BBDO global chief creative officer David Lubars recently told Adweek the agency world has an "an unhealthy obsession" with awards. But even the most cursory glance around the industry will tell you awards shows are here to stay. If anything, they're more prominent than ever—many agencies have at least one full-time employee whose primary job is to manage the year-round application process.

Agency creatives and executives accept these events as a crucial part of the business landscape—as long as organizers deliver their kudos with a knowing smirk. This is advertising, after all.

For more than five decades, the Advertising Club of New York's International Andy Awards have recognized "the brave process of creativity" by gathering a jury of influencers to weigh in on the year's best work. The 2016 event will be chaired by Wieden + Kennedy partner and global co-executive creative director Colleen DeCourcy, and it continues the tongue-in-cheek traditions of years past with a call for entries video purporting to showcase "The Best Commercial of the Year So Far."

Who is the protagonist in this strange "commercial" whose identity is obscured by grime and the limitations of language? What literal or metaphorical role might he play in the ad industry, and how does his presence relate to the Andy Awards? W+K would rather not say.

"We're just poking fun at the clichés, the classic tricks that are worn out," DeCourcy told Adweek. "The message is: Do something new. Stop caring about the wrong things. Have some fun."

Advertising has long been an industry prone to self mockery, and this year's Andy Awards continue that tradition, even though it's not quite like other such elbow-rubbing affairs. "The Advertising Club of New York has become a kind of second home for a lot of creatives in this business," said DeCourcy. "We pick our juries, we run our process, we we meet up and work together on events for young and diverse creatives, and we give a lot of our time throughout the year thinking of ways to make this business better for us all."

DeCourcy added, "The Andys is an incredible act of collaboration. It's run by and for creative people." On that note, W+K has also created a microsite for the event that functions as an ongoing curatorial effort by agency creatives eager to show their best faces to the jury, which this year includes top creatives from such shops as BBDO, FCB, Deutsch, McCann, Anomaly, Walton Isaacson and Barton F. Graf 9000.

Best.andyawards.com promises to deliver "the perfect interactive experience," which means visitors can leave their own fingerprints on the site by embedding videos, images, GIFs or audio tracks. "This site is a pure interaction," reads the copy on the site. "It is an amorphous, intelligent being."

Gina Grillo, president and CEO of the International Andy Awards, said, "This year, we wanted to include creatives, inventors and innovators in the Andys CFE launch, sharing an entirely new platform from which people could be brave."

Beyond the Wieden + Kennedy work, this year's awards includes several firsts. The 2016 winners list will include separate categories for Typography, Art Direction and Corporate Social Responsibility, the practice in which clients turn to agencies to remind the world that the marketing game isn't just an endless search for revenue. This year, the Andys also partnered with corporate sponsor Amazon to make sure every hard-working person involved in a winning campaign could receive a 3-D printed statue.

As DeCourcy put it, "The Andy Awards isn't Advertising's Got Talent. This show is run to celebrate what we do and lovingly push each other further."

So what makes an Andy winner?

"The best litmus test is did a group of people put their skills, their reputation and their brand on the line to get to a great idea and get it made?" DeCourcy said. "That's what gets an Andy."

May the best ideas win.

Credits
Client: ANDY Awards  
Project Name: Beat the Best and Win an ANDY  
Agency: Wieden + Kennedy New York
Executive Creative Directors: David Kolbusz, Jaime Robinson, Colleen DeCourcy  
Copywriters: Howard Finkelstein, Andrew Jasperson  
Art Director: Grant Mason  
Interactive Art Director: Andre Poli  
Head of Content Production: Nick Setounski  
Producer: Orlee Tatarka  
Account Team: Jacqueline Ventura  
Business Affairs: Sara Jagielski, Tana Prosper  
Director of Technology: Charles Duncan  
Executive Interactive Producer: Jonathan Percy  
Sr. Interactive Producer: Jen Vladimirsky  
Technology Lead: Alex Maiorov  
Lead Experience Designer: Kate Bauer  
Front End Tech: Joe Zhou  
Creative Technologist: Craig Blagg  
Project Management: Cory Chonko, Ava Rant
Production Company: Caviar Content  
Director: Hugo Stenson  
Executive Producer/MP: Michael Sagol  
Executive Producer: Kim Dellara  
Line Producer: Tova Dann  
Director of Photography: Jac Fitzgerald
Editorial Company: Joint Editorial  
Editor: Lindsey Houston   
Post-Producer: Stephen Schmidt  
Post Executive Producer: Michelle Carman  
Editorial Assistant: Stephen Nelson
VFX Company: Caviar Content  
VFX Supervisors: Terry Huynh  
VFX Flame Artists: Arnold Aldridge
Colorist: Dave Jahns
Mix Company: New North Sound 
Mixer: Brandon Jiaconia  
Sound Designer: Alison Ables  
Producer: Alex Thiesen 
Artist: Alison Ables  

In "Bring Your Game," a five-minute Nike film that debuted during NBA telecasts on Christmas Day, a bunch of kids can't decide on their favorite player. So, like all kids facing this dilemma, they jet around the country to hang out with some of Nike's biggest basketball endorsers in a series of amusing vignettes by Wieden + Kennedy. 

It's exactly like real life! 

First up, they knock on Kevin Durant's door. "Hey, KD," one young fan begins, "there's a lot of great players right now, and that makes it kind of hard for us to pick a favorite. So we're gonna live with you a while to help us decide." 

"That's a little weird," he replies, "but come on in. Close the door behind you."

Instead of a living room, they find themselves in a brick-walled gym. (Hey, it's KD's house. That's how he rolls.) True to form, Durant ferociously dunks on one of them, though the youngster receives a "Sorry-About-That Bag" as a consolation prize (with a cheeky KD poster inside).

More quirky meet-and-greet scenarios follow, with our heroic note-takers encountering Paul George, LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Kyrie Irving, Anthony Davis and Elena Delle Donne (with cute cameos from Serena Williams and Future.) 

