benrik: stuck.

To promo their 2009 version of their cult-followed annual hitlist of random daily things to do to transform your life – “This Diary Will Change Your Life 2009” – UK megabloggers/life gurus/jackasses/authors/designers/men about town/shit disturbers/anarchists Benrik (a.k.a. Ben Carey and Henrick Delehag) literally stuck a guy onto a billboard in downtown London next to the obvious question… “stuck?”

Or maybe the more obvious question… what happened when dude had to pee?

hp + framestore: in the air.

This looks so slick. Killer VFX work from the amazing Framestore for HP’s latest spot “In The Air.” I dig the American Beauty-esque score too. Totally tight. The reflection in the astronaut’s helmet is so hot. It makes me want to be a better man. That’s how good it is.

(Agency: Goodby Silverstein. Director: Dante Ariola. Production: MJZ.)

adidas originals + sid lee: house party.

It’s been a while since I got all sloppy talking about one of my absolute favourite brands ever – Adidas. So today I was ready when Limited Hype released “House Party.” Part of the big-ass global campaign that’s beginning to evolve for Adidas’ 60th anniversary in 2009, this spot, created by Sid Lee Montréal, gets all grainy and nostalgic for the kind of jams we all knew and loved before anyone owned furniture they cared about.

It’s still 2008, but mark my words: 2009 will be the year of Adidas, and this shit will be everywhere. Now watch it and play spot the celeb. They’re here. And they are partying…

(Director: Nima Nourizadeh.)

That’s right: Russell Simmons, David Beckham, N.E.R.D, Method & Redman, Jeremy Scott, Yung Jeezy, DMC, Missy Elliott, Katy Perry, Estelle and probably a few I’ve missed. If you’re reading this and you’re famous, you need to find out why you’re not in this commercial, and then you need to fire someone’s ass.

anonymous: just douche it.

So this little puppy turned up on Adrants today. Apparently it’s about to appear in a yet unnamed international publication, and the equally anonymous tipster told them “We prefer to keep the publication anonymous for now but this will be going to print in the very near future and we expect it to provoke some discussion and probably some threats of legal action.”

Looks very Adbusters-ish to me, but who knows. I like Nike. I wear Nikes. So I’m not posting this to trash them. Because the only thing I like more than my right to enjoy and support a brand, no matter how ubiquitous it may be, is the right of anyone else to hate it enough to make fun of it.

UPDATE: Thanks to Jake for letting me know that Just Douche It did actually turn up as the back cover on the latest issue of Adbusters. Sweet.

barclaycard: waterslide.

When you die, you go to heaven. And heaven is a world made of waterslides. Apparently, you also get some kind of British debit swipe card, but that’s beside the point. The point is… waterslides!

(Agency: BBH London. Director: Peter Thwaites. Production: Gorgeous.)

Watch the Making Of.

Via my always on-the-ball friends at The Denver Egotist

cbc + the accident factory: macs vs. pcs.

So, I’ll be honest, I don’t know what the fuck is going on here. At first it’s not so confusing: we’ve got Macs, we’ve got PCs, we’ve got “West Side Story”, and we’ve got “Dawn of the Dead.” It’s almost Hallowe’en, they’re hoping this shit goes viral (and I’m blogging it, so I’m contributing to its viral-ness.) Got it. Then I realized that it’s commissioned by the CBC, and that’s where I’m lost.

For those of you who don’t know, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation is a media dinosaur; generally dull and plodding and slow-moving and about as hip as trucker hats. But it’s Canadian and it’s ours and Canadians love anything that’s been around for 100 years and we’re not about to do something crazy like criticize it. Like the monarchy; we simply don’t question it.  It’s a very Canadian thing to secretly believe that any kind of major change will lead to the downfall of our society. It’s possible that universal healthcare is somehow based on the existence of the CBC, so let’s not rock the boat. We like to keep on keepin’ on.

For a general example of how quick the CBC is to trend-spot, they’ve recently discovered… reality television! Basically they like to wait until something becomes really popular everywhere else, wait a few more years so that it can start to become unpopular, and then do a not-quite-as-good version of what’s now almost throughly unpopular… and somehow hope it becomes popular again.  I imagine a bunch of men, scratching their heads, sitting around a boardroom wondering to themselves “what will those whacky kids do next?” So, the fact that they managed to catch on to something culturally current while it’s still actually culturally current is a little mind-blowing. If they can make it a trend, good for them. I won’t hold my breath though.

Also, since the CBC is publically-funded, that means my taxes have somehow funded the making of this vid. And, thus, I’ve given myself a producer credit. See below…

(Agency: The Accident Factory. Director: Kirby Ferguson. Tax-Based Public Partial Producer: Jeremy Elder and all other tax-paying citizens of Canada.)

Via Wired

sony bravia: domino city.

Sony Bravia spots are the Brangelina of the advertising world. They’ve almost become so big, such an iconic idea unto themselves, that there’s no way they can live up to expectations. Shot in India and airing across the Asia Pacific market, this new spot is the second one not helmed by Fallon London – creator of the legendary global spots – but by Bates 141 Singapore.

(Director: Nic Finlayson.)

It’s cute. Its got colours. Its got an ethnic, spice-market, global unity through the magic of electronics vibe that I kinda dig. The music is a bit too similar to the José González track used in “Balls” which, though lovely, has already been done.

I’m ambivalent.

Those Fallon Sony ads are beyond legendary and are possibly an impossible act to follow. People acted like they’d just experienced The Rapture after “Paint” came out. A 50-state Obama sweep is the only thing that could bring more joy to the world. It’s like being asked to paint Mona Lisa’s sister… it just won’t be that good unless you go in a totally new direction. I’ll admit, though, that if I had seen this spot separately from the others I’d probably love it. That’s what happens when walking in the foot steps of giants.

You can check out a nifty Making Of vid here.

Via Illegal Advertising

australia directors guild: freaks.

It’s the totally dead-pan earnesty of this spot that makes it so amazing. Created by Soma Films and directed by Ben West, the theme of this year’s Australia Directors Guild Conference, “creative collaborations”, inspired this little mockumentary promo about the creative freaks attracted to film-making.

Watch “Freaks” in HD here, or check out it out below…

Via Feed

quercus: total warming.

Holy shit. I feel riddled with guilt after watching this. This is one of the best environmental-awareness pieces I’ve ever seen. Seriously, I need to go recycle something now.  Heartbreakingly lovely animation from Seagulls Fly.

(Agency: McCann Erickson Portugal. Director: FlavioMac. Production: Seagulls Fly.)

Via Fubiz™

hovis: go on lad.

I like this spot because it reminds me that no matter how banal your product is, your commercials don’t have to be. There’s always an opportunity to do something cinematic and interesting and that doesn’t necessarily make any sense until the end. This might be moving against conventional commerical wisdom lately, but good things come to those who wait…

(Agency: MCBD London. Director: Ringan Ledwidge. Production: Rattling Stick.)