Out to Launch
Wednesday, August 7, 2013
Blake Griffin is everywhere, and so are Shark Week brand tie-ins. Let's launch!
  • VWDeutsch LA created a variety of online content to promote client Volkswagen as the official sponsor of Shark Week. For starters, the agency placed a series of stop motion videos on Instagram featuring the Beetle Convertible and a Shark Week theme. The first video, seen here, shows an innocent Beetle being swallowed by a shark. So far more than 100,000 fan images have been tagged #SharkWeek and the week is only half over! In addition, last year’s Beetle Shark Cage was made into a subaquatic road trip of sorts. Users can explore a 360° view of a Shark Superhighway and learn about sharks in their native environment. There is also a hidden treasure chest that unlocks a $2 donation to the Surfrider Foundation every time someone tweets #VWSharkWeek.

  • Doritos Shark WeekForget #YOLO; Live every week like it’s Shark Week. Now in its 26th year -- take that, Sharknado -- The Discovery Channel’s week of shark-themed programming is both popular with viewers and brands alike. Doritos jumped in on the action with a photo posted on its Facebook Timeline that transforms the beloved snack into the snacker. Half of a Doritos chip emerges from the ocean, resembling a shark’s fin, sending beachgoers running for shore. Except for one boy, who runs towards the cheesy snack. “This week, the snacker becomes the snack,” reads the caption. See the image here, created by Relevant24.

  • jordan brandJordan Brand launched "Blake and Drain," a TV spot that debuts the brand’s latest shoe, the Super.Fly 2. The ad also marks the debut of NBA player Blake Griffin as a Jordan Brand athlete. Shot on a playground court in downtown Los Angeles, Griffin teams with D'arryl Drain, a young kid with a lot of love for basketball, but not much talent. Drain seems oblivious to that minor detail and has a great time on the court, where Griffin can turn any pass by Drain into two points. See the ad here, created by Wieden+Kennedy New York and directed by Stacy Wall.

  • Foot LockerWe’re not done with Blake Griffin just yet. He also stars in the latest Foot Locker ad as “The Endorser.” Griffin buys his Jordan brand gear from Foot Locker, but comes off a bit too salesy for fellow NBA player Chris Paul’s taste. Plus, Griffin is all over the TV in ads for Kia and the abovementioned Jordan Brand as well. Is he really that enthusiastic about the products he shills? Turns out, Griffin, who does a great job at acting robotic, was plugged into an endorser machine, making him sound like a cyborg. Paul pulls the endorser plug and still Griffin adores his Jordan gear, so he must really like it, right? Watch the ad here, created by BBDO New York.

  • VegasHow old will you be in July 2034? Prince George will turn 21, and the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority is wasting no time sending out birthday invites. Let’s hope Uncle Harry has a big role in planning the festivities. Invites were posted to the LVCVA Facebook page, one with an aerial view of Treasure Island, and copy stating: “Congratulations on the royal addition. See you in 21 years.” The next invite was a tad more formal, using the British flag as a background. “We request the pleasure of your company at the Royal 21st Birthday. July 22, 2034 in Las Vegas.” Start planning now. See invites here and here, created by R&R Partners.

  • bigredThis ad plays like a “Saturday Night Life” parody commercial, which might be why I can’t stop watching it. Big Red, (the Texas-based soda, not the cinnamon gum), launched the “Big Red BBQ Bottle” just in time for summer. The (fictional) bottle combines soda and BBQ -- consumers choose between chicken and brisket -- but should have left room for a wet one in the packaging, because BBQ is messy, especially when it’s portable. The top half of the bottle is soda, while one smooth tear of a wrapper reveals the brisket and BBQ sauce for dipping. Picnickers dive right in, taking a bite of BBQ and a swig of soda to wash it down. My favorite scene involves a man smiling at a woman, not realizing he has brisket between his teeth. “Deliciously Different” closes the ad, seen here and created by Real Normal/Beef & Sage.

  • nylotteryEveryone can relate to “Cloned,” an ad for the New York Lottery's newest scratch-off game, “Pay Me!” In the 30-second TV spot, two office pals gripe about being overworked and underpaid. One worker reveals a secret solution: he cloned their boss to receive a second paycheck. The overlooked crack in the plan is soon revealed when two bosses assign double the work. “Pay Me!” gives players 12 chances to win up to $1 million and “Get An Extra Payday Without the Extra Job.” See the ad here, created by DDB New York.

  • KraftKRAFT launched a series of Spanish-language TV spots promoting its Mac & Cheese using the tagline “Sabemos que te va a encantar” (We know you’re going to love it), which is similar to its general market tagline, “You know you love it.” The first ad describes a forbidden love… of macaroni and cheese. A young boy loves going to a particular girl’s house after school because her house has an endless supple of mac and cheese. Let the young lady down easy. See it here. The next ad shows a Latino boy surrounded by family at dinnertime. His mother believes serving mac and cheese would make them less Latino, but the young boy is proud of his family and heritage and knows that won’t happen. Watch it here. In the final ad, a mother doesn’t want to be seen buying mac and cheese, so she sends her husband out late at night in a rainstorm, driving his daughter’s car, to buy it. Did I mention he’s also dressed as a woman while making the rogue purchase? See it here, created by CP+B.

  • haagendazsRandom iPhone App of the week: I know you have to rest meat once it’s finished cooking and wine has to breathe, but waiting for my ice cream to soften before I dig in? Not possible. For those with better ice cream self-control than myself, there’s an app to occupy your time while your ice cream reaches that optimal room temperature. Haagen-Dazs created the Concerto Timer App, where a virtual violin concerto plays atop the ice cream carton while your flavor rests. Users must open the app and point their camera at the lid of any Häagen-Dazs carton to make sweet music for two minutes. The app, created by Goodby Silverstein & Partners and Jam3, is available for free in the App Store.