The Pope thanks you for not driving buzzed
Holiday safe-driving PSA season is in full throttle. First, we had that great ad from New Mexico. Now, here's a spot from Mullen for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Ad Council. It shows a gal next door, Rachel, receiving honors from the Pope and the Dalai Lama for not driving buzzed. (Arnold Schwarzenegger is in the 30-second version, though standing so close to him seems more like a punishment to me.) In the big picture, do we really want to be grandiosely rewarding folks for not driving while intoxicated—i.e., for not behaving like selfish assholes? Maybe people should refrain from driving buzzed because, I dunno, it's the right think to do? Also, this high-powered talent might be put to better use. Seeing the Terminator all remorseful after getting drunk and mowing down several of the world's top spiritual leaders? Now that would be a PSA! —Posted by David Gianatasio |
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Published on December 18, 2009 | Permalink
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Timberland workboots out to kick major ass
Timberland Pro workboots get biz-ay in Mullen's "Stay on your feet" campaign, an effort designed not just to sell shoes but to help blue-collar workers find employment by providing job listings and such. The Web site has a "Test the Boot" section, where the steel-toed shoes are shown lifting weights, juggling tires, withstanding electric shocks and so on. They seem indefatigable, so maybe employers should just hire the boots and forget about the folks wearing them. (They'd save on benefits, though I suppose tongues would wag.) Workers made redundant by their own Timberlands will still be better off than the guy who gets chased by the wildlife in the brand's other recent campaign, by Leagas Delaney. Maybe they could apply to be forest rangers, preferably armed with rifles to control the marauding animal populations, lest they overrun our great cities. —Posted by David Gianatasio
Previously on AdFreak: |
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Published on October 9, 2009 | Permalink
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Bruins bear, Cam Neely face off in new spot
The guy in the bear suit returns in Mullen's latest video for the Boston Bruins, this time staring down legendary B's tough guy Cam Neely. I think Cam's the one wearing pants. The spot promotes a jersey commemorating the upcoming New Year's Day Winter Classic game against the Flyers at Fenway Park. A hockey game at Fenway, home of baseball's Boston Red Sox? The goons from Southie won't care—they just come for the beer and the bleacher fights, anyway. As for the bear, he can join my all-animal fantasy team anytime. Now, if I just had some lions and tigers ... oh my! —Posted by David Gianatasio |
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Published on September 25, 2009 | Permalink
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World needs a hero. It might as well be you.Mullen casts average Joes and Janes as superhero-like masters of their own
financial futures — spandex, capes and all — in new spots for LendingTree. "Out of this corporate chaos a new hero will arise..." Adam West
breathlessly intones on the voiceover before hitting a dramatic pause that
would make William Shatner proud, concluding: "you."
(Check out two more spots here and here.) The campaign's message of personal empowerment should resonate in these
troubled times; after all, in the era of corporate bailouts and Bernie
Madoff, many banks, investment houses and lending firms come off looking
more villainous than the Joker, Riddler and Penguin combined. Plus, the woman in the "You" spot featured above is pretty hot, though less so than her obvious costumed inspiration, Batgirl Yvonne Craig.
Yes, those were the days of true style, like when West showed us how to do the Batusi in 1966 with future Bond Girl Jill St. John. Let's see your everday financial superhero do that. |
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Published on July 21, 2009 | Permalink
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Marine mammals always up for a little game
Mullen's "Let's play" campaign for the New England Aquarium succeeds by subtly fusing the human world—in the form of ad copy morphed into hoops, balls and fish—with the naturally playful activities of marine mammals. By contrast, we had that somewhat similarly themed WongDoody effort for a Seattle zoo showing penguins tricked out beyond recognition, more like festive tea-cozies than birds. Now, some animals-rights types might claim that captive seals don't especially enjoy being trained to perform for humans, but I disagree. If they object, they're bright enough let us know. The one that beat me in this game of Seal Pong seemed awfully shrewd: He claimed he'd never played before, then exploited my backhand like a pro and barked to psych me out on match point. Damn his blubbery hide! |
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Published on July 17, 2009 | Permalink
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No one messes with the Boston Bruins bear
When it comes to casting bears in ad campaigns, Mullen has now gone to both extremes. The National Grid polar bears were pretty benign. The actor in the bear suit who stars in this playoff campaign for the Boston Bruins, however, must've gotten up on the wrong side of the cave. If you don't play by the "Bruins Hockey Rules," you're liable to get roughed up by this furry fanatic. The hairy hothead slaps one fan who tucks in his B's jersey, tackles another who doesn't hang up his phone and watch the game, and humiliates a third (the poor guy's "be-ah" goes flying) because his date wears the colors of the divisional rival Montreal Canadiens. Basically, the ubiquitous ursine behaves just like any Bruins fan from Lynn after a couple of brewskies too many. —Posted by David Gianatasio |
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Published on April 15, 2009 | Permalink
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Did Mullen pioneer Twitter business model?
