Crush and BBDO Toronto held a waxing party to challenge men to wax their balls on camera in an effort to raise awareness of testicular cancer, the most prevalent form of
cancer for males between 15 and 29 years old. The end result is 20 guys, shown from the neck up, as they’re being waxed below the belt. The men's reactions are set to music, so don't expect to
hear someone yell out Kelly Clarkson's name while being waxed. The video drives viewers to the Testicular Cancer Canada website. Watch it
here.
Comcast launched
"Whole New Day," a TV campaign to reflect the positive changes the company has made. The debut ad, "Reasons," stars comedian Jim Gaffigan spending the day shadowing a Comcast tech. As the Comcast tech
drives to his next appointment, Gaffigan grills him about Comcast's shady customer service of the past, finding it hard to believe the company has changed for the better. The technician describes a
handful of new offerings, like two-hour service windows and night and weekend appointments. "Who am I going to bad-mouth at parties now?" ponders Gaffigan. "I guess my cousin. He's so pale." The ad,
seen here, is running in Denver, San Francisco, Seattle, Portland, Boston, Pittsburgh, Richmond, Miami, Detroit, Memphis,
Atlanta and Washington, DC markets. GSP New York created the ad.
If Ronald McDonald gives
his seal of approval to a new breakfast menu, it must be delicious. It doesn't necessarily have to be a breakfast menu at McDonald's, however. Taco Bell found 25 men named Ronald McDonald and
used them in an ad campaign to promote a new line of breakfast items that include an A.M. crunchwrap and waffle taco. The Ronalds were found by talent agencies that combed through social media sites,
like Facebook and LinkedIn. The Ronalds introduce themselves in a documentary-style ad, eat something off Taco Bell's breakfast menu, and give their support. Watch it here, created by Deutsch LA.
The Dutch
Digestive Foundation (MLD Stichting) launched an online video that's full of crap. To draw awareness to the symptoms of colon cancer, the foundation encourages people to look no further than their
poop to determine the state of their health. The 90-second video begins with a pile of poop that's washed ashore. It slowly makes it way onto a trail and to a bus stop, where it journeys to a big
city, even riding the subway. The poo then hitches a ride on a bicycle to finally reach its final destination: a house decorated for a party. When a man answers the door, the poo begins to sing "happy
birthday." The man has just turned 50, the age where it's especially important to check your poop for signs of something amiss. Watch the video here and visit this microsite for more information on the symptoms of colon cancer. Cheel created the campaign.
Not only do Shakira's "hips
don't lie," but her stomach smiles from the inside out. Dannon launched "Dare to Feel Good," a global TV campaign starring the Colombian singer promoting its Activia yogurt. In
the ad, viewers get an inside look at Shakira's stomach when she eats Activia. Her stomach is a whimsical forest, filled with many sleeping, mini-Shakiras. Until she eats Activia, and the miniature
Shakiras wake up, shake their hips and sing. The spot ends with an outer look at Shakira with a gold-dusted smiley face on her stomach. "When your tummy smiles, you smile, too," closes the ad, seen here and created by Vinizius Young & Rubicam Barcelona and directed by Jaume de Laiguana.
The Ad
Council, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and AdoptUSkids partnered to create an ad campaign to encourage adopting children from the foster care system. Roughly
102,000 children are available for adoption, and 31,000 are between the ages of 11 and 17. "You don't have to be perfect to be a perfect parent," humorously illustrates that despite minor
imperfections, adoptive parents can make a positive impact on children's lives. The first ad shows an adoptive father taking his son on a fun vacation, even though dad has a queasy stomach for
rollercoasters, flying and boat rides. See it here. In "Teacher," a foster dad teaches his daughter how not to parallel park, garden and
solve math problems. Watch it here. The final spot shows a foster mom embracing the outdoors with her son. She gets poison ivy and mistakes
animal poop for an old rock, but the pair is having a great time. See it here. Each PSA directs viewers to AdoptUSKids.org. Kirshenbaum Bond Senecal + Partners created the pro bono campaign.
Random iPhone App of
the week: UK Music, the Intellectual Property Office and Aardman Animations launched Music Inc., an app that lets users pretend to produce and mentor emerging
artists. Players take control of writing and releasing songs and see the impact that managerial decisions have on an artist's career. This game views an artist's career from a business vantage,
allowing players to better understand how the music industry works and how creators earn money for their work. One interesting aspect is watching how radio play, streaming music and issues like
unlicensed usage and piracy can affect what an artist earns. The app is available for free in the App Store.
Sure, you can customize your car
online or at a dealership, but nothing seals the bond between car and owner than someone who builds their car by hand. Honda launched a great April 1 campaign promoting the Honda Fit and the
2015 Fit Kit, because one must be physically and mentally fit to assemble a car made from 180,000 pieces. A two-minute video follows beta testers Vanessa and Caleb as their Fit is delivered in
countless boxes by drones. Users also receive an instruction manual and DVD to help the car-building process. Just think of it as a life-sized model kit car, right? Watch Vanessa and Caleb's process here, created by RPA. They should be driving by 2020.
Fruit of the
Loom's latest product launched under its #StartHappy campaign is the ingenious "Undie Iron." A first of its kind, according to the company, this iron fits on a person’s index finger to
swiftly erase those pesky underwear creases. Turn those undie frowns upside down. The finger-operated, USB-powered device comes in three colors: aqua, lime and canary. See an intro video here. The Undie Iron goes on sale April 1 and will hit stores in 2022.