What Will Kevin Hart Do Next? Well, for Starters, This Ad Campaign for Xfinity

Kevin Hart’s upcoming stand-up concert film is called What Now? Which is the question he poses to his uninterested wife and son in this Xfinity ad by 72andSunny New York.

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David Ortiz Shows Off the JerkyBot, a Drone Snack Tray That Follows You Around

There are lots of current applications of drone technology, but not many of them are very useful to the average consumer. But what’s this? A drone that allows you to literally snack nonstop? Now that’s something plenty of Americans can get behind.

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Von Miller Shows Off His Many Quirky Talents in His Debut as the Old Spice Guy

Denver Broncos linebacker and Super Bowl 50 MVP Von Miller has some big cleats to fill as the latest Old Spice guy, following popular pitchmen Isaiah Mustafa and Terry Crews as the star of Wieden + Kennedy’s high-profile ads for the P&G brand.

In a pair of spots tagged “Unforsweatable,” touting Old Spice’s Hardest Working Collection of deodorants and body washes, Miller quickly establishes his game plan. Less self-consciously suave than Mustafa, and way less manic than Crews (who came off like a crazed human cartoon character in some of his Old Spice appearances), Miller exudes a highly relatable vibe, and his confident charm really shines through.

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Von Miller, Noted Chicken Farmer Who Also Plays Football, Is Your New Old Spice Guy

From raising chickens to tackling the world’s biggest men to dancing for the nation, it seems there is nothing Von Miller can’t do. And now, he’s adding the revered title of Old Spice guy to his résumé.

Procter & Gamble today announced that the Denver Broncos linebacker and Super Bowl 50 MVP will be the face of Old Spice for the 2016 season. He will promote the brand’s Hardest Working Collection. The first creative will be here early in the season, the brand tells AdFreak. For now, you’ll just have to enjoy these two photos.

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Bryce Harper Sweats the Numbers in His Snazzy New Under Armour Ad (and Shoes)

Stats might be a big deal in baseball, but four-time all-star Bryce Harper wants young players to know there’s something more important—their feet.

Under Armour is out with a new campaign from Droga5 titled “It Comes from Below,” promoting the brand’s shoes. It launches this week with an ad for the Washinton Nationals’ new namesake Harper One cleats (which, naturally, the Nats’ right fielder will be wearing at Tuesday night’s All-Star Game).

In the commercial, Harper stands at the plate in an empty field, practicing his swing. The voiceover rattles off his impressive accomplishments by the numbers—precocious gains as a teenager, impressive averages, a unanimous MVP selection—all while his bat cracks against the ball again and agin, punctuating each data point.

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Frank Ocean's Calvin Klein Ads Only Deepen Mystery Around the Enigmatic Singer

Frank Ocean. Singer, songwriter, magazine editor, underwear model.

And now, perhaps, novelist.

While fans lose their minds over whether the mysterious R&B singer’s long-anticipated second album might, possibly, just maybe be released in July, he is providing a peek into his relationship with music, boxer briefs—and more subtly, long-form fiction writing—in a new Calvin Klein campaign.

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When Coke's Jordan Spieth Ad Shoot Was Rained Out, They Made Something Even Better

Jordan Spieth knows when to come in from the rain.

With the pro golfer’s first outdoor commercial shoot for Coca-Cola cancelled because of a torrential downpour, and a deluge forecast for the makeup date, the creative team, led by Wieden + Kennedy and RSA Films director Terence Neale, went to plan B.

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Dos Equis Puts Two Fairly Interesting People, Erin Andrews and Luis Guzmán, in New Ads

Jonathan Goldsmith’s Most Interesting Man in the World might have said adios (and flown off to Mars), but Dos Equis is hardly finished with its “Most Interesting” theme.

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Kevin Durant Goes Nuts for a Street Baller's Dunk in Ad for Nike and Foot Locker

Kevin Durant may be a basketball star, but he knows how to cheer for the little people, too.

In this new co-branded ad for Nike and Foot Locker, the Oklahoma City Thunder player gets so excited while sitting courtside at a street game that he throws his legs—and his namesake KD 8 Nikes—into the air.

It’s just one part of an epic crowd reaction when a player—wearing the same Joker-esque purple and green shoes—lands a reverse dunk. Other highlights from the stands include a super slow-mo “Oh no!” face, a sax solo and even a kid blasting off with a jetpack (which doesn’t really seem like the safest idea given the crowd below, but anyways).