Tech and marketing blogs are having a feeding frenzy over how Twitter will make money. The fate of the economy—nay, the world—hangs in the balance. (On the flip side, Twitter is also being blamed for the economic meltdown, so maybe things will look up if it disappears.) What's interesting is the new front-runner moneymaking scheme involves constructing sponsored Twitter areas around themes and events. Federated Media has rolled out a pair of initiatives with Twitter's blessing. The latest is a site that scoops up Tweets related to the NCAA men's basketball tournament. It's an approach that's similar to one that ad agency Mullen has taken for a couple of side projects. It built sites, without corporate sponsors, that acted at Twitter hubs for the Super Bowl and the Academy Awards. The functionality of FM's March Tweetness is better, but the concept isn't that far off. Twitter investor Fred Wilson says the company is keeping an eye on things like the FM initiatives for ideas on how to make money. Sadly, there's no word of a finder's fee for Mullen. —Posted by Brian Morrissey |
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Published on March 26, 2009 | Permalink
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Mullen making bread art to feed the hungry
Have you ever wanted to create artwork on a slice of bread? Most people would probably pass, but that hasn't stopped ad agency Mullen and the Grain Foods Foundation from launching the Bread Art Project. For every slice uploaded to the site, a $1 donation goes to Feeding America. C-list celeb Ted Allen of the Food Network has signed on as the campaign's spokesman, so it's safe to assume his Queer Eye residuals are starting to run low. The bread art online so far shows quite a range, from "white bread" Norman Rockwell Americana to ultra-modernists willing to go (you knew this line was coming) against the grain. Check out the Mona Greasa for a fast-food alternative. My own "Self Portrait on Light Rye" was fantastic, so much so that I ate the thing and now I'm ready for my nap. —Posted by David Gianatasio |
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Published on March 26, 2009 | Permalink
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Oscar chatter (like all else) takes to Twitter
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Published on February 19, 2009 | Permalink
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Atlantis Weathergear defeats perfect storms
"Don't let the weather get you." That's Mullen's positioning line for the relaunch of Atlantis Weathergear, depicted with considerable raging-ocean fury in this print ad, which mostly makes me glad I can't afford to buy a sailboat right now. I don't think a jacket's going to help when that wave breaks. Toothy aquatic terrors are becoming Mullen's stock in trade. Note this somewhat Freudian effort from last year's New England Aquarium campaign. I guess it's not safe to go back in the water anytime soon. Which is fine by me, because I'll probably never be able to afford a sailboat. Thanks for the reminder, Mullen! |
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Published on January 8, 2009 | Permalink
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PSAs battle drunk driving with grim humorMullen and the Ad Council successfully walk a fine line in these anti-drunk-driving spots. Using humor to draw attention to such a charged issue can be tricky, and in the process it's all too easy to stagger drunkenly and fall face-first to the pavement ... yadda, yadda ... you complete the metaphor. These ads, thankfully, mix the portions just right. The sight of severely injured accident victims popping up and chatting as if nothing's wrong, as the drivers tearfully claim they were "just buzzed," helps mitigate the tragic-PSA cliche factor and heighten viewer interest. The reprise of the hyper-realistic serious theme at the close of the spots seems unforced, logical and not at all preachy. Ultimately, the dream-like humorous interludes—off point and disingenuous, just like the drivers' claims that they weren't really that drunk—drive the nightmare quality of the scenarios. —Posted by David Gianatasio |
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Published on November 26, 2008 | Permalink
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Mullen guy's wedding-ring story a PR stunt?Mullen says one of its staffers, Bob Pirrmann, lost his wedding ring in a four-story, 200,000-gallon ocean tank during a public dive in July at the New England Aquarium. The ring was recovered a few days ago, and now the tear-jerk/feel-good local-media barrage is on. Dare I say, the whole story sounds a bit ... fishy? (I dare. And I'm sorry.) The tale has generated lots of free publicity for the aquarium, a Mullen client. Pirrmann's dive was itself part of a marketing campaign he helped create. So, in a sense, there was gold in that tank whether a ring was lost there or not. Look, if you're going to make up a story about where you lost your wedding ring, "in the giant ocean tank at the aquarium" is a fib of Homer Simpson-esque proportions. Stick to the tried and true like, "I was mugged," "The dog ate it" or "It slipped off in a singles bar." The wife will love the last one in particular, if you say it kinda off-handed and sarcastic. What? It could work. —Posted by David Gianatasio |
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Published on October 24, 2008 | Permalink
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Rooms so clean, they pass the tongue test
Um, I hope Extended Stay Motels has maid service, or this girl is in for a long night. Licking everything in sight doesn’t seem like the best way to ensure cleanliness. Isn’t that why they have the white-glove test? Camp Nama’s version of Motel 6 looks more appealing than this place. By Mullen. Via Brief Blog. |
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Published on August 1, 2008 | Permalink
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