Out to Launch
Wednesday, March 2, 2016
Milk and Girl Scout cookies. One beer with endless brand slogans. Let's launch!
  • University of Phoenix launched "More Than Brains," a motivating 60-second ad that's part of the brand's "We Rise" campaign. The commercial rewrites the lyrics to the classic tune "If I Only Had A Brain" from the "Wizard of Oz." Throughout the ad, viewers see students juggling home life, work, stressors, bills and daily demands. Rather than give up, students find the time to study and finish classwork, even if it's at an unusual hour or during the commute to a job. These students make it happen. "I took two bullets in the chest, got three kids, I never rest and I've also got a brain" is heard as a man works out at the gym and a woman studies on a crowded bus. "A degree is a degree, you're gonna want someone like me. But only if you have a brain," closes the ad, seen here, and created by 180LA.

  • An event that surprisingly didn't take place sooner, the Girl Scouts teamed up with the Boy Scouts to sell cookies and milk, in honor of National Girl Scouts Weekend. Goodby Silverstein & Partners created the event for its "got milk" client. The event was a success: Kids earned patches for their troops and no one got cooties. Matt Williams from Dean Foods donated single servings of Berkley Farms Milk, which were sold for $2 each, with all proceeds going to the Boy Scouts of America. See it here. Whenever people talk about #girlscoutcookies on Twitter, a short version of the film pops up, reminding people that cookies and milk go hand-in-hand. Targeted ads are also running on Facebook.

  • Santa Margherita Wines launched "For Who You Are," a TV spot that follows the life of a young woman and a bottle of wine from both of their births. From a hospital nursery to a newly-sprouted seedling, viewers follow the life of the young girl, as she navigates life and pursues her dream as an artist. Life isn't always easy for the woman; no word on how rough the grapes have it. Both reach maturity 20-something years later and cross paths as well. The woman's hard work and dedication has resulted in her first gallery showing and the wine served at said gallery showing is... Watch it here, created by CP+B Miami.

  • Amsterdam Brewery launched a fun campaign for its Boneshaker Unfiltered India Pale Ale that pokes fun at typical beer images and slogans. This beer can't be tied down to just one tagline. In the 60-second spot, each image comes with a unique tagline. "I believe in beericles," "Unfiltered. Just like you" and "The IPA Cometh" are just a few of the oddball slogans paired with quirky images of a sweaty beer bottle, a speaker filled with hops, and the brand logo: a skeleton riding a bike. Watch it here, created by Bensimon Byrne Media.

  • Strongbow Hard Cider announced Thursday the launch of its latest TV campaign starring actor Patrick Stewart. (See one of the ads here.)  The new campaign commercials showcase Strongbow’s range of flavors by poking fun at Stewart’s impressive acting range. Strongbow won big at the 2015 World Cider Championships, earning medals for each of its four flavors (two golds, two silvers). The brand’s relationship with Stewart is headed into its second year. The latest spots were created by Strongbow's ad agency Droga5.

     

  • What are the first things you think of when you hear Philadelphia? Personally, I think of "Rocky" and cheesesteaks. In a 60-second spot for Visit Philadelphia, Ben Franklin goes head-to-head with a cheesesteak, Godzilla-style, in an effort to compete for tourists' attention. However, there's much more to see and do in Philadelphia than visit historical landmarks and eat cheesesteaks. As the pair fight in the city, a visitor asks: "What's with them?" The taxi driver responds: "Oh those two. They're always fighting for attention." The spot closes with the tagline: "There's more to a legendary city than its legends." Watch "Philazillas" here, created by Red Tettemer O'Connell + Partners.

  • The latest set of ads in Chevrolet's "Real People, Not Actors" focus on the 2016 Silverado and why it makes an ideal work vehicle compared to its competition. In "Mobile Office," a group of men are given the option of two mobile offices: a Chevrolet Silverado equipped with OnStar 4G LTE, and a competitor's truck with a mobile office attached. This one comes with a nice assistant though, along with outdated technology. See it here. In "Saws," consumers are given the option of sawing wood with a power saw or hand saw. Guess which piece of equipment won out? Watch it here. In the final video, a group of men congregate to a "Trailer" to talk shop when the trailer starts moving. The men are surprised to look out the window to find a Chevy Silverado hauling them away. See it here. Commonwealth//McCann created the campaign.

  • I'm still waiting for my flying car. Until then, have a look at this TV spot for Qualcomm that gives viewers a sneak peak inside dating, technology and the Internet of Things. Part of the brand's "Why Wait" global campaign, "The Date" follows a couple's night out on the town. Gratification is instant. The car is smart, the parking meter is no longer fed coins, a restaurant's menu is digital -- and each object in the woman's apartment, aside from the dog, is connected and probably knows more about the woman than her date. See it here, created by DDB San Francisco.

  • Random iPhone App of the week:Honda wants families to put car time to good use with the launch of Honda Road Readers, a new app that gives Honda drivers free access to children's audiobooks. To start, Honda owners visit HondaRoadReaders.com to register. Owners will then be directed to download the Honda Road Readers app and type in their 17-character vehicle identification number. Honda owners will have access to five free audiobooks, the first being J. M. Barrie's Peter Pan, followed by four other titles of their choice. Download the app here, created by RPA.