Get your fingers in better shape for Chrome

Are your hands too fat to keep up with Google Chrome? Don't order a typing wand. Get on a Chromercise fitness program, and whip your flabby fingers back into shape. Or you can just get some of those snazzy workout gloves, it's up to you. This whole idea—rolled out Friday by BBH New York for April Fools' Day—was probably funnier on paper, and it goes on a bit too long, but credit where it's due for committing to the concept. Plus, it wouldn't surprise me if hand models actually did stuff like this, so it might be more legitimate than it appears.

Filed under April Fool's, BBH, Chrome, Google, Kiefaber
Permalink | Comments (1)

Angels fall from sky for a whiff of Axe spray

Lynx (aka Axe in the U.S.) is making some big assumptions in this new U.K. spot for Excite body spray from BBH London. First, that it's the product's scent that makes angels drop from the sky. They could be falling through the holes that aerosols burn in the ozone layer. Second, exclusively casting supermodels as the angels is a pretty bold leap. It's commonly understood that angels are androgynous, so right away they're straying from convention. Which is fine, but what if you spray this Excite crap all over yourself and these little guys show up? Have fun being all hunky on your Vespa with that going on.

Filed under Axe, BBH, Europe, Kiefaber, Personal care
Permalink | Comments (5)

Johnnie Walker helps paralyzed athlete walk

Well, not really. But toward the end of this 90-second BBH clip, Marc Herremans—a Belgian triathlete paralyzed from the chest down since a 2002 bike-training accident—rises from his wheelchair and takes several steps before turning to face the reality of himself, still unable to walk but determined to move forward with his ambitions. "When your reality changes, your dreams don't have to," Herremans says in the voiceover. Using a guy who "Keeps walking" even when he can't is a provocative choice—reminiscent of the old Super Bowl ad for Nuveen Investments that showed Christopher Reeve rising and walking again. There was a significant outcry against the Nuveen spot, but Reeve stuck by it. He told Adweek in 2000: "It was not an irresponsible commercial. Time magazine had an editorial condemning me for raising false hope. It was written by a journalist who had been in a wheelchair for 22 years—and I can understand his cynicism. After that much time in a wheelchair, how can one dare to hope?"

Filed under Alcohol, BBH, Johnnie Walker, Nudd
Permalink | Comments (0)

Johnnie Walker keeping dudes all bottled up

Johnnie Walker and BBH made one of the best ads of 2009, so these holiday-themed "Say it without saying it" spots are a little disappointing. Not only do they reinforce the dumb sitcom biotruth that men should never be open about anything, they suggest masking one's true feelings with liquor, which is a horrible idea. Too much of that just leads to the openness these guys are trying to avoid. And that would be epic, since the recipients of the whiskey in both spots, deep down, are undeniably total assholes. Second spot after the jump.

Click to read more ...

Filed under Alcohol, BBH, Johnnie Walker, Kiefaber
Permalink | Comments (2)

BBH ambushes moviegoers with first-aid ad

BBH London ambushed a live audience of moviegoers in London with this stunt PSA on behalf of St. John's Ambulance emphasizing the importance of knowing first aid. An idyllic family scene on the big screen suddenly turns ghastly when one of the daughters begins to choke on popcorn. Not knowing how to deal with the situation, the parents panic—and the mother cries for help as the girl goes limp. Suddenly, a woman stands up in the audience, shouts that she can help, and hurries backstage—she then appears on screen and saves the day. It's a clever trick that mostly redeems the unpleasant shock tactics. The audience applauds at the end, though it's unclear whether they really appreciated the experience or are just being polite to the actress as she returns to her seat. Via Osocio.

