Geek Branding. Spock vs. Spock in New Two Minute Ad For The Audi S7.

The new Audi S7 looks as aerodynamic and almost as futuristic as the latest USS Enterprise, with an interior dash that rivals the NCC-1701's main bridge. Therefore, casting Leonard Nimoy and Zachary Quinto in a face-off for command of the coolest vehicle was a fun move by Audi and a nice tie in to the upcoming May 16th release of J.J. Abrams' movie, Star Trek: Into Darkness.





So, what happens when old school goes head to head with new school in a battle of speed and wits? Leonard Nimoy and his Mercedes take on newbie Zachary Quinto and his all-new Audi S7 in this two minute film promoting the new Audi. Engage....




Although newbie Spock schools the original legend in the spot (shown above), Nimoy gets the last laugh with the good ol' Vulcan Nerve Pinch.

Starring: Leonard Nimoy, Zachary Quinto
Written & Directed by: Paulilu (Paul W Downs & Lucia Aniello)
Executive Producer: Joseph Assad, PMK·BNC

Follow Audi on twitter @Audi
Get more information on the S7 at http://audi.us/18SEJtQ.

Sports Imitating Art imitating Life. Cut Through L.A. Is An Art Installation As A Commercial For Nike.

I know this 2 minute film first ran about 6 months ago, but I can't watch it enough. It's more of an art installation than a TV commercial and I just love it, am just fascinated by it and wish I'd been there the day it was shot. If you don't watch sports, you may not have seen it and if you have seen it, watch it again. (A 'Making Of' video is shown at the end of the post).



Filmed in Venice Beach, CA. by director Andreas Nilsson, who has a background is set design, what unfolds is a unique traction story of how CP3 cuts through L.A. in an effort to launch the new Nike CP3.VI shoes from ad agency Weiden + Kennedy.


above: Director Andreas Nilsson on set

The staged installation features a human chain of athletes dressed to look like Paul, each representing a freeze-framed position along the trajectory of one of his notorious journeys down the court. The live installation and shoot took place on the basketball courts of Venice beach on Saturday, September 29th, 2012.






The incredible production featured over 40 performers and a bevy of props ranging from an overturned fruit cart to a flipped bicycle hanging in mid-air to showcase the nimble moves of NBA superstar Chris Paul.






Actors were carefully positioned throughout the installation, several seemingly hanging in mid-air though raised on plexiglass footholds, to demonstrate Chris Paul’s dynamic moves on the court. While mimicking Paul’s moves, the performers gracefully crash through boxes, intercept a woman and the dog she’s walking on a leash, cross through a cartoonist mid-caricature and upturn a fruit cart hanging throughout the performance space as if frozen in a series of ‘bullet time’ moments. The entire installation was captured on camera, directed by Nilsson to be edited as a short film showcasing all aspects of the production.



This video, shot in LA by production company Biscuit Dreamworks, is incredible, especially considering that the director did it all in one take.

The making of/behind the scenes video:


Full Credits
Agency: Wieden + Kennedy
Client: Jordan CP3.VI
Director: Andreas Nilsson
Prod. Co.: Biscuit Filmworks
Creative Director: Andy Ferguson
Creative Director: Brandon Mugar
Copywriter: Alexander Barrett
Art Director: Jed Heuer
Business Affairs Director: Sara Jagielski
Business Affairs Manager: Angel Cielo
EP: Dan Blaney
Brand Strategist: Ben Alter
ECD: Ian Reichenthal
ECD: Scott Vitrone
Head of Content Production: Lora Schulson
Production Company: Biscuit Filmworks
Director: Andreas Nilsson
EP: Colleen O'Donnell
Line Producer: Pete Vitale
Director of Photography: Crille Forsberg
Production Designer: Brock Houghton
Wardrobe Stylist: Shirley Kurata
Managing Director: Shawn Lacy
Production Company: Show Cobra
EP: Kate Susman
Editorial Company: Show Cobra
Editor: Dom Whitworth
Post Producer: Charlie Clark
Post Executive Producer: Kate Susman
Music and Sound Artist: Mike Snow
Producer: Pontus Winnberg

Designer Marc Jacobs' First TV Spot and New Can Designs For Diet Coke.

If you hadn't yet heard, hunky tatted Marc Jacobs is Diet Coke's Creative Director for 2013.