Some highlights include a 3 a.m. workout session with Bryant as a hoodied sensei-mentor ("Eight hours of training is nothing compared to a second of losing"), George's hot tub book club and fishing sessions (on a yacht), and several unwelcome helpings of King James' secret weapon: spirulina cake. A nod to Irving's math-tastic "Unexpected Move" commercial even factors into the equation.

The antics are anchored in the athletes' real-life playing styles, preparation routines and off-court interests. Bryant, for example, does like to meditate and takes a philosophical approach to the game. George is an avid fisherman. And James famously adjusted his diet to get into better shape.

And KD? Well, he dunks on your ass.

Directed by Rick Famuyiwa, the brisk-paced, immensely likable spot is a big hit on YouTube, approaching 4 million views in three days. It does a fine job of making Nike's superstars more relatable by presenting aspects of their personalities that both inform and transcend statistical achievement and on-court heroics. 

"Basketball is undergoing a renaissance, a return to distinct personalities and vibrant style that mixes skill with originality," Nike explains. "Each member of Nike Basketball's family of athletes embraces this singular creative and competitive spirit, pushing the game to new places and proving that, when it comes to game-time dominance, there is no prescription."

Though spirulina cake helps, apparently.

CREDITS
Client: Nike
Agency: Wieden + Kennedy
Director: Rick Famuyiwa

Winning a Cannes Lion or a Gold Clio would make George Smoot's Nobel Prize for Physics look like garbage, right? 

In Wieden + Kennedy's latest TurboTax campaign, some of the world's greatest intellects school average folks on how easy it is to use the online tax preparation system. S. James Gates Jr., Michio Kaku, Franklin Chang Diaz and Smoot are among the smarties appearing in a series of 30-second spots tagged, "It doesn't take a genius to do your taxes." 

In one commercial, theoretical physicist Kaku explains the concept of "absolute zero" as it applies to TurboTax, which charges nothing for its service. "Nothing is the absence of something," he says. "Zero is absolutely nothing." (Bravo, brainiac!) 



In a Spanish-language ad, physicist astronaut Diaz shows a befuddled father how to claim his kids as dependents, though he misses an easy basket during a driveway pickup game. (Suck it, Poindexter! Who says nothing beats an astronaut?)



"The ads bring new innovations to life, demonstrating how TurboTax addresses consumers' doubts and empowers them to get every dollar they deserve," says Greg Johnson, svp of marketing for Intuit's Consumer Tax Group. 

W+K and multicultural agency Grupo Gallegos handled creative chores, with Smuggler's Randy Krallman directing the amusing commercials, which run through April 18, supported by radio, digital and social outreach. 

TurboTax will also air a "Genius" spot during Super Bowl 50, marking the brand's third straight appearance on the big game, and its follow-up to 2015's droll "Boston Tea Party" ad. (In addition, one of three finalists in parent company Intuit's "Small Business, Big Game" contest will have an ad produced by RPA for the Feb. 7 CBS telecast.)

One question, though: If they're really such geniuses, why don't they show us how to avoid paying taxes? The mind reels. 

More variants below.

CREDITS
Client: Intuit TurboTax

Agency: Wieden + Kennedy, Portland, Ore.
Creative Directors Max Stinson, Scott Kaplan, Erik Fahrenkopf
Copywriter Jason Turner
Art Director Joe Albert
Senior Producer Erika Madison
Account Team Courtney Nelson, Vanessa Miller, Anna Boteva
Executive Creative Directors Joe Staples / Mark Fitzloff
Head of Production Ben Grylewicz
Strategic Planning Christine Sheehan, Nathan Goldberg
Project Management Laurie Holtz

Production Company Smuggler
Director Randy Krallman
Executive Producer Shannon Jones
Line Producer Ian Blain
Director of Photography Manel Ruiz

Editorial Company Mackenzie Cutler
Editor Erik Laroi
Assistant Editors Maria Lee/Sarah Krusen
Executive Producer Sasha Hirschfeld
Sound Designer Sam Shaffer

VFX Company Joint
Lead Flame Artist Katrina Salicrup
2D Artists David Jahns, Stephan Lectez, Robert Murdock, Noah Poole
VFX Producer Steve Griffith
VFX Coordinator Nathanael Horton
VFX Executive Producer

Graphics + Animation
WK Motion Producers Sarah Gamazo/Michael Gersten
WK Motion Designers  James Heredia/Peiter Hergert
WK Studio Managers Sally Garrido-Spencer/Amy Streger
WK Studio Designers Eric Reigert/Dana Beaty

Telecine Company Company 3
Colorist Sean Coleman
Producer Matt Moran

Mix Company Joint
Mixer Noah Woodburn
Producer Sarah Fink

Sweat. It's the reason men have never quite reached their full potential ... until now, Old Spice's latest campaign proclaims. 

Its new line of body wash and antiperspirant comes with a new spokesman, who can't be called the brightest, but at least he seems aware of that. Created by Wieden + Kennedy in Portland, Ore., two new ads offer a fresh, self-deprecating twist on the absurd bravado that has defined Old Spice's advertising since Isaiah Mustafa first rode in on his white horse almost six years ago.

This guy, though, has much better modes of transport. 

In one commercial, he crests the oceans on the back of a whale, volleying tennis balls served through its blowhole, while paparazzi snap photos. Meanwhile, a voiceover of his inner thoughts waxes philosophical on how far is too far in terms of pushing himself. 



In the second ad, he finds himself past that limit, having built a rocket car without any working knowledge of engineering. "The most valuable lesson I have ever learned is that if you fill your brains with knowledge, then there won't be any room for dreams," says the hero in what is arguably the campaign's best line. (In a self-mocking twist, it also feels a bit like a piss-take of W+K London's classic "Impossible Dream" spot for Honda.) 



