento, San Diego, Los Angeles/Orange County, Phoenix, Minneapolis, Charlotte, Raleigh and Charleston. Vitro Robertson handled all portions of the campaign.

M&C Saatchi LA has created a monster of an ad for The Getty Center. It's not for those with a weak stomach. The poster is on view in the Century City outdoor mall and promotes the museum's new "Calydonian Boar Hunt" by Peter Paul Rubens, as if it's the front-page headline and picture of a newspaper. Click here to see a bigger version of the ad. The ad is running in Los Angeles and Where magazines. Milner Butcher Media Group handled the media buy.

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