McDonald's Philippines ads: I'm lovin' them

This week's morality debate over a charming new McDonald's ad in the Philippines underscores something many Americans might not know: McDonald's ads are awesome in the Philippines. The work in recent years by the local office of DDB strikes me as reminiscent of the fast-food chain's U.S. commercials in the 1980s, when the Federal Trade Commission and consumer groups weren't in quite such a lather about marketing to kids. Check out one of the earlier youth-oriented Philippine spots below, and another after the jump. The stories are so well told, translation isn't even required.

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Filed under Asia, DDB, Griner, McDonald's, Restaurants
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Online retail 'speed sale' is stressful as hell

Here's a peculiar sales tactic—stress out your customers by giving them just seconds to decide on discounted items, or they lose the price forever. DDB Stockholm designed just such a "speed sale" for Swedish online retailer Papercut (the same agency-client tandem that brought you the bus-stop ad with the penis). Click through to SpeedSale.se to see it in action. Items fly onto the screen, one after the other. For each one, you have four seconds to decide whether you want to buy it—as insane music pumps up your blood pressure further. If you fail to act, the item is swept away, and the price is gone forever. DDB is under no illusions that anyone will actually enjoy this experience. "Forget about time-limited offers of the golden days. Welcome to the Papercut Speed Shopping STRESS Hell," the creative director says in an email to us. Enjoyable or not, the gaming aspect is pretty cool and will surely be a hit among a certain segment. Imagine if Amazon.com did this. It would be a runaway success, if only for the novelty factor.

Filed under DDB, Europe, Nudd
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French Tropicana ad is powered by oranges

If you've ever been to a high-school science fair, you probably know that citrus fruit can produce electricity. DDB Paris put that knowledge to clever use recently with an electric Tropicana billboard that was completely powered by oranges. Working with London production house Unit9, DDB attached 2,500 oranges to two big slabs of wood fitted with spikes of zinc and copper. The acidic juice of the oranges dissolved the metals, causing their electrons to react with each other and create an electrical current. That current powered a light panel that read, "Energie naturelle," making the point that oranges have natural energy that can spark your own personal human circuits as well. So as not to appear wasteful, the agency said it would recycle the oranges "either by composting or by anaerobic digestion," the latter surely being a curious science-fair project all its own. Check out a video below, and a few more images after the jump. Via Stratégies.

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Filed under DDB, Europe, Food and drink, Nudd, Tropicana
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Man does 60 things in 60-second ad for DVR

This amusing DDB spot shows how the MySky DVR turns New Zealand husbands into the biggest wussies on the planet. (In contrast, DVRs make Aussies behave like dim blokes—dimmer than they already are, I mean.) The ad suggests "60 things in 60 seconds your husband could do instead of watching TV," because now he can record shows to watch later. Welcome to 2005 technology, New Zealand! Our emasculated hero's activities include cooking, cleaning, helping with the housework, exercising, taking bullfighting lessons, unclogging the sink, washing the dog (with a hose), washing the cat (with his tongue), massaging his wife's feet and brushing and braiding her hair. Whoa, is this dude whipped! The funniest segments show him shaving his chest and back. Nair's more effective—not that I'd know from experience. Now, if you'll excuse me, my wife's calling. *whip cracks*

Filed under DDB, Gianatasio, New Zealand, TV
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Swedish retailer drawing penises on its ads

When putting up outdoor ads, it's customary to install clean versions— and cede to the masses the furtive enjoyment of doodling penises all over them. DDB Stockholm alters the process somewhat in its latest long-copy work for pop-culture retailer Papercut. The ads feature tiny graffiti penises even before the unwashed citizenry can sharpen their Sharpies. The whole reason for the penis's appearance is explained in the copy—which you can read in full here. (Basically, the angsty-existential piece suggests shopping at Papercut is more exciting than standing around wondering why someone drew a penis on an ad.) The ad is part of a series from DDB copywriter Magnus Jakobsson. The previous installment, titled "This is not your life," you can read here.

Filed under DDB, Europe, Magazines, Nudd
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VW's winter offer lasts until billboard sinks

Volkswagen is using the ungodly Swedish winter to its advantage by promoting the Passat 4Motion with a billboard erected right on the naked ice. The board, created by DDB Stockholm, is advertising a special winter-ready package that will last until the ice melts and the billboard sinks below the surface. There's also a contest to guess when that'll happen, and the winner gets a VIP racing day at Gothenburg. It's worth noting that the price of 280,700 Swedish kronor comes out to $44,321.50 in America, which seems a bit steep for a new VW with a roof rack and snow tires. Maybe such things are prized more highly in the arctic hinterlands.

