Out to Launch
Wednesday, February 24, 2016
Photoshop of horrors in SI's Swimsuit issue. Captain Obvious to run for President. Let's launch!
  • Under Armour launched two of three ads for a new brand campaign: "It's What You Do In The Dark, That Puts You In The Light." The first ad is a 90-second love letter to the hard-working, ass-kicking, U.S. Women's Gymnastics team. The ad shows the team's immense drive, work ethic and grueling training schedule. When the rest of us are sleeping, these women are practicing and traveling to competitions. I'm in awe. The hard work pays off when the women enter a packed arena with confidence. They've got this. Watch it here. In addition, there's a 30-second ad featuring soccer player Memphis Depay, illustrating his intense training schedule, whether it's alone or with his teammates. See it here. A third ad, starring Michael Phelps, will launch in March. Droga5 created the campaign.

  • BRICK CrossFit launched an interesting campaign to track the progress of its new clients. The campaign is a progressive 5-month fitness plan that uses 3D printed nesting dolls that don't get shorter, only slimmer. The Fit Nesting Dolls,  designed by artists from around the world, carry a flash drive within their last layer featuring the member's workout plan. The different layers represent progress made, giving members a motivational tool to keep in sight. Check out a website and video, created by BBDO New York.

  • Stolichnaya vodka launched a pair of "naked" ads to offset the March issue of Playboy, the magazine's first sans naked models. Each ad shows naked Stoli labels, missing the bottles and caps. The first ad reads: "Here's to leaving just a little to the imagination," leaving the labels and cap, and "The only topless photo in this issue," when the cap is removed. The second ad shows a spread of labels with the copy: "Unlike the playmates, you can bring these beauties home." See the ads here and here, created by The Martin Agency.

  • The latest campaign for Snickers' "You're not you when you're hungry" campaign can be found on both sides of the back page of Sports Illustrated's Swimsuit Issue. Low energy is bad for all types of careers, and wind machine operators and retouchers are the brunt of this campaign's joke. "Retoucher" is found on the back cover, illustrating 11 ridiculous Photoshop mistakes. Can you find them all? Fans can tweet answers to @Snickers. "Wind Machine" can be seen on the inside of the back cover and needs little explanation. No one looks good standing in front of a wind machine running at full speed. See the ads here and here, created by BBDO New York.

  • Captain Obvious, the brand ambassador for Hotels.com, announced his intentions of running for U.S. president by running across the country. A TV ad launched Monday where Captain Obvious threw his hat in the ring. "I've seen the other candidates, and I know I'm fit for the job," says the Captain, as he runs on a treadmill. "They don't seem very fit at all." See it here. Between now and November, Captain Obvious will be sharing his experiences via social media (@CaptainObvious and the hashtag #ObviousPresident), additional TV spots and a custom website. At CaptainObviousRunsForPresident.com, supporters can follow his progress and watch 51 different videos from Captain Obvious, made for each state and Washington D.C. At the donate section of the site, Captain Obvious encourages visitors to donate to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, The American Cancer Society and American Diabetes Association, since Hotels.com is footing his campaign. Captain Obvious will live-tweet the upcoming presidential debates, starting with the debate in Houston on Feb. 25. CP+B created the campaign.

  • Farmers Insurance launched a delightful campaign highlighting the strange but true claims the company has received through the years. The company held a nationwide campaign asking for wacky insurance claims, and the more than 200 entries became the basis of a series of TV ads and Hall of Claims website to house the wacky events. In a pair of TV ads, J.K. Simmons stars as Professor Nathaniel Burke leading folks through the Hall of Claims museum and telling stories of real-life craziness. In "Stag Pool Party," a swimming pool in Colorado was damaged when a group of stags got stuck in the pool. See it here. "Smash and Grub" tells the story of a homeowner finding a bear rummaging through the family's vacation home. Take that, Goldilocks. Watch it here. RPA created the campaign.

  • Random iPhone App of the week: Created by veteran music industry professionals Tony Fagenson and Jerry Fitzgerald, ShowOne is an app for working with backing tracks in live performances. Compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch, ShowOne is a live music tool that is user-friendly for newbies but meaty enough to help professional musicians. With the help of ShowOne, musicians can avoid lugging expensive audio equipment to shows, or being stuck with tracks in the wrong key or tempo. Users also have the capability of editing song and set settings, such as tempo, pitch and voice countoffs, from within the app. The app is available for free in the App Store, with a limit of two user-imported tracks. To unlock the app currently costs $8.99 and allows unlimited track imports and access to all of ShowOne's functionality.

  • Kids these days. Long's Jewelers in Boston launched an online video as part of its "How Boston Gets Engaged" campaign. An adorable couple are walking to lunch when the woman stops for a selfie. At least it looked like a selfie. In reality, the woman just stopped to admire her gorgeous new engagement ring in just the right amount of sunlight. As her fiance grabs her to go, a voiceover says: "Don't worry. She'll look at you again. Eventually." Watch it here, created by Forge Worldwide.

  • Take away the logos from a 2016 Chevy Malibu and consumers think it's a Lexus, Acura or BMW. A focus group is impressed with the luxury offerings of the mystery car and shocked to learn that not only is the car a -- gasp -- Chevy, but it's also reasonably priced, starting at $22,500, not the $80k range that some assumed. The 60-second ad is part of Chevrolet's "Real People, Not Actors" campaign. Much like one focus group member at the end of the ad, I'd take the house, too. See it here, created by Commonwealth//McCann.