The Controversy (and the Talent) Behind The Beautiful Farmer Commercial for Dodge Ram Trucks From The Super Bowl.

One of the most memorable spots on yesterday's Super Bowl - and one that has made it on most reviewers "Best Spots of the Super Bowl" lists - is also one which has been stirring up some controversy, at least amongst the ad community. Frankly, anyone outside of the advertising business could not care less, so I won't be surprised if you've stopped reading this already. But back to the subject at hand.

You may think the uproar is because of the numerous mentions of "God" or because of the the fact that some feel Farming has radically changed since Paul Harvey gave the speech used as the voice over at the National FFA Convention in 1978, but it's actually the spots' originality which has been questioned. I wanted to clear up a few things regarding that as well bring some credit the well-deserving photographers whose work was used in the ad.

Created by the Richards Group, the two minute spot with the Paul Harvey voiceover is an updated version of a concept originally seen in a video for Farms.com.

The Dodge Ram Truck  "Farmer" Super Bowl commercial:

The Farms.com video:


But let it be known that Farms. com has made a point of publicly supporting the ad with both tweets and this new description under their own video on You Tube:



As well as including this info in a hovering window atop the You Tube video:


While it's not the first Super Bowl commercial to have been inspired by a previous one, nor the first to take an already produced idea and make it far superior in terms of production quality, both The Richards Group and Farms.com - as well as the Chrysler brand - are to be commended for creating and running an ad that was powerful in its quietude and a refreshing change from the fast-paced, noisy, special effects ads that dominated most of the broadcast.

Whether or not you feel the ad was derivative, one thing that is not debatable is the incredibly stunning imagery in the ad and it is those photographers whose work I want to bring to your attention.

Below are the ten photographers whose beautiful imagery is to credit in the Dodge Ram Truck "farmer " Spot:
Andy Anderson
William Allard
Jim Arndt 
Daniel Beltra,
Mark Gooch,
Andy Mahr,
Kurt Markus,
David Spielman,
Matt Turley and
Olaf Veltman.

Creatives from The Richards Group who worked on the spot include Creative Directors Jimmy Bonner and Rob Baker and Freelance art buyer/ producer Deb Grisham.

Addendum: If it wasn't already clear, the Dodge Ram Farmer ad by The Richards Group also stands as a testament to the importance of production values and having people in charge with taste. Creatives, Account Staff, Producers and most importantly, a client, that understand the impact of visuals in addition to the content and copy (and sometimes the need to spend a little more) can make all the difference. Imagine if they'd simply run the Farms.com version.

UPDATE: For every view, download or share of “Farmer” located on the brand’s website at www.ramtrucks.com/keepplowing, Ram will make a donation to FFA. Funds raised will go to local FFA chapters for student programs geared toward fighting hunger in communities across the country.

A New Spot For Europe's Revolutionarily Designed Ford B-MAX Dives Head-First Into Demonstration Land.

Using demonstrations to sell an automobile is nothing new. Largely pioneered by ad agency Team One for the Lexus brand in the late 80s and early 90s, we have since seen maybe hundreds of on stage and in situ demonstrations from various car manufacturers - most of them forgettable.


above: the unique door design of the Ford B-MAX is a perfect feature for a demonstration

But here's one you most likely will not forget. Agency Blue Hive of London has launched a pan-European campaign to promote the brand new Ford B-MAX, focusing on the car’s revolutionary design. This ground-breaking vehicle has removed the central b-pillars and seamlessly integrating them into the doors allowing unobstructed access through a 1.5m opening.


above: a still from "Life is an Open Door"

Beautifully shot at the Olympic Swimming Pool in Barcelona, the ad features a diver leaping from a 10m high board headlong through the open doors of a B-MAX that’s suspended above the pool water and down into the water below. The key being, of course, there's no central b-pillar to block his way.



To bring the concept to life, the agency commissioned Academy Award and Golden Globe nominated movie director Martin Campbell (whose many directing credits include Casino Royale and Goldeneye). The team also enlisted one of the world’s best stunt coordinators Tom Struthers (Inception, The Dark Knight Rises).


above: The dive stunt itself was performed by stuntman Bobby Hanton, who has doubled for Christian Bale in The Dark Knight Rises and is currently shooting Thor 2 where he is Chris Hemsworth’s double.

