Ad likens your menstruating wife to a Viking

This may not go over well with approximately half of the population. The Chilean commercial below, for Kitadol menstruation-relief pills, compares menstruating women to Vikings. And that's not meant as a compliment. "Get her back" is the tagline. Send your nasty comments to the agency—Prolam Y&R in Santiago. Via Jezebel.

Filed under Nudd, Pharma, South America, Y&R
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Man-baby casts pall on Sony PlayStation ad

Here's your creepy commercial of the week: a Sony PlayStation ad from Argentina featuring a man who has retained his childlike wonder long past his diaper-soiling years. How do we know? Because he still has a baby's damn face! The effects are seamless, and all the more disturbing for it—fascinating in the way all anatomical oddities are, but sinister, too. And that last fact creates a problem for the spot, which is going for lightheartedness with the laughter at the end and the tagline, "Live in a state of play." Agency: Del Campo Nazca Saatchi & Saatchi.

Filed under Nudd, PlayStation, Saatchi & Saatchi, Sony, South America
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Agency sites reborn on Facebook, Twitter

BooneOakley won praise for ditching the tired agency site in favor of a clever YouTube channel to show off its stuff. With social all the rage, Grey Stockholm has taken the next step: It's traded its dedicated agency site to go all-in on Facebook. There, users can "Like" Grey, see work, comment on posts and do the regular Facebook things. Not to be outdone, Argentine shop Kamchatka has recast its site as a Twitter account. Actually, several. Each section of the site has its own Twitter handle. On the surface, this makes lots of sense. Facebook pages are getting more and more powerful, and plenty of campaigns are ditching the microsite in favor of the Facebook platform. Twitter is the current belle of the ball. But at the same time, both sites feel unnecessarily gimmicky. Thanks to APIs, sites can have all the social functions of Facebook, Twitter and YouTube without having to choose one or the other. It would seem to make more sense to integrate all sorts of social tools into a destination site rather than choose one platform over another. Via Adland.

Filed under Agency web sites, Europe, Facebook, Grey, Kamchatka, Morrissey, South America, Twitter
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Condom ads urge you to get extremely dirty

"Spring has arrived," say these Tulipán condom ads from Y&R Argentina, celebrating the first day of that season (in the southern hemisphere) on Sept. 21. It's a day that also happens to be Student's Day, when schools are closed and the kids traditionally convene in parks for picnics, and apparently less G-rated activities. Our favorite Tulipán ad, however, remains this one from 2000, in which the Argentine brand visually threatened anal violence on the Brazilian soccer team. See three more ads after the jump. Via Ads of the World.

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Filed under Condoms, Nudd, South America, Y&R
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Fat dogs forced to watch thin dogs have sex

No one wants to have sex with a fat dog. That's the solid premise behind some diet-dog-food ads from Prolam Y&R in Chile. Check out three ads here. "Life's hard when you're a fat dog," says the tagline, as the chubby pooches watch sadly at slimmer compatriots getting some action. We've seen fat dogs humiliated in diet-dog-food ads before. At least the mutts here don't have flowers sticking out of their butts. Via Adland.

—Posted by Tim Nudd

Filed under Animals, Nudd, South America, Y&R
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Dishwashing soap targeting snowperson set

Grey Argentina's Pygmalion-esque ad for Magistral dishwashing soap is well made, but the sudden, heartbreaking finish is cheapened somewhat by the glib tagline. You'd also think the snowman would have had the boiler removed from his house sometime in the distant past, before he went to all the work of building his one true love and having her do his housework. Forgive me, but examining this ad's internal logic is the only thing keeping me from sobbing like a child on repeat viewings.

