Arnold has repurposed its wall of rain spot which ran last year in Europe last year into an Americanized, full-on, politically correct, environmentally friendly campaign about Timberland's use of organic materials in its boots and how it's jumping on the carbon offset bandwagon. Carbon dioxide emissions associated with the campaign will be offset by Timberland's purchase of wind power from Western Massachusetts' Jiminy Peak Mountain Resort wind project. We're told the move will be equivalent to not driving 109,000 miles or planting approximately 44 acres of trees.
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In this ad by TBWA\Chiat\Day, LA for FAO Schwarz -- er, the Visa check card, we mean, a bunch of people wander around in a toy store while juggling toys.
The ad just doesn't hit the spot.
We never really got used to the "Life takes Visa" thing. It's like a second-rate "Priceless" -- which is ironic, because Mastercard's like a second-rate Visa.
We were actually surprised here. This spot poses as a home video taken by a proud father of his baby's first steps. If you've ever witnessed a child walk for the first time, you know what a triumphant feat it is - and that it doesn't last long.
That's the first thing that sticks out.
The kid seems to be walking for an impressively long time with the dad following closely behind, cooing in paternal awe. Then they get to the front door, and POW! -- the kid's off like a shot! Pops couldn't keep up if he wanted to. The ensuing mayhem made us LOL.
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This "Infinite OZ" subsite for the Sci-Fi Channel's Tin Man does little besides guide passive visitors deeper, deeper and still deeper into worlds sitting inside other worlds, kind of like those marbles at the end of Men in Black.
Entrance looks and feels like the rabbit hole Lewis Carroll's Alice fell into, except slower and scarier (vestiges of Pink Floyd, maybe?). Advertisers will also be happy to know that the first thing a person sees upon penetrating the refurbished Oz is a billboard.
Granted, it veers into a totally fucked-up, scary and apparently deserted world, but hey, this is very good news for those seeking a more interactive user experience.
And oh god. Did a disembodied female voice just say "There's no place like the O-Z"? You did not go there, Calle & Pelle Sjonell. (This is their last gig for Fallon, Minneapolis before they move on to BBH, NY.)
Tin Man premieres November on the Sci-Fi Channel. After traveling for 10 minutes into the void with no end in sight, part of us does want to see the show.
The big research finding prior to developing the new TV Guide ad campaign? "That the consumer is not in love with TV - the consumer is in love with a particular show." And it took actual research to determine this? Hello? This is not a new finding. People aren't in love with the delivery vehicle. They're in love with what that vehicle brings them. Someone ought to tell the folks over at Disney who still seem to think the success of High School Musical 2 was due to love for the Disney Channel as opposed to the movie itself.
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Ahh, three spankin'-new iPhone ads. The synopsis: iPhone Saves My Ass in Front of My Boss, iPhone -- and Maybe My Wallet -- All I Need in Life (why is this guy parked on the sidewalk?), and iPhone is God's Gift to Mankind.
And who better to convey these messages than the breathy customers whose lives were saved? (It's possible they're all early adopters justifying that nasty $200 price cut announced two months after the iPhone's debut. Way to go, Steve!)
- Wendy's get all high and mighty with it's new Saatchi & Saatchi-created online promotion for its Hot Juicy Burger!
- We all thought those VW Crash ads were pretty good. Not so much anymore though after seeing this crashtastic ballet-style ad for Renault.
- Dove follows up its Evolution commercial with an equally powerful one called Onslaught in which an innocent girl is pummeled with adult imagery.
- And this week we got even more big boobs from our big boobed Cheerleader friend, Amy, who's doing her best to promote the movie The Comebacks.
- Dutch agency TBWANeboko did a very nice illustration-style campaign for TomTom's Mapshare.
- Leo Burnett grew a a lettuce garden on a billboard in Chicago to promote McDonald's fresh salads. Beautiful.
- Sony unleashed its third Fallon-created commercial. Called Play-Doh, a bunch of bunnies are animated around the streets of New York. Too bad the idea was stolen from an artist.
It's like pulling teeth to find an ad that gives you practical information in a clever way without bashing you over the head in either direction.
But these retro-vibing :15 spots for the Honda Fit manage to be quick and informative with a witty -- but thankfully minimalist -- "WTF?" aspect. Eyes was like a speedy sci-fi take on the Nissan Rogue ad, which also debuted just recently. And Gas Mileage, while slightly less memorable, maintains the campaign's pace and says everything it needs to without tempting you to push fast-forward.
a52 produced the spots for agency RPA out of Santa Monica, CA.
This is pretty neat. Here's the Nissan Rogue ad that goes with the marble virals floating around on YouTube. Perhaps you saw it when it appeared during the season premier of Heroes last week.
But instead of a marble wandering its way through a neatly-hedged maze, the Rogue itself is speeding through an obstacle-ridden city.
Funnier still is this commentary from REmixed, which attributes the work entirely to his art director buddy Ken. The commercial is even dubbed "Ken's Nissan Rogue ad."
Our west coast contact wryly notes, "Maybe he even cooked the food for the crew at craft services..."
WongDoody, which recently brought us the clever Horizon Air campaign, has extended its No Stank You youth anti-smoking campaign for the Washington State Department of Health with a social media and fashion styled campaign.
The program is described thusly, "To earn a free No Stank You shirt, teens visit No Stank You and participate in the "Do 3, Get T" incentive program. Points are awarded for adding a No Stank You banner to a personal Web site, submitting an original tee design, referring a friend to the No Stank You site and more. Each activity is worth one point. Three points earns a free tee."
Supporting the effort are TV and radio. View one of the six spots here. Gross. Weird. Good.
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