The delightfully tongue-in-cheek macho idiocy is cleverly written, on-brand and appropriate to the product line, called the Hardest Working Collection. Even its tagline, "Legendary Protection for Legendary Men," can't help but evoke Barney Stinson, Neil Patrick Harris's slick—but goofy—playboy persona from How I Met Your Mother (who happens to love all things legendary.)

The work also joins a canon of other ironically suave men in advertising, which includes the extraordinary male lead in W+K Amsterdam's "Legends" campaign for Heineken, and Dos Equis's "Most Interesting Man in the World," created by Havas (formerly Euro RSCG) and the godfather of modern man-vertising.

Old Spice's Legendary Man is foolhardy, but brash and charming enough to earn his place in the lineup. Though now that Mustafa and fellow Old Spice spokesman Terry Crews have buried the hatchet on their rivalry, we can't help but wonder how the new kid on the block would fare against either of them.

CREDITS
Client: Old Spice

Agency: Wieden + Kennedy, Portland, Ore.
Creative Directors: Jason Bagley | Craig Allen
Copywriter: Nick Morrissey
Art Director: Matt Sorrell
Additional Creative (on Whale only): Jarrod Higgins
Senior Producer: Lindsay Reed
Producer: Monica Ranes
Account Team: Liam Doherty | Michael Dalton
Executive Creative Directors: Mark Fitzloff | Joe Staples
Head of Production: Ben Grylewicz

Production Company: Biscuit Filmworks/Revolver
Director: Steve Rogers
Managing Director: Shawn Lacy
Executive Producer: Holly Vega
Producer: Pip Smart
DP: Mandy Walker
Production Designer: Leon Morland

Editorial Company: Mackenzie Cutler
Editor: Gavin Cutler
Asst. Editor: Brendan Hogan
Executive Producer: Sasha Hirschfeld

VFX Company: The Mill | LA
Executive Producer: Enca Kaul
Senior Producer: Dan Roberts
Production Coordinator: Kris Drenzek
Creative Director | Shoot Supervisor | 2D Lead Artist: Tim Davies
3D Lead Artists: Tom Graham
3D Lead Artists: Phill Mayer, Hartwell Durfor, Kenzie Chen, Yorie Kumalasari, Brett Angelillis, Mike DiNocco, Katie Yancey, Blake Guest, Jenna Kind, Monique Espinoza, Steven Olson, Milton Ramirez
2D Artists: John Price, Robert Murdock, Don Kim, Dag Ivarsoy, Jeff Langlois, Ashely Forbito, Adam Lambert, Daniel Thuresson, Tim Robbins
Art Department: Brett Lopinsky, Laurence Konishi, Kelsey Napier
Head of 3D: John Leonti

Sound Design
Company | Sound Designer: Mackenzie Cutler | Sam Shaffer
Company | Sound Designer : Barking Owl | Michael Anastasi

Final Mix
Studio: Lime Studios
Engineer: Samuel Casas
Assistant Engineer: Mark Nieto
Executive Producer: Susie Boyajan

Color Transfer
Company: The Mill | LA
Artist: Adam Scott
Color EP: Thatcher Peterson
Color Producer: Antonio Hardy
Color Coordinator: Diane Valera

Bud Light is getting in on the election hype.

The Anheuser-Busch InBev brand today launched a 30-second teaser for its upcoming Super Bowl commercial introducing what it is calling "The Bud Light Party," with Amy Schumer and Seth Rogen. The duo will star in the brand's politically themed campaign through November's election to get consumers who can't agree on politics to agree on drinking Bud Light. 

This is the brand's first work from Wieden + Kennedy, which assumed responsibilty for Bud Light's creative work from BBDO last summer. The campaign is meant to position Bud Light as an inclusive, positive and fun brand. 

"Obviously the most talked about thing for the year will be the election, and that's how we came up with the whole campaign I.D. of 'The Bud Light Party,'" said Bud Light vp Alexander Lambrecht. "Now, we want to be very, very clear that we are not a political party. We absolutely have no intention to be. We are creating 'The Bud Light Party' as a brand platform." 

The thinking, explained Lambrecht, is that, "despite the fact that there are so many things people disagree upon, we believe and we know that there are so many things that people agree upon and Bud Light is one of those. Beer is one of those." 

The teaser, as well as the new campaign, also features Bud Light's new packaging design—its first redesign in eight years—from design firm Jones Knowles Ritchie. The new look will hit shelves in April. 

This campaign also introduces a new tagline for the brand: "Raise one to right now."

"What we like about it is that the 'Right Now' captures consumers' desire to live in the moment, as well as 'Right Now' is that opportunity for people to write their own future and create their own future," said Lambrecht. "And obviously the 'Raise One' speaks to the social, inclusive nature of the category and, most importantly, of the brand." 

While Schumer and Rogen will be the faces of "The Bud Light Party" campaign, other celebrities will join them throughout the year, including Ronda Rousey and Michael Pena. 

"Who is a better representation of the humor that is incredibly relevant right now than Seth and Amy?" asked Lambrecht. "So when W+K presented the first articulations and creative expressions of the campaign, Seth and Amy were on the top of the list because they are very current, relevant, very real. They stand out because they have a very outspoken and unique style and people love them."

For more Super Bowl 50 news, check out Adweek's Super Bowl Ad Tracker, an up-to-date list of the brands running Super Bowl spots and the agencies involved in creating them.

Can seasoned Abercrombie & Fitch marketer Craig Brommers make the Gap more fashionable with today's consumers?

Following a sales slide during the holiday season, the retailer has named Brommers senior vice president of global marketing for its namesake brand. He succeeds Seth Farbman, who departed a year ago, and went on to helm marketing at digital music service Spotify.

Brommers joins from A&F, where he served for more than two years as senior vice president of marketing. Earlier, he held similar positions at Calvin Klein and Speedo. During those tenures, Brommers gained a reputation for adopting innovative tactics while staying true to the DNA of the respective brands.