—Posted by David Kiefaber

Filed under Grey, Kiefaber, South America
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Axe wearers go on auto-pilot with the ladies

Robots: They never rest in their fiendish quest for global domination. Sure, they seem helpful in this Axe/Lynx Twist spot by Ponce in Argentina (and The Perlorian Brothers) as they change loverboy's appearance during a date to keep blondie intrigued. (That's a nod to Twist's changing scents as the day wears on.) Well, those bots aren't doing Romeo any favors. The object of his desire looks awfully high-maintenance, probably wants a weekend place in the country with a yacht in the living room. And what are the robots doing to the guy's private parts? Tightening his nuts? Even if it's an enhancement, it's bound to hurt like hell in the morning. That's their idea of a joke, along with foisting cyborg rapper Drake on us. OK, Drake's either cyborg or Canadian. Same difference. Pure evil!

—Posted by David Gianatasio

Filed under Axe, Gianatasio, Personal care, Ponce, South America
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Ad for tonic water bursts your sweet bubble

Leave it to those Latin lovers at BBDO Argentina to make tonic water (almost) sexy. On a busy thoroughfare, a guy and gal exchange glances and then imagine themselves transformed into objects that fit together and complete each other. She's the wall-switch that turns on his light bulb. He's the watering can that, um, waters her, um, flower. The approach works because of the actors' great facial expressions and the silly but effective visuals. It's all foolishly tongue in cheek, which is appropriate, because this couple will be tongue-wrestling soon enough. Well, Paso de los Toros is a mixer. I'll have what they're having. Via Ads of the World.

—Posted by David Gianatasio

Filed under BBDO, Food and drink, Gianatasio, South America
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Beer ad has solution to pestering girlfriends

This Andes beer spot, from Del Campo Nazca Saatchi & Saatchi in Argentina, shows guys at a bar using a high-tech contraption—a sound-proof "Teletransporter" with all manner of sound effects piped in—to convince their annoying girlfriends when they call that they're not, in fact, at the bar. But it raises more questions than it answers. For starters, wouldn't the girlfriends know about these machines already? Seems like something that would be all over the news! Also, what kind of person uses the hospital as an alibi for anything? That's the easiest bluff in the world to call. And when she does call it, he'll be in the hospital for sure. UPDATE: Here's the Web site of the Teletransporter. And yes, the agency apparently installed these things around the city of Mendoza. Presumably the grainy footage of the guys is real footage, too.

—Posted by David Kiefaber

Filed under Alcohol, Kiefaber, South America
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BBDO has the antidote to woodpecker angst

By all rights, this Argentine commercial by BBDO for Twistos crackers should misfire. A young career woman's neurotic early-morning inner monologue, symbolized by a spazzy woodpecker stuck on her head, is banished by the calming effect of Twistos? Sounds like it's going to lay an egg, but it soars because the bird's blazing, angst-driven, brink-of-madness delivery is exceptional. "The co-worker you like is married! You're turning into your mother! Your mother! Everything is drooping! Everything! Everything!" It's impossible to catch it all the first time around, but you don't need to. The ending, with the bird feeling just as happy as she is ("I'm free! I'm free!"), is a nice touch. Maybe she should keep her windows shut at night, or get a cat to chase the boo-bird away. A metaphorical cat. Or a Siamese, they're nice too.

—Posted by David Gianatasio

Filed under Animals, BBDO, Food and drink, Gianatasio, South America
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Victims speak up in Burnett's Amnesty spot

Leo Burnett in Venezuela worked with six different directors on this intense Amnesty International appeal. "We work for those who know more about human rights. The ones who don't have any," says the line at the end. And those are exactly the folks who explain in the spot what Amnesty is and does—the twist being that their testimonies come as they're tortured, abused and held captive. In a sense, this is empowering, since they speak out at the precise moment when their tormenters would wish them to suffer in silence. This device, along with the quick-shifting scenarios and contrasting visual styles, commands attention and gives the ad extra bite. The unnerving ending seals the deal. A girl says a bedtime prayer as a figure approaches in the background. We never learn her fate—which, tragically, is just how the story unfolds for so many victims in real life. Via The Inspiration Room.