Filed under BBH, Europe, Nudd, PSAs
Permalink | Comments (7)

White rappers back again in BBH milk video

BBH, the agency behind Smirnoff's "Tea Partay" video, goes back to the well of White People Rapping with this slick Yeo Valley (pronounced "Yo! Valley") milk advert. Sustainable farming has never been more urban. There's also a new Web site where eventually you'll be able to play a mini-game called "Farmony," because every site needs a mini-game, right? And there's a YeoTube channel with some other harmonious songs, one made from spliced sounds of Yeo Valley and one pop ditty called "Reasons to be Cheerful" that haven't nearly as many views. White People Rapping certainly has staying power. I'd put it up there between Kids Acting Like Adults and Monkeys Acting Like Humans.

Filed under BBH, Cullers, Food and Drink, Yeo Valley
Permalink | Comments (6)

Spider hits above its weight in Mentos spot

In this U.K. Mentos spot by BBH, a guy interrupts a couch-cuddle to vanquish an eensy-weensy spider that has sent his gal-pal into spasms of uncontrolled shrieking (something our doofus loverboy is probably incapable of himself). But then the spider flips the guy around the room karate-style and sends him smashing through the furniture. Sorry to spoil the twist. But the tagline is, "It's better to know what's coming next." So, now you know.

Filed under BBH, Candy, Europe, Gianatasio, Mentos
Permalink | Comments (1)

That's not John Hegarty on Twitter after all

UPDATE: It turns out that @John_Hegarty is an imposter, not Hegarty himself. @BBHLabs was fooled, as were we. But @bbhlondon tweets: "I'm afraid that the recently added John Hegarty on twitter is not the original and the best." Here's our original post:
  John Hegarty, co-founder of BBH, is the latest advertising heavy hitter to hop on Twitter. He joins top brass like Jeff Goodby in sharing his musings. Hegarty's only been at it a day, but so far he's staying away from Foursquare check-ins and what he had for breakfast in favor of ad world bon mots such as: "A real fact about advertising: Our quality is finding qualities. Our weakness is hiding weakness." Also: "Your work is your boss; it can promote you or fire you." There are more. I imagine Hegarty built up a trove of Buddha-like musings on the nature of advertising over three decades, but he might run dry at some point. If there's a model for him to follow, it still must be Alex Bogusky, who has managed to be consistently interesting and engaged in Twitter. So far, Hegarty has stuck to broadcasting without so much as a single reply to others.

Filed under BBH, John Hegarty, Morrissey, Twitter
Permalink | Comments (2)

BBH intern's job is simply to pick up chicks

Intern projects can be pretty boring. Not so for young Brian Moore, a 23-year-old summer staffer at Bartle Bogle Hegarty in New York. Moore somehow convinced BBH that he should spend his time there catting around town with the ladies. His brief was to find something or someone to make famous. Might as well try to pick up some girls in the process, the wise-beyond-his-years intern figured. He and a couple other summer slaves hatched a social-media stunt called "Dating Brian," in which Moore vowed to go out with 30 girls in 30 nights. He's hitting the social networks to find willing subjects and even letting his audience determine what they do (within reason, I suppose). The project certainly has echoes of Leo Burnett's David on Demand effort for Cannes. And Moore is well on his way to accomplishing his task of drumming up attention: The Village Voice and Mashable have given his project writeups.

Filed under BBH, Interns, Morrissey
Permalink | Comments (6)

Vigorsol chewers play games with walruses

In this new spot, Vigorsol chewing gum and Bartle Bogle Hegarty present a chillin' giant walrus that looks kind of like somebody's worse-for-wear, woefully wrinkled grandpa. The beast even plays silly pat-a-cake games like gramps does. What's next, pull my flipper? This is a Vigorsol spot, so you already know what that gets you. Try to club this marine mammal (to drag in that not-really-related PETA baby-seal spot), and you'll get a face full of tusk and a new Eskimo-Pie hole for your trouble.