In fact, the only spectator who doesn’t lose his mind is Zach LaVine of the Minnesota Timberwolves—the NBA’s 2015 slam dunk champion—who barely bothers to look up from studying a copy of a book titled The Funk on Dunk (which sadly doesn’t appear to be a real title … or at least, not one that’s currently in print).

Though to be totally honest, the move itself doesn’t come close to Blake Griffin’s latest for Jordan—or even Marvin the Martian’s.

CREDITS
Clients: Nike & Foot Locker

Agency: Wieden + Kennedy, Portland, Ore.
Creative Directors: Chris Groom, Stuart Brown
Copywriter: Sheena Brady
Art Director: Mike Warzin
Producer: Kevin Diller
Interactive Strategy: Reid Schilperoort
Strategic Planning: Brandon Thornton
Media/Comms Planning: Charles Lee, John Furnari
Account Team: Jordan Muse, Katie Gurgainus, Chase Haviland, Luke Purdy
Business Affaires: Alicia Willett
Project Management: Emily Norman
Executive Creative Directors: Joe Staples / Mark Fizloff
Head of Production: Ben Grylewicz

Production Company: MJZ
Director: Steve Ayson
Executive Producer: Emma Wilcockson
Line Producer: Mark Hall
Director of Photography: Philippe Le Sourd

Editorial Company: Exile Editorial
Editor: Kirk Baxter
Post Producer: Toby Louie
Post Executive Producer: CL Weaver

VFX Company: Saint
Flame Artist: Robert Trent
VFX Producer: Helen Park

—Digital/Interactive
Agency: Wieden + Kennedy, Portland, Ore.
Creative Director: Chris Groom, Stuart Brown
Copywriter: Sheena Brady
Art Director: Mike Warzin
Producer: Kevin Diller
Interactive Strategy: Reid Schilperoort
Strategic Planning: Brandon Thornton
Media/Comms Planning: Charles Lee, John Furnari
Account Team: Jordan Muse, Katie Gurgainus, Chase Haviland, Luke Purdy
Executive Creative Directors: Joe Staples / Mark Fitzloff
Agency Executive Producer: Ben Grylewicz
Digital Designer: Justin Morris
Exec Interactive Producer: Ben Oh
Content Producer : Keith Rice
Art Buying: Amy Berriochoa

Madrid Crowds Ignore a Disguised Cristiano Ronaldo in This Product Launch Stunt

Hunky football superstar Cristiano Ronaldo is immediately recognizable around the world (That gorgeous face!). But stuff him into a padded suit, add scruffy facial hair and ratty clothes and he can hang out undetected even in his bustling hometown. Even a soccer ball and fancy footwork can’t give him away.

That’s the setup of a just-launched video to announce the athlete’s foray into consumer electronics, namely headphones and portable speakers. Posted on Facebook, with no paid media push around it, the video has racked up  33 million views in two days. It also has nearly 900,000 shares, 1.4 million “likes” and 100,000 comments. At one point on Monday, the digital piece was attracting nearly 1 million views every half-hour, outpacing even YouTube’s “Ad of the Decade” with Lionel Messi and Kobe Bryant.

The four-minute video, shot in a busy plaza in Madrid, comes from Los Angeles-based Shareability, which is a co-owner with Ronaldo and Incubrand of the new ROC Live Life Loud brand. Execs there said a prank-style approach made sense for the famous Real Madrid forward.

“He’s a very serious guy who plays and trains 98 percent of the time, so we wanted to show him in a way he’s never been seen before,” said Tim Staples, one of Shareability’s founders. “We thought it would be really fun to take the biggest athlete in the world and hide him in plain sight.”

Ronaldo, like many U.S. entertainers before him, is wading into the hot tech and audio market. The new company has a partnership with manufacturer Monster, which is presently embroiled in a lawsuit against celebrity headphone pioneer Beats by Dre over Monster’s role in the design of Beats products—a fight that’s now also soured Monster’s relationship with Apple, Beats’ new owner.

In other words, Monster is chasing market share by pairing with another huge name, and all the cachet that brings. Though the U.S. may be flooded with gadgets like the one Ronaldo is now hawking, global territories where the soccer star is hugely popular have plenty of room for growth, Staples said. And Ronaldo’s 105 million Facebook followers have gotten the ball rolling, so to speak, proving that his nascent brand can make a name for itself without traditional advertising.

