Out to Launch
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
FedEx ships golf clubs with care. Starburst's latest contradiction: a backwards dog. Let's launch!
  • Internet security provider Webroot launched three amusing online videos that put a different spin on three of the most notorious Internet scams. Think hot single women, Nigerian lottery and male enhancement products. Three young, attractive single women really do want to meet men online but can't get a date because no one will dare click their link. See it here. A Nigerian man hopes to reclaim his country's good name in another video, seen here. "I send you a check. You send me cash. Come on," he says in reference to the Nigerian lottery scam. The final video features a man who gave into temptation and clicked a link that, deep down, he knew was a virus. Said virus was a male enhancement link that spammed his entire friend list -- even his mom. Watch it here. "Don't let bad links happen to you," closes each ad. TDA_Boulder created the campaign and handled the media buy. 

    Pucker Vodka shatters glass with its bold, fruity flavors. I wonder if it makes drinkers pucker from the sweet and tart flavors? TV spots "Apple Impact" and "Cherry Explosion" show an apple and cherry shooting through a martini glass and vodka bottle, demonstrating an explosive flavor. Watch them here and here. Print ads also break glass, coupled with copy like "shatter tradition" and "blah has officially been destroyed." See them here, here, here and here. Euro RSCG Chicago created the campaign. 

    "When an investment lacks discipline, it's never this obvious," closes two TV ads for Russell Investments. The company's "Discipline" campaign promotes its Investment Discipline Exchange Traded Funds by showing people behaving chaotically. Despite the unexciting subject matter, the ads are quite funny. A "Hairstylist" is no good at multitasking in the first ad, seen here. She gabs on her cell while cutting a woman's hair. The woman is too busy reading a magazine to notice that her stylist has cut her hair down to the scalp. A mechanic drops a part important to fixing a car engine hose. Unable to retrieve it, he uses his gum as a quick fix that blows up in his face. Watch it here. Print ads continue with undisciplined behavior, paired with heavy financial copy. There's a security guard asleep on the job, a marine dressed like a clown for roll call, an out-of-shape man competing in a bodybuilding competition and a chef eating a just-finished cake with his hands. See them here, here, here and here. Venables Bell & Partners created the campaign.

    A flash mob broke out at the San Diego Rock 'n' Roll Marathon and Half Marathon on June 5, courtesy of Dodge, the event's title sponsor. The flash mob started dancing to "Let It Rock" by Kevin Rudolf at the start line of the race, but you know that no actual runners participated in the flash mob. There's no way someone who trained a handful of months for one race would risk injury so close to the race by getting their groove on prior to running. It's a fun way to lighten the mood, though, at a time when runners are fighting their nerves to keep their composure and run a good race. Watch it here

    Coca-Cola launched a cute TV ad called "Shape," starring an empty plastic bottle of Coca-Cola that's having an identity crisis. After viewing a vintage photo of a glass bottle of Coke, the plastic version sucks in its gut, mimicking the vintage glass shape. Determined to have a little nip and tuck, the bottle rolls its way toward a recycling truck and eventually recycles into a plastic Cola-Cola bottle with the vintage glass-shape. Thrilled with its new look, the bottle is eager to be purchased, naturally by the same family, so it can proudly compare itself to the classic glass shape. Watch the ad here, created by Publicis Conseil and directed by Alaux & de Crecy of Little Minx.

    When FedEx ships your golf clubs, they will baby them, just like you do. The brand launched two 15-second spots in conjunction with it sponsorship of the FedExCup golf tournament. In "Car Seat," a man gingerly secures his child into its car seat, or so we think. Once his wife appears holding their daughter, viewers see him talking to his precious golf clubs, snug and ready for travel. See it here. A noise awakens a man in the middle of the night in "Baby Monitor." He checks on his little ones via monitor -- his golf clubs haven't moved an inch, but he'll still go check on them in person. Watch it here. "We understand. nothing's more important than your clubs," closes both ads, created by BBDO New York.  

    The latest contradiction in the Starburst ad campaign is a "Dog" that prefers hanging his rear out an open car window, rather than his face. A friend sits in the backseat and mocks his friend's beloved pooch. The dog owner's lame comeback is that the pal eats Starbursts, an edible contradiction. Yeah, but does your dog pull people into burning buildings or dislike tennis balls? Weird. Watch the ad here, created by TBWA/Chiat/Day New York

    Mentos launched an interesting campaign to promote UP2U, a gum with two flavors in each package, like sweet mint or bubble fresh. An outdoor ad, seen here, went up in Chicago, the site of the annual Sweets and Snacks Expo. The billboard has a phone number, 800-304-UCHOOSE, where an automated voice will tell you which flavor to choose, after analyzing a series of multiple choice answers you've selected. Questions begin normally -- "What is your favorite color?" -- then quickly stray to kooky: "Where do you think Grandpa is hiding?" Also, I haven't the word parallelogram used since the fourth grade, so that was a treat. After answering all the questions, the automated voice gives you an answer: "Thank you, friend, for your choices and the hard work you put into choosing all of them. After analyzing your responses, it appears that Mentos UP2U gum is the perfect gum for you. Please buy some and visit us at facebook.com/up2u." Kind of feels like the letdown Ralphie endured in "A Christmas Story" when he gets his decoder ring only to find out the code deciphered says, "Be sure to drinkyourOvaltine."Listen to the phone call here. The Martin Agency created the campaign. 

    Random iPad App of the week: Esquiremagazine launched "The Hardest Puzzle Ever" app for the iPad. The app, developed by Small Planet and Puzzability, is part Rubik's Cube, part crossword puzzle. The game has five levels, each consisting of a six-sided cube, with each side containing an image scrambled into multiple cubes of its own. When a scrambled image is correctly assembled, the player is asked a question pertaining to that image. After all six sides of a cube have been assembled and their respective questions answered, players must answer a "meta question" about what all the sides have in common. At least you get a trophy upon completing each level. This is hard work. The first level is free from the App Store, and the remaining four levels cost $4.99 total.