New Ad Campaigns

Our weekly update from Amy:

Spanked cows. Unnecessary accents. The Salvation Army advertises on every rock, window and pizza box. Let's launch!

There is no "i" in team; orbit is a different story. Jimmy Dean launched "Spaced Out" to promote its line of breakfast sandwiches. Simply put, this ad makes me happy. The planets are out of alignment and fading fast at 10 a.m. Unacceptable for the sun, who discovers that the planets have yet to eat breakfast. Once a sausage, egg and cheese croissant is devoured, the planets sedately orbit around the sun. Watch the ad here. TBWA/Chiat/Day Los Angeles created the ad and Starcom Chicago handled the media buy.

Magners pear cider is all pear, no disappointment. Three TV spots star British comedian and writer Mark Watson as a guy who can't get a break. He's constantly given the run-around, with Magners pear cider the only dependable thing in his life. Sad for him, but fun for us! "Blind date" is my favorite ad. Watson is sick of being misled by fast food chains, movie reviews and exercise equipment. "Get the body you always dreamed of. Really? How do you know what kind of bodies I dream of," he quips. The spot ends with Watson meeting a blind date at a pub. She takes one look at him and says, "Strong, athletic build?" before she storms off. See the ad here. Watson describes his friend Duncan in another ad, who was promoted to head of a department where he's the lone member. See it here. The final ad, seen here, captures Watson's tirade against supposedly user-friendly cell phones. It's definitely worth watching. Euro RSCG created the ads, produced by Epoch Films.

Intel launched a massive brand campaign on May 11 that redefines rock stars, clean rooms and hobbies. "Sponsors of Tomorrow" consists of TV, print, outdoor and online elements and is expected to run between three and five years. A man walks into an Intel cafeteria and receives rock star treatment. Women swoon, ask for autographs and doodle his face on their notebooks. The rock star in question is none other than Ajay Bhatt, co-inventor of the USB. Swoon. "Our rock stars aren't like your rock stars," ends the ad, seen here. Intel arranges a press conference in the next ad, seen here. The company wants to introduce the world to Intel's smallest chip. When it's dropped at the press conference, attendees are seen scouring the floor for the delicate object. Online ads, shown here and here, show the difference between an average person's hobbies and reading material compared to those who work at Intel. Print ads juxtapose Intel rock stars and musical rock stars and Intel clean rooms compared to a young girl's clean room. See the ads here and here. Bios of the engineers portrayed in the ads can be found on the campaign's Web site. Be sure to check out the virtual wind tunnel, as well. Venables Bell & Partners San Francisco created the campaign and OMD handled global media planning.

There is something terribly wrong yet terribly right about this ad. Carl's Jr. Watch the ad here, created by Mendelsohn Zien. launched "Making Milkshakes," a 30-second TV spot that remixes its 2007 "Cow Shake" spot to promote its Orange Shakes made from genuine ice cream. This time around, the cows are spanked and shook, udders flying about, under an orange hue. Can we talk about the accompanying song used in the ad? Can we say impulse iTunes buy? It's "Disco House" by Gameboy/Gamegirl for those interested.

The Salvation Army of Northern New England launched a fantastic campaign in Portland, Maine, dubbed the "advertising campaign that cost nothing." Eighty-three cents of every dollar donated to The SA goes directly to programs and people served, which helps explain the concept of the campaign. More than 40 local businesses in Portland agreed to participate in the campaign by donating windows, walls, coffee sleeves, bar mirrors, shopping bags and pizza boxes as ad space. You might even find a rock turned into an ad. "Free ad space helps us free even more people from addiction," reads one guerilla posting. Traditional print, TV and online ads, running on donated media, support the nontraditional ads. The TV spot watches a woman paint copy inside a Salvation Army logo on window space donated by a local bookstore. Watch the ad here. The campaign drives residents to the Salvation Army Web site, where creative is showcased along with a list of participating businesses and donating options. The VIA Group created the pro bono campaign.

SpecSaver launched two TV spots in Amsterdam supporting its experienced opticians and special offers. The Dutch-language ads feature a smarmy high-end salesman trying to convince consumers to pay more for their eyewear. The salesman offers a customer a cappuccino in the first ad, seen here. He's soon zapped away and replaced by a SpecSaver employee who tells viewers, "At SpecSavers you are being served only by certified opticians who have studied for at least three years. And we think clear pricing is a serious business." The second spot shows smarmy sales guy giving a child a lollipop and plopping down a box of two-for-the price-of-one glasses. SpecSaver man steps in, tells viewers if they buy glasses for 99 euros and up, the second set is free... even designer glasses. He also changes the girl's lollipop to an apple. Talk about taking all the fun away... See it here. BSUR created the campaign and handled the media buy.

Here's a campaign full of yummy coffee and unwarranted accents. Reminds me of people who pronounce Target as Tar-Jay. McDonald's launched two TV spots supporting the scrumptious-looking McCafé coffee drinks. The beverages have the power to make commuting to work pleasurable and interacting with co-workers a treat, especially if said co-worker bought you the drink. See the ad here. Another ad makes chores like ironing and washing the car more pleasurable experiences when iced coffee and mispronunciations are involved. Watch the ad here. Check out the interactive element of the campaign here. DDB Chicago created the TV ads and Tribal DDB Chicago created the Web site.

A man gets dragged through streets, down hills, stairs and onto a bus to the tune of "Mack the Knife" whistled in the background. The man's final stop is a table where his friend is sitting. He's also the whistler. He stops his tune and gestures for his friend to return something. It's his Samsung Mobile Tracker. The phone contains a tracking system, allowing owners to trace back their phones. Watch the ad here, created by Cheil India.

Amy Corr is managing editor, online newsletters for MediaPost. She can be reached at amyc@mediapost.com.

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