The headphones themselves, at $200 and up, aren’t exactly an impulse buy, so time will tell if the video’s popularity converts to sales. But the short film, even if it weren’t a commercial on the down-low, would have its own charm. One passing pedestrian refuses to give Ronaldo her phone number—she must really regret that now—and in the end, a beaming kid gets to unexpectedly meet an idol—not to mention the priceless look of confusion on his face when a bearded rando starts autographing a ball for him.

Check out a behind the scenes clip below. 

Taylor Swift Stars in Global Rebrand for Keds: 'Ladies First Since 1916'

A year ahead of its centennial, footwear brand Keds is launching a global brand platform and fall 2015 ad campaign around female empowerment, and has gotten one of the world’s great trailblazing women, Taylor Swift, to headline it.

Print ads from kirshenbaum bond senecal + partners show the pop star, 25, posing against artistic backdrops with headlines like “All dressed up with everywhere to go” and “There’s no such thing as an average girl.” The tagline is, “Ladies first since 1916.”

Click the ads to enlarge.

“A new generation of women has been leading an exciting cultural shift redefining the conversation about equality and female empowerment,” Keds president Chris Lindner said in a statement.

“Keds was originally created in 1916 to provide ladies with accessible, fashionable footwear to allow them to be who they wanted to be, and go where they wanted to go. ‘Ladies First’ is a celebration of amazing women like Taylor Swift who are blazing new trails every day. From CEOing to BFFing, these ladies are doing it all.”

The campaign features other female talent, both on and off camera. In addition to a few other models, the ads employed notable female artists to make the backdrops—including illustrator Priscilla White, surface artist and pattern designer Kendra Dandy, and street artist Paige Smith.

Keds said the combination of poppy, street-style photos and empowering headlines is meant to deliver a “one-two punch of fashion and emotion” and capture “what is means to be a lady in 2015.”

The media plan combines retail, social, print and digital (with publishers including Nylon, Paper, Interview, Refinery29 and WhoWhatWear) with wild postings, bus wraps and subway media “in many of NYC’s most artistic neighborhoods.”

Jane Lynch Wrote and Stars in These Pleasantly Goofy Ads for Coconut Water

Jane swing through jungle on vine. Where Tarzan?

Jane Lynch, so awesome as the cheerleading coach on Glee, wrote and stars in a new series of ads for Vita Coco coconut water. “Stupidly simple” is the tagline, and that pretty much describes her shenanigans in the campaign.

Along with vining on a cheesy rainforest set, Lynch tries to sneak coconuts through airport security (she really milks it), disrupts a marathon (guess why the runners stumble) and takes the stand at a trial (how she escapes the death penalty for perpetrating such silliness, I’ll never know). In the best bit, she struggles to fit a coconut in her car’s clearly inadequate cup holder. (C’mon, just one more try should do it…)

Oh, and some Hawaiian-shirted dude named Eduardo keeps handing Lynch sippy-boxes of Vita Coco. At one point, he brandishes a machete, and in the cup-holder spot, pops up in the back seat of her car. (Run, Jane, run!)

Cannes won’t be calling, but Lynch’s self-aware, deadpan approach is spot on, and the ads are, perhaps, just different enough to break through.

The only thing missing is a coconut slushie to the face. Add that to your playbook for next time, coach!

You Loved Bobblehead Bret Michaels So Much That Nissan Gave Him His Own Ad Campaign

Bobblehead Bret Michaels sure drives a hard bargain. Must be the frozen stare and the defiant stance. You should probably take him along on your next car-buying venture. You want the leopard-print steering wheel cover, don’t you?

The former Poison frontman trots out his cheeky sense of humor, along with his ceramic mini-doppelganger, for a digital video series promoting Nissan’s commercial vehicles. The shorts are a follow-up to a campaign that launched last summer featuring Michaels in the Arizona desert surrounded by Nissan trucks, pyrotechnics, bandana-clad crash test dummies and hot chicks.

The work, from TBWAChiatDay, also introduced the look-alike bobblehead that has since become a fan favorite. The agency, responding to Twitter and Facebook requests, just launched five “BobbleBret” videos, taking the doll off the dashboard. Michaels’ power ballad version of the sappy Lionel Richie/Diana Ross duet “Endless Love” returns as the melodramatic soundtrack.

Among other unlikely scenarios, the new snippets show Bobble Bret’s silent negotiating skills at a Nissan dealership and his rock-star-sized tantrum in a green room. No brown M&Ms, he said!

Find all the videos at NissanToughLove.com.



Ricky Gervais Phones In These Hilariously Honest Ads Introducing Netflix to Australia

Ricky Gervais is the ultimate anti-pitchman in this amusing set of ads for Australian broadband and cable company Optus, promoting its deal to bring Netflix to the country.

