Can environmental activists also be effective corporate shills?

It's a tough balancing act. But 180 Amsterdam wanted only authentically aggrieved talent to star in its striking, filmic new global campaign for Italian fashion brand's Replay eco-sustainable denim jeans.

Replay is coming out with a new jeans line called the Laserblast L.I.F.E. capsule collection. It combines Laserblast technology, which dramatically reduces water consumption in the production process, with the use of colored mineral pigments of natural origin. The result, says the brand, is one of the most eco-friendly, natural denim products available.

To advertise them, 180 goes into full protest mode with an impressively shot two-minute film depicting graphic clashes between activist rebels and armored police in a forest. The protesters are young and angry and beautiful, and at least one of the women is topless. (The video is probably NSFW because of the brief nudity.)

Are these activist actors being politically and sexually exploited simply to make money for the company, or should they be unapologetic about supporting a brand that appears to be doing more than most to protect the environment? It can be argued both ways.

I'd suggest the slicker the production—and it is pretty damn slick here—the more the activists look like models, making their behavior look like a pose. Then again, if you get the pose right, you'll get more attention for the cause—and, of course, the brand.

Agency and client are immensely proud of casting models "with a world-leading ethical stance." Says Al Moseley, president and chief creative officer of 180 Amsterdam: "Replay is a company that has an ambition I've rarely seen. Their thirst for innovative thinking, creative bravery and cultural impact means they, like their products, are a perfect fit for 180 Amsterdam."

Best watched at full screen. Note: Video is NSFW due to brief nudity.



CREDITS
Client: Replay - Fashion Box S.p.A.
Chief Executive Officer: Matteo Sinigaglia
Managing Director: Art Zuyderwijk
Communication Director: Lorenza De Mattia
Digital Project Manager: Fabrizio Consoli

Agency: 180 Amsterdam
President, Chief Creative Officer: Al Moseley
Managing Director: Stephen Corlett
Creative Director: Martin Terhart
Art Director: Stephane Lecoq
Copywriter: Martin Beswick
Head of Production: Susan Cook
Producer: Neil Henry
Brand Director: Emma Holland
Account Director: Simone Raspagni
Business Affairs: Nora Adams
Planning Director: Jonas Vail
Communications Planning Director: Richard Oldfield
Project Manager: Anne-Marie Overveld

Production Company: Pulse Films
Director: Dave Ma
Director of Photography: Ross McLennan
Producer: Rik Green
Executive Producer: James Sorton
Production Designer: Andreea Gherghel
Stylist: Oana Draghici
Casting Company: Barbara Pflister Casting
Casting Director: Barbara Pflister

Editing Company: The Gentleman's Club
Editor: Will Judge
Producer: Claire Ford
Online Editing Facility: MPC, Amsterdam
Flame Artist: Jonathan Box
Producer, Contact: Sharuddin Rosunally, Amy Richardson
Colorist: James Tillett, MPC, New York

Music Company: Sonar Music
Composer, Sound Designer: Alejandro Gomez-Sanchez
Producer: Miranda Culley

Recording Studio: Wave Studios, Amsterdam
Sound Engineer: Randall Macdonald

It's a bit of a tough sell, trying to position one of the nation's largest regional banks as the kind of small-town neighbor that knows everyone's name. Luckily, with Synovus bank as a client, agency Fitzgerald & Co had almost a blank slate to start from. According Jeff Quick, Fitzgerald's vp, account director, "Our research indicated 60 percent of current Synovus customers didn't know that they actually banked with Synovus."

Operating under 28 names across the Southeast, Synovus had a two-fold mission for its first brand campaign—increase awareness of the Synovus brand among current and prospective customers and create a connection between Synovus and the local bank brands. The result is called the "Bank of Here," and Noel Cottrell, Fitzgerald's CCO, says the spots are meant to "differentiate Synovus from regional competitors by emphasizing strong ties within local communities, while also highlighting a range of larger capabilities to serve customer needs."

To distinguish the ads from competitors' cheery spots, the campaign takes a somber, filmic approach. The first ad, which ran in April during the Masters golf tournament, was dark and impressionistic, a compilation of brief vignettes accompanying a stream-of-consciousness voiceover playing on the word "Here."

"Here's to here. To this place where we are. It's not there. It's here. Here just feels right. Come here. I'm here for you. Here we go."

The second in the series, "Rebel Teen," retains the darker palette, yet has a much stronger narrative arc and includes an optimistic twist: A sullen teen in a hoodie trudges through his rain-soaked hometown foreseeing his own future—his marriage, his job, his family, and says, "The first chance I get, I swear … I'm going to stay right here."

The "Rebel Teen" spot will run the week of June 30 on ESPN during the World Cup.

Full credits after the jump.

CREDITS

Agency: Fitzgerald+CO

CCO: Noel Cottrell
ECD: Marc Lineveldt
GCD/CW: Mitch Bennett
GCD/AD: Wes Whitener
Director of Integrated Production: Christine Sigety

Production Company: SKUNK
Director: Brent Harris

Director of Photography: Max Goldman
Managing Partner/EP: Matt Factor
EP: Shelly Townsend
Head of Production: Jeanne Stawiarski
Producer: Gunther Campine

Editorial: Final Cut
Editor: Eric Zumbrunnen
Producer: Jennifer Locke
Assistant Editor: Hasani Franke
Executive Producer: Saima Awan

Music: Massive Music
CD: Elijah B. Torn
Managing Partner: Keith Haluska
Producer: Courtney Jenkins

Recording: Play Studios
Mixer: John Bolen
Producer: Lauren Cascio

Mix: Sound Lounge
Sound Mixer: Rob Difondi
Producer: Toria Sheffield

VFX: Significant Others
VFX Artist: Adam Lobel

Color: Company 3
Senior Colorist: Tim Masick
Commercial Color Producer: Rochelle Brown

The Southern Comfort Man. He’s not so much a specific person as a general idea.

