Out to Launch
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Hybrid sports. I'm on a motorcycle. Subway cars wrapped with ads. Let's launch!
  • When you're Lance Armstrong, you've been stuck behind countless tailpipes, which can't smell pretty. Those days are distant memories, with the creation of Nissan Leaf, a 100% electric, no tailpipe and zero-emission car. The spot shows a bevy of tailpipes attached to sports cars and trucks, old and new, while Armstrong's voiceover explains his lifelong career dilemma: "In twenty years of cycling, even when I was ahead, I was behind." The spot ends with Armstrong tailing a Leaf and smelling the beautiful scenery surrounding him. Watch the ad here, created by TBWA/Chiat/Day Los Angeles.

    Microsoft has launched a series of telenovela-esque ads for its search engine, Bing, portraying it as a "Decision Engine." "Los Links Son Malos" follows the life of Juan Carlos, a wealthy man who can't make a timely search decision. In "Uno," Filomena, the wife of Juan Carlos, grows bored staying home and yearns for her husband to take her out. Sadly, he's lost in search engine links and unable to decide. Jose takes charge, busting into the house on a horse, holding his laptop that uses Bing as a default search engine. He suggests seeing "Date Night," and the pair ride off to the closest theatre. Watch it here. Juan Carlos has taken up with the maid in "Dos." Isabella wants to travel and, once again, Juan Carlos can't decide. Filomena and Jose return on horse, use Bing's Price Predictor for travel advice, and whisk Isabella away. See it here. JWT New York created the campaign.

    Old Spice man, Isaiah Mustafa, is back and he has "Questions." The ad is amusing, but not as funny as the first one. Promoting Old Spice body wash, Mustafa asks women if they like the smell of adventure, and want their man to smell like a man capable of baking them a cake in a kitchen he built himself?  It wouldn't be an Old Spice ad if Mustafa didn't log-roll, walk on water and dive into a hot tub, which collapses to reveal Mustafa sitting on a motorcycle. I wanted him to say, in his deadpan voice, that he was on a motorcycle. Did you? Watch the ad here, created by Wieden + Kennedy Portland.

    Mark your calendars: Target is opening a store in Harlem and the company's advertising is anything but subtle. Aside from print and outdoor ads, the company is overtaking the front pages of the New York Daily News and New York Post, and wrapping double-decker tour buses and subways. The number 6 train will be branded inside with Target ads and outside with a red and white wrap. Outside subway wraps rarely occur, so I can only imagine how much money the MTA will receive. Enough to close in on its deficit? See the bus and subway wraps here, here, here and here, paying close attention to a certain subway rider who loves riding the Target trains! Mother New York created the campaign.

    AT&T is on a roll with its "Rethink Possible" TV ads. The latest, "Whole New World" is animated, colorful and reminds me of a Pixar movie. The ad takes place at the bottom of the ocean. A golden orb falls into the sand, becoming the must-have object for every fish, big and small. The orb bounces between fish, until it lands in the fins of a cute pink fish. A large fish lurks behind him, causing him to drop the orb and swim for safety. Disappointed, he reaches the top of the ocean, surrounded by light. He pokes his head out and finds a limitless supply of gold orbs in trees. The moral of this story: explore. You never know what you'll find. This spot will air in 3D in movie theaters this month. See it here, created by BBDO New York.

    Sprint pays homage to Rube Goldberg in "Firsts," a TV ad promoting HTC EVO, the first 4G mobile phone. A domino effect of technological and cultural "firsts" takes place in a barren desert. A stone wheel begins the chain reaction, knocking down an oversized tricycle and locomotive. "First is the beginning. First leads," says the voiceover. Watch for a gramophone, microscope, typewriter and film camera to fell a Ford Model T, which rolls into a wall of old televisions. One TV rolls into an airplane, rocket and missile. What's with the rabbit watching the chain reaction? The domino effect culminates with falling calculators, cassettes, VHS tapes, computers and mobile phones until the lone standing object is a Sprint HTC EVO. See it here. Goodby Silverstein & Partners created the ad, directed by David Rosenbaum, and Dael Oates of Mothership. Mindshare handled the media buy.

    What if golf exuded the intensity, on- and off-field, of a football game? It might resemble this TV spot starring Tiger Woods and a few fellow PGA golfers for Tiger Woods PGA Tour 11, by EA Sports. Golfers rush the field in football player-like fashion, complete with mascots and bands! Team America (Woods and Rickie Fowler) tackle Team Europe (Ian Poulter and Edoardo Molinari) in an intense golf match. Woods and Fowler participate in a huddle, where they receive advice from coach Mike Ditka. Tiger sinks his putt, winning the game. The crowd goes wild. See it here. An online video combines curling brooms with Tiger sinking a putt. It's hysterical. A curling bull's-eye is placed around the hole. Tiger makes his shot and sweepers help guide the ball to the hole. Watch it here. Heat San Francisco created the campaign and Wieden+Kennedy Portland handled the media buy.

    Charleston, S.C. is a nearby vacation for many. You could say it's over the fence in a TV spot for the Charleston Area Convention and Visitor Bureau. A father and son are playing football in their backyard. The son's throw goes over their fence, causing the dad to leap over and retrieve it. What he finds are cobblestone roads, horse and buggy city tours and a man offering to show him the harbor. Dad opts to get back to his son, but the offer to return to Charleston still stands. Watch the ad here, created by Hook.

    Random iPad App of the week: Gap created 1969 Stream for the iPad, an app featuring exclusive content from Gap designers and musicians while enabling users to buy clothes and accessories via the app. Consumers can also share content through the app, like a music video from Truth & Salvage Co. called "Them Jeans," or a video featuring Jay Sario of "Project Runway" outfitting people in Gap denim. Users can also locate the nearest Gap store using the geo-locater. The free app, created by AKQA, is currently available in the U.S. and available in the App Store.