Out to Launch
Wednesday, July 22, 2015
Boost Mobile pays homage to folks tethered to smart phones. Naked people jumping. Let's launch!
  • Don't look at this campaign on a full stomach. Omaha is known for many positive things, but one stat the city isn't thrilled with is its high rate of sexually transmitted diseases: one of the highest in the country. Serve Marketing launched an outdoor campaign to encourage residents to get checked for STDs. Copy used in the billboards is spelled out in a font that resembles infected, blistered flesh. Look for nauseating snippets like "His and herpes," "Ignorance is blisters" and "What's the warts that could happen?" The effort is led by the Women's Fund of Omaha, whose Adolescent Health Project is working to curb STDs in Omaha and encourage residents to get tested for free. See the billboards here, here and here.

  • coffeemateThis is not your mother's Coffee-Mate. To promote Coffee-Mate Natural Bliss, its line of all-natural coffee creamers, the brand launched a pop-up coffee shop, "Surprisingly Natural," with a cheeky way to draw traffic. Baristas, and even some patrons, went au naturel, wearing only body paint as curious consumers entered the coffee shop. Take note that all unsuspecting consumers have bulky jackets on and then there's everyone else... naked except for body paint. No one knows where to look and no one pays attention when a naked barista explains why she's naked. I love the woman toward the end of the video who asked one of the male baristas to turn around so she could see his butt. What were we selling again? See the video here, created by 360i.

  • Love is really in the air in a video promoting the latest season of VH1's "Dating Naked: Playing for Keeps." Naked couples are jumping in slow motion, popping champagne bottles and spraying silly string at one another. Think Cirque du Soleil without the risk of major injury. The video ends with a close-up of each couple kissing and the tagline "Love is in the air." A floating pair of VH1-branded underwear closes the video, seen here, and created by Mistress. The second season of "Dating Naked: Playing for Keeps" premieres July 22 at 9pm ET.

  • Lately, brands have been encouraging people to walk away from their smartphones and interact with friends and family in person. Boost Mobile has done the opposite in its latest campaign. It celebrates those tethered to their smartphones 24/7. In "Come to Data," we see people in situations that are not smartphone-appropriate trying to fight the urge to use their phones. A devilish little voice tells them otherwise and even a man of the cloth can't resist the temptation. In "Priest," a man is confessing his sins while a priest half-listens. His phone is calling him, begging him to stream a horse race and block out the man's minute sins. The priest succumbs, just as the man confesses to knowing the whereabouts of a pair of missing hikers. Watch it here. In "Bathroom Dilemma," a guy at the urinal is so impatient to watch videos of adult heads on babies that he whips out his phone at the urinal, with his co-worker right next to him. Think about that image the next time you borrow a friend's phone. See it here.180LA created the campaign.

  • If you've ever doubted the loyalty of gamers, check out these videos for Gears of War. Dedicated fans have placed their love for the franchise on their bodies, with tattoos that are undoubtedly worn out, since the game launched nine years ago. To celebrate Xbox launching a Gears of War Ultimate Edition on August 25, select fans were treated to a remastering of their Gears of War ink at Comic-Con by tattoo artist Steve Soto. The program, Gears Ink, first launched at E3 with a video that showcased four gamers having their tattoos remastered along with franchise co-creator Rod Fergusson, who got inked for the first time. See it here. Xbox then asked fans to share their own tattoos on social media, for a chance to have their own tattoos revamped. Excited fans saw their tattoos come back to life with vibrant colors and added designs. Watch it here, created by twofifteenmccann.

  • Airbnb launched a global campaign entitled "Is Mankind," running in the U.S., U.K. and Australia. The spot spot broke in the U.S. during last week's ESPY Awards, following Caitlin Jenner's acceptance of the Arthur Ashe Courage Award. In the spot, Angela Bassett serves as voiceover while viewers watch a curious young child slowly walking toward a window. "Sit at their tables so you can share their tastes. Sleep in their beds so you may know their dreams... Go see and find out just how kind the hes and shes of this mankind are," says Bassett. Watch it here. TWBA/Chiat/Day created the campaign, Starcom handled the media buy and Lance Acord directed the spot.

  • Ziploc celebrates tough mothers everywhere with a unique obstacle course that tests the strength of both moms and new products with easy-open tabs. Moms must navigate under couches, cook meals and open snacks for hungry children. Using easy-open tabs, moms can save the day even in sticky, greasy situations. The loser in the obstacle course is the cardboard cutout of the husband. Moms have the option to grab hubby and bring him to the bedroom, but each contestant simply high-fives Hubby, or pushes him out of the way altogether. See it here. Energy BBDO created the campaign.

  • Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America launched "Not Allowed," an ad that illustrates what consumers can and cannot bring into a Kroger's store. Viewers watch customers grocery shopping. Management tells a woman with a pet that dogs aren't allowed in-store, and a kid playing with a squirt gun is told to stop playing with the toy because it's unsafe. A kid on a skateboard is told to stop riding around the store -- but a man with a large firearm strapped to his back shops without interruption. See the ad here, created by Grey Toronto, produced by Spy Films and edited by Rooster Post.

  • Random iPhone App of the week:David Wiesner teamed up with Houghton Mifflin Harcourt to create a wordless children's book app that takes kids on a world-within-a-world fantasy adventure. "Spot" uses animation, atmospheric sounds and interactive elements to create an Inception-esque experience for  four- to eight-year-olds that's never the same twice. The journey begins through a spot on a ladybug’s shell and continues by zooming in on random objects like a dust bunny or spot of mold. Smashing Ideas created the app, which costs $4.99 in the App Store. Download it here.