He’s a potbellied, Speedo-wearing gentleman taking a leisurely stroll on the beach. He’s a craggy-looking dude practicing his karate moves at the local beauty parlor. He’s a nerdy guy in an unfortunate tie dancing like he doesn’t care who’s watching. If you were going to generalize, however, it’d be safe to say that the Southern Comfort Man is middle-aged and mustachioed. Or, he has been, until now.

Southern Comfort’s latest spot from Wieden + Kennedy New York, titled “Young Gun,” breaks that mold with a central character who’s both young and mustache-free. But don’t worry—he’s still quite the oddball. Described by the brand as an “accomplished bartending journeyman,” the next-gen Southern Comfort Man has the scrawniness (and predilection for hip-gyration) of a young Mick Jagger combined with the hair of Keith Moon circa 1969 and an outfit that would fit right in on the set of Road House. 

So what is it that makes this man most comfortable? It’s mixing cocktails in his own signature style, which apparently translates to shooting soda water into peoples’ drinks while writhing around to The Phantom’s 1958 rockabilly hit “Love Me.” As ridiculous as that sounds, his performance is oddly dynamic, not to mention appealing to the gentler sex, albeit in more of an “I’m intrigued” way than an “I’m going to immediately throw myself at you” way. (Much appreciated, SoCo.)

While it’s hard to imagine the new Southern Comfort Man drawing the same level of adoration as Beach Guy or Karate Dude, he’s still a worthy inheritor of the mantle. In short, while you’d probably think he was kind of a weirdo if you ran into him at a bar, you also secretly wish you had that much balls-out confidence. Just not the acid-washed jeans.  

CREDITS
Client: Brown Forman/Southern Comfort

Agency: Wieden + Kennedy, New York
Executive Creative Director: Susan Hoffman
Creative Directors: Jimm Lasser & Caleb Jensen
Creatives: Andrew Jasperson, Fabian Berglund
Producer: Orlee Tatarka
Head of Content Production: Nick Setounski
Account Team: Toby Hussey & Katie Hoak

Production Company: Biscuit Filmworks
Director: Steve Rodgers
Executive Producer: Holly Vega
Managing Director: Shawn Lacy
Line Producer: Kathy Rhodes
Director of Photography: Benoit Delhomme

Editorial Company: Mackenzie Cutler
Editor: Gavin Cutler
Assistant Editor: Ryan Steele
Post Executive Producer: Sasha Hirschfeld

VFX Company: The Mill
VFX Senior Producer: Orlaith Finucane & Aleen Kim
Lead Flame Artist/Creative Director: Jade Kim (Lead) & Margolit Steiner
CG Artist: Laurent Giaume

Music
Song: Love Me
Artist: The Phantom
Music Supervisor: Andrew Charles Kahn, Good Ear Music Supervision

Mix Company: Sonic Union
Mixer: Steve Rosen

As a woman who has been called out for apologizing too much, watching Pantene's "Not Sorry" video made me cringe. It hit too close to home, and that's the beauty of it.

From Grey in New York, the spot poses the question, "Why are women always apologizing?" Vignettes of women who say "sorry" before making their points follow it.

By framing the ad this way, you're in a critical mind-set when the first woman cuts her own argument down, saying, "Sorry, can I ask a stupid question?" It's hard to watch the subsequent women do the same thing. I wanted to shout, STOP IT.

The ad then doubles back, showing the same women, but now they have the conviction and confidence to say what they mean without apologizing beforehand and their point is taken more seriously.

The hair care brand is holding up a mirror to women with the Shine Strong campaign and showing how being authoritative isn't a bad thing. It's a powerful message and makes sense as a follow-up to last year's "Labels Against Women." That spot, from the Philippines, showed how identical behavior by men and women earns them different labels in the workplace. It has been watched more than 46 million times on YouTube.

"We've struck a chord in terms of changing gender norms for women," Kevin Crociata, marketing director of Procter & Gamble's North American hair care business, said of the "Not Sorry" spot. "We used market research to look at what gender norms were holding women back and tried to tap into the most relevant and insightful areas. This problem of saying sorry, it wasn't just something women in the U.S. were facing but globally. After the success of the first campaign, 'Shine Strong' is something we're committed to as a brand." 

As you'll see in the spot below, though, the message undercuts itself a bit with some of the women saying, "Sorry not sorry." That's a hashtag and a song by Glee's Naya Rivera. It doesn't really work for the context of the ad; one of the women saying she's not sorry is hogging the covers. I'm not sorry to say that she should be sorry!

Pantene is putting its money where its mouth is: The brand is also launching the Shine Strong Fund, which seeks to educate and enable women to overcome bias and societal expectations as well as celebrate strong women. The fund is collaborating with the American Association of University Women, underwriting monetary grants and helping college women have access to influential leaders.



CREDITS
Client: Pantene, Procter & Gamble

Agency: Grey, New York
Chief Creative Officer: Tor Myren
Global Group Creative Director: Joanna Carver
Creative Director: Tanner Shea
Director, Broadcast Production: Bennett McCarroll
Executive Producer: Judi Nierman
Producer: Jimmy Wade
Music Producer: Ben Dorenfeld
Account Team: Yashaswini Samat, Danielle Avedon, Angelica Mata

Production Company: Community Films
Director: Pam Thomas
Executive Producers: Carl Swan, Lizzie Schwartz
Line Producer: Elena Halvorson
Director of Photography: Jim Frohna

Editing Company: Consulate
Editor: Holle Singer
Assistant Editor: Stephanie West
Post Executive Producer: Alan Lopez

Music: Q Department

Mix Company: Audio Engine
Mixer: Eric Hoffman

Soccer and soda bring people together despite violent and bitter political conflicts, says a new ad from Coca-Cola.

