Wal-Mart and Coke throw giant holiday party
Here's that co-branded Wal-Mart/Coca-Cola ad from The Martin Agency starring John Magaro as the host of a holiday party that everyone (and his mother, and his "surprisingly cool" stepmother) has crashed. He strolls around handing out Cokes from a Wal-Mart bag—no eggnog here, not even rum to mix with the Coke. The guest list also includes "my judo coach, my allergist, my MySpace friends and Twitter list." No room for the Facebook crowd, evidently. You can download the MP3 of the song, and even the sheet music, at this Web site. "When you stock up on joy, there's enough to go round," Magaro sings at the end, in a very Coke-y refrain. I saw this spot last night in an actual Wal-Mart, on a dozen-plus TVs, and it almost managed to cut through the atmosphere of loathing and desperation. What more could you ask of a Christmas commercial? |
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Published on December 24, 2008 | Permalink
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Apple back with more animated holiday ads
Nothing gets my holiday spirit going like watching the children's animated holiday specials: Rudolph, Frosty, the Grinch and the Peanuts gang (to name just a few of my DVR'd favorites). So, of course I appreciate it when an advertiser like Apple so skillfully pays homage to the holiday stop-motion classics. Two new spots broke Monday night during ABC's broadcast of I Want a Dog for Christmas, Charlie Brown (remember Snoopy's brother Spike?), and whether you're a Macbook-toting Apple aficionado or not, they have to make you smile. PC, dressed in a cheery red holiday sweater, and Mac, in his spindly jeans, attempt to put aside their differences in the name of merrymaking, decorating a Christmas tree together in one ad and celebrating the freedom of an animated world in another. But of course PC can't help adding a little latent aggression to the proceedings. This is the second year in a row that Apple has produced holiday-themed animated "Get a Mac" ads. And just like the shows they honor, they feel like special holiday gifts that just keep giving. |
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Published on December 17, 2008 | Permalink
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Muppets sort out whether Santa has e-mail
Macy's might have staked its entire Christmas ad campaign around ''Yes, Virginia," the 19th-century newspaper editorial, now a holiday classic, that answered a young girl's question about the existence of Santa Claus. But it took the latest Muppets movie—A Muppets Christmas: Letters to Santa, airing Wednesday at 8 p.m. on NBC—to address the 21st-century corollary: Does the Clausman accept e-mail? The question comes up in the story line when we see Kermit, Fozzie Bear, etc., scrambling to deliver three letters from kids in time for Christmas. According to no less an authority than muppet Dr. Bunsen Honeydew (he's a bald, faceless guy in a white coat), Santa can't read e-mail because of interference in his neighborhood caused by the Aurora Borealis. Thus, the Muppets have no choice but to figure out how to set foot on the North Pole in person. All around, the movie is a great new addition to the Muppet genre, an updated vision for both grownups and kids—especially the part with Nathan Lane as ''Frank Meany," airport security agent. It's sweet without being cheesy or sentimental. So, keep those cards and letters coming, kids. —Posted by Barbara Lippert |
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Published on December 17, 2008 | Permalink
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R/GA, AKQA locked in battle to defile Santa
R/GA and AKQA are undeniably rivals. R/GA set up shop in AKQA's backyard this year and promptly hired away Mauro Alencar Cavalletti to be its executive creative director. The two shops have traded Digital Agency of the Year honors from Adweek. Now, they're taking the rivalry to a new level: disparaging the image of Santa Claus. Last year, you'll remember, R/GA gave us "Tattoo Santa" and nightmares to boot. This year, AKQA New York comes back with what I call "Degenerate Santa." (AKQA claims it's a "psychotic elf," but I'm not buying that.) Check out the video yourself. It's an AKQA coder in a Santa costume with leotards, gyrating, playing guitar, humping the ground and barfing in a trash can. Bonus: You can remix the footage yourself to make your own Degenerate Santa video. Oh my. It's a far cry from the holiday microwaves from AKQA London. —Posted by Brian Morrissey |
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Published on December 16, 2008 | Permalink
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A Minneapolis agency's boozy holiday pitch
Hard times demand new efficiencies, so let us tip our Santa Claus hats to Minneapolis agency Gabriel deGrood Bendt for combining two usually distinct categories into one convenient package: an online holiday card and a Mad Men parody. If the effort doesn't win the agency a multibillion-dollar eggnog account in 2009, there's no justice in this world. —Posted by Mark Dolliver |
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Published on December 16, 2008 | Permalink
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Charlie Brown shows how to win an Addy
I always knew that Linus was secretly a bong-hitting prima donna, what with his hipster bangs and indie-band sock hat. But who knew Charlie Brown got so much intra-agency action? Hat tip to Adrants, Brentter and all the others who shared this fantastic (but sadly uncredited) agency spin on “A Charlie Brown Christmas.” |
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Published on December 12, 2008 | Permalink
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Can you help the insane singing creatures?