"His global experience also means he understands the balance between establishing global consistency while ensuring local relevance," the Gap said in a statement provided to Adweek. Brommers' penchant for "pushing the boundaries on social, digital and creative marketing to ensure brands stay relevant for new customers" makes him a good fit, the company said.

The brand has been viewed as something of an also-ran for at least the past decade, struggling to catch up with evolving trends in online shopping, and lagging behind more nimble competitors like H&M and Forever 21. Last summer, the chain closed 175 of its North American stores—roughly 25 percent of its locations—due to lackluster sales.

Gap's overall net sales for the five-week period ending Jan. 2 slid 4 percent from the same period the year before. Meanwhile, same-store sales at the flagship dipped 2 percent during December.

For the first nine months of 2015, Gap spent slightly less than $10 million on U.S. ads supporting its flagship brand, a big dip from its $30 million outlay during the same period a year earlier, per Kantar Media. Though Gap maintains no agency of record relationships, its most visible creative of late has been crafted by independent shop Wieden + Kennedy.

Wieden + Kennedy is doing a fun little real-time Twitter stunt for Old Spice today.

It began with the brand asking a simple question:

If you could ask your future self one question what would it be?

— Old Spice (@OldSpice) January 27, 2016

Fans who replied were in for a surprise, though, as Old Spice has been creating custom Twitter accounts for their future selves—and then having the future selves comically answer the questions. (The future selves also have futurey names and profile pics.)

The whole thing has that freewheeling, crazy vibe that comes with churning out absurdist content on a tight deadline. Check out some the present-self/future-self interactions below. 

@slstevens3@OldSpice hmmmmm. I was about to ask you the same question.

— SL Stevens (@slstevens3000) January 27, 2016

@Skwirlyskwirl@OldSpice We've been living off royalties from the digital grilled cheese we invented in 2043.

— Risu Skwirl (@ZkwirlyZkwirl) January 27, 2016

@TheGomyde@OldSpice Except for all the Old Spice, absolutely not.

— Lucas Gomyde (@GomydeTheUpset) January 27, 2016

@charlesv@OldSpice If we're abiding by the New World Pizza standards, 37. But if I include injectable pizza the number is closer to 385,928

— Charles V (@charlesvamatic) January 27, 2016

@samguaiana@OldSpice Do you mean Water® or Water™? Things are a little different now.

— Sam (@Xsamus_guaianux) January 27, 2016

Last April, Nike launched "Better for It," its largest and most integrated women's campaign to date. It was mostly traditional in its format—commercials, print ads, digital, etc.—if not in its message, which refreshingly acknowledged the average athlete's insecurities and other obstacles on her way to self-improvement and empowerment through sport and fitness.

Now, for 2016, the brand is putting that more modern message in a more modern format, rolling out an eight-episode scripted YouTube series—a first for Nike—that follows two sisters who become involved in an unusual competition with each other, with fitness (and Nike products and services) at the center of it. 

The series, Margot vs. Lily—a collaboration between Wieden + Kennedy and the makers of the indie film Me and Earl and the Dying Girl—premieres Thursday night with a screening in New York, and hits YouTube on Monday with the first episode. It stars young actresses Samantha Marie Ware and Brigette Lundy-Paine as adopted sisters—Ware is black, Lundy-Paine is white—who couldn't be more different.



Lily, who lives in Manhattan, is a budding YouTube workout star. Margot, who lives in Brooklyn, is a slacker who has recently lost her social media job at an accounting software company. But in some ways, each wants to be like the other. Lily, despite her growing audience of fans, has no real friends, and envies Margot's social life (if not what seems to be a mild drinking problem). Margot has plenty of friends but doesn't exercise and (grudgingly) envies Lily's discipline and healthy living.

So, they hatch a plan: Margot starts her own (unconventional) online workout show, and they begin to keep score: Can Lily add friends or can Margot add followers the quickest? 

Adweek previewed the first four episodes this week, and as branded content series go, Margot vs. Lily is sure-footed and entertaining. The premise is fun, the actresses are perfect for the roles, and the plot—while cartoony at times—will ring true to the experiences of young single women, particularly those living in major cities. 

It also goes fairly light on the Nike branding. There is plenty of Nike merch on display, from sneakers to workout gear, and also glimpses of Nike digital products in action, like the Nike+ Training Club app (which Margot uses, with somewhat disastrous results, in one of her first workouts). But for the most part the integrations are seamless. 

That's not to say the project isn't pointedly commercial. The episodes point to nike.com/betterforit, which will feature, among other content, vlogs highlighting specific Nike+ workouts seen in the show. The goal is to get women everywhere to ignite their own "Better for It" journeys, using Nike products and services—continuing the brand's ongoing evolution from inspiring athletes to improve to enabling them to do so through a digital ecosystem of engagement, building a worldwide community of users in the process.



The project also uses indie Hollywood talent. Jesse Andrews and Alfonso Gomez-Rejon were co-creators—Andrews wrote the novel Me and Earl and the Dying Girl, and Gomez-Rejon directed the film version, which won the Audience Award and the Grand Jury Prize at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival. The director of Margot vs. Lily is Tricia Brock, whose credits include Breaking Bad, The Walking Dead, 30 Rock, Girls, Mozart in the Jungle, Orange Is the New Black and Silicon Valley.

Adweek spoke to Kerri Hoyt-Pack, vp of Nike Women's brand marketing globally, this week about Margot vs. Lily, which she said, while a first for Nike, is a natural evolution for the brand—particularly in talking to the everyday female athlete. 

"We wanted to surprise and inspire her through story, and we knew that longer form would give us something where we could get a little richer in bringing the story to life," she said. "It's also a format that clearly women around the world today value. Connecting to this longer-form original programming just made sense for where she is." 