2014 is Bosnia and Herzegovina's first time playing in the World Cup, and Coke is celebrating with a two-and-a-half minute video that tells the story of Bubamara, a Sarajevo soccer school for teens that was formed more than 20 years ago in the midst of the Bosnian War.

The school's founder, ex-pro soccer player Pedrag Pasic, played for Yugoslavia's team at the 1982 World Cup, well before the state's infamously brutal fragmentation into smaller republics—including Bosnia and Herzegovina—began in the early 1990s.

In 1993, even as Sarajevo was under siege, Pasic started Bubamara. Now, more than 40 of the school's alumni are pro soccer players, and one is representing Bosnia and Herzegovina at this summer's World Cup games in Brazil, per the video.

On the one hand, it's a powerful story, and the marketer has done well to shine a light on it. But Coke's part is fairly minimal, when compared, for example, to the brand's vending machine diplomacy in India and Pakistan. There, it created its own story, encouraging citizens from each country to dance with each other through interconnected digital displays, in exchange for free sodas.

Here, it simply brought the 2014 World Cup Trophy on tour to Bubamara's current students and the video—which has more than 340,000 views on YouTube since June 14—to audiences.

That limited role in the narrative, and Coke's somewhat disjointed entrance into the video, also calls into question how relevant the brand really is to the story. And that casts a shadow on how appropriate—or how effective—it is for Coke to associate itself with Bubamara's fraught roots, when the video's ultimate purpose is obviously to sell more Cokes.

In fact, the ad's tag, "some lines bring us together," which refers to the boundaries on a soccer pitch, takes on a surreal and almost glib quality, given the other kinds of lines are the ones where people are shooting at each other.

That is to say, while there are worse ways to celebrate than cracking open a Coke, it doesn't necessarily mean that every good thing that happens in the world is an excuse for a warm-and-fuzzy Coke commercial.

CREDITS
Client: Coca-Cola
Director: Danis Tanovic

The new Fit mini-car can fit many things, and do many others—pretty much whatever your whimsical millennial heart desires, at least according to Honda.

Starring comedian Nick Thune, a pair of fast-talking new spots make the case that the mini car, now redesigned, is perfect for the stuff that everyone knows Gen-Y types all love, like 1980s-inspired electro pop, colorful bicycles and moving to the Pacific Northwest (Seattle, though, not Portland).

Aimed at a ripening market for car brands, it will also do practical things like pack in the contents of your dorm room, because you, undergrad millennial, might be striking out into the world, or get you to the hospital because you, yuppie millennial, might be having your first baby, or might just get you, free spirit millennial, to yoga class, because you are in touch with your body.

It will not do some things, like predict the future, because after all, it is just a car. It will, however, in what's probably the best moment of both commercials, make a meerkat squeal with delight, because who doesn't want to see an adorable rodent displaying vaguely human qualities? (Thank you BuzzFeed.)

The rapid-fire riffing make the spots feel ad-libbed—a light but persuasive pitch. It's smart to put the emphasis on flexibility and individuality. (Millennials are famous for being fickle narcissists, after all.) And in that context, an amorphous tagline—"Start something special"—is actually the right kind of dog-whistle message, with fill-in-the-blank appeal.

Embrace the myriad possibilities for having fun in a car that starts at just $15,000.

Women millennials, though, will have to live with the fact that the pink, anti-wrinkle Japanese version of the Fit, appears not to have made it to the U.S.

CREDITS:

Agency: RPA
Client: Honda

Executive Vice President, Chief Creative Officer: Joe Baratelli
Senior Vice President, Executive Creative Director: Jason Sperling
Associate Creative Director, Copywriter: Sarah May Bates
Creative Director, Art Director: Demian Oliveira
Seniopr Art Director: Leo Borges
Copywriters: Amina Abdel-Halim, Peter Megler
Art Director: Joaquin Salim
Senior Vice President, Chief Production Officer: Gary Paticoff
Vice President, Executive Producer: Isadora Chesler
Producer: Phung Vo
Vice President, Director of Business Affairs: Maria Del Homme
Senior Business Affairs Manager: Jennifer Ross
Senior Vice President, Management Account Director: Brett Bender
Vice President, Account Director, National/Corporate Advertising: Jeff Moohr
Vice President, Management Supervisor: Cathy O’Gorman
Senior Account Executive: Angelica Hollander
Assistant Account Executive: Paul Sulzer

Production Company: Biscuit Filmworks
Director: Mike Maguire
Managing Director: Shawn Lacy
Executive Producer: Colleen O’Donnell
Head of Production: Rachel Glaub
Director of Photography: Toby Irwin
Line Producer: Tracy Broaddus
Production Supervisor: Mitch Livingston

Editing: Cut & Run
Editors: Jay Nelson, Lucas Eskin
Managing Director: Michelle Eskin
Executive Producer: Carr Schilling
Head of Production: Amburr Farls
Assistant Editors: Sean Fazende, Clarke Rives

Visual Effects, Finishing: A52
Executive Producer: Megan Meloth
Head of Production: Kim Christensen
Producer: Meredith Cherniack
Visual Effects Supervisor: Andy McKenna
Lead Flame: Brendan Crocket

Music:
Composer: Jeremy C. Simon
Telecine: Company 3
Artist: Sean Coleman
Producer: Matt Moran

Mix, Sound Design: Lime Studios
Engineer: Dave Wagg
Assistant: Adam Primack
Executive Producer: Jessica Locke

One of the great things about Cannes Lions is getting to see amazing creative work that didn't have much of a profile before the festival. Squarely in that category is this fun campaign from Spain that won a gold Lion in Film Craft on Saturday.

