Out to Launch
Wednesday, June 3, 2015
A night at the symphony is actually a hearing test. Sasquatch gets punked. Let's launch!
  • Fitbit launched a global campaign to promotes its Fitbit Charger HR with PurePulse Technology. The first spot tells the story of a man who has a crush on a woman who is out of his fitness league. In "100 Days, 100 Nights," the man uses his Fitbit to track his heart rate so he can eventually follow his heart and keep pace with his crush. Just when he thinks he's fit enough to strike up a conversation, she bolts up a huge flight of stairs. There's still work to be done. See it here. A 15-second version of the ad called "In The Running" takes the romance out of the ad and focuses on a man who is determined to get in shape while exercising both indoors and outdoors, with his Fitbit keeping him honest. Watch it here. Argonaut created the campaign, directed by Frederic Planchon.

  • You wouldn't like Sasquatch when he's angry, but that doesn't stop anyone from playing tricks on him. In the latest "Messin' With Sasquatch" campaign for Jack Link's beef jerky, YouTube stars The Dudesons, PrankvsPrank and Kevin Brueck play tricks on the elusive creature. In "Wedding," Sasquatch's allergies act up when he thinks he smells flowers. When he's tricked into smelling wedding cake flowers and shoved into the cake, he retaliates by throwing the prankster into the wedding cake. See it here. The next ad takes place in the woods, where a group of friends play Frisbee. One wiseguy puts maple syrup on a Frisbee that ultimately gets stuck to hairy Sasquatch. Results: the jokester ends up in the Frisbee basket and Saquatch is half-waxed. Watch it here. In the last ad, Sasquatch wants nothing more than to ride the mechanical pony outside a grocery store. A group of men glue a quarter to the ground, frustrating Sasquatch, who rips up the concrete and throws it at one unlucky guy. See it here. The ads were created by Carmichael Lynch, Mekanism and space150.

  • When you own and operate a bodega, chances are you've seen everything. Fred is the bodega owner featured in the latest round of MillerLite ads. The newest ad launched Memorial Day weekend during the NBA Playoffs. Fred interacts with a regular, asking about the man's plans. Karaoke is on the night's agenda, so the customer picks up a bottle of MillerLite and sings a classic tune by Kansas. When an attractive woman enters the store, the song killer isn't embarrassed; he instead tells her what time he'll be performing. "As long as you are you, it's Miller Time," closes the ad, seen here and created by TBWA\Chiat\Day LA.

  • The latest Samsung ads starring Kristen Bell and Dax Shepard feature a functional array of Samsung products and leave viewers yearning for Bell and Shepard to be their next-door neighbors. In the first ad, the couple hosts a last-minute dinner party that showcases Samsung kitchen, laundry and cleaning products. My personal favorite was the dual-door range stove that cooks two different meals at different temperatures. Yum. Watch it here. The next ad starts off with a tragic event: a child's beloved stuffed animal gets dirty. Shepard hauls it to the Samsung top load washing machine that has a built-in sink to quickly clean the stuffed animal before it's missed. See it here. McKinney New York created the campaign, directed by Tucker Gates.

  • A hearing test that's performed by an orchestra and takes place in an auditorium means the test will sound better, you're not cooped up in a soundproof box, and you need to dress up. Hearing loss is a serious issue worldwide and often a person might not realize his or hearing is diminishing. Neuroth, an Austrian hearing-aid company, created the "Hearing Test Concert," where an orchestra played Beethoven's 5th Symphony in an unique way. The music was arranged to simulate the high and low frequencies administered during a traditional hearing test. Attendees knew the concert would double as a hearing test and received cards to mark what specific parts of the music were difficult to hear. During intermission, Neuroth representatives analyzed the data to determine if a follow-up appointment was necessary. Of the 1,100 people who attended the concert, 428 scheduled follow-up appointments. See the concert here, created by FCB Zurich.

  • The Weingart Center for the Homeless based in Los Angeles launched an outreach campaign that encourages people to make an investment in a homeless person, rather than just making a donation. A 2:45 video begins with a group of investors gathering to hear a pitch for a lucrative investment opportunity. As the organizer begins his pitch, a disheveled man enters the boardroom and tries to shake hands with those closest to him. The first man scoffs at the outreach, but the second man approached shakes the man's hand. He sits at the head of the table and the organizer tells the group that the homeless man is their investment. Los Angeles spends $35,000 yearly on every homeless person left on the street while The Weingart Center for the Homeless helps homeless men and women get jobs, ultimately leading to them renting an apartment and contributing to society. This results in a reduction in costs for law enforcement, emergency room visits, welfare and food stamps. The event organizer was actually a resident of the Weingart Center for 11 months and is now married, a homeowner and small-business owner. Watch the video here, created by Pitch.

  • Snoop Dogg joins a group of athletes and musicians to star in the #ImUnloading ad campaign to prevent gun violence. No Guns Allowed, Campaign to Unload and States United to Prevent Gun Violence, joined forces to support UnloadYour401k.com, a site that lets users look up their 401k plans and see if they are supporting the gun industry. Users that are investing in the gun industry can choose to reinvest elsewhere. 'I'm unloading for my loved ones that I've lost," said Snoop Dogg. Watch the video here, created by Grey.

  • carharttMadison Bumgarner of the San Francisco Giants is one of the stars of Carhartt's latest ad campaign. The ad for the workwear brand features real men doing real work -- a good fit for Bumgarner, who works his family's ranch in North Carolina during the off-season. Bumgarner tackles ranch chores like a workout, as do the other strong, working-class men highlighted throughout the ad. The firemen and welders don't need to take a spin class for exercise; their jobs are a challenging workout.  Watch "Force" here, directed by Jason Momoa and his production company, Pride of Gypsies.

  • Random iPhone App of the week: The Friends of the Boston Public Garden, a private nonprofit group that maintains the garden, launched a free iPhone app that allows visitors to take a self-guided audio tour of the Boston landmark. The tour features different chapters that play based on where a person is standing in the Garden. Hill Holiday, the agency behind the app, installed iBeacons at key locations throughout the Garden, allowing the apps to pinpoint a visitor's location to within a few feet. The app will point out the "Good Will Hunting" bench, the Wendall Phillips statue and the Make Way For Ducklings statue, among other hidden gems. Download the app here.