Filed under BBH, Gianatasio, Gum, Vigorsol
Permalink | Comments (0)

Axe boat loaded with ladies calls your name

BBH London put together this ad for the Axe Boat, which is apparently a contest with a cruise full of hot chicks at stake. At least, I think that's what it is. This Axe Boat site is in Spanish, so for all I know, this whole thing could be one of Axe Cop's sting operations. Not that I'm disparaging the possibility of waking up in a pile of bikini-clad women or anything, but the tone of this ad makes Axe sound more like a shady escort service than this generation's Hai Karate. Either way, they'd better clean up that boat before someone wins.

—Posted by David Kiefaber

Filed under Axe, BBH, Europe, Kiefaber, Personal care
Permalink | Comments (3)

Explore the surreal world of Google Chrome

From the earliest days of Chrome, Google has found some incredible ways to visualize its browser without actually showing you the browser. Some of the most stellar work has come from BBH London, which created a surreal series of shorts late last year and has returned with the painstakingly crafted spot below for Google Chrome Extensions. Whenever I see an ad like this, I assume half the visual-arts majors in the world will forward it to their parents to prove that they might actually find a paying job someday. Via Edward Boches.

—Posted by David Griner

Filed under BBH, Chrome, Google, Griner
Permalink | Comments (2)

Kids still getting shafted in BBH's Ally spots

Kids get hosed all over again in Ally Bank's latest spots from BBH. In the one below, a smarmy banker (not from Ally) claims an "egg-management fee" gives him the right to steal plastic eggs from a shaggy moppet during a game. Junior won't get far in our egg-hording, capitalist society with that hippy attitude. Get a haircut! A second spot (posted after the jump) is creepier, and perhaps more effective, with the banker brandishing a look-alike talking banker-doll whose automated voicemail spiel frustrates a little girl who wants to play in a roomful of toys. "He's in control," the banker explains. She should start bawling her eyes out and screaming bloody murder. Johnny MBA in the suit would back down fast. Though come to think of it, when I tried that at my local branch, I just got escorted out by security. I didn't even get a lollipop!

—Posted by David Gianatasio

Click to read more ...

Filed under Ally Bank, BBH, Finance, Gianatasio
Permalink | Comments (5)

BBH London going extra mile for Haiti relief

Everyone wants to do their part to help the disaster relief in Haiti. BBH London is putting its fitness to the test in a "Breaking a Sweat for Haiti" effort. Staffers are using a stationary bike, treadmill and rowing machine to cover the 4,400-odd miles that separate the U.K. and Haiti in 24 hours. They started at noon Thursday, London time. Check out the live sweaty video feed below. BBH hopes to raise $15,500 for Save the Children.

—Posted by Brian Morrissey

Filed under BBH, Europe
Permalink | Comments (0)

Sprite cools rapping cyborg's inner circuitry

This Sprite commercial from BBH New York confirms what I've suspected about Canadian rapper Drake for years: He's a robot. Whether his reaction to Sprite is an essential recalibrating function, or merely what happens when someone pours soda into working machinery, isn't clear. But he certainly does seem awfully refreshed afterward. Hey, whatever it takes. I do wonder, though, if anyone else on Degrassi: The Next Generation is a robot. Or conversely, if any of them are real.

—Posted by David Kiefaber

Filed under BBH, Food and drink, Kiefaber, Sprite
Permalink | Comments (8)

BBH upgrades the fun in Barclaycard sequel

You might remember BBH's 2008 commercial for Barclaycard with the guy jetting through life on a water slide—which was a metaphor for the speed and flexibility of Barclaycard's "contactless" payment technology. Well, now the agency and client (and director Nicolai Fuglsig) have upgraded from water slide to roller coaster. The new spot, posted below, has its ups and downs. Boston's "More Than a Feeling" is a nice choice, and the commercial is nothing if not fun-loving and visually enjoyable. (The director used the so-called "Spidercam," which was developed to film parts of the Spider-Man movies and hadn't been used for a commercial before.) But it's maybe a little light on the product benefits. The guy makes only a single transaction with the card in 60 seconds. Instead of ogling the babe in the shower (who oddly doesn't seem to mind), perhaps he could've picked up a newspaper or something.