The client, Radio Euskadi, is a radio station that plays music and also runs news reports. This campaign merged the two in a way that will bring a smile to your face—and got the crowd at Saturday's award show in the Palais cheering loudly.

President Obama and soccer manager José Mourinho, take it away…

CREDITS
Client: EiTB / Radio Euskadi
Agencies: Basque Agency, EiTB Dimension
Production Company: Debolex
Production Company: Irusoin

If you thought it was impossible for The Martin Agency's "Wonderfilled" campaign for Oreo to get even more twee, think again.

The brand that's given us cutesy jingles from artists like Owl City and Kacey Musgraves (and more recently, Tegan and Sara) is now taking a page from none other than Dr. Seuss to promote its extra-adorable Oreo Minis.

The new long-form spot—running online and debuting in theaters on Friday—tells the story (in rhyme, of course) of Mel's Mini Mini Mart, a teeny tiny store that's "by far the most mini mini of any mini before." (Are you dying of twee yet?) The store is widely ignored by passers-by due to its size and generally nondescript nature (and something about a cat, because squeeee!). But then one day, a family with good hair genes stops by for reasons unknown and discovers the "secret" of the Mini Mini Mart: It only sells Oreo Minis!

What is an Oreo Mini, you ask, presumably because you haven't seen them in the 20-plus years they've been on the market? "They're like big Oreos that decided to shrink," says faux Dr. Seuss. Yes, it seems Oreos are actually sentient beings. Think about that next time you shove a bunch of Oreos in your mouth. You're killing cognizant creatures.

But back to the spot. The family finds that the store is selling loose, creatively displayed, possibly stale Oreo Minis. The dad, who turns out to be a reporter (of course), alerts the press about the mini mart, and after an unnecessarily lengthy piece in The New York Times Sunday Styles section (probably), there's a line of cars queuing up outside, filled with spectacle-wearing Wes Anderson fans from Brooklyn and Portland waiting to get a taste of this Oreo miracle.

Six months later, a mini mini mini mart selling bite-sized cronuts will open in the next town over, and Mel's will be effectively forgotten.



Oreo is also breaking a new animated spot on TV in partnership with electro-funk duo Chromeo, who put their own spin on the "Wonderfilled" song. The spot "aims to inspire anyone who's ever felt small to dream big," says the agency.



CREDITS
Client: Oreo, Mondelez
Agency: The Martin Agency, Richmond, Va.

The storytelling is exceptionally strong in "The Perfect Daughter," a Promart Homecenter spot by Fahrenheit DDB in Lima, Peru, that won a silver Lion in Film last week at Cannes.

Directed by Ricardo Chadwick, the commercial employs a quiet, understated approach that tugs at viewers' emotions, but never seems mawkish or contrived. The problem this particular dad faces feels very real, as does his solution, achieved through a trip to Promart for supplies.

The tagline, "Your family is perfect. Your home should be too," strikes just the right tone. It's inclusive and thoughtful, and fits the spot's theme without coming on too strong.

There's no dialogue; indeed, words aren't needed to communicate the brand proposition or the deeper, heartfelt message. Those two elements could easily have been at odds if less deftly handled, but they mesh to perfection in this story of a dad's desire to bring some light into his daughter's world.



CREDITS
Client: Promart Homecenter
Agency: Fahrenheit DDB, Lima, Peru
Creative Director, Copywriter: Ricardo Chadwick
Agency Producer: Valeshka Granda
Production House: Rebeca
Director: Ricardo Chadwick
Director of Photography: Miguel Valencia
Art Director: Ximena Castañeda
Editor: Miqui de la Barra
Audio: Audiopost

The last time Marquese Scott stepped onto the stage of Atlanta's Fox Theatre, it was for one of several reality-show auditions that failed to elevate him out of anonymity. In fact, he was told to stop trying.

"One of the judges told me I was not going to be more than a club dancer," Scott recalls in a message to his YouTube fans. 

Today, Scott (also known by his dance name, "Nonstop") is a viral superstar and one of the hottest talents around. And he's back on stage at the Fox Theatre in a big way, starring in a three-minute ad for one of the largest brands on earth: Coca-Cola.

"On Top of the World" is the newest of several dubstep-fueled ads that have featured Scott's robotic, hypnotic dance moves in recent years. It's also the most elaborate. 

"[It was my] first real dive into the choreography world of all-day studio rehearsals and filming, like from 8 in the morning to 7 at night," Scott told Dance Informa magazine."Since I'm a freelance dancer, I don't work like that often. It was an intense and amazing experience."



The result is a new level of showcase for Scott's abilities, beyond just freestyling a few moves for Roomba or some headphones.

In case you're curious about his exact style, Scott says it's often mischaracterized as "dubstep" and is in fact a style called "animation."

"In animation, popping is the base, the foundation, but it goes past that," he explained to Dance Informa. "Animation has a whole other side that’s different from popping. I fell in love with animation when I was training and have since created my own style around it."

It's been about two years since Scott first hit the ad scene in a big way, and I had started to wonder if he would drop off the marketing radar altogether. But with this ad already breaking the 1 million view mark on YouTube, it's likely we'll see even more of Scott online, on TV and—short-sighted reality-TV judges be damned—on stage.