—Posted by David Gianatasio

Filed under Amnesty International, Leo Burnett, Politics, South America
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American kids love those Paraguayan colas

Young American movie and rock stars have the world at their feet. The one thing they regretfully don't have? Paraguay's Pulp Cola. That's the absurd but fun premise of a new local campaign for Pulp from ad agency Prana. The spot above skewers Hollywood's cookie-cutter college flicks with an obnoxious party-boy insipidly saluting the cola ("Nice job, friends from Paraguay!"), as a bespectacled nerd from central casting sways to the beat while working an ancient tape-roll adding machine. Even better is this Jonas Brothers spoof. The clothing, hairstyles, stage moves and editing mock 30 mindless years of MTV in just 45 seconds. And the chunky, bubblegum piano riff in their song, "We Don't Have It," is awesome! The Jonas Brothers never sounded so good, in ads or anywhere else. Via Ads of the World.

—Posted by David Gianatasio

Filed under Food and drink, Gianatasio, South America
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Vodafone recommends stalking Eva Mendes

The nerdy narrative thrust of this 60-second Vodafone spot from Argentina by ad agency Santo is impressive, as is the payoff, which rings so true. What would any of us say to celebrities if we got them on the phone? I'd tell Derek Jeter he's a god (go Yanks!) and advise Bono to lose the sunglasses and accent (it's an obvious fake). I'd warn Jay, Dave and Conan to stop stealing my best AdFreak material and hit them up for jobs. As for Eva Mendes, well, I'd congratulate her on her most recent film, praise her performance, tell her she's the hottest actress around and close with, "It was a pleasure speaking to you, Ms. Longoria." Via Ads of the World.

—Posted by David Gianatasio

Previously on AdFreak:
Eva Mendes's nipple finds sanctuary online
Eva Mendes next up in PETA fur campaign

Filed under Celebrity endorsements, Santo, South America, Telecom, Vodafone
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Are these guys in a beer commercial or not?

This Quilmes beer spot from Young & Rubicam in Argentina is a pretty funny bit of meta marketing. The two guys have an impressive eye for detail, particularly in noticing that all the beer glasses have the same amount in them. But clearly it's a commercial, because these two dweebs would never get into a club full of hot chicks any other way. In fact, Big Nose's buddy should thank his lucky stars he's in an ad, because otherwise he'd be stuck playing the pervert neighbor in a Lifetime Original Movie.

—Posted by David Kiefaber

Filed under Alcohol, Kiefaber, South America, Y&R
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Brazilian cancer spot is a serious tear-jerker

This is one intense spot by agency Base Propaganda for Brazil's League Against Cancer. For pure emotional impact, I'd rank it up there with the ALS Society of Canada's jarringly effective efforts. One key difference: The ALS appeal has more components to manipulate in terms of unsettling images and character interplay. The LAC clip is basically just a woman crying, but you can feel the primal force behind her sobs. I couldn't turn away, and I imagine many in the target audience will be likewise riveted. Kudos to the actress for conveying the depths of despair and heights of hope with the same gestures and tears. She elevates the spot beyond its "trick ending" into something far more thoughtful and profound. Via Ads of the World.

—Posted by David Gianatasio

Filed under Base Propaganda, Freaky, Gianatasio, League Against Cancer, PSAs, South America
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Kids' characters fall from grace in soda ads

This new ad campaign from the La Familia agency in Chile for some kind of soda isn't very kind to beloved children's characters. Here we have a guy who's returned from an afternoon of delighting children as Barney, and is digging into his carton of smokes and collection of skin mags. See the full ad here. Another ad shows a Teletubbie taking a leak in a Trainspotting-like bathroom. Somehow this "0% fantasy" notion is meant to make the soda appealing. Despite the grim outlook, the artwork is pretty fantastic, with the bloodstained wall behind the bathroom's broken mirror in the Teletubbie ad one of many killer details. I'm not sure why they focused on PBS characters who peaked in popularity 10 years ago, or why they draw on examples from mass media at all. But who cares! This fun concept has legs, and with any luck, Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch will be next. But not Snuffleupagus. He's real, dammit! God, I need another Coke. Via Ads of the World.