This campaign also marks the first project under the new Executive Creative Director of Blue Hive, Karin Onsager-Birch, who arrived in May after spending 11 years at San Francisco hotshop agency Goodby Silverstein, to head up the creative department.

Gaetano Thorel, Vice President of Marketing at Ford of Europe, said: “I’m delighted with the new B-MAX campaign. Across every media, the work clearly highlights the car’s ingenious design. I also think the TV commercial is great and accurately portrays us as a bold and exciting brand. Both the B-MAX vehicle and the communications around it bring our Go Further principle powerfully to life.”

Karin Onsager-Birch, Executive Creative Director at Blue Hive, added: “The ‘Life is an Open Door’ campaign idea just sings out of this spot. It's the ultimate visual product demonstration. A simple stunt that celebrates the unique design of the car – in a ballsy way. Ford's motto is Go Further*, with this spot we took that quite literally."

"Behind the Scenes" video:


The 360-campaign will run across 28 markets and is spearheaded by a dramatic 40” cinema and 30” television commercial that airs on October, 22nd 2012 in the UK.

Full Credits:
Agency: Blue Hive
Client: Ford of Europe
Creative: Steve Clarke
Creative: Serge Pennings
Executive Creative Director: Karin Onsager-Birch
Producer: Lindsay Moyes
Business Director: Fabio Ruffet
Account Director: Dario Verrini
Senior Account Manager: Ina Foelster
Director: Martin Campbell, Black Label
Producer: Dom Freeman
Director of Photography: Roger Pratt
Stunt Coordinator: Tom Struthers
Stunt Performer: Bobby Hanton
Editor: Gareth McEwen. The WhiteHouse, London.
Post Production: Jay Bandlish (The Mill, London)
Sound Engineer: Munzie Thind (Grand Central Studios, London)
Music Consultants: Finger Music.
Original music: Hawkwind: 'Master of the Universe'.
Vice President, Marketing, Ford of Europe: Gaetano Thorel
Marketing Director, Ford of Europe: Maureen Graham
Manager, Creative Services, Ford of Europe: Usha Raghavachari
Small Car Communications Manager, Ford of Europe: Catherine Blee

* If the tagline "Go Further" sounds a bit familiar, you may recall that ad agency Goodby Berlin Silverstein coincidentally used the similar tagline "Go Farther" for the Isuzu brand years ago.

Finland's Powerful Ad About Parental Drinking Turns Mom and Dad Into Monsters.

As a general rule, I'm not a big fan of using 'scary' tactics in advertising to make a point when it comes to public service announcements for things such as child abuse, smoking and the like. But this minute long spot for Fragile Childhood, an organization in Finland that encourages discussion about and prevention of parental drinking is incredibly powerful.



Created by Euro RSCG Helsinki & Grillifilms together with Sauna International & Studio Arkadena, the spot illustrates the painful isolation that children of alcoholic parents must contend with on a daily basis.



By placing the 'monster' of a parent (represented as a dark clown, the grim reaper, a scary Santa, an evil Easter Bunny, a Zombie Mom, etc.) in everyday childhood situations and seen only by the affected child, the fear and loneliness of living with such a 'monster' is powerfully demonstrated.







The Fragile Childhood activity begun in 1986 and has been established as a well-known organization in Finland.

Fragile Childhood activities are designed to encourage people to participate anonymously in discussion and to share their thoughts about responsible parental drinking on a dedicated platform: http://www.facebook.com/lasinenlapsuus

The campaign activities also highlight the fact that it is still not widely understood how much harm parental drinking causes children. Previous research has shown that every fourth Finnish child has suffered some harm because of his or her parent's alcohol usage.

The "Monsters" film was created and produced by Euro RSCG Helsinki & Grillifilms together with Sauna International & Studio Arkadena.


Thanks to Joe Berkowitz at Co.Create for bringing this to my attention!

Old Spice Promotes New Scent With Music-Making Muscles And The Ability to Record Your Own.