The heart of the "Better for It" campaign is relatability, Hoyt-Pack said, which means being honest about the realities of embarking on a personal journey through sport and fitness—realities that can include insecurity and self-doubt. Thus, the likable but flawed characters in Margot vs. Lily speak to a universal experience among young women today. 

"It's about identity," she said. "There's a transformation that happens through learning about yourself. Women certainly have that connection to sport, but frankly anyone can have it. It's about strength and power and confidence, and I think you see that in both characters. But it's also about vulnerability and uncertainty. … As a brand, that's something we're really proud to showcase, to invite our consumer into that experience, to be relatable. But it's also just an expectation of this generation today. It's a deeper, richer meaning that obviously resonated really well with [last year's "Better for It" ads], and it's something we've just put more depth in here."



As a mother of teenage daughters herself, Hoyt-Pack said she knew Margot vs. Lily had to feel authentic if it was going to connect with its target. 

"They know if it's true, if it's right, if it's interesting," she said. "We wanted to be sure that we cast women who were relatable, who could fit the character but also have the range of emotion to really go through a transformation. We think they did a fantastic job." 

What kind of metrics will Nike be tracking to gauge the series' success? Yes, it's about Nike+ membership numbers, as well as commerce metrics, Hoyt-Pack said. But it's also about engagement first, which leads to success in those other areas. 

"We're past the days of impressions and reach," she said. "For us it's about connection, and the quality of connection. It's about how the conversation is shaped. We couldn't have been happier about how we came out of the gate last spring and summer with this. So, for us, the true measure is that response, and how this unites a community of athletes in a deeper and better way around the world."

Nike descibes "Better for It," which launched in April 2015, as a global effort to get women to push themselves to see how far they can go, whether it's running a personal best in their next marathon or running an extra block on a weekend job.

The company has said it expects its Nike Women business to reach $11 billion in revenue by the end of 2020, compared to $5.7 billion in 2015. 



CREDITS

Client: Nike
Project: "Margot vs. Lily"

Agency: Wieden + Kennedy, Portland, Ore.
Executive Creative Directors: Joe Staples, Mark Fitzloff
Creative Directors: Alberto Ponte, Ryan O'Rourke
Interactive Director: Dan Viens
Creative: Patty Orlando, Heather Ryder, Darcie Burrell
Executive Integrated Producer: Matt Hunnicutt
Agency Senior Producer: Shelley Eisner
Interactive Producer: Jenna Simon
Art Producer: Amy Berriochoa
Studio Managers: Simone Takasaki, Alicia Kuna
Studio Designers: Rehanah Spence, Deb Lee
Retouching: Saskia Thomson
Camera/Photographer: Amanda Jasnowski
Motion Producer: Sarah Gamazo
Motion Designers: Adam Sirkin, Jeff Ackley, Oliver Rokoff
Group Strategy Director: Andy Lindblade
Brand Strategy Director: Tom Suharto
Strategic Planner: Irina Tone
Digital Strategy: Jake Sperla
Global Media Director: Danny Sheniak
Associate Media Director: Emily Dalton
Media Supervisor: Emily Graham
Business Affairs: Anna Beth Nagel
Talent Payment Manager: Tara Allender
Project Manager: Shannon Hutchinson
Traffic Manager: Lily Darby
Copyediting: Rachel Miller
Global Account Director: Karrelle Dixon
Account Supervisor: Marisa Weber
Account Executive: Jessica Lo

Company: RSA Films
Director: Tricia Brock
President, Executive Producer: Jules Daly
Executive Producer: Jen Dennis
Executive Producer, Co-creator: Alfonso Gomez-Rejon
Co-creator: Jesse Andrews
Line Producer: Josh Porter
Production Supervisor: Mark Elliot
Production Designer: Peter Zumba
Director of Photography: Matt Hupfel
Wardrobe Designer: Kasia Walicka-Maimone
Wardrobe Assistant: Jessica Albertson

Company: Jump LA
Editor: David Trachtenberg
Assistant Editor: Eddie Mikasa
Post Executive Producer: Betsy Beale

Company: Jump LA
Flame Artist: Wes Waldron
Titles, Graphics: Nathan O. March
Titles, Graphics: Edward Bursch

Composer: Nico Muhly
Music Editor: Suzana Peric
Music, Sound Design Executive Producer: Zoe Knight

Company: Eleven
Mixer: Jeff Payne
Mixer: Benn Freer

Once again, the anticipation around ads in the Super Bowl rivals that of the game itself—and brands are looking to capitalize on that excitement by rolling out their spots, or at least teasers, early.

Already, several commercials—including Amy Schumer and Seth Rogen for Bud Light, Marilyn Monroe for Snickers and Wix's tie-in with the forthcoming film Kung Fu Panda 3—have people talking.

Despite the record $5 million price tag, brands are lining up to be part of the event for the first time—among them, Amazon,LG Electronics and Apartments.com. Advertisers like Snickers and Kia that had big hits last year are betting that lightning will strike a second time. And as always, celebrities will have a starring role.

Aside from Schumer and Rogen, this year's lineup includes Alec Baldwin and Dan Marino for Amazon, Key & Peele for Squarespace (replacing a somnolent Jeff Bridges last time around), Christopher Walken for Kia (following Pierce Brosnan) and Liam Neeson for LG.

Here's a look at 10 ads already generating plenty of chatter days before kick-off. To check out all the spots and teasers as they are rolled out, follow our Super Bowl Ad Tracker at Adweek.com.

Bud Light

Last year, Bud Light relied on '80s nostalgia in a Super Bowl ad featuring a life-size game of Pac-Man. This time around, the brand has comedians Amy Schumer and Seth Rogen suiting up—Spanx and all—for a politically themed spot. Marking Wieden + Kennedy's first work for the brand, the ad is part of a campaign that will extend throughout this political season. The "Bud Light Party" campaign accompanies the brand's newly designed packaging and a fresh tagline, "Raise one to right now." Cheers!

