Out to Launch
Wednesday, June 8, 2016
A haircut that fights cancer. Virtual reality shows destruction in Syria. Let's launch!
  • Typically, the thought of insurance makes people cringe, since it's usually combined with a negative event like a car accident, natural disaster or fire. State Farm has launched a new brand platform called "Here To Help Life Go Right." The company aims to highlight its job as a relationship-based company that also helps consumers throughout positive life moments. "Wrong/Right" starts with images of natural disasters while a voiceover asks: "What if one day we woke up and everything just stopped going wrong?" A dark sky actually clears, accidents cease to take place, yet State Farm remains a presence, helping clients with college, buying a first car and retirement. With all the bad in the world, it's nice to see a focus on good things. DDB Chicago created the campaign.

  • FCB Lisbon created a lovely virtual reality campaign for Portuguese IT company Rumos. In "Love Without Barriers," a wheelchair basketball player, wearing a VR headset, had the opportunity to stand up, walk, position himself and shoot a ball, thanks to his sister, who wore a camera on her head. Just another emotional campaign using virtual reality to spread love, positivity and a little joy. "Together we rise. Technology for a better world," closes the video, seen here.

  • Break out the tissues before you watch this inspirational video about how a small act can have a massive impact on cancer patients. In Romania, a wig made from human hair costs four times the average household income, leaving the majority of women battling cancer unable to buy something to restore their dignity. Nonprofit Fundaia Renasterea stepped in to create a new medium for donating hair. The organization convinced women to cut 15 centimeters of hair in an asymmetrical shape. Not only do woman battling cancer receive much-needed wigs, but the women who donate sport a unique hairstyle, which makes them stand out in a great way, recognizable to other women who donated. Forget the Rachel -- the Brave Cut is taking the country by storm, and hair salons throughout the country offer the haircut at no charge. To date, more than 2,400 women donated hair used in the manufacture of 651 wigs. McCann Bucharest created the campaign.

  • Dos Equis is going through many changes. We must wait until the summer to learn who the new "Most Interesting Man In The Word" is, although I loved the one they already had. Plus the brand gave its logo and packaging a revamp. Erin Andrews and Luis Guzman star in two digital shorts for the brand, and as interesting as they appear, they rank low on the "Dos Equis Interesting Index," a Facebook algorithm that combs through profile data to judge how interesting a person is. If you think you're interesting, try it out. Users are judged in four categories: originality, thirst for knowledge, worldliness and sense of adventure. Good luck, and stay thirsty, friends. Havas Worldwide created the campaign.

  • Snickers launched a digital out-of-home version of its new Super Bowl 50 ad, featuring a hungry Marilyn Monroe on the set of "The Seven Year Itch." The installation, which was live in New York City, displayed an animated image of Monroe's skirt blowing as she stood atop a subway grate. Passersby that stare longer than appropriate are introduced to the hungry version of Monroe, aka Willem Dafoe. "Keep staring. I might do a trick" or "You think this is easy? You try working in heels," are just some of the colorful lines uttered by a hangry Monroe.BBDO New York created the campaign.

  • "Fear of the Sky," a virtual reality campaign created by Project: WorldWide and Junior for Amnesty International UK, is tough to watch. The site shows the horrible destruction caused by barrel bombs dropped on the city of Aleppo.  "Fear of the Sky" uses 360-degree photography, narration and videos gathered by Amnesty-trained Syrian media activists to bring attention to the casualties in this war-torn region. A school playground in the residential neighborhood of Ansari Sharqi and a vegetable market in Aleppo's Bustan al-Qasr district are among the scenes featured.

  • OppenheimerFunds launched a trio of 15-second ads that are part of its "Invest in a Beautiful World" platform. Each ad amusingly highlights investment options that relate to current-day topics, both good and bad. While the majority of folks might view robots as creepy and cold, OppenheimerFunds considers them helpful, set to be owned by every household by 2025. Senior citizens might look old, but that doesn't mean they sit at home and do nothing. They are more active, living longer, shaping the economy--and one woman in the ad is way more flexible than me. OppenheimerFunds found an upside to selfies. More selfies mean more smartphones being purchased. Ugh. MRM//McCann created the campaign.

  • Random App of the week: Pittsburgh Police officers are testing an app designed to help homeless people find local services like food and shelter, in real time. The app, called BigBurgh, allows users to enter their age and gender to find nearby places for food, shelter, medical services or a shower. It also allows users to identify if they are veterans or transgender. The app isn't available in iTunes or Google Play because a credit card is needed to create an account. It's available at BigBurgh.com. The app also includes a link for "live street help," which opens a live chat with an outreach worker about a person's location and problem.

  • Miller Lite is "Spelled Different, Because It's Brewed Different." In a series of 15-second spots, Miller Lite highlights its company history, touting itself as the company that created the first light beer, which is why the brand spells things differently. The brand prides itself on creating what no one expected them to: a light beer that actually tastes good. TBWA\Chiat\Day LA created the campaign.