CREDITS
Agency: Defy Media
Production: 99 Agents, Xcel Talent Agency
Director: TK McKamy
Director of Photography: Jon Chema
Choreographers: Marquese Scott, Dakota Smith
Dancers: Jordan Melton, Nateli Ruiz, Danielle Rodas, Rachel Radomski, Kendra White, Zoie Summer, Dorian Bluprint Hector, Brandon Bam Morales, Drew Dizzy Graham, Andre Droiid Rucker, Boris TopKnoch Penton, Victor Egert Ramos, Cordaro Gross, Nicholas Chiodo.
Producer Remix/Dubstep: The Nef Project
Song: Top of The World - Asiahn Bryant, Scott Effman
Stylist: Ellie Byars
Makeup: Erica Boggart Makeup Artistry

The world-traveling Molson beer fridge has finally come home to Canada.

After spending a few years gallivanting through Europe and traveling deep into Indonesia—unlocking only for people with Canadian passports—the fridge is back on Canadian soil to celebrate Canada Day on July 1.

And this time, it opens only if you sing the Canadian national anthem with at least a modicum of skill and panache.

"O Canada" is indeed a rousing ditty, and if you sing it with the right timing (even by kazoo), the fridge will open and reveal what the behind-the-scenes video refers to as "the magic inside." Neither hand gestures nor removing your cap helps, but that doesn't stop these enthusiastic Canadians from giving it their all.

Noticeably absent is a French rendition of the song, but that's OK because there's enough hilarious karaoke and sad faces over forgotten lyrics to make up for the francophone snub.

CREDITS
Client: Molson
Agency: Rethink

Showing how mobile apps and devices improve your (apparently action-packed) daily life has become one of the biggest tropes in tech advertising, and yet it's still rare to find ads that do it well.

In the past week alone, we've seen the industry's biggest giants roll out more spots along this theme, with Apple detailing the parental benefits of the iPhone and Google showing how Android can now follow you through every waking moment of your life.

The problem is, those aren't really stories. They're just strung-together, pre-fab product demonstrations. 

That's why the relatively little-known app SpeakingPhoto deserves credit for partnering with production company Sorcher Films to create a spot that interweaves several diverse storylines into one ad without ever feeling overcrowded or oversold.

The spot follows a teen's reluctant visit with his grandfather, an architect's trip to a work site and a woman's solo bike journey. While the stories aren't real, they're a nice and relaxing reprieve from the rapid-tempo, look-how-cool-your-life-could-be vibe the rest of the industry seems to be going for these days.

Via Agency Spy.

CREDITS

Client: SpeakingPhoto
Production, Postproduction Company: Sorcher Films
Writer, Director, Editor: Peter Sorcher
Director of Photography: Rick Ewald
Assistant Editor: Tyler Clinton
Music House: Volume Music + Sound
Music Producer: David Della Santa
Composer: Marshall Watson

This year's Gay Pride festivities in San Francisco were surely as fabulous as ever, and Burger King jumped at the chance to make its own statement about equality with the Proud Whopper.

The $4.29 burger will be available through Thursday at a BK restaurant at 1200 Market St. in San Francisco, at the heart of that city's Pride Parade route. All proceeds from sales of the burger will go to the Burger King McLamore Foundation for scholarships benefiting LGBT college-bound, high school seniors graduating next spring.

The Proud Whopper is a regular flame-grilled Whopper, but it's wrapped in rainbow paper inscribed with the message, "We are all the same inside."

While the burger is reaching only a small, select audience, the brand hopes the video, filmed on location, will make waves online. It shows BK patrons responding to the burger and its message, starting with naysayers before gradually moving on to tearful appreciation. "A burger has never made me cry before," says one woman. "It makes me feel supported and it makes me feel proud," says another. The nearly two-minute spot ends, adorably, with a little girl shouting, "I love my two mommies!"

BK is partnering with Facebook, YouTube and other outlets to promote the video, created by agency David in Miami and production company Smuggler Films.



"We are always looking to engage our guests on a local level and be part of regionally relevant events," said Kelly Gomez, director of West Coast field marketing at Burger King. "With one of our restaurants on the Pride Parade route, it was a natural fit to be involved and celebrate by giving something back to the community."

"Burger King restaurants have always been places to eat great tasting food, let your guard down and just be yourself without any judgment," added Fernando Machado, BK's svp of global brand management. "The film and Proud Whopper sandwich are the first of many different opportunities to bring the 'Be Your Way' global attitude to life in unexpected ways."

The Proud Whopper follows LGBT Pride Month in June, which saw a rush of LGBT ads from brands including Heineken, YouTube and Lucky Charms. Brands are becoming more aware of the perils of seeming backwards on social issues, and supporting gay rights is increasingly seen as good for business. (It can also be good for creativity. A TBWA campaign that turned ATMs into GAYTMs for LGBT pride recently won the Grand Prix in Outdoor at Cannes.)

While this is the first such initiative from BK in the U.S., the chain said it has "sponsored LGBT events outside the U.S. and even decorated some stores during pride weeks" in the past. 

BK recently retired its long-running tagline, "Have it your way," in favor of "Be your way." The Proud Whopper could be an indication of what to expect from the brand going forward, as it attempts to appeal more to consumers' lifestyles and individuality.