To promote the new Old Spice scent Danger Zone, Wieden + Kennedy Portland teamed up with MJZ's Tom Kuntz, The Mill and Vimeo to present an interactive video starring former NFL star Terry Crews, that allows you to make your own music mix at the end of it. (Crews has starred in other Old Spice spots including one to launch Old Spice's new Danger Zone product line back in January called Blown Minds)



This time around Old Spice Muscleman Terry Crews does what no man has ever done before—play a drum set using nothing but his flexing muscles. In addition to watching his historically important muscle-powered performance, users also have the ability to use their keyboards to control Terry's muscles and create and share their own muscle-powered musical creations.



here's a keyboard cheat sheet (courtesy of Creativity-Online):


The interactive site runs in conjunction with the introduction of the indestructible Danger Zone Guy campaign, another series of ads starring -what is fast becoming overly prevalent in the ad world- mustachioed deboniar worldy men.



Both the interactive site and the Danger Zone campaign come on the heels of yet another brilliant campaign for the brand called Believe in Your Smellf, a series of commercials in which our skinny hero gains the confidence to break up with the likes of Heather Graham.





W+K has been on fire. If you haven't seen their New York office's new campaign for Southern Comfort, it's another homerun.

now, go mix some music:



Just watch the spot all the way through, then hit record and start pressing your keyboard :)

Old Spice official Site
W+K

Southern Comfort's New Spot, Beach, Brings Us A New Hero and Unlikely Sex Symbol.

The strategy 'be yourself' or "be comfortable with who you are" is nothing new - especially for liquor. But when visually communicated with the synthesis of brilliant casting, great music, impeccable direction by Tim Godsall and perfect pacing, such as "Beach", a new spot for Southern Comfort by Weiden & Kennedy, New York, it feels breakthrough.

"Beach," featuring the song "Hit or Miss" by Odetta:


Featuring the song "Hit or Miss" by Odetta, the 90 second spot (which airs on tv as a 60:), turns an unlikely sex symbol into one. The mustachioed, sun-kissed, stout, speedo-clad, middle-aged man saunters with such swagger and confidence to the lyrics 'I gotta be me... ain't nobody just like this, I gotta be me, Baby, hit or miss" that he appeals to women and men alike.





Move over "Most Interesting Man In The World"... I think I have a new hero.



Southern Comfort. Whatever's Comfortable.

Full Credits:
Agency: Wieden + Kennedy New York
Client: Southern Comfort
ECD: Scott Vitrone
ECD: Ian Reichenthal
CD: Ian Reichenthal
CD: Scott Vitrone
CW: Nick Kaplan
AD: Jeff Dryer
Head of Content Production: Lora Schulson
Producer: Alison Hill
Head of Brand Strategy: Stuart Smith
Digital Strategist: Marshall Ball
Brand Strategist: Ben Alter
Director of Business Affairs: Sara Jagielski
Production Company: Biscuit Filmworks
Director: Tim Godsall
EP: Holly Vega
Managing Director: Shawn Lacy
Line Producer: Rick Jarjoura
Director of Photography: Edu Grau
Editorial Company: Mackenzie Cutler
Editor: Gavin Cutler
Post Producer: Sasha Hirschfeld
Editorial Assistant: Ryan Steele
VFX Company: Suspect
VFX Executive Creative Director: Tim Crean
VFX Supervisor: John Geehreng
VFX Flame Artist: John Geehreng
VFX CG Artists: Cedrick Gousse
Producer: Tsiliana Jolson
Telecine Company: CO3
Colorist: Tim Masick
Mix Company: Heard City
Mixer: Phil Loeb
Sound Designer: Phil Loeb
Sound Designer: Sam Shaffer
EP: Gloria Pitagorsky
Music Supervision Company: Good Ear Music Supervision
Music Supervisor: Andrew Charles Kahn
Song: Hit or Miss
Artist: Odetta

60 Seconds of Fun. Award Winning Hahn's Super Dry Beer Pioneering Commercial.

In the Hahn brewery, superness is brewed into the beer at every stage of its creation. The Knight Rider song infuses the barley through massive speakers. Is pounded by body builders in leotards, exposed to kung fu movies, churned by a monster truck Delorean, mixed in an immense drum-kit, poured over a fountain of winning trophies, fermented in a jumpsuit wearing vat, and stroked by a smooth character as it fills a glass panther, before being approved by a CEO hovering outside in a solid gold helicopter. As the Hahn SuperDry exits the factory, each bottle capped by a uniformed ferret, a line appears:

Super goes in. Superdry taste comes out.


