Like many parents, I've been seeing (or at least hearing) a lot of Frozen lately. And while I enjoyed it enough the first time around, the film's odd logic doesn't always hold up under multiple viewings.
Claiming that its anti-SeaWorld billboard was wrongfully rejected for display, PETA is suing the San Diego Airport Authority with backing from the ACLU. The billboard pairs actress Kathy Najimy's face with the message: "Welcome to San Diego!
Samsung's new Galaxy S5 smartphone is off and running, with a basic demo spot showcasing the phone's features easily the most-viewed brand video on YouTube this week. With a whopping 10.6 million views, according to the VidIQ chart, the spot—the new phone's "official introduction"—got more than a million views more than last week's winner, Pepsi MAX. Samsung nailed down two other spots in the top five.
Nothing enhances a commute like coming into physical contact with a bunch of strangers at the bus stop. Cossette's "Moments of Warmth" campaign for Duracell had public-transport patrons in chilly Montreal join hands to complete a circuit and activate heaters in a branded bus shelter. I suppose this marketing approach has positives and negatives.
It's a question mankind has been asking ever since we've struggled to understand our place in the universe: Can a human beat a robot at Ping-Pong? Robotics manufacturer KUKA decided to find out by pitting one of its most advanced devices against German table-tennis legend Timo Boll, one of the world's top 10 players. The resulting short film, while clearly not a documentary and likely staged every step of the way for dramatic effect, is an enjoyably cinematic piece of marketing for the company's new production facility, opening this week in Shanghai.
Kobe Bryant doesn't just play pianos. He makes them. Or so it would appear from the opening scenes of this new ad from Wieden + Kennedy pitching "The Kobe Piano," from which "every note [is] a comedy and tragedy that would make Shakespeare laugh and weep. It will turn piano boys into piano men. It will make Lionel Richie's tears cry tears." Turns out it's an elaborate metaphor for a line of shoes designed by Bryant for Foot Locker and Nike.
Wells Fargo has found a new lead creative agency. After more than 18 years with DDB, the bank has hired BBDO in San Francisco to lead its creative business, Wells Fargo confirmed. Account revenue is estimated at $10-12 million. "BBDO is a great fit for where we want to take the brand next," said Michael Lacorazza, svp of integrated marketing at the bank. "We aspire for Wells Fargo to be not just a strong brand in the banking category, but to be a brand that people love and respect around the world beyond our category.
The Seattle Mariners considered Robinson Cano to be a heavenly catch this off-season, and there's a divine aura about him in the team's first ad with its $240 million second baseman. Seattle's Copacino + Fujikado, now its 20th season handling ads for the Mariners, welcomes the 31-year-old with the 30-second spot below, in which Cano doesn't have to utter a word to communicate just how awesome he is. Agency co-founder and creative chief Jim Copacino tells AdFreak he felt a fair amount of pressure to produce a special debut commercial with Cano.
"Maddie," a minute-long commercial by young Canadian director Lloyd Lee Choi, didn't win Chevrolet and MOFILM's Oscars competition. That honor went to a whimsical exploration of creativity by Jude Chun, whose ads about kids making a movie with a 2014 Chevy Cruze aired during the Academy Awards on ABC. Choi's entry, however, clearly has legs—four of them, to be precise, belonging to the ad's titular Golden Retriever, whose heartrending story unfolds in reverse chronological order.
Despite the availability of video games and streaming TV shows on mobile devices, kids still spend more time watching television than they do using any other type of media, and accordingly, seeing commercials. Data collected by Common Sense Media in Advertising to Children and Teens: Current Practices show that when you add in websites, product placements and cross-promotions, kids are pretty much marketed to all day.