—Posted by David Gianatasio

Filed under Gianatasio, Soda, South America
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You'll be roasted alive, but still earn interest

At last, some bank advertising that tells it like it is! No vanilla platitudes here! In ads from Y&R Lima, Banco Financiero faces the truth about the world today: that we are (or might as well be) under assault from rampant meteor strikes and roaming dinosaurs, terrible storms and rising sea levels, and/or even vicious alien attacks. We're all basically screwed, though even if the world ends, that 8.5 percent rate from Banco is rock solid. This is exactly the tactic more banks should try, though naturally, no U.S. bank would have the guts or absurd sense of humor. The details of the illustrations are awesome. In the dinosaur ad, in one of the exposed apartments of the ruined building on the right, I think I can see a saurian chomping down on some guy's head. And in the space-attack ad, that's either a chortling alien one of the balconies, lovin' it all, or a pitiful human bemoaning the fate of mankind. Hey, it works both ways! Note to our new Martian overlords: When the attack begins, please zap Bank of America first! Via Ads of the World.

—Posted by David Gianatasio

Filed under Banco Financiero, Finance, Gianatasio, South America, Y&R
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Global warming hits home in Brazilian PSA

Brazilian ad agency Ponto de Criacao put together this environmental PSA, which quietly and skillfully dramatizes the problem of climate change. "When you feel it, it's already too late," says the line at the end. As global-warming PSAs go, it's as good as anything Noah Wylie's done.

—Posted by Tim Nudd

Filed under Environment, Nudd, Ponto de Criacao, PSAs, South America
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Guinea pigs, consummate advertising pros

As advertising characters and/or props, guinea pigs almost never disappoint. And they prove their worth yet again in this Argentine spot by agency El Cielo for cell-phone company Claro. The ad amusingly shows how, for kids these days, getting their first cell phone is often a bigger deal than getting their first pet. That's some great acting on the part of the varmints, one of which is awesome at vibrating. And yet, this is only our second-favorite guinea-pig commercial. The best one is still G4's Midnight Spank spot with the kidney-eating rodent.

—Posted by Tim Nudd

Filed under Animals, Claro, El Cielo, Nudd, South America, Telecom
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Belgian nonprofit helps, frightens farmers

When most ads use little people, it's just for some low-brow laughs. And maybe that's the case here. But I have to say I like this ad for the Belgian nonprofit Vredeseilanden ("Peace Islands") which raises money for third-world farmers by selling keychains shaped like, well, little people. (It's actually the organization's logo.) Instead of just tugging at our heart strings with the sad-but-true facts about life for South American farmers, the nonprofit deserves credit for creating a spot that's informative, funny and a bit self-deprecating. Maybe that's why they reportedly sold 100,000 of the keychains in January. To learn more about the campaign, including a clever guerilla effort on the steps of the Belgian Stock Exchange, be sure to check out Osocio's write-up.

—Posted by David Griner

Filed under Activism, Belgium, Griner, South America
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Don't throw those innards out with the trash

2008 may be remembered as the year when organ-donor-plea advertising came of age. California's singing-maggot effort ranked among AdFreak's 32 Freakiest Ads of '08. Now, from IMIP in Brazil (via agency Ampla) comes a print campaign that poses men, women and children next to trash cans. The text reads: "One of these two will get your organs. You decide." See all three ads here. I'm assuming they mean someone will get my organs after I'm dead, but you'd never know it from the haunted, hungry looks on the faces of those models. Go ahead, dream about my spleen. Just let me finish using it! Of course, I can't shake the feeling that maggots will get us all in the end.

—Posted by David Gianatasio

Filed under Gianatasio, Organ donation, South America
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Chevys handle nicely through wedding cake

Cake is a big thing in auto ads lately. Last year, Fallon London baked up that sedan-shaped cake for Skoda. And now we have this McCann Argentina spot in which a pair of twentysomethings drive their Chevy Spark through a giant wedding cake. The meaning of the stunt is unclear, but it probably has something to do with rebellion. The tagline is, "Life has just begun."

—Posted by Tim Nudd

Filed under Chevrolet, McCann Erickson, Nudd, South America
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