New Ad Campaigns

Thursday, November 12, 2009

New Ad Campaigns

from Amy:

T&A promotes Reebok EasyTone. Droid does... bizarre ads. Sony VAIO "feels something." Let's launch!

The only time you'll see me rooting for the Yankees in the World Series? When their opponent is the Phillies. Patrón Tequila used its billboard, located at 8th Avenue and 34th St in Manhattan, to congratulate the 27-time World Series champions. Usually home to good-natured "debates" relevant to New Yorkers, the 225-foot-tall wallscape now bears a fact: #27. Congratulations, New York, reads copy above a Patron bottle. See the billboard here, created by The Richards Group.

d-CON mouse traps and baits launched two TV spots starring an in-your-face actor in a mouse suit, who takes his role as rodent seriously. His beady eyes and raspy voice are disturbingly funny. A homeowner wishes death upon his uninvited guest in the first ad, seen here. The mouse replies, "I understand it, but it doesn't mean I respect it." Mouseman doesn't blink! A mouse eats peanut butter by the pawful, disgusting a woman who's unable to complete her peanut butter and jelly sandwich. See it here. A print ad, seen here, shows a mousehole and three letters: R.I.P. Euro RSCG New York created the campaign.

Hapa Sushi wants to inform Colorado residents about its daily lunch specials and proximity to medical marijuana dispensaries. And if this map is drawn to scale, consumers are surrounded. Did I mention that lunch specials are available until 10 p.m. on weekdays and midnight on weekends? The ad, shown here, launched this month in alternative newspapers such as Westword and The Onion. TDA Advertising & Design created the campaign and media buying was handled in-house.

There's nothing easy about getting toned, so I'm already skeptical about Reebok's EasyTone sneakers, the walking shoes that supposedly tone your calves, thighs and buns. Then I watched the TV ads. There's talking breasts and a woman who sleeps in her sneakers, and not much else. Will this sell $110 walking shoes? Methinks not. "Black & White" features a woman tossing and turning in bed, showing off her toned butt, legs and calves. As the camera pans further down her body, her secret is revealed: it's her walking shoes, which she's still wearing. See it here. "Stupid butt gets all the attention now. She's so tight now, so pretty," says one boob to the other in "Dialogue." They are no longer the center of attention, yet prominently featured in the 15-second spot. Naturally, there's also a requisite shot of a woman bending over to highlight her assets. Watch the ad here. DDB Chicago created the campaign.

I really like this TV spot for Sony VAIO, airing in Latin America. "What if technology could make you feel..." opens the ad. In rapid succession, snippets of sensory experiences, from holding hands, petting a horse, crying, touching a blade of grass, to swimming, being caught in the rain, laughing and floating in the ocean are shown. The spot closes by completing its initial question, "...more human." Watch the ad here, created by Ignited.

Verizon launched a set of TV spots promoting Droid, its competition for Apple's iPhone. The first TV spot, "Big D," is strange. Rather than call itself a smartphone, Droid refers to itself as a robot phone offering a "bare-knuckle bucket of does." It does have a big screen, but it might not be the best-looking phone around. But Droid doesn't care about vanity. Couple that with imagery of robots crushing rocks and boxers punching one another, and I'm left wondering how this ad would sway me into buying a Droid. Watch it here. A second ad sticks with the robotic theme, while illustrating Droid's ease of surfing the Web to watch videos of an ocean surfer. See the ad here. mcgarrybowen created spots.

Samsung launched a TV spot promoting its new line of washing machines. A young boy stacks a screw, eraser, golf ball, golf tee and dice atop one another in "Balancing Act." Better still, he accomplishes this feat atop a washing machine that's mid-cycle. Watch the ad here, created by Beattie McGuinness Bungay New York.

Target launched a TV spot promoting its in-store pharmacy. The spot encourages shoppers to ask pharmacists questions, regardless of whether they have a prescription to fill. The ad takes a peek inside the minds of shoppers, asking themselves questions such as: "How big is an infant dose" and "Why is Pepto pink." The Pepto question is a good one, but I simply turned to Google for that answer. Bismuth subsalicylate, Pepto's active ingredient, gives the product its lovely shade of pink. See the ad here, created by Wieden + Kennedy Portland.

Random iPhone App of the week: Bump'ny is a reimagining of the English pub game Shove Ha'penny. The physical version is played with halfpenny coins on a tabletop board marked off with horizontal lines. Players drag a coin to the bottom of the board and try to shove it up so it lands between two lines. The App version of this game has players shoving coins into play by physically bumping the bottom of their iPhone with the palms of their hands. The App costs $1.99 at the App store.