Not a one-size-fits-all

In theory, this Outdoor Research Yukon hat looks like it fits in the outdoors. Unfortunately, I found out the hard way that it doesn't. One of the companies I write for used it in a recent photo shoot. It single handily ruined 50% of the shots taken. I wish I would've been there to stop the madness, but I wasn't.  Now, my shot selection is cut in half for any and all ads/catalogs we will be creating. Not cool.

Nike Better World

Nike has always created good spots. They are more than commercials. Commercials sell things. Nike sells inspiration, ideas, and ambition. You see, there's a big difference between a commercial and what Nike does. Commercials are 30 seconds long. Nike uses as much time as it needs. Commercial have scripts. Nike tells stories. Commercials are discarded and forgotten while Nike can save what it creates, reuse it, and still make something that resonates beyond the norm. It's a pretty amazing thing.

Long Live Michael

The man in the Hathaway shirt

 The man in the Hathaway shirt is the original Most Interesting Man in the World; except he let the eye patch do the talking for him.

Nike: Chosen

I like the creative execution, but I really don't like the name of the campaign. Chosen just doesn't fit.

Best Video Advertisement

This won Ad Age's award for Best Video Advertisement. It's more of a short film. It's really well done.

Wheat Thins Stix Commercial

I'm sure this one will be overplayed soon, but for now it's still funny.

Outdoor Industry Gets Funnier

New Puma Ads = Good

Commercial Art

Like the rest of the blog-o-sphere I, too, have an opinion on this year's crop of Super Bowl Ads. I will keep my thoughts short and sweet.

Winners:
VW: Both the Darth Vader spot and the new Beetle spot were great. The Darth ad was cute, inexpensive to make, and shows that a grand idea doesn't always need a grand budget. The Beetle ad was fast, fun, and a great teaser at what's to come for the car brand.





Chrysler: While the Imported from Detroit ad was emotional and epic, I can't help but feel like most people aren't going to remember it as Chrysler's. But the execution was strong enough to earn top marks in my mind.



Runner Up - Groupon for making fun of Tibet. But they should have said, "Tibet isn't free. Either is their food. But with Groupon I can at least get it for half price." 

Losers:
Doritos: Despite some funny ideas, I really think Doritos fell short on all of its spots. Either the production value lacked or the jokes were too thin to really make them epic enough for the Super Bowl. Yes, the dude sucking his co-worker's thumb caught me off guard, but I was completely let down by the follow-up pant smelling gag. And the pug jumping through the door could have been 25 seconds shorter.

Sketchers: Could an ad try any harder to be sexual without hitting the mark. Kim Kardashian's monotone delivery completely negated her sexiness. Some people shouldn't have lines, plain and simple. Fortunately for her, she can share the blame with the lifeless script.

Outdoor Retailer

Outdoor Retailer was a great experience, but I never realized how many brands are trying to say the same thing. Currently, the outdoor industry is predicated on being green and taking the aspirational to the tenth degree. It's not a bad message, but it feels like they're talking to themselves instead of to 90% of their consumer base.

It may be because I come from rural America, but most people I know who actually live and play in the outdoors in the outdoors have other concerns. They want a product that works first, looks good second, and make them feel badass. I don't need a boot that can be recycled after it summits the Himalayas. But I do need something that will dominate Forest Park.

Work Stuff

We got a ton of B-roll footage during some recent athlete photo shoots. This is one of the digital spots that came from it.

Now Better Tasting!

I was about to make my kids some Hamburger Helper last night when I noticed one of the lamest taglines I've ever seen. In a giant yellow starburst on the box, it said "Now Better Tasting!"

Wow, that doesn't inspire a lot of confidence. I would understand if it said something like "Now with more flavor!" But better tasting? It might as well have said, "Hamburger Helper. Our old stuff tasted like shit."

I think it's just the verbiage "better tasting" that throws me off. It just feels incomplete. Come on, Hamburger Helper, let's step up your game for the next round.

The Original 'Most Interesting Man in the World'

Best Old Spice Commercial Clone Yet

From the UK.

Planters = Awesome

The subtle humor in this isn't that subtle, but it is subtly awesome. And you can never go wrong with stop animation during the Holidays. Give it up for Rudolph, bitches!

Creepy M&Ms

Does anybody else find the M&M commercials creepy. They always seem to be putting their characters in situations where they are being eaten or about to be eaten - not to mention the spot where they are going to put the pretzel character inside the M&M. I know this is candy we're talking about here, but there sure is a lot cannibalism going on.

AND 1 - Be Lo-Qi

I worked with Kamp Grizzly on getting this spot made for AND 1. 

Green Fatigue

A recent article in Ad Age states that people simply aren't responding to 'green marketing' like they use to. Consumers aren't believing the message anymore. While it's always nice for a legit entity to write it down, this doesn't scream news to me. It's the cyclical nature of anything driven by the media. People don't like being beaten over the head with the same message all day.

It's like those popular underground bands that people grow to hate once they get popular. When no one has heard of them, they sound fresh and new. Then everyone starts talking about them. Before you know it, they are playing everyone 30 minutes on the radio, which results in listener revolt. They are still a talented band, but you can only hear the same song so many times before the melody loses its hook.

While the green message is important, it's gotten too much radio play of late. Instead of standing out, brands are starting to blend in. Once the bottom of the barrel brands jump on board, you know the message has worn out its welcome. It's the same reason the Republicans took back the power in the House this election, and the same reseason they will lose it in the next one.

Once you recognize the cycle, it's a lot easier to embrace it.

Close...

This is another valiant effort by W+K. It has the heart to be great but I think the execution slightly missed the mark. A little too much humor and 'on the nose' setups brought it down. I think if it embraced a more serious tone, it would have blown the doors off the ad world.