Filed under DDB, Kiefaber, Outdoor, Volkswagen
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DDB marking 'virgin thighs' with advertising

From DDB New Zealand: "With both men and women now wearing their shorts at breathtaking heights, fashion chain Superette was presented with a unique opportunity to draw attention to their sale on short shorts. DDB Auckland placed ads on the virgin thighs that are exposed in this latest trend, by putting indented plates across the inner city and fashion district bus stops, mall seats and park benches, so that when people sat down the message was imprinted on their thighs." People on those benches are asked to squeeze their legs as hard as they can against the bench, ignoring the pain, to get a print that might possibly be readable by others at a distance, while the person is walking. OK, this idea is actually completely useless—but it may win awards!

Filed under Apparel, DDB, New Zealand, Nudd
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Bud Light's office goons now try to get fired

Having cursed their way through the infamous "Swear Jar" spot in 2008, and stripped down for the "Clothing Drive" sequel last year, Bud Light and DDB's misbehaved office workers go for broke in this just-released third installment. Seeing a laid-off co-worker gratefully accept a case of Bud Light as his severance package, they all start acting as obnoxious as possible to try to get themselves canned—and secure their own cases of watery bliss. The economy must really be doing better if you can joke about layoffs again. "Severance Package," unveiled late Friday, was the carrot in a Facebook contest that challenged Bud Light's fans to guess the plots of its three Super Bowl spots, airing Sunday, based on still images only. Sounds like the fans might not have actually guessed all (or any) of the plots. Says Bud Light in a Facebook note: "Your guesses made us laugh, scratch our heads, and there are some of you we're honestly concerned for. But in the end, your creativity won us over."

Filed under Alcohol, Bud Light, DDB, Nudd, Super Bowl
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Copywriter uses retail ad to tell his life story

A new print ad by DDB Stockholm (click here to see the full version) is nominally about Swedish alternative/pop-culture retailer Papercut. But the long-form copy tells you a whole lot more about the writer, Magnus Jakobsson. (In an e-mail, he tells us the story is "almost" all true, with perhaps a fact or two embellished.) It's like the ad version of Adaptation. It's probably a good approach for the target market, who presumably are alienated and narcissistic themselves, and will be drawn in by the use of the grammatical second person. Or is it a bit much?

Filed under DDB, Europe, Nudd
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DDB makes real book out of your Facebook

Here's a home-run idea: DDB Paris promoted the launch of Bouygues Telecom's Facebook presence by creating 1,000 physical books made from people's own Facebook pages. Siavosh Zabeti, who came up with the idea with Alexander Kalchev, explains on Vimeo: "They wanted us to create something that would go beyond using your profile picture in a funny way, or pranking your friends with a small joke. We decided to look at the way we use Facebook and found that even though we use the social networking site every day, we forget our favorite moments we share online. So we created an app that could change that, and keep your Facebook, in a book." Developed by Perfect Fools for DDB Paris. This isn't the first such app. EgoBook also creates physical Facebook memoirs. Via Advertolog. UPDATE: Even more awesome is the fact that one of our favorite ad bloggers, Angela Natividad, makes a comment cameo at the 55-second mark.

Filed under DDB, Europe, Facebook, Nudd, Social media, Telecom
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DDB dancing with the cars in VW Polo spot

DDB London and Sexy Beast director Jonathan Glazer put together this new spot, called "Last Tango in Compton," for the Volkswagen Polo. It stars two of the world's best tango dancers, Gasper Godoy and Manuella Rossi, performing "a specially choreographed routine overseen by one of the world's foremost choreographers with a unique, simultaneous set-up of over 20 different cameras following their every move." The footage is impressive enough, though the tagline, "Tough. Beautiful. Polo," inevitable feels tacked on.

Filed under Automotive, DDB, Europe, Nudd, Volkswagen
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DDB hits the racetrack for Subaru zoetrope

DDB Canada's new spot for the 2011 Subaru WRX STI is said to resemble a flipbook, but it's really more of a zoetrope. The whole thing is a bit gimmicky—is this stunt anything another car couldn't accomplish?—but I suppose it's attention getting. The making-of video, posted after the jump, is neat, too. But considering the size of the giant mechanical spider in the ad, I'm surprised we didn't see a Jon Peters production credit anywhere in there.

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Filed under Automotive, Canada, DDB, Kiefaber
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Bubbles are good again in DDB Lipton spot

DDB is all about the bubbles in its European work lately. A recent U.K. spot for Budweiser showed pesky giant orbs bouncing around city streets and dance clubs. In that spot, the bubbles were bad—an affront to the "lightly carbonated" brew. Now, this Lipton spot from DDB Paris portrays bubbles as light and fanciful—in a word: good—to tout Lipton Green Tea and White Tea. French chicks float around the kitchen and such. So, bubbles are bad, bubbles are good … Jesus, DDB, make up your mind! I don't know what to believe, and you're totally freaking me out! Sorry, I've got to chill. Maybe some relaxing green tea or a nice cold beer. I just can't decide which.

