Out to Launch
Wednesday, July 17, 2013
Melting ice reveals hidden surprise. What show are your kids watching? Let's launch!
  • gatorade"One more" is a rallying cry used by athletes when they have physically pushed themselves to just shy of their breaking point. And then they bypass that feeling and complete one more rep or lap. Gatorade pays tribute to these moments, during which an athlete becomes a better player. A football team is shown practicing in the grueling heat; drinking Gatorade to replenish electrolytes, the team soldiers on, doing lunges, fast-feet drills and practicing game moves. My favorite scene takes place in the weight room, where a young man completes a bench press and sees the words “one more” taped to the ceiling. See the ad here, created by TBWA\Chiat\Day.

  • Foot LockerI’m going to need a bigger forklift if I want to converse with Shaq. Foot Locker launched “Conversation Lift” to promote the new “Shaqnosis” sneakers from Reebok that are sold by the retailer. The ad takes place at a loud party, where Shaq and Tyga -- the rapper, not the animal -- start a conversation. Given the difference in height between the two, Tyga jumps on an in-ground forklift so he can speak to Shaq eye-to-eye. Whenever Tyga lowers the lift, Shaq lets out a zinger of a comment, like mocking Tyga’s young age, causing Tyga to re-raise the lift. Watch it here, created by BBDO New York.

  • anaheim ducksHow long does it take ice to melt, and who got stuck with the job of finding out? The Honda Center, home of the Anaheim Ducks hockey team, wanted to create a campaign to increase ticket purchases in its all-event Premium Seating area. Team One hand-delivered blocks of ice to hockey-loving business owners in the Orange County and L.A. areas that contained a surprise. The best part was that the ice block was placed on a stand that caught and trapped the water as it melted. No need to run to the sink and douse the block with hot water. Each block contained an Anaheim Ducks-branded hockey puck with the recipient's name on it. Wild Wing, the mascot for the Ducks, came along on the delivery of some pucks. See a video here.

  • interval houseThis ad is heavy. What starts out resembling an ad for the latest iPhone features quickly shows just how much information about a person a smartphone contains. This is not good for a woman who is being abused. UNION created an online video for Interval House, Canada’s first shelter for abused women, illustrating that while technology has changed, domestic abuse hasn’t. The abuser uses an iPhone to see whom a woman has called, what she has eaten, who she spends time with, how she spends her money and “can even tell you when that lying bitch isn’t at the grocery store, like she said she’d be. So you can make her pay for it later.” Watch the video here.

  • common sense mediaThis kid is so cute that it almost makes you forget she’s a mini-mobster in training. Common Sense Media launched a TV spot that asks parents if their children are watching movies that are beyond their age range. “Alfonso” shows an adorable girl and her table full of stuffed animals. Is a tea party about to start? Not even close. Our little gal is carrying a suitcase that’s full of money. She’s about to hand it off to Alfonso, one of her stuffed toys, but changes her mind, calling him a rat that sold her out. The big, fluffy, stuffed dog on her bed is tasked with “taking him out.” The spot ends with a question: “Are your kids watching the right movies?” The ad, seen here, was created by Camp + King.

  • LittleCaesarsThe things people will do for pizza. In a TV spot for Little Caesars, one man rips off his cast so he can grab money from his pocket and pay for a HOT-N-READY pizza. Sure, the guy could have used his good hand, but where’s the shock value in that? Watch “Cast” here, created by Barton F Graf 9000.

  • visitantwerpVisit Antwerp launched a subway campaign in New York encouraging tourism to Belgium and a visit to the Red Star Line museum, opening in September. The campaign, created by Green Team, depicts the numerous elements of American culture--both past and present—that have origins in Antwerp, Europe’s second largest port city. Between 1873 and 1934, more than two million Europeans immigrated to the U.S. aboard the Red Star Line ship that departed out of Antwerp. These stories are being brought to life at the Red Star Line Museum, scheduled to open on Sept. 28. See creative here and here. In addition, there’s a microsite that describes the future museum and includes a sweepstakes that users can enter, with the grand prize being a free trip to Antwerp for the museum’s grand opening.

  • CreeCree launched a series of TV spots for its LED light bulbs that bring humor to a typically bland category. The campaign stars actor Lance Reddick as spokesman for the light bulbs of the future. The first spot, “Eulogy,” pays tribute to the incandescent light bulb with a proper sendoff: a funeral, complete with bagpiper and miniature coffin. See it here. In “1879,” a case is made for change.  “The light bulbs in your house were invented by Thomas Edison in 1879. Now think about that with your 2013 brain,” says Reddick. Watch it here. My favorite ad might be this 15-second spot. “Like a child, this Cree LED light bulb could be in your house for decades. Unlike a child, it will pay for itself and spend its life saving you money. And it will never pierce its tongue.” Baldwin& created the campaign.

  • wranglerRandom iPhone App of the week: Wrangler launched a mobile app aimed at getting people outside and active. Wrangler Mileage runs as its user is out and about, quietly creating a personal map of the world for each individual user. The map is divided into millions of grids. Each time a grid is unlocked, variables such as location, weather, time, land formations, lunar phase and altitude are tracked and becomes a personal measurement of your life journey. The app, created by TBWA Digital Arts Network Hong Kong, is available for free in the App Store.