The creator of The Office and Extras, who’s done Netflix ads before, is less interested in talking about Optus and more interested in boasting about how much they paid him and how little effort he put into the pitch. He also delivers the whole message in his trademark stupidly arrogant David Brent style.

There’s also a funny spot in which he rushes to get the talking points in before the ad-skip button appears for YouTube viewers.

The campaign was created by APN News & Media’s content marketing arm Emotive in collaboration with M&C Saatchi and Fuel Communications.

“Allowing Ricky to take control of the scripts and deliver it with his globally renowned comedy style was a bold move which could only happen with a progressive brand like Optus. We’re all chuffed with the result,” says Emotive CEO Simon Joyce.



Liam Neeson Narrates This Gorgeous Tourism Ad for Ireland Timed to St. Patrick's Day

Liam Neeson is a big softy when it comes St. Patrick’s Day.

The tough-guy actor provides a heartfelt voiceover for this 60-second Discover Ireland tourism spot, waxing poetic about his homeland.

“Every year, on St. Patrick’s Day, the world goes green,” he begins, as landmarks like the Leaning Tower of Pisa, Sydney Opera House and Paris’ Moulin Rouge, all lit in emerald hues, flash by. “But here in Ireland,” he continues, “every day is bathed in green.”

We’re treated to shots of rugged coasts, crescent hills and verdant forests, along with city scenes of bustling nightlife, shopping and parades. #GoGreen4PatricksDay is the hashtag.

What would be an attractive if predictable spot really shines thanks to Neeson’s earnest, nuanced narration. The Oscar nominee provides a level of emotional resonance and authenticity often lacking from tourism work. Being Liam Neeson, his delivery is still intense and penetrating, though he sounds legitimately pleased to be talking up the green.

Though I kind of miss the smoldering murderousness he conveys when seeing red.



Kevin Bacon Does Ads for Eggs, Because What Goes Better With Eggs Than Bacon?

Kevin Bacon has traded off the whole “six degrees” things in ads for years. Now it’s time to put the Bacon to work.

And that he does in an amusing if obvious campaign from Grey New York promoting eggs on behalf of the American Egg Board. Because after all, nobody knows eggs better than bacon. Or Bacon.

The online video gets surprisingly suggestive, as Kevin puts up with some heavy flirting from a married woman who discovers him just lying on her counter one day. And the spot doesn’t tire of puns, even though Kevin claims not to enjoy them.

He does enjoy his eggs, however.

“With a last name like Bacon, I’m the obvious choice, and I’m excited to be a part of the new Incredible Edible Egg campaign,” Bacon says in a statement. “I like the creativity behind the idea, and I’ve always been a big fan of eggs. They’re a nutritional powerhouse and I never get tired of them because there are so many ways you can eat them.”

Per-capita egg consumption grew to 260 in 2014, an increase of more than a dozen over the last five years, according to the USDA. The celebrity ad campaign is designed to keep that momentum going.

“Kevin Bacon brings real star power to the world of eggs and we think consumers are going to love this clever new version of bacon and eggs,” says Kevin Burkum, the American Egg Board’s svp of marketing. “And there’s no better time to talk about eggs with consumption at its highest level in three decades and Easter right around the corner.”

See the print ad below.

CREDITS
Client: American Egg Board
Spot: “Side of Kevin”
Agency: Grey New York
Chief Creative Officer: Tor Myhren (Global) / Andreas Dahlqvist (New York)
Creative Directors: Ari Halper (Executive Creative Director), Steve Krauss (Executive Creative Director), Brad Mancuso, Susan LaScala Wood
Art Directors: Jay Hunt / Pete Gosselin, Matt DeCoste
Copywriters: Jay Hunt / Pete Gosselin
Agency Producer: Perry Kornblum
Production Company (location): Moxie Pictures (LA)
Director: Martin Granger
Director of Photography: Alar Kivilo
Editor (person & company): Alex Cohan / Vision Post
Music/Sound Design (person & company): Matt Baker / Vision Post
Principal Talent: Kevin Bacon, Geneva Carr, Jeff Wiens



Owen Wilson Takes on Voiceover Duties for TrueCar

Actor-writer Owen Wilson — the man you know from Wes Anderson’s catalog, Wedding Crashers and other, less notable films — bring his laid-back drawl to the commercial world in a couple of new spots for mobile marketplace TrueCar.