Generally speaking, I'm wary of both the holiday season and of wild animals made to sing and dance like people via the magic of special effects. That's basically what we've got in this PSA from the BBC. Snakes, lizards and insects breaking out in song, squirrels jamming on saxophones—it can't bode well for the long-term survival of the human race. That musical larva (or whatever it is) at about 0:50 is just bizarre. It's a bee larva, judging by the way it drones on. (I am sorry I just wrote that.) Worst of all, with those red animated lips, even the baby birds look malevolent. The campaign asks viewers to "do one thing for nature this Christmas." Oh, I will—I'll lock the doors and windows so the beasts stay outside where they belong! Except for the goose, which can waddle right in and keep the Yorkshire pudding company. Via AdverBox. |
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Published on December 11, 2008 | Permalink
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Your entire house can smell like Christmas
For those who can't get enough of the holidays, Febreze introduces a limited-edition line of scents (available in sprays, candles and so on) that make the whole house smell like Christmas. The scents include Vanilla Bean, Cranberry & Frost and Winter Evening & Warmth. What, no Musky Reindeer or Chestnut-Roasted Elf? The company was probably wise to avoid traditional yuletide fragrances like frankincense and myrrh. Not because of their religious connotations—they just don't smell so great. In any case, times are tough, and with suggested retail prices of these new Febreze products ranging from $2.99 to $7.99, they're a lot cheaper than springing for a Christmas tree to provide that whiff of seasonal cheer. —Posted by David Gianatasio |
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Published on December 11, 2008 | Permalink
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Colle + McVoy having a very 3-D Christmas
'Tis the season for agency holiday Web sites. Last year's highlight for me was R/GA's Tattoo Santa. Disturbing. This year, Minneapolis shop Colle + McVoy is up first. It began with a run-of-the-mill holiday card, which arrived at the office with some 3-D glasses. The card directs to Snowdin.com, a Flash gaming site with a pretty impressive 3-D experience. Visitors can menace a snow creature, pilot a blimp through a winter wonderland and deliver the evening paper to "Avalanche Alley." The site has countless download options, including a coloring book and printable 2-D dolls and models. To go 3-D, Colle + McVoy went old-school and built an 8-by-12-inch physical model of Snowdin, then photographed individual elements of it to allow the colors to be separated in Flash to create the special effect. Not bad. Assuming you don't have your 3-D glasses handy, you can request a pair by shooting a note to snowdin [at] collemcvoy.com. |
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Published on December 10, 2008 | Permalink
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Denver mall sells whatever it can this year
Who says the holidays are overcommercialized? Cultivator Advertising & Design's "Yuletide Project" for Cherry Creek North, a shopping district in Denver, goes against the grain with banners, buttons, postcards and signs espousing low-cost gift ideas such as: "Write a holiday greeting on a snow-covered car window," "Stick a holiday bow on someone's back" and "Carol with a stranger." Apparently, Cherry Creek North is giving up on profits entirely this year. And by the way: Whoever's been leaving "messages" on my Accord in the AdFreak parking lot had better cut it out. Hey! How'd this bow get taped to my backside? I bet it's that snippy Carol from accounting. If I draw her name in the office Secret Santa, she is so getting that '80s hair-band mix CD I've been dying to unload. |
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Published on December 9, 2008 | Permalink
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Barneys sending wishes for a hippie holiday
Peace, love and ... Barneys? The upscale Manhattan apparel retailer isn't the first brand you'd associate with the acid-tinged late '60s, but perhaps it's you who needs to get with the times, man. A full-page ad in today's New York Times, for instance, has no middle-aged suited executive types whatsoever—just a naked hippie chick in the woods clutching some peace-symbol-laden handbags. The headline: "Peace & love and bohemian gifts." To cap it off, the "o" in "Barneys New York" is also a peace sign. See the full ad here. Has someone spiked the martinis at Barneys HQ with LSD? Actually, this is the official theme of this year's holiday campaign, says Dawn Brown, a Barneys rep. (Last year's equally unexpected theme: the environment.) Brown says the new work, done in-house, is meant to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the peace symbol (which, interestingly enough, combines the semaphoric signals for the letters "n" and "d," as in "nuclear disarmament"). The other impetus, she says, was the 40th anniversary of the Summer of Love. In fact, most peg that summer as 1967. "Some say it was 1968," says Brown. "Some even say it was 1969." Either way, it doesn't have much to do with Christmas. |
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Published on December 5, 2008 | Permalink
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Mall Santas less pissy in a tanking economy
If you want to gauge the mood of the nation in a given Christmas season, don't look to your local shopping-mall Santa Claus. More than likely, he'll be feeling the opposite. In recent years, with the economy humming along, mall Santas seemed ever more disaffected by their work, weary of the physical hazards (getting sneezed and peed on, having their beards pulled) and the political ones (having the phrase "ho ho ho" deemed derogatory to women). This year, though, as holiday spending tanks, the Santas seem weirdly upbeat, as children are reportedly looking to them not just for toys but for a measure of comfort as their parents struggle. The Associated Press spoke to a bunch of mall St. Nicks who positively glowed as they told stories of kids who are asking for less this year—or asking for help for mom and dad. "Every time a child goes away with a smile, I know I've done something good," says one. Seems that warming children's hearts is more fun when you don't have to stuff their stockings quite as full. |
