Some evil genius of an agency is getting global buzz for delivery service DHL with a endearingly cold prank on the brand's rivals. There's just one problem: DHL didn't have anything to do with it.
It must be nice to be Three. The British mobile network has the most fun-loving advertising slogan around: "We all need silly stuff." And Wieden + Kennedy in London makes the most of that promisingly vague positioning. Last year, we had the dancing Shetland pony. Now, it's time for the singing cat. The new ad is brilliantly shot by Traktor, and features remarkable performances—not just by the preternaturally talented kitty but by the girl, too, who apparently was born to lip-sync old Starship songs.
Cadbury is following up last month's charming "Yes Sir, I Will Boogie in the Office" spot with another winner. U.K. actor James Corden, best known as the creator of hit BBC sitcom Gavin & Stacey but probably more familiar to Americans from his Doctor Who sppearances, stars in the latest video for Cadbury's "Feel the Joy" campaign. It's a solid two minutes of dancing and lip-syncing.
To raise awareness of the millions of children going without clean water each day, Unicef is challenging you to see how long you could deny yourself something as simple as checking your phone. Mobile visitors to UnicefTapProject.org can join the challenge (and help raise money for the cause) by following a few simple instructions and putting their smartphone down. For every 10 minutes you leave your phone alone, the project's sponsors will fund a day of clean water for needy kids worldwide.
You're probably sick and tired of those feel-good Olympic commercials. So this week we have some fresh spots: one featuring a failed rapper; one with a "legen-dary" actor; two brands' humorous takes on modern struggles; and a heartwarming PSA to round out the bunch. Watch our picks for the week's five best commercials below, and vote for your favorite. If your favorite isn't shown here, tell us in the comments.
Specs Who Brian Boitano Age 50 Accomplishments Olympic gold medal-winning skater; member of the U.S.
Neil Patrick Harris goes all Miley Cyrus on a bottle of Neuro Sleep in this goofy music video for the brand's "Sleep with Neuro" campaign. The video was directed by Jon Jon Augustavo, who also did Macklemore's "Thrift Shop" video, and has NPH in full Barney Stinson mode, silk pajamas and everything. I guess that nightshirt phase he went through didn't last.
Old Navy had a long and largely fruitful relationship with Crispin Porter + Bogusky. But the retailer seems reinvigorated creatively since splitting from CP+B last summer. Part of the problem was that the CP+B work was so fully realized—and in such a particular style—that it became limiting. The ads, from the SuperModelquins to the Funnovations, were always recognizable and well crafted, but they became a bit suffocating. Lately, though, freed from those constraints, Old Navy has done some irresistible commercials.
IDEA: Here's one little girl who's going to lose her mind on Take Your Daughter to Work Day. The 6-year-old narrator of GE's striking new 60-second ad weaves fantastical stories of otherworldly inventions her mother is working on. But it turns out it's all true—underwater fans, talking airplanes, miniature hospitals—because her mother works at GE. "One page from the brief really stood out," said BBDO art director Eric Goldstein.
Today, we look at a Seattle agency that has posted 64 straight quarters of profit; why Kellogg's went from boxes to bottles; and, how a tweet turned into an ad campaign for Liberty Mutual. Links: Kellogg's Call to Breakfast Skippers This Agency Keeps Collecting Hits in Seattle Injured U.S.