The 60 second TV commercial from Sydney agency Publicis Mojo was shot in Los Angeles with director Tom Kuntz, who previously won an Emmy for best commercial of the year with Old Spice’s ‘The Man Your Man Could Smell Like’.

Tom Kuntz directed this visual-effects heavy commercial depicting a hyper-stylized Hahn Super Dry brewery where the "superness" - represented by a series of unorthodox influences - is infused and brewed into the beer at every stage of its creation.

While most of the VFX was completed by Eight VFX in California, VFX supervisor Scott Geerson put the finishing touches on this commercial in Flame at Cutting Edge Sydney with ECD Micah Walker and Producer Adrian. Also completed were a 45', 30', and four 15' versions.

Credits:
Director: Tom Kuntz
Agency: Publicis Mojo Sydney
Executive Creative Director: Micah Walker
Creative Team: Justine Armour, Ruth Bellotti
Agency Producer: Adrian Shapiro
Production: MJZ
Producer: Scott Kaplan
Editor: Gavin Cutler @MacKenzie Cutler
Post Produciton: Eight VFX (LA) and Cutting Edge Sydney
Sound Design: Simon Lister @Nylon Studios
Music Supervisor: Karl Richter @Level 2

Awards:
Gold: Film Craft at Cannes 2012
Silver: Best use of Music.
Bronze: Sound Design.
D&AD Yellow Pencil (MJZ) Production Design for Film Advertising

Summer's Dreaded Nightmare: Dads In Briefs. A Commercial To Which We Can All Relate.

Here's one of those great commercials that capitalizes on a universal truth regardless of country or language.

The campaign explains that, with the arrival of the Summer heat, comes the arrival of dads wearing nothing but briefs. This commercial offers a solution to this problem. Created by Del Campo Saatchi & Saatchi for BGH air conditioners.



And as it runs in Argentina:


Credits:
Advertising Agency: Del Campo Nazca Saatchi & Saatchi, Argentina
Executive Creative Directors: Maxi Itzkoff, Mariano Serkin
Creative Directors: Ariel Serkin, Juan Pablo Lufrano
Creatives: Ezequiel De Luca, Nicolas Diaco
Agency producers: Adrian Aspani, Ezequiel Ortiz
Account director: Jaime Vidal
Account Executive: Manuela Sorzana
Production company: Primo
Director: Nico & Martin
Executive producer: Caro Cordini
Producer: Victoria Piantini


DP: Leandro Filloy
Art direction: Muriel Rañi
Costume design: Andrea Brzezniak
Postproduction: Pickle house
Post production: Seba Lopez, Majo Villalba
Editor: Pablo Colella
Txfer: Cinecolor
Music: Swin Musica
Sound designer: Notdeafsound Design
Advertiser's Supervisors: Ezequiel Devoto, Daniel Rosenfeld, Veronica Moglia

Rugby Never Looked Like So Much Fun. JWT London's Serious Play For HSBC.

JWT London has created this wonderful spot for HSBC as part of their Rugby Sevens sponsorship. Starring former England and British Lions player Jason Robinson and past Australia captain George Gregan, the fast-paced and exciting tv ad was shot by director Paul Middleditch of Plaza Films and beautifully edited by Andy Packer.






The spot (shown below in its entirety) features real life Green Army Men, Cowboys, Centurions, Ninjas, Luche Libre, Elves and more engaged in an exciting game of Rugby played through the streets of Hong Kong.

It captures the popular trend of spectators wearing fancy dress at the tournament and the seriousness with which people take their costumes. It is also intended to represent the bank’s dedication to the growth of the game both at a professional and a grassroots level.



What a fun way to raise awareness of HSBC’s co-title sponsorship of the 2012 Cathay Pacific / HSBC Hong Kong Sevens tournament.



Title HSBC “ Serious Play”
Agency: JWT London
Global Creative Directors: Axel Chaldecott, Daniel Hennessy
Art Directors: Miles Bingham, Kevin Masters
Copy Writers: Kevin Masters, Miles Bingham
Director: Paul Middleditch
Production Company: Annex, Plaza Films
Editor: Andy Packer
Editorial Company: Annex Films London
Editor: Peter Whitmore
Editorial Company: The Editors Sydney
Sound: Sam Ashwell
Song: “Lonely Boy” The Black Keys