CREDITS
Client: Burger King
Senior Vice President, Global Brand Management: Fernando Machado
Chief Marketing Officer, North America: Eric Hirschhorn
Agency: David, Miami
Chief Creative Officer, Founder: Anselmo Ramos
Executive Creative Director: Roberto Fernandez
Associate Creative Director: Russell Dodson
Art Director: Bruno Luglio
Copywriter: Ivan Guerra
Junior Art Director: Rodrigo Bistene
Head of Global Production: Veronica Beach
Producer: Renata Neumann
Business Manager: Libby Fine
Managing Director: Paulo Fogaça
Account Director: Ricardo Honegger
Account Supervisor: Rafael Giorgino
Production Company: Smuggler Films
Director: Henry-Alex Rubin
Partners: Patrick Milling Smith, Brian Carmody
Chief Operating Officer: Lisa Rich
Executive Producer: Lisa Tauscher
Head of Production: Andrew Colon
Line Producer: Erin Wile
Director of Photography: Matthew Woolf
Editing: Rock Paper Scissors
Executive Producers: Linda Carlson, Dave Sellars
Editor: Conor O'Neill
Post Producer: Justine Smollan
Assistant Editors: Vanessa Yuille, David Sullivan, Lorianne Arden
Online, Color: Spy Post
Executive Producer: Lori Joesph
Flame Artists: Darren Orr, Jesse Boots
Colorist: Carey Burens
Mixing: Polarity Post
Mixers: Patrick Fitzgerald, Jerel Bromley
Music: Beacon Street Studios
Executive Producer: Adrea Lavezzoli

Nothing says "Lexus" like a guy made of light leaping across the sky.

In "Strobe," an eye-catching minute-long film from CHI & Partners, it seems as if a single shimmering figure is traversing the nightscape of downtown Kuala Lumpur. In fact, dozens of stuntmen and acrobats dressed in LED suits took part in creating the illusion. Using complex rigging and in-camera effects (no CGI), the "illuminated man" appears to vault from rooftop to rooftop, dance across billboards, cartwheel through an empty office and even dive into a high-rise swimming pool.

The film was directed by Adam Berg of Stink Productions, who shot the action over seven nights in April. A pair of behind-the-scenes videos shed (more) light on what it took to make the complicated effort shine.



"Strobe," which will run in the U.S., U.K., Asia and Middle East, is the third impressive entry in CHI's "Amazing in Motion" series, dedicated to "opening Lexus up to a new audience—illustrating not just the brilliant engineering and grace of its products, but also the adventurous, imaginative nature of the brand," says CHI creative director Monty Verdi.

Previous installments "Steps" and "Swarm" dealt with giant metal puppets and copter-bots, respectively. The latter won a bronze Film Lion two weeks ago at Cannes.

All three films are high-wattage affairs that reward repeat viewings. Lexus vehicles only make cameos, which some might criticize as a brand disconnect. I think it's a bright idea that allows the cars to bask in the content's glow without eclipsing the artistry on display.

Below, we asked Verdi a little more about the campaign.

Adweek: Talk a bit about the the process of making the "Strobe" film.
Monty Verdi: There were five full rehearsal days before the shoot, in a giant warehouse in Kuala Lumpur. In the rehearsal studio, we recreated each scene in the ad, making sure each Lightman was at the right height and position to create the illusion of movement.

The shoot itself consisted of seven back-to-back nighttime shoots. We flew in a team of riggers from Thailand who specialized in big stunts and martial arts films that use rigging to suspend performers from wires. They erected vast scaffolding rigs and from those we hung the stuntmen from wires.

Any amusing anecdotes from the shoot?
When we wrapped it turned out a few of the stuntmen could breakdance, so we were treated to a celebration dance in their lightsuits. Also, on the top of the helipad location we were unable to get the scaffolding poles to build the suspension rig, so each piece had to be individually carried up an incredible 32 floors.

What were the biggest challenges or surprises during filming?
One of the biggest challenges was the 40-degree (Celsius, or over 100 degrees Fahrenheit) heat and humidity on the shoot days, with performers wearing lightsuits made of seven layers that were heating up as light travelled through them. It was incredibly physically demanding for the performers, who were held up for long periods—some suspended upside down or with individual limbs held in precise positions by wires. We needed to have giant fans and air-conditioning units constantly keeping them cool as the light sequence created the motion.

Every night, we battled to get the shots we needed before the sun came up. Some setups would take up to seven hours to get everyone into position—but luckily we came away with all the shots we needed.

Creating a lightsuit that would work underwater was another big technical challenge. All the electronics had to be sealed off.

This film is about aspects of Lexus, but it doesn't indulge in car-ad clichés like cars racing through dramatic vistas…
This is a campaign that expresses what Lexus stands for as a brand, rather than trying to sell a specific car. It's about the ambition of the brand, which is using technology and engineering together with imagination to create amazing motion.

What's next for the "Amazing in Motion" series?
These projects are so challenging that the research and development and production timings are crucial—so we're already in the process of looking at ideas for the next three projects. In terms of where they'll take us—that remains to be seen. One thing we can say is that, as they go on, they will continue to get more challenging. But that's what makes them so exciting.

CREDITS
Client: Lexus
General Manager: Atsushi Takada

Agency: CHI & Partners
Social media agency: The Social Practice
Executive Creative Director: Jonathan Burley
Creative Director: Monty Verdi
Copywriter:  Colin Smith, Angus Vine
Art director: Angus Vine, Colin Smith
TV Producer: Nicola Ridley
TV Production Assistant: Adam Henderson/ Will Parnall
Content Producer: Emma Hodson 
Digital + Content Creatives: Simon Findlater, Ben Stump
CEO: Nick Howarth
Planner: Rebecca Munds
Business Director: Jack Shute
Account Director: Catherine Peacock
Account Manager: Hannah White

Production Company: Stink 
Director: Adam Berg
Producer: Ben Croker
DOP: Mattias Montero
Local Production Company: Passion Pictures Malaysia
Local Production Company Producer: Sheen S. Singh/Jaan Kit
Rigging Team: Baan Rig
Editor: Paul Hardcastle, Trim
Post-production: VFX Supervisor Franck Lambertz, MPC
Colourist: Mark Gethin/Jean-Clement Soret, MPC
Post-production producer: Paul Branch, MPC
Audio post-production: Sam Ashwell/ Sam Robson 750MPH
Music Composition: Danielle Johnson (Sesac)
Suit Designers and Technician: Vin Burnham and Adam Wright
Music Company: Platinum Rye
Music Supervisors: Arnold Hattingh & Paul Brown
Writer: Danielle Johnson (Sesac)
Publishing: Computer Magic Music (Sesac)
Master recording: Computer Magic

Content Production Company: Stink
Content Director: Morrish
Content Producer: Helen Power
Content DOP: Ryan Carmody
Content Editor:  Ben Canny
Colourist – Kai Van Beers, MPC
Post production producer – Hannah Ruddleston, MPC
VFX supervisor – Marcus Moffatt, MPC
Audio Post-Production: 750MPH

Guinness is on a roll globally with its "Made of More" advertising. Now, for the Fourth of July, the brand has released the latest installment of the campaign in the U.S.—the lovely, quietly patriotic spot below, called "Empty Chair."