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Published on December 4, 2008 | Permalink
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Solve the global water crisis this ChristmasAnti-consumerism advocates might have something of an advantage this holiday season, given that lots of families simply can't afford their usual haul of gifts. But the Advent Conspiracy, an initiative launched by a bunch of churches nationwide, won't let you off the hook that easily—they don't mind if you spend a little, as long as you divert some of that curtailed spending to charity. To get people in the spirit of giving, the group has put together the commercial above, which is pretty decent, as long as you're not completely sick of kinetic type. Via Spare Room. |
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Published on December 3, 2008 | Permalink
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Stella Artois feels tipsy with holiday cheer
This visually appealing Stella Artois holiday microsite from Lowe and Psyop tells the tale of a master paper-cut craftsman who creates a magical wintry world. I always wanted to be a master paper-cut craftsman, but I flunked folding, and kept poking myself with the scissors. At first, my reaction to the campaign was: too bad such an evocative seasonal effort is just meant to sell beer. But it turns out Stella was originally brewed in the 14th century to celebrate the holidays, so I guess that historical tie-in makes it OK. The site lets visitors send "stars" to friends, though I'd prefer a BlackBerry Storm, in case anyone out there is gifting. There are also paper-ornament templates you can craft into festive decorations. I printed some out. Lemme just grab the scissors and ... ouch! |
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Published on December 3, 2008 | Permalink
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Santa is skinnier, cooler with a Palm Centro
Get ready this Christmas for a newer, cooler Santa Claus. In fact, don't even call him Santa. Call him Claüs. So the story goes, Santa was sitting up in the North Pole being fat and jolly, dealing with a 400-foot parchment list of the naughty and nice, when he got a package in the mail. It was a Palm Centro, and it changed Santa forever. He cut his hair, started eating hippie food and lost weight. A new wardrobe and some hot sunglasses later, he was Claüs. Or, as most of you will recognize him, one of those skinny, hot, rich douches often found in ads for luxury/aspirational goods. Claüs is so hip, he has his own Facebook page. Go there to become a fan, listen to his music (he remixes Xmas songs), watch his videos and write on his wall. Great creative and concept from Creature, a Seattle-based agency. But there's one problem: The Centro looks like last year's new device, and no amount of clever marketing will fix that. A wall comment from “Elliot” sums it up: "Can I have a free iPhone, Claüs?" |
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Published on December 3, 2008 | Permalink
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'Tis the season for really dumb advertisingIt's that time of year, when marketers roll out holiday ads in an apparent contest to see who can be the hokiest and most cloying and insult viewers' intelligence the most. This weekend, I came up with a few nominees for the worst holiday spot of the season. Lexus | "A December to Remember" What does it take to kill the "December to Remember" sales event? I've gone on record a couple of times about how objectionable the idea of giving luxury cars as Christmas gifts is. Even with the economy in a tailspin, Lexus isn't giving up on the concept. The annoying music is back, the stupid bow. One change: a schmaltzy parallel is drawn between wanting iconic gifts like Atari and Big Wheel as a kid and wanting a Lexus now that you're grown up and might have to work until you're 75. Kay Jewelers | "Read My Lips" Let me try to create the scenario. Guy and girl sit down to exchange gifts, guy nervous. Guy starts stammering to girl and signing. She's deaf. He's not good at signing. But he wants to be, see? And guess what, he got her a Bulova watch! (Why no Leo diamond, cheapskate?) Her response when he asks if she likes it: "Read my lips." Kiss. I guess it's laudatory of Kay Jewelers to recognize hearing-deaf relationships in the service of selling watches. So, why does it annoy me so much? CBS Cares | "Hanukkah Prostate Exam" In this "CBS Cares" PSA, a woman urges her female friends to think outside the box during Hanukkah. Golf clubs? Sweater? Nah, she suggests giving their guys something they'd never expect: an appointment for a prostate exam. Sure, there might be an awkward silence when he sees the gift, but it's worth it. Granted, it's a very worthy message. Still. What's the connection to Hanukkah? Is a prostate-exam gift certificate not a good Christmas gift? Submit your own nominees, with YouTube links, in comments. —Posted by Brian Morrissey |
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Published on December 2, 2008 | Permalink
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Zeus Jones playing Santa's helper this year
The holidays are here. Have you been too busy watching your 401(k) disappear and the foreclosure signs sprout up around the neighborhood? Don't worry. Zeus Jones is here to help. The Minneapolis shop, which did a nice job of reimagining the agency Web site recently, has created a sweet gift guide of awesome stuff its employees found around the Internet. The interesting part is how ZJ constructed the product discovery—something few sites seem to get right. In addition to a price slider, the site sorts by gender, age and relationship type, along with special picks from agency staff. The product set is reassembled based on the choice made. A couple of quibbles: You can't link to products within the Flash interface, and clicking through to the product pages requires the pop-up blocker to be turned off. Still, it's an interesting and different type of agency holiday site. Also, if you're picking out gifts for the AdFreak staff, Gianatasio would like the Evel Knievel Super Stunt Set. —Posted by Brian Morrissey |
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Published on November 25, 2008 | Permalink
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