LG Electronics

A first-time Super Bowl advertiser, LG is jumping in full-force with a futuristic spot highlighting its OLED TV technology. Liam Neeson, who stole the show last year with his Clash of Clans performance, is featured, playing a man from the future in a dynamic, 60-second production. The buzz, though, focuses on filmmaker Ridley Scott's return to the game for the first time since his iconic "1984" ad for Apple. This year, Scott takes on executive producer duties while his son, Jake Scott, directs.

Snickers

Marilyn Monroe belts out a husky version of "Happy Birthday" in this year's Snickers spot, from BBDO New York, the latest in the "You're Not You When You're Hungry" campaign. It's slated for the first quarter. A teaser features the star's famous serenade of President John F. Kennedy—but instead, she fetes the Super Bowl as it turns 50. Last year, the brand delighted viewers with an hysterical Brady Bunch-themed ad starring Danny Trejo as a hungry Marcia Brady. Will Marilyn be as popular as Marcia?

Kia

Jaguar and General Motors were among the automakers that opted out of last year's Super Bowl—but Kia stayed in the game. This marks the seventh straight year the brand has bought in. On the heels of its wildly popular spot last year starring Pierce Brosnan, Kia aims to keep the buzz going with Christopher Walken and a trusty, colorful sock puppet. Created by David&Goliath, the 60-second ad in the third quarter will promote the 2016 Optima mid-size sedan.

Squarespace

Last year, Jeff Bridges lulled viewers to sleep in a rather curious ad for Squarespace. In this year's game, comedy is key for the advertiser, joining many other brands—among them, Bud Light, Shock Top and Toyota—going for laughs. Squarespace and its agency Anomaly turned to comedy duo Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele—better known as Key & Peele—for this spot. While the brand is keeping details under wraps, viewers can expect plenty of funny business here.

Honda

Coming this spring, the 2017 Honda Ridgeline pickup boasts an audio system that uses so-called "exciters" to turn the entire truck bed into a giant speaker. Honda will promote the feature in a 60-second ad from RPA featuring a farmer who evidently has been using it a lot around his sheep, which belt out Queen's "Somebody to Love." (The song got a lift after being featured on NBC's The Voice.) Says Honda's assistant vp of marketing Tom Peyton: "It was the only song the sheep knew."

Apartments.com

To introduce itself to the Super Bowl audience, first-time game advertiser Apartments.com enlisted Jeff Goldblum and Lil Wayne. From RPA, the 60-second ad, titled "MovinOnUp," will air during the second commercial break. CMO Becky Carr said the brand decided to buy into the game based on data showing that more Americans rent than own. No word yet on the storyline here, but a teaser—featuring Lil Wayne buzzing George Washington into his apartment—sure grabbed our attention.

Avocados From Mexico

Last year, in its first Super Bowl spot, Avocados From Mexico journeyed back in time for the "First Draft Ever." This year, the brand sets out on an adventure to space, making delicious avocados available to the entire universe. Happy Days actor Scott Baio stars in the 30-second ad, created by GSD&M, which also did last year's spot. A teaser reveals Baio aboard a spaceship, trying his best to solve a Rubik's Cube, presumably on his way to the final frontier with a payload of avocados.

Amazon

In Amazon's first Super Bowl ad, Dan Marino and Alec Baldwin plan an epic Super Bowl party where Marino wants cheerleaders but Baldwin's not so sure. So the former gridiron star turns to "Alexa," the sound of the voice-command device Amazon Echo, for help. Created by Leo Burnett Toronto, the ad spotlights Alexa's capabilities—among them, instructions for building a "snack stadium." While the advertiser hasn't revealed much else pregame, fans can follow the campaign using #BaldwinBowl.

Wix

For its second Super Bowl ad, Wix shifts from football stars Brett Favre and Terrell Owens to a cuter, cuddlier cast. A partnership with DreamWorks Animation, the spot will feature characters from the forthcoming Kung Fu Panda 3. Teasers have character Po and friends looking for ways to promote Mr. Ping's Noodles that don't involve sponsoring the halftime show or skywriting. Building a website with Wix.com turns out to be the answer to their dilemma.

This story first appeared in the Feb. 1 issue of Adweek magazine. Click here to subscribe.

It was a plum role he might have eventually discussed at length with his fellow thespians on Inside the Actors Studio. But alas, James Lipton's chances at the biggest commercial stage have been unceremoniously dashed—according to this amusing TurboTax Super Bowl teaser from Wieden + Kennedy. 

W+K's meta Super Bowl campaign for TurboTax pokes fun at celebrity endorsements, teasers and teasers for teasers, beginning with "Someone Else," a 60-second spot that rolled out Tuesday (directed by Knucklehead's Ben Gregor)—showing the 89-year-old Bravo personality arriving for a meeting about a commercial for which, he believes, he has secured the leading role.



Alas, his dreams are destined to melt away, like the ice-cream cake he so thoughtfully brought with him. Just who the "Someone Else" is who will actually star in TurboTax's commercial on Sunday remains a secret. But expect more shenanigans along the way.

TurboTax will run a 30-second spot on Sunday in its third straight Super Bowl appearance. 

Lipton has done ads before, notably in a 2009 PSA campaign from LG and Young & Rubicam encouraging safe texting among young people; and a 2011 effort for Toyota in which he pondered what the plural of "Prius" might be. 

You might not agree on politics, but you can agree on Bud Light. That's the message of the A-B InBev brand's 60-second Super Bowl spot, unveiled Wednesday. 

The first work for the brand from Wieden + Kennedy features Amy Schumer and Seth Rogen, the faces of the Bud Light's new brand platform, "The Bud Light Party," which serves as a way for the brand to parody the political season. 

For the Super Bowl spot, which introduces consumers to this new approach, the duo campaign across the country for Bud Light, popping up at rodeos, bars and even interrupting a Lakers game to lobby for the beer. There are some surprise guests, too. 



