New Ad Campaigns

Thursday, September 17, 2009

New Ad Campaigns

From Amy:

Football season begins. HBO has quite the imagination. IKEA is fluent in many languages. Let's launch!

FirstBank launched a "Where's Waldo"-themed print campaign informing customers about its offer of free checking accounts for anyone, under one condition: find a designated object hidden in creative. They had me at bacon cheeseburger, one of the four oversized not-so "hidden" objects. See if you can find a submarine, Komodo dragon and sousaphone in the crowded ads, shown here, here, here and here. TDA Advertising & Design created the campaign and handled the media buy.

WCJTD: What can't Justin Timberlake do? He sings, acts, dances, and in an ad for Sony, he plays ping-pong and speaks Mandarin. A family goes shopping for a flat-screen TV but is unable to tell the difference between the multitude of brands offered. The store wall separates to reveal a heated ping-pong match between Timberlake and Peyton Manning, with Sony color commentary provided by ESPN reporter Erin Andrews. Manning and Timberlake discuss watching sports on Sony products one minute and break into Mandarin the next, with Timberlake besting his opponent in both challenges. See the ad here, created by 180 Los Angeles. There's also a Web site where consumers can ask a panel of "experts" questions about Sony products.

HBO launched a branding campaign entitled, "It's more than you imagined. It's HBO." Judging by a handful of videos and a comprehensive Web site, it's going to be an interesting TV season. My interest was piqued when I received a teddy bear in the mail with its stomach unstitched. After watching " Teddy Bear Chase," I'm closer to finding out what's hidden inside the bear. My questions were answered in another teddy bear film. Now that I know what's inside, I'll be sure to take a closer look at my bear. A Mime is bound by an imaginary and existent boundary in another video, shown here. The next video, seen here, ends with a bang. "Sometimes a change in perspective changes everything," says the final video, seen here. Simply put, and spot-on. BBDO New York created the films and The Barbarian Group created the Web site.

Apple's latest TV spot in its "Get a Mac" campaign unveils PC's "Innovation's Lab." PC is protecting his computers with bubble wrap and offering a long extension cord to charge batteries. Not exactly making life easier for PC owners, says Mac, but the coffee mug holders do put a smile on PC's face. Watch the ad here. TBWA/Media Arts Lab created the campaign and handled the media buy.

IKEA launched two amusing TV ads promoting mattresses that offer support without breaking your wallet. A couple's mattress is subjected to a "Performance Review" in one ad, seen here. Morning grogginess is down, drooling is up, and expectations are high for the couple's impending anniversary. A woman happily falls face down onto her mattress, following a return from vacation in "Subtitles." She talks into the mattress, complaining how her hotel bed lacked support and comfort. See the ad here. Deutsch New York created the campaign.

Gillette Stadium is celebrating 50 years of New England Patriots football with a video that launched Monday during the Patriots/Bills game. The video will air throughout the season during every Patriots home game. Fans, players, cheerleaders and John Ratzenberger sing the theme song from "Cheers" as footage of cheerleaders primping, fans on a Duck Tour and players in the locker room are shown. The cameo of Cliff Clavin, and the man exiting the porta-potty are memorable. The Gillette branding is present, but kept in the background. Watch the video here, created by BBDO. Additional versions of the video can be found here.

Nike Pro Combat leaves an impression on you and your opponents. Adrian Peterson, Troy Polamalu, Justin Tuck and Brian Urlacher star in the TV, print and outdoor campaign for the base layer of protective gear. In the TV spot, we see Peterson effortlessly bypass his opponents, take a few knocks and score a winning touchdown. When Peterson removes his helmet and football jersey, viewers see that his face and arms are marked with the pattern from Pro Combat gear. See it here. "Victory won't come find you. You must seize it," says a print ad. See creative here, here, here and here. Wieden + Kennedy Portland created the campaign.

If you thought people were obsessed with NFL football, wait until you get a load of college football fans. CBS College Sports launched four print ads promoting its college football coverage. Each ad shows the lengths hard-core fans go to in an effort to support their favorite team. My favorite ad shows a young boy sporting a Marshall sweatshirt. "Your father. Your grandfather. And apparently your great grandfather. So regardless of the fact that you're seven, and you can't stay up past nine or pick out your own clothes, it looks like you're going to Marshall. Go Herd. Football first," reads the ad. Check out the ads here, here, here and here, created by Mother New York.

Random iPhone App of the week: Apartments.com launched an application for apartment hunters to scope out locations by city, state or Zip code. Users can take walkthrough video tours, view floorplans, get directions via Google Maps and create customized searches based on number of bedrooms or bathrooms, rent, pet policies and parking. Interactive Mediums created the App, which is available for free in the Apple App store.