by Amy Corr on Mar 23, 5:04 PM
KFC launched an adorable two-minute video that combines family, teamwork and fried chicken. "New Kid" tells the story of a young boy and his family who recently moved to a city where the popular sport is hockey, not cricket, a game the young boy knows well. Hoping his son will make friends, dad buys him a pair of hockey skates and the two help each other master this foreign activity. When the boy arrives at hockey tryouts, things start off rocky. The boy is slow and unsteady on the ice, but when the time comes to …
by Amy Corr on Mar 23, 2:18 PM
Random App of the week:Visit Philadelphia launched a custom keyboard for fans of the beloved city. Now, when you are hungry for a cheese steak, you can properly express that emotion. Created by Snaps, the emoji keyboard features more than 60 emojis, GIFs and videos of the City of Brotherly Love. The image-based emojis work in text and email messages, along with apps that support pasting of images, like Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, Kik and Tango. The keyboard does not work with Twitter, Instagram or Google Voice. Look out for a winking Liberty Bell emoji and …
by Amy Corr on Mar 23, 2:18 PM
The Y launched a pair of TV ads under the tagline: "For a better us." Created by
Droga5, the ads help educate viewers about the important work the Y does and its need for community support. Both ads were directed by
Seb Edwards and filmed in Baltimore. "Places" showcases a forgotten city that makes the evening news for all the wrong reasons: Residents lack the resources needed to thrive. The Y is there, however, helping folks break the cycle of poverty with safe spaces, mentorship programs and healthy meals.
See it here. "Idle Hands" are …
by Amy Corr on Mar 23, 2:18 PM
Chef Michael Voltaggio flips a fancy steakhouse table in an ad for Carl's Jr. and Hardee's Steakhouse Thickburger. Fans of "Top Chef" will remember Voltaggio as the bad boy who competed against his brother in season 6 of the Bravo series, ultimately coming out on top. Voltaggio enters a steakhouse and flips everything off the table. He sits on the table and eats a Steakhouse Thickburger, a Black Angus beef patty topped with crispy onion strings, crumbled blue cheese and A.1. Steak Sauce. The crisp tablecloth becomes an oversized napkin. It looks good, but how many …
by Amy Corr on Mar 23, 2:18 PM
The Variable made one half-marathoner's day a lot brighter on behalf of
Sunshine, the agency's own beverage brand. Lee, a Variable employee, was helping a young woman train for a half-marathon. The agency was going to repay Lee's positivity with signs throughout the course, T-shirts, medals and a winner's podium -- until Lee hurt his ankle, rendering him unable to race. Thinking plans were scrapped, the agency decided to channel all their positivity to Alli, Lee's training partner, making her first half-marathon a memorable one.
See it here.
by Amy Corr on Mar 22, 5:37 PM
OXO products are "tested on humans." Blue Moon turns 21. Let's launch!
by Amy Corr on Mar 21, 4:41 PM
Recovery is important for athletes, so doing nothing is a good thing, following a tough workout or game.
Gatorade stresses the importance with "Recover Time," two TV ads starring MLB's Bryce Harper and NBA's Paul George relaxing after a hard day's work. Queen's classic tune "We Are the Champions" is turned into a lullaby that soothes the athletes as they nap or ice their muscles. Harper eats half of a Gatorade recovery bar before taking a cat nap inside the Washington Nationals' locker room.
See it here. George unwinds after a game by playing video …
by Amy Corr on Mar 18, 3:28 PM
Household goods brand
OXO launched its biggest ad campaign in 20 years, supporting its new line of small electric products. "Tested on Humans" consists of three online videos of focus groups. Subjects first test a digital illuminating hand mixer with rave reviews. Mixing goes well until a woman splatters cake mix on the man standing closest to her. He's not thrilled.
See it here. People get freaky with vegetables stored in OXO's greensaver. They take "playing with your food" to a whole other level.
Watch it here. The final video observes a group of …
by Amy Corr on Mar 17, 3:41 PM
You can only get so much swag at SXSW before reaching a tipping point. How many branded t-shirts, notebooks and cozies can one have? To relaunch its TAKE5 candy, Hershey's created the TAKE5 Swag Exchange where attendees could trade useless swag for sweet items like headphones, VIP concert tickets, iPhone portable projectors and reservations at impossible-to-reserve restaurants... plus a $250 gift card for the meal. From March 12-16, people traded in approximately a thousand items each day, from shirts, a SXSW yarmulke to VR goggles preloaded with porn. The priciest items returned didn't necessarily mean an …
by Amy Corr on Mar 16, 2:27 PM
Raise a glass -- preferably of Blue Moon -- and toast the beer's 21st birthday. The company also launched its biggest rebrand, with new packaging debuting April 1. No joke. Blue Moon Belgian White, for example, will feature the brand's signature orange on its packaging for the first time. A 30-second spot celebrates the creative process of Blue Moon's brewmaster, Keith Villa. He describes how an idea can come to fruition when you least expect it in "Brewer." The thought might start small, but as time goes on, the idea takes hold and the light bulb …
