daniel kleinman + plane stupid: polar bear.

Ok, so first off, holy fuck! Secondly, this is really not very subtle. I’m not sure when polar bears became the sole animal mascot for global warming (I get it, ice caps melting and all, they’re relatively close to panda bears, but still…) Thirdly, the connection between the carbon footprint of your flight equating to the weight of a polar bear is a little tenuous for me and the message isn’t insightful, just shocking and heavy-handed. But, back to my original thought, which was… holy fuck! It affected me enough to post it, so there must be something going on. Or maybe I’m just stressed out now. Holy fuck.

No holds barred work for the Plane Stupid campaign from Mother London, directed by Daniel Kleinman and produced by Rattling Stick.

Via Feed

shelter + radiohead: house of cards.

This spot just totally took my breath away. That, and it’s set to Radiohead, so that’s guaranteed win.

Radiohead donated the rights to use their track, In Rainbow’s “Videotape” to Leo Burnett London for this new spot, “House of Cards” (coincidentally or not, also the name of another track from Radiohead’s In Rainbows…) The House of Cards campaign is promoting Shelter, a UK housing charity working to bring attention to the desperate homelessness crisis in Britain. Everyone involved – Radiohead, Leo Burnett, Framestore, Outsider, Dom and Nic, and actress Samantha Morton – donated their time to create this worthwhile spot.

The final 20 seconds are absolutely stellar. So haunting I cant stop thinking about it…

(Director: Dom and Nic. Production: Outsider. Post-Production: Framestore.)

surfrider foundation: catch of the day.

This is smart. Super smart. It’s getting more and more rare to see an actual, honest to goodness guerilla campaign that involves both a surprise and an insight tied together with a purpose. Slapping decals on the hand-rests of escalators just isn’t enough anymore.

To bring some attention to ocean pollution and just how disgusting it really is,  Surfrider Foundation teamed up with Satchi & Satchi LA to create “Catch of the Day.” Simply and brilliantly, they collected actual trash from beaches around the U.S., packaged it like food, and left it on display at farmer’s markets. It’s site-specific, appropriate, impacting, meaningful, shocking, and an actual consumer insight into the very act they’re in the middle of. Someone about to buy fish from the same ocean as the trash in their hands can’t help but be at least a little more enlightened as to how pollution isn’t someone else’s problem.

Condom Strips – Newport Beach, CA

Butts-n-Bits – Venice Beach, CA

Plastic Surprise – Galveston Beach, TX

Styrofoam Bites – Long Beach, CA

Aerosol Valu-Pack – South Padre Beach, TX

Thanks to Jessica at Thoughts Punctuated for the tip.

rspca: “hit”.

Holy fuck.

(Agency: The Campaign Palace. Director: Glendyn Ivin. Production: Exit Films.)

Via The Denver Egotist

mtv exit + radiohead: “all i need”.

This morning I woke up grumpy. I’m hung over from partying last night. The weather is shit; it’s freezing and raining. I was out of Advil. My streetcar was late, so I had to jump in a cab. I got rained on. I had to wait to catch an elevator up to my office. I found all of this incredibly, unbearably frustrating.

Then I found this video. I watched it. And I sat at my desk and cried.

Because it was the perfect time for me to be reminded of just how foolish and ignorant and incredibly, unbearably selfish I can be.

(Agency: colman rasic carrasco. Director: Steve Rogers. Production: Revolver.)

This video is another facet of MTV’s brilliant pro-social side. MTV Exit works to end child trafficking and exploitation around the world. The poignancy of this is so simple and direct, it grows not from manipulation or dramatization – just the comparison of two truths, neither of which we can deny. Plus, let’s be honest, a little Radiohead never hurt anything either.

I can’t rave enough about how honest, direct, and artistically engaging all of their PSAs are. Check out the work they’ve done to promote environmental awareness through MTV Switch, Holocaust awareness through MTV Think, and to halt the spread of HIV/AIDS with what is one of the best ads I’ve ever seen, period – “Shot”.

mtv think: “subway” + “family room”.

MTV’s social and activist network, Think, is seriously laying it down lately. In an increasingly desensitized world, they’re doing all the right things to get a message across; they know it needs to be honest, it needs to mean something, and it needs to be relatable. Especially when it comes to the treacherous, though well-meaning, tight rope walked by Public Service Announcements. We’ve all seen PSA’s that played it so safe or, conversely, were so ridiculously over the top, that they were laughable and ineffective. Like the unintentionally hilarious and impotent WSIB spots from late last year.

These new spots, directed by Michael Franzini, are perfectly suited to their goal. Realistic and relevant. They made me feel cold and put a stone in my stomach:

mtv: “shot”.

Um… wow. Just watch this. I don’t want to ruin the perfect power of it by trying to analyze it. Then send it around to people. This shit is for real…

(Agency: Ogilvy, Lisbon)