In the first ad above, “True Love,” which debuted during day one of the 139th Annual Westminster Dog Show, Wilson’s voiceover work takes a backseat to man’s best friend as a variety of breeds do what they love best in a car: sticking their heads out the window.

Wilson’s vocal work is limited in “True Love” as the dogs are the rightful stars of the show, but his VO plays a more prevalent role in the campaign’s more brand-focused second spot, “True Thrill” (below).

Regarding Wilson’s hiring and the concept behind the ads themselves (which were created by TrueCar’s Santa Monica-based creative agency Tiny Rebellion), the shop’s CEO/CMO Lucas Donat writes:

“Owen Wilson is the voice of this campaign because he is beloved by a generation that TrueCar is dedicated to serving. The ads are meant to connect the joy of car ownership to the ease of how we can now buy them through TrueCar.  The ‘True Love’ spot has a simple premise, dogs love cars as much as we do.”

Along with the TV campaign, TrueCar has also launched a social extension with the hashtag #DogsInCars. Its goal is to encourage donations to related animal charities.

Natalie Portman, a Runaway Bride, Gets a Helicopter Rescue in Miss Dior Ad

In this attractive new Miss Dior ad, Natalie Portman outdoes Julia Roberts’ runaway bride by nabbing a helicopter after she ditches her groom at the altar. Portman’s escape, soundtracked by Janis Joplin’s epic “Piece of My Heart,” has the actress running barefoot and shedding her handmade gown. 

Director Anton Corbijn, known for A Most Wanted Man, tells People magazine that his vision of Miss Dior was a feminist one.

“It’s interesting to see that these women are kind of worshiped by men, projecting what men want to see, and yet they say they are feminists,” he said. “For me it’s still coming from a man’s perspective. The great thing about Janis Joplin, for instance, is that the female perspective prevails.”

He notes that the team behind the spot was careful with the song choice. “It took a long time to find the music, and this choice seemed to fit perfectly from all angles, including the song’s meaning,” he says. 

Now, back to the gown: It took 600 hours to make and consists of hundreds of hand-cut fabric flowers which were dyed into shades of pink and white to create an ombré effect. 



Walter White, Lindsay Lohan Play to Type for Esurance

Viewers were surprised (in a good way) to see Bryan Cranston reprise his iconic role as Breaking Bad‘s Walter White in the Leo Burnett-helmed Super Bowl XLIX ad for Esurance.

On the other hand, we found it somewhat sad to watch Lindsay Lohan take a more self-deprecating route for the brand’s other big game installment.

Esurance CMO Alan Gellman explained the genesis of his Allstate-owned company’s Super Bowl ad debut and its tagline “sorta like you,” saying:

“Esurance is very excited to be in-game for the first time this year and share our new ad campaign with the millions of viewers who tuned in. We want everyone to know that we’re here to help make sure you get insurance that’s right for you, not someone ‘sorta’ like you, with the help of our innovative technology and services, such as CoverageMyWay and friendly insurance experts over the phone.”

Makes sense, we guess. Leo Burnett and Esurance promise more celeb-driven ads to come, along with the usual support via digital and social media.

Leo CCO Susan Credle offers her own synopsis, adding:

“We took characters who sort of fit someone’s description, but more importantly, dramatically, sort of didn’t.”

Skittles Compels Marshawn Lynch to Open Up (in His Own Way)

Seattle running back Marshawn Lynch’s Super Bowl Media Day appearance went just as expected with his usual succinct, broken-record soundbites, but it seems he saved all his energy to communicate about his one true love: Skittles.

Lynch’s fondness for the Mars candy staple has been well-documented for a few years in the form of him scarfing a handful on the sidelines games or being showered with Skittles by fans after scoring a touchdown. According to his mom Delisa Lynch, his Skittles affinity dates back to his youth: in 2012, she explained:

“The real is story is, I would give him Skittles before the game when he was playing Pop Warner. I would give him a handful of Skittles and say, ‘Eat ’em up, baby. They’re going to make you run fast and they’re going to make you play good.’”

Now, the man known for going into “beast mode” has solidified a business relationship dating back to last year’s Super Bowl by holding a press conference (with Skittles in tow, of course) on the subject of what makes Marshawn Lynch tick. Whether he’s talking about his cat video viewing habits or being an “earthling,” this 2 1/2-minute clip from Olson Engage is more interesting than any recent interaction between Lynch and the press.

In cased you missed it, you can also check out a 15-second teaser for Skittles’ actual Super Bowl spot (minus Lynch) from DDB here.