—Posted by Tim Nudd

Filed under Barclaycard, BBH, Europe, Finance, Nudd
Permalink | Comments (2)

Hegarty gives audio tour for Johnnie Walker

BBH London has posted a series of "audio walks" on the Johnnie Walker Web site, in which folks like Richard Branson, Ranulph Fiennes and, yes, John Hegarty are heard ruminating about life and work while walking around places that mean something profound to them, personally or professionally. In the clip above, BBH founder Hegarty strolls through Carnaby Street and Soho in London, recapping his career. He covers lots of ground—why he was petulant and angry as a young creative, his advertising philosophy now, the interplay between inspiration and fear, what he learned about business from playing tennis, etc. The best moment comes early on, when he talks about his early days at Benton & Bowles. Told that he's being paired with some guy named Charles Saatchi, Hegarty despairs at the very sound of the name. He recalls thinking: "Charles Saatchi? He's obviously Italian, he lives at home with Mum, and he can't spell. Just my bloody luck. Anyway, I was right on two of them, but not on the third. He did live at home with Mum, he couldn't spell, but he wasn't Italian."

—Posted by Tim Nudd

Filed under Alcohol, BBH, Johnnie Walker, Nudd
Permalink | Comments (2)

Axe encouraging sex in the snow this winter

BBH London counsels guys to "be prepared this festive season" and to carry their Lynx (Axe) Bullet portable body spray with them, because you never know where spontaneous sex might occur. The three ads in the series seem a bit menacing, though, with the dark alleys and lonely frozen roads evoking non-consensual encounters. Maybe the ladies should carry a different kind of spray. (As Adland points out, Old Spice Red Zone did a similar though more angelic ad several years ago.) Of course, even if both participants are willing, they'll catch colds at the very least. My advice: If you must behave this way, keep the mittens on. Via Ads of the World. UPDATE: In comments, Steve notes that BBH has manufactured a personal alarm for women through its Zag product-development unit. The ila Dusk, "emits a piercing, high-decibel female scream designed to shock and disorientate an attacker." The perfect defense against Axe-toting lunkheads. Nice synergy, BBH!

—Posted by David Gianatasio

Filed under Axe, BBH, Europe, Gianatasio, Personal care
Permalink | Comments (12)

Never stop talking again, with Virgin Mobile!

Virgin Mobile's new ad campaign takes garrulousness to a new level. The commercial posted below shows a woman yammering into her phone while in a gym locker room. As she heads off to the shower, she leaves her mouth behind with the phone, where it keeps chattering away, as another woman has to listen to the indiscrete conversation about the first woman's disgusting medical condition. Two more ads show women in a store and poolside. The effect is less creepy, more reminiscent of bad Photoshop. Maybe that's what BBH New York is going for with the "Never Stop Talking" push, which promotes a $49.99 unlimited calling plan. There's also the obligatory social-media element, a Facebook contest launching next week to find "the sexiest mouth in America."

—Posted by Brian Morrissey

Filed under BBH, Morrissey, Telecom, Virgin Mobile
Permalink | Comments (10)

BBH staffer's Mrs. O blog, now in book form

Everyone in the ad industry loves stories where agencies do things for themselves rather than clients. The success of these projects can be debated. See Honeyshed. Now, BBH New York is celebrating the fruits of its labor with the release of Mrs. O: The Face of Fashion Democracy, a companion book to the Mrs. O blog that BBH account planner Mary Tomer started last fall to celebrate the style of Michelle Obama. The blog has remained popular. According to Quantcast, it gets about 27,000 visitors a month. Brain Pickings has an interview with Tomer.

—Posted by Brian Morrissey

Filed under BBH, Fashion, Morrissey, Politics
Permalink | Comments (0)

Beauty of Vaseline ballet not even skin deep

Dancers in white bodysuits perform an aerial ballet "to illustrate the powerful penetrative abilities of Vaseline's Sheer Infusion body lotion" in this new spot from BBH. Note the keywords: Vaseline, moisture, bodysuits, penetrative, lotion. I naturally got kind of, you know, intrigued. And by intrigued, I mean I expected to see something that was at least mildly titillating in a tongue-in-cheek/SFW way. What the ad delivers, alas, are 60 long seconds of eye-stinging whiteness with acrobats in get-ups that vaguely remind me of the sperm costumes in Woody Allen's Everything You Wanted to Know About Sex but Were Afraid to Ask. That old movie segment is a bit of comic genius that you can watch over and over. You'll be hard-pressed to sit through this ad once.

—Posted by David Gianatasio

Previously on AdFreak:
Lots and lots of naked people like Vaseline
Vaseline calls on Alaskans for testimonials

Filed under BBH, Gianatasio, Skin care, Vaseline
Permalink | Comments (0)

A stroll through history with Johnnie Walker

Best ad of the year so far? It just might be this brilliant five-minute-plus spot by BBH London, in which Robert Carlyle, in a single continuous take, narrates the progression of Johnnie Walker whiskey from the backroom experimentation of a humble shopkeeper to the multinational powerhouse it is today. The combination of bagpiper abuse, well-timed visual cues, pitch-perfect writing and music, and Carlyle's charisma keeps the mini-movie chugging right along. (When was the last time you sat through an ad this long, and one that really just puts in motion the boring brand-history page from the Web site?) It's also nice to see the renowned gloomy Scottish countryside put to good use. UPDATE: Shots has an interview with the director, Jamie Rafn of HLA in London.

—Posted by David Kiefaber

See also:
Hitching a ride is always weirder with booze
Johnnie Walker gets into art history

Filed under Alcohol, BBH, Europe, Johnnie Walker, Kiefaber
Permalink | Comments (22)

Mentos perfect for flappy-lipped beatboxing

This Mentos ad from BBH London suggests the brand has fallen on hard times. Those little mints used to get you out of any scrape imaginable. These days, all they can do is help you out-beatbox chavs at rural gas stations. You get hot chicks, too, sure. But until they make something that can return your lips to their normal state, it's still not worth it.

—Posted by David Kiefaber

Filed under BBH, Candy, Kiefaber, Mentos
Permalink | Comments (1)

BBH ready for British Wimbledon champion

Robinsons drinks and BBH London made a decent bet with this commercial, which has been airing during Wimbledon coverage in the U.K. over the past fortnight. It dreams of the moment when a British player will once again win the prestigious London tennis tournament. (The last British men's winner was Fred Perry in 1936; Virginia Wade won the women's draw in 1977.) The ad is a clear reference to Andy Murray, the Scotsman who's ranked No. 3 in the world. And sure enough, Murray is heading to Friday's semifinals. There, he meets Andy Roddick, the American player who so memorably screwed up AmEx's 2005 U.S. Open ad campaign by losing in the first round. UPDATE: Murray lost to Roddick on Friday. Oh well, there's always next year.

—Posted by Tim Nudd

Filed under BBH, Europe, Nudd, Tennis, Wimbledon
Permalink | Comments (1)

Banks make their latest wild bets on ponies

Adweek's Mark Dolliver says this Ally Bank commercial from BBH dilutes its positive message by accentuating the negative aspects of its "evil" competitors. Fair enough. But here's an even more salient point: If the spot's to be believed, some bank out there is giving away free ponies! Once I find out which one, I'll open up an IRA, 401(k) or whatever it takes to make them pony up with the horse! As freebies go, this is exciting. I normally can't even take a few "complementary" lollipops at Citizens in Boston without the tellers giving me dirty looks. Those jerks. (Note: I retract the word "jerks" if Citizens is the bank handing out the horsies. Make mine a Shetland, please.)

—Posted by David Gianatasio

Filed under Ally Bank, BBH, Finance, Gianatasio
Permalink | Comments (3)