Ah, yes, consumers might not be able to agree on much, but they can agree on beer... and Paul Rudd, of course. Rudd's Ant Man co-star Michael Pena also makes an appearance. 

"Despite the fact that there are so many things people disagree upon, we believe and we know that there are so many things that people agree upon and Bud Light is one of those," said Bud Light vp Alexander Lambrecht. 

The spot also features the brand's new package design from design firm Jones Knowles Ritchie. The revamped cans and bottles will be on shelves in April. 

• For more Super Bowl 50 news, check out Adweek's Super Bowl Ad Tracker, an up-to-date list of the brands running Super Bowl spots and the agencies involved in creating them.

Hail to the chiefs!

Martin Sheen and Bill Pullman give delightfully cheeky presidential performances in Wieden + Kennedy's new campaign for Chrysler.

Of course, neither man has actually been elected to our nation's highest office. Still, they've both excelled at playing presidents—Sheen on The West Wing and Pullman in Independence Day. And now, they face off in a debate of sorts that works on its own comic terms while playfully (some might say pointedly) tapping into the current election-year zeitgeist.

In the "American-est" spot below, Pullman, driving a Chrysler 200, pulls up beside Sheen, who's kicking back in a 300 model, and the jousting begins. Sheen insists Americans "deserve the most advanced all-wheel-drive system in its class." Pullman concurs, but wonders, "Why are you wrapping yourself up in the flag?" Sheen counters: "I'm wrapping myself up in Napa leather, adorned with this Old Glory pin, so you know I'm patriotic." When Pullman muses that Sheen's rhetoric might be "all a little star-spangled nonsense," the latter replies, "I spangle everything. Everything I own is star-spangled … everything."



The actors wring every nuance from W+K's scripts, elevating the dialogue to an oratory pitch that manages to comment on the charged real-world climate. In doing so, they cast their own stints in the White House as tenures that somehow transcend fiction—preferable, perhaps, to the actual administration that will emerge from the ongoing electoral process.

That effect is especially pronounced in the next ad, "Swerve." The actors note with considerable relish that it's primary season, "time to pander to all the nuts on the political fringe … and when the general election rolls around, you swerve right back to the middle. And when you do, blind-spot monitoring and collision warning systems keep you from crashing your campaign."



Throughout, Chrysler's brand promises and the political rhetoric fuse surprisingly well. This simpatico impressed Olivier Francois, chief marketing officer at Fiat Chrysler, in the early stages of the ads' evolution. "We were with the Chrysler brand team—and they kept reciting to us all the great features of both the Chrysler 300 and 200," he tells AdFreak. "It almost sounded like a [political] campaign promise, and it really just took off from there."

Much of the fun comes from seeing Pullman reprise his earnest, down-to-earth Thomas Whitmore character from Independence Day, contrasted with Sheen's more prickly Josiah Bartlet from The West Wing. They're a winning ticket all the way.

"Once we landed on the idea of having presidents from television or movies, we had to find the right actors," says Francois. "Mr. Sheen and Mr. Pullman are perfect in their iconic roles. They both embodied that men-of-the-people, for-the-people spirit, something that spoke very much to the identity of the brand."

Thus, the actors were the prefect presidential pitchmen to communicate the "Premium to the People" theme line. "The main objective," says Francois, "is to elevate expectations of power and refinement for Americans. We give 'premium' car offerings to the 'people'—all the people. Not only the rich or privileged, but everyone. This includes key safety features, high grade interiors and other features throughout to support the competitively contented cars."

Of course, the automaker has waved the flag before, most famously in sweeping ads like "Born of Fire,""It's Halftime in America" and RAM's "Farmer."

Pullman and Sheen help the brand recapture the spirit of those old glories, while striking a decidedly different tone from Chrysler's anthemic Super Bowl commercials. These "Premium" spots, directed by Jake Szymanski of Gifted Youth, are impishly disruptive and mischievously meta in their approach. Their brand-centric satire invites everyone along for the ride.

"Clearly there is a lot of noise with the political campaign—I can hear it all the way from Italy when I am there—and I couldn't let this message get lost," says Francois. "I wanted to be the one doing it before anyone else jumped on it, because I think it's really an opportunity to be relevant."

CREDITS
Client: Chrysler
CMO, FCA Global: Olivier François
Head of Passenger Car Brands:  Dodge, SRT, Chrysler and FIAT, FCA:  North America: Tim Kuniskis
Director, NAFTA Brand Advertising:  Marissa Hunter
Head of Advertising, Dodge Brand:  Randy Ortiz
Head of Advertising, Chrysler Brand:  Michael Kraft
Chrysler Brand Advertising Manager:  Danielle DePerro

Agency: Wieden + Kennedy, Portland, Ore.
Creative Directors: Micah Walker, Justine Armour
Copywriter: Mike Egan / Nick Morrissey
Art Director: Meaghan Oikawa
Producer: Chris Capretto

Production Company: Gifted Youth
Director: Jake Szymanski
Executive Producer: Dal Wolf
Line Producer: Alana Mitnick
Director of Photography: Kramer Morgenthau

Editorial Company: Joint
Editor: Matthew Hilber / Tommy Harden
Post Producer: Jen Milano
Post Executive Producer: Leslie Carthy

VFX Company: Joint
VFX Supervisor: Alex Thiesen
Flame Artist: Katrina Salicrup
VFX Producer: Gail von Dedenroth
Titles/Graphics: W+K Studio

Mix Company: Joint
Mixer: Guy Baker / Noah Woodburn

Edgy airline commercials. Who wouldn't want more of those?

"Tell the World," the latest excursion in Delta Airlines' "Keep Climbing" campaign from Wieden + Kennedy New York, delivers an intriguing but turbulent ride. 