Filed under DDB, Europe, Food and drink, Lipton
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Philips next to brighten up the Arctic gloom

Tribal DDB in Amsterdam and Philips are trudging off to Longyearbyen, a Norwegian town that sits absurdly far north in the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard, where they will help residents deal with four months of almost total darkness this winter by giving them all Philips Wake-Up lights—a "light therapy" product that simulates sunrise by gradually filling a room with bright light. Doug Pray, director of Art & Copy, is making a documentary about the experiment—which you can follow at this campaign site and this Facebook page. If the concept seems a little familiar, that's because Tropicana did something similar (though less extensive) in Canada last year—visiting the northern town of Inuvik in the Northwest Territories and raising a single, electric-lit facsimile of the sun. See the Tropicana spot after the jump.

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Filed under DDB, Electronics, Nudd, Philips, Tribal DDB
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PSA: Don't be ridiculous, turn off the lights!

Using an entire box of disposable razors when shaving, discarding each one after a single stroke. Wrapping a small sandwich in yards of tin foil. Keeping every tap in the house running at all times. Taking a bite of an apple, tossing what's left on the ground and moving on to another one. Those scenarios are portrayed as "ridiculous" examples of wasteful behavior in this BC Hydro Powersmart PSA from DDB Vancouver. It closes with a shot of a blazing light fixture in a house where the owners have gone out. The voiceover says: "The most ridiculous thing about wasting power is that for some reason, we don't think it's ridiculous." Actually, I don't think it's ridiculous. I like leaving all the lights on. That way, when I come home, I can clearly see the fruit and razors I've scattered all over the floor and not trip and break my neck.

Filed under Canada, DDB, Energy, Environment, Gianatasio
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Dog gets dogged in New Zealand lottery ad

An epic two-and-a-half-minute lottery ad from New Zealand? Was there an outcry for such a thing? Still, DDB spins a fairly engrossing tale of a big-money winner's pooch who dives overboard during a storm at sea to save the precious Lotto ticket. Good boy! The terrier—named Wilson, apparently after a certain volleyball—faces great peril in traversing the globe to return the ticket to his master. Nice goin', fella! He finally tracks down his master, only to discover, horror of horrors, that his place in Daddy's affections has been usurped by a ... cat. Kiwi bastard deserved to go down with the ship! Oh, so the dog gives the ticket to a homeless guy, and they walk off together, pals for life. Or else the guy roasts Fido on a spit. He's a winner either way with the New Zealand Lottery!

Filed under Animals, DDB, Gianatasio, Lotteries, New Zealand
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DDB wages war on bubbles in Budweiser ad

Giant bubbles bounce around in this DDB London spot for Budweiser 66, a "lightly carbonated" brew. They're sort of similar to the roaming security spheres in the original Prisoner TV show. But this particular batch isn't malevolent—they're more playful than bothersome, in fact—and they greatly enhance the ambiance of that club in the ad. The voiceover warns of bubbles that "weigh you down," but these seem buoyant and uplifting. The bubbles are way lighter on their feet, so to speak, than those clubbers. Burst the bubbles, and all you've got are a bunch of soused Brits looking to score—or pull a knife on you, by the looks of this lot. Scary. No wonder the sun set on their empire. Via Campaign.

Filed under Alcohol, Budweiser, DDB, Europe, Gianatasio
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Hong Kong advertises canisters of fresh air

The air quality in Hong Kong is so bad that they're starting to sell fresh air in canisters, which you can strap to your face to enjoy lovely, brief periods of unpolluted respiration. Available in pleasant scents like vanilla, the beach and "horses," the canned air is "the revolutionary new product that lets you experience breathing like the rest of the world does," according to the spot below. Of course, it's a parody infomercial, nicely produced by DDB and the Hong Kong Clean Air Network (CAN), urging environmental protection. Says the line at the end: "If we do nothing about Hong Kong's air pollution today, we can look forward to this tomorrow." Via Time magazine's NewsFeed.

Filed under Asia, DDB, Environment, Infomercials, Parody, PSAs
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A way to keep stoneage meat nice and fresh

It might not be as tasty (or sparkly) as unicorn meat, but prehistoric meat can be decent, as long as it's still fresh. But keeping it from going bad over the millennia can be difficult—unless you have a Bosch fridge outfitted with VitaFresh technology. As part of this wacky promotion, DDB Germany actually wrapped up gigantic, realistic-looking cuts of dinosaur and mammoth flesh and placed them in grocery-store coolers—alternately bewildering and delighting customers. I'm not sure I'd want my supermarket joking around with mystery meat, but it's certainly attention getting. Shortlisted in this year's Promo Lions competition at Cannes.