We won't spoil the plot. But leave it to an Irish brewer to make the most proudly American commercial of this Independence Day season. (An English brewer, meanwhile, has made some of the funniest Fourth of July ads this year. And where are the U.S. brewers? Mostly doing cartoonish work by comparison, it seems.)

For "Empty Chair," BBDO New York teamed up again with Biscuit Filmworks director Noam Murro, who directed last fall's brilliant "Basketball" spot. Once again the delayed reveal is deftly handled, and it's an approach that nicely embodies the tagline. The ads themselves, like the everyday heroes they celebrate, are "Made of More" than they seem at first—rewarding the viewer for sticking with them.

"Basketball" was weirdly overlooked in Cannes last month (it wasn't shortlisted in Film or Film Craft), as the judges handed five Lions to AMV BBDO's "Sapeurs" for Guinness Europe instead. But as "Empty Chair" shows, Guinness can be as proud of its U.S. marketing as anything else it's doing globally right now.



CREDITS
Client: Guinness
Spot: "Empty Chair"

Agency: BBDO New York
Chief Creative Officer, Worldwide: David Lubars
Chief Creative Officer, New York: Greg Hahn
Creative Director/Art Director: Dan Lucey
Creative Director/Art Director: Jens Waernes
Creative Director/Copywriter: Chris Beresford-Hill
Creative Director/Copywriter: Tom Kraemer
Director of Integrated Production: David Rolfe
Group Executive Producer: Amy Wertheimer
Executive Music Producer: Rani Vaz
Group Behavioral Planning Director: Gordon McLean
Group Account Director: Jim Santora
Account Manager: Hayley Devlin
Account Executive: Sara Plotkin

Production Company: Biscuit Filmworks
Director: Noam Murro
Director of Photography: Eric Schmidt
Managing Director: Shawn Lacy
Line Producer: Jay Veal

Edit House: Work Editorial
Editor: Neil Smith
Assistant Editor: Adam Witten
Sound Design: Henryboy

Music House: Human
Sound Mixer: Tom Jucarone
Telecine: CO3
Colorist: Tim Masick
Visual Effects: Absolute Post

Wendy's isn't known for meat on a stick, but it is doing a pretty good job of skewering schmaltzy pop ballads.

The fast-food chain is promoting the return of its pretzel-bun products with a series of faux music videos, and the first online clip is a masterful parody of please-lover-come-back-to-me visual clichés—the man waking up lonely in bed, the woman standing lonely in a breeze on the beach, and naturally, a lot of highly emotive face grimaces and hand gestures.

The lyrics, meanwhile, are stitched together from the actual online pining and praise of consumers, managing to flatter the audience while also ribbing ridiculous 140-character sentiments and slang. In other words, everyone gets to be in on the joke. And the plain vanilla music is just varied enough to hold interest without being good enough get stuck in your head and drive you crazy.

Throw in a couple of absurd sight gags, like a man lounging in a pretzel pool dinghy, and Wendy's has exactly the right cues for a comedy bit à la The Lonely Island—with the added benefit of being especially timely, in light of the largely mocking response to Robin Thicke's new full-album paean to shameless groveling.



The best may be yet to come, though, with Wendy's promising a clip featuring '90s R&B giants Boys II Men. Given the brand's enthusiasm so far, here's to hoping that's more along the lines of "It's So Hard to Say Goodbye to [Pretzel Day]" than "I'll Make Love to You."

Also forthcoming is a bilingual love song to pretzels from Jon Secada. And if you were worried the brand might not be taking its throwback theme seriously, it's also out with a TV commercial (see below) featuring a less-than-compelling retake on Mr. Big's 1991 hit "To Be With You."

Burger King, for its part, may be doing some clever counter-targeting, though. In at least one instance, the pre-roll ad ahead of a YouTube version of the actual music video for the Mr. Big song served up the Wendy's competitor's "Proud Whopper" spot.

Renowned ad critic Neil deGrasse Tyson should really be the one reviewing Skyy Vodka's new ads from Venables Bell & Partners, but we'll fill in for him this time.

The spots, which break Wednesday on TV, honor the brand's spirit (indeed, its very name) by looking to the heavens for inspiration. They take place in a kind of planetarium setting, where a spokesman entertains a raptly earnest TED-like crowd by pondering mundane issues of drinking etiquette through the grand lens of science and cosmology.

"With a little fresh thinking, the universe can be surprisingly smooth," the spokesman, played by improv actor Paul Welsh (who exudes a kind of arch Malkovichian charm), says in one spot—after explaining how apples and oranges (stand-ins for Mars and Venus, stand-ins themselves for men and women) can get along better in bars with the help of a third celestial body: the "wing lemon."

Another spot suggests tipping your bartender—portrayed here by a mouse in a maze getting a piece of cheese, and serving a tiny cocktail in return.

The new tagline is, "West of expected."



It's a quirky campaign for a quirky brand, whose unconventional views stem from its California roots. (In a market full of Old World brands, Skyy was launched in the Bay Area in the '90s.) And while sending up snobby cocktail culture with witty observations is hardly unconventional in alcohol ads these days, the agency believes these ads are unique enough to stand out—and are true to the brand's personality.

"In the industry as a whole, and especially vodka, everyone is trying to out-cool themselves and appeal to people's ego and vanity," says Will McGinness, executive creative director at VB&P. "We wanted to push off the industry norms and the Russian or Eastern European vodka companies and do our own thing and celebrate this different kind of vodka."

"In 1992, Skyy was born in San Francisco with the belief that everything can be made better with a little fresh thinking. It's how we created our vodka and the way we see the world," adds Kathleen Schuart, senior marketing director for white spirits and cordials at Campari America. "It's with this spirit that Skyy's new marketing platform is inviting us to take an optimistic view and reimagine the world around us. We are kicking off our campaign by challenging our thinking around the givens in our social lives, interactions and experiences in a fun and clever way."

The TV buy includes ESPN, FX, AMC, IFC, Bravo, Comedy Central, Logo, TBS, TNT, NBC and VH1. Digital includes Hulu, YouTube, Urban Daddy and Vice. Out-of-home ads will appear in markets including New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Las Vegas, Seattle, Milwaukee, Dallas, Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Fla., New Jersey and Boston.

CREDITS
Client: Skyy Vodka, Campari
Agency: Venables Bell & Partners
Executive Creative Directors: Paul Venables, Will McGinness
Creative Director: Will McGinness
Associate Creative Director: Eric Boyd
Art Director: Alex Rice, Greg Wyatt
Copywriter: Daniel Bonder, Bryan Karr
Director of Integrated Production: Craig Allen
Agency Executive Producer: Joyce Chen
Account Director: Robert Woods
Account Manager: Katie De La Hoya
Design Director: Cris Logan
Designer: Angie McDonald
Production Company: Biscuit Filmworks
Director: Mike Maguire
Director of Photography: Nigel Bluck
Executive Producers: Colleen O’Donnell, Shawn Lacy
Line Producer: Tracy Broaddus
Editing Company: Final Cut
Editor: Matt Murphy
Visual Effects: The Mill
Visual Effects Producer: Kiana Bicoy
Telecine: Sean Coleman @ Company 3
Sound Design: Barking Owl
Sound Designer: Michael Anastasi @ Barking Owl
Music: Mophonics
Mix: Loren Silber @ Lime Studios

Battery life is the burning issue in "Wall Huggers," the latest installment in 72andSunny's "The Next Big Thing Is Here" campaign for Samsung.

The minute-long spot shows frazzled, unhappy iPhone-carrying travelers sitting on airport floors, hunched around wall outlets, waiting for their handsets to charge. They should've bought the Samsung Galaxy S5 with ultra power-saving mode and interchangeable battery; then they'd be free to wander around the terminal and … I dunno, stand by the windows and watch planes take off and land?

I've come full circle on Samsung's anti-Apple strategy. At first, I found the campaign's tone condescending, but then I warmed to its scrappy approach and enjoyed the way it zinged Apple and its zealots without stepping over the line. Hey, I own an iPhone, but I can take a joke and laugh at myself. Maybe Samsung has some features Apple's lacking. Maybe I should consider giving the brand a try.

Now, I'm thinking the inspiration is running low, and like a dying smartphone battery, needs a recharge. Sure, "Wall Huggers" has charm and low-key humor—and 3.5 million views in a week—but it rubs me the wrong way.



Maybe I'm just getting tired of being implicitly called naive or stupid for buying another brand's products. Or maybe it's the premise of this particular ad. As MacObserver notes,"In reality, things are not as the Samsung ad portrays. Apple customers as a whole seldom have frequent, desperate moments. … Frequent business travelers, with great needs, either carry an extra battery pack or use a case with a built-in battery."

At least Samsung is being more accurate about the travel experience than Southwest Airlines is in its new lovey-dovey campaign. In Samsung's airport, most folks look miserable. Now that's truth in advertising.

CREDITS
Client: Samsung
Agency: 72andSunny

While always interesting to watch, intricate Rube Goldberg devices in ads rarely seem connected to the products they're supposedly selling. But this is quite the exception.

Brett Doar, the man behind OK Go's "This Too Shall Pass" video and GoldieBlox's Princess Machine among many others, now brings his oddly specific talents to bear for a mobile game called Leo's Fortune.

The spot's leisurely pace gives you time to appreciate the subtle details of Doar's design, which was created to match the actual gameplay. Titular, spherical protagonist Leopold works his way through a linear environment with fun video game flourishes like the occasional showering of coins. 

Admittedly, such elaborate contraptions are in danger of wearing out their welcome. But it's hard not to appreciate this level of craft, especially when it (for once) is so perfectly tied to the product.

This gorgeous and unnerving gem from Ikea and Mother London is so ethereal it couldn't have been filmed in the real world, right? Wrong, actually.

Many of the ad's surreal and gut-churning effects were created not with CGI but with daring practical effects, VFX shop MPC told Co. Create. "The tumbling protagonist and many of the beds were hung from cranes and suspended over buildings, as well as a skydiver jumping through the air during the three-day shoot in Johannesburg," the site reports.

Considering that we spend about a third of our life sleeping, this imagery feels oddly and uncomfortably familiar. Also conveying the sense of timelessness is the voiceover, reading a section from Shakespeare's The Tempest.

Like all dreams, this character's concludes in reality, with Ikea reminding us, "There's no bed like home." 

CREDITS:

Client: Ikea
Agency: Mother, London
Production Company: MJZ
Director: Juan Cabral
Visual Effects: MPC
Production Company Producer: Stephen Johnson
Director of Photography: Eric Gautier