Last September, the carrier's "Take Off" spot, which focused on a single plane's departure as it sped down a runway, accompanied by narration from Donald Sutherland, veered into territory that was poetic, and a bit unsettling. The flight path now continues even further in that direction. 

As in last year's commercial, Smuggler director Adam Berg bypasses soaring planes with sunlight glinting off their wings, and smiley flight staff ... in favor of less predictable fare. Here, the emphasis is on destinations, as opposed to the journey. We see lovers embrace in a storm, a skier on a mountaintop, and some folks on a boat observing sharks.



Though riveting in their way, these dramatic, brooding visuals seem strangely ominous, especially in context. Are we flying into bad weather? Toward those icy peaks? Does that shark look hungry to you? 

This effect is heightened by the persistent whine of a jet engine and Sutherland's intense, breathy voiceover: "Once you get out here, that's all there is. There's just one direction: Forward. One time: Now. And there's just one sound: You and us, together, with a mighty roar, that tells the world we're coming for you." 

Such elevated language is clearly intended to sound spirited and adventurous, but the word choices could easily be construed as negative. That's all there is? Delta's coming for us?! It's easy to imagine Sutherland as a grizzled gremlin, delivering lines while perched on the wing and waiting to feed upon stray limbs ... especially after The Hunger Games. (I'm kidding. Sort of.) 

"The thought behind this spot was, how can you take everything you know about an airline commercial and move it from where you typically are into a much more emotional space—something that viscerally really stopped you in your tracks?" explains W+K New York executive creative director Karl Lieberman in a behind-the-scenes clip.

While it's admirable to aim high and steer clear of category clichés, Delta might consider a more grounded approach. We're starting to miss sun-kissed flight footage and those smiling stewards, always so reassuring and eager to please. (Take those nice people on British Airways, for example.)

Today's best celebrity ad appearances include a healthy dose of self-mockery, and Samsung might have just set the bar with its new Galaxy S7 spots from Wieden + Kennedy.

Hard to miss during Sunday night's Oscars telecast, the new campaign features three fast-moving and detail-rich ads, anchored by an anthem spot called "Why?" that features a cavalcade of unexpected celebrity appearances. 

Bringing together a crowd as disparate as Wesley Snipes, Lil Wayne, James Harden and William H. Macy, the anthem ad rapidly clicks off the new smartphone's many notable features, with each scene telling its own quirky story. 

The two other spots, "Dark" and "Water," are equally stylish and staccato in delivery, though they lack the star power of the main spot. Check out the three ads and their credits below:

CREDITS
Client: Samsung

—Spot: Why

Agency: W+K Portland
Creative Directors: Craig Allen and Jason Bagley
Copywriters: Andy Laugenour and Jarrod Higgins
Art Director: Croix Gagnon and John Dwight
Integrated Executive Producer: Erika Madison
Senior Producer: Alexei van Mourik
Account Team: Mimi Kim and Phil Williams
Executive Creative Directors: Mark Fitzloff and Joe Staples

Production Company: Arts & Sciences
Director: Matt Aselton
Executive Producer: Marc Marrie
Line Producer: Zoe Odlum
Director of Photography: Toby Irwin

Editorial Company: Arcade
Editors: Geoff Hounsell and Greg Scruton
Post Producer: Adam Becht
Post Executive Producer: Nicole Visram

Visual Effects Company: The Mill
Visual Effects Supervisor Glyn Tebbutt
Flame Lead: Robin McGloin
Flame Artists: Brad Scott, Narbeh Mardirossian, Adam Lambert, Anthony Petitti, Ashley Forbito and Brett Lopinsky
Senior Visual Effects Producer: Chris Harlowe
Visual Effects Production Coordinator: Mary Hayden
Color Producer: Diane Valera
Colorist: Adam Scott

Titles/Graphics: Mill+

Music and Sound Company: duotone audio group
Managing Director: David Leinheardt
Executive Producer: Ross Hopman
Creative Director: Jack Livesey
Producer: Gio Lobato

Mix Company: Lime
Mixer Sam Casas: Rohan Young
Producers: Susie Boyajan, Krysten Richardson, Steve Gibbons, Tim Davies and Steven Olson

—Spot: Water

Agency: Wieden + Kennedy, Portland, Ore.
Creative Directors: Craig Allen/Jason Bagley
Copywriter: Derek Szynal
Art Director: Brandon Mugar
Senior Producer: Frank Brooks
Account Team: Mimi Kim/Kelly Quinn/Tori Misell
Executive Creative Directors: Mark Fitzloff / Joe Staples
Integrated Executive Producer: Erika Madison

Production Company: Epoch Films
Director: Martin de Thurah
Executive Producer: Melissa Culligan
Line Producer: Karen O'Brien
Director of Photography: Alwin Kuchler

Editorial Company: Rock Paper Scissors LA
Editor: Mikkel EG Nielsen
Post Producer: Helena Lee
Post Executive Producer: Angela Dorian

VFX & Design: The Mill
Senior Executive Producer: Sue Troyan
Executive Producer: Enca Kaul
Producer: Antonio Hardy
Production Coordinator: Kris Drenzek
Creative Director: Tim Davies
2D Lead Artist: Tim Davies
2D Artists: James Allen, Jale Parsons, Scott Wilson
Colorist: Adam Scott
Executive Producer, Color: Thatcher Peterson
Color Producer: Diane Valera
Production Coordinator, Color: Jackson Rogers
Color Assist: Christopher Obal / Asa Fox / Sam Ziaie

Music+Sound Company: Duotone Audio Group
Managing Director: David Leinheardt
Composer: Hans Christian Lumbye
Arranger: Eric Hachikian
Sound Designer: Barking Owl
Song (if applicable): Champagne Galop
Producer: Gio Lobato

Mix Company: Lime Studios
Mixer: Sam Casas / Zach Fisher / Joel Waters
Producer: Susie Boyajan

—Spot: Dark

Agency: Wieden + Kennedy, Portland, Ore.
