When researching places to travel, sometimes it's best to hear from regular
tourists. That's the gist of "It's Your Show," a series of online videos for the Missouri Division of Tourism. H&L Partners, the agency behind the campaign,
equipped six groups of family and friends with GoPros and iPhones to capture the different ways the groups experienced the state. The McCords are a family of five who gas up the minivan and head to
Missouri. Their first stop was Six Flags, so already I want to hang with them. The family also makes stops at the City Museum and the Gateway Arch, and takes in a Cardinals game and the Huckleberry
Finn house. A fun-packed trip. See it here. Check out additional road trips here.
Recovery is important for athletes, so doing nothing is a good thing, following a
tough workout or game. Gatorade stresses the importance with "Recover Time," two TV ads starring MLB's Bryce Harper and NBA's Paul George relaxing after a hard day's work. Queen's
classic tune "We Are the Champions" is turned into a lullaby that soothes the athletes as they nap or ice their muscles. Harper eats half of a Gatorade recovery bar before taking a cat nap inside the
Washington Nationals' locker room. See it here. George unwinds after a game by playing video games and noshing on a Gatorade bar while his
knees are iced and his feet soak in a tub. Watch it here. TBWA\Chiat\Day LA created the campaign, directed by Bryan
Buckley of Hungry Man.
You can only get so much swag at SXSW before reaching a tipping point.
How many branded t-shirts, notebooks and cozies can one have? To relaunch its TAKE5 candy, Hershey's created the TAKE5 Swag Exchange where attendees could trade useless swag for sweet
items like headphones, VIP concert tickets, iPhone portable projectors and reservations at impossible-to-reserve restaurants... plus a $250 gift card for the meal. From March 12-16, people traded in
approximately a thousand items each day, from shirts, a SXSW yarmulke to VR goggles preloaded with porn. The priciest items returned didn't necessarily mean an expensive freebie in return. An
algorithm took into account the most commonly traded items each day and set a premium for the rarest items. So one man returned a cardboard coaster and left with a Bose speaker. On a positive note,
the exchanged swag is making its way to local Austin charities. For example, leather-bound notebooks are going to a foundation helping women start professional careers. Watch more about it here, created by Barkley.
Household goods brand OXO launched its biggest ad campaign in 20 years,
supporting its new line of small electric products. "Tested on Humans" consists of three online videos of focus groups. Subjects first test a digital illuminating hand mixer with rave reviews. Mixing
goes well until a woman splatters cake mix on the man standing closest to her. He's not thrilled. See it here. People get freaky with
vegetables stored in OXO's greensaver. They take "playing with your food" to a whole other level. Watch it here. The final video observes a
group of subjects brewing and grinding coffee in OXO's 9-cup coffee maker. It's a great time until one man gets jittery. See it here.
MUH-TAY-ZIK | HOF-FER created the campaign.
Raise a glass -- preferably of Blue Moon -- and toast the beer's
21st birthday. The company also launched its biggest rebrand, with new packaging debuting April 1. No joke. Blue Moon Belgian White, for example, will feature the brand's signature orange on its
packaging for the first time. A 30-second spot celebrates the creative process of Blue Moon's brewmaster, Keith Villa. He describes how an idea can come to fruition when you least expect it in
"Brewer." The thought might start small, but as time goes on, the idea takes hold and the light bulb turns on. Blue Moon beer is always accompanied by an orange slice -- a bright idea illustrated here
by oranges falling throughout a city. Watch it here, created by Venables Bell & Partners, the first work from the agency.
The Y launched a pair of TV ads under the tagline: "For a better
us." Created by Droga5, the ads help educate viewers about the important work the Y does and its need for community support. Both ads were directed by Seb Edwards and
filmed in Baltimore. "Places" showcases a forgotten city that makes the evening news for all the wrong reasons: Residents lack the resources needed to thrive. The Y is there, however, helping folks
break the cycle of poverty with safe spaces, mentorship programs and healthy meals. See it here. "Idle Hands" are the devil's workshop, but
give the hands something productive to do and watch children discover their potential. Watch it here.
Chef Michael Voltaggio flips a fancy steakhouse table in an ad for Carl's Jr.
and Hardee's Steakhouse Thickburger. Fans of "Top Chef" will remember Voltaggio as the bad boy who competed against his brother in season 6 of the Bravo series, ultimately coming out on top.
Voltaggio enters a steakhouse and flips everything off the table. He sits on the table and eats a Steakhouse Thickburger, a Black Angus beef patty topped with crispy onion strings, crumbled blue
cheese and A.1. Steak Sauce. The crisp tablecloth becomes an oversized napkin. It looks good, but how many calories? This mark's Voltaggio's first-ever partnership with a fast-food chain. See it here, created by 72andSunny.
Random App of the week:Visit Philadelphia launched
a custom keyboard for fans of the beloved city. Now, when you are hungry for a cheese steak, you can properly express that emotion. Created by Snaps, the emoji keyboard features more
than 60 emojis, GIFs and videos of the City of Brotherly Love. The image-based emojis work in text and email messages, along with apps that support pasting of images, like Facebook Messenger,
WhatsApp, Kik and Tango. The keyboard does not work with Twitter, Instagram or Google Voice. Look out for a winking Liberty Bell emoji and view of the William Penn Statue atop City Hall, for starters.
The free app is available in Google Play and the App Store.
The
Variable made one half-marathoner's day a lot brighter on behalf of Sunshine, the agency's own beverage brand. Lee, a Variable employee, was helping a young woman train for a
half-marathon. The agency was going to repay Lee's positivity with signs throughout the course, T-shirts, medals and a winner's podium -- until Lee hurt his ankle, rendering him unable to race.
Thinking plans were scrapped, the agency decided to channel all their positivity to Alli, Lee's training partner, making her first half-marathon a memorable one. See it here.