—Posted by Tim Nudd

Filed under Bosch, DDB, Europe, Nudd
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Fans crammed into Bud House at World Cup

As if there weren't enough drama building up in pubs around the world as the World Cup begins today, Budweiser, the tournament's official beer sponsor, is moving 32 soccer fans into a "Bud House" in South Africa, where they will live for the duration of the games. One "fanatic" was chosen from each country that qualified, and visitors to the brand's YouTube page can follow the action as they watch each of the matches together. As each country is eliminated, so is the corresponding resident. The winning country's fan will present Bud's "Man of the Match" to the most valuable player, as determined by fan votes, at the July 11 final. Created by DDB Chicago and Tribal DDB Amsterdam, the effort is positioned as an online reality show. The first "episode" features the group's arrival. So far, on day one, they are still fresh-faced and friendly. They've still got 29 days inside the Bud House to get drunk and let the fists fly with national pride. Check out a video with the U.S. representative, Austin Ripmaster of Boulder, Colo., after the jump.

—Posted by Eleftheria Parpis

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Filed under Alcohol, Budweiser, DDB, Parpis, World Cup
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Insure your house from mouse-chasing mire

This visually impressive insurance commercial from DDB Amsterdam follows a mouse as it races around inside walls and leaps through a hole in a kitchen ceiling to escape from a river of goop (insulation?) being pumped into a house by dunderhead workmen. There's just one problem with the ad. Being deathly afraid of rodents, I was rooting for the wall of sludge to drown the furry freak, and agreed with the doofus at the end: Yes, you do need to pump more! Forget about homeowner's insurance, call in the exterminators. Kill it! Kill it! Oh God, it's falling from the ceiling and will eat us alive!

—Posted by David Gianatasio

Filed under DDB, Europe, Gianatasio, Insurance
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Lottery winner receives mass love, not envy

A guy who wins the Instant Kiwi lottery is the latest everyman to lead a city of strangers in an exhaustively choreographed Broadway dance number in this ad from DDB New Zealand. Apparently New Zealand's is a magical-powers lottery. Cool. Maybe they can conjure up a better song than the theme from The Greatest American Hero for the next winner. "Baby the World Really Turns" by the Top Shelf would be a good start.

—Posted by David Kiefaber

Filed under DDB, Kiefaber, Lotteries, New Zealand
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Australians hate new Australia tourism spot

Australia tourism can't catch a break. First, they had the "Where the bloody hell are you" debacle. Then this year's campaign, themed "There's nothing like Australia," got ambushed by mean-spirited parodies. Now, there's more bad news, as the latest spot in the campaign—the musical ad below from DDB Sydney, celebrating the country's signature landmarks—has drawn protests for portraying the natives as "a bunch of tone-deaf bogans." A bogan, apparently, is a lower-class creature possibly related to the American redneck. At this point, I think Australians will complain about anything their country puts out. They all seem to point to the Crocodile Dundee ads as a golden age of self-promotion. But he was a leathery rustic who shaved with a Bowie knife and slept in bogs. Compared to that, a little bad singing from some bogans isn't so bad.

—Posted by David Kiefaber

Filed under Australia, DDB, Kiefaber, Tourism
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Overgrown humans star in food, lottery ads

Presented for your approval, two spots where average human beings grow into giants. (Watch them after the jump.) From Australia, via Badjar Ogilvy, we have "Teenzilla" for Kraft Easy Mac. Crikey, the kid's destructive, smashing through biscuit-factory windows and ripping the tops off bakery trucks as he searches for a satisfying snack. I'd pick him to win a battle against the gradually expanding slacker dude in DDB's "Small World" commercial for the New York Lottery. Note how he trashes the newspaper as he emerges from the subway. Who needs the help-wanted section when you're a sure-bet Powerball millionaire! All it takes, we're told, is "a dollar and a dream." Reality check: If he just blew his last buck on a lottery ticket, he won't even be able to afford a single serving of Kraft Easy Mac! I guess the big doofus can always tear open bakery trucks when he gets hungry. 

—Posted by David Gianatasio

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Filed under Australia, DDB, Food and drink, Gianatasio, Kraft, Lotteries, New York Lottery
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VWs not intended for pathetic hipster sheep

Here's the new Volkswagen Polo work from DDB Sydney. It presents the vehicle as a good choice for guys who aren't constantly trying to one-up each other with the latest, stupidest hipster haircuts, eyewear and silvery shoes. Instead, as a Polo owner, you can just be best friends with those people and hang out all the time. And if our hero gets really irritated with his buddies, he can employ the other well-known Polo feature—the ability to destroy everything inside it with a press of a button.

—Posted by Tim Nudd

Filed under Australia, Automotive, DDB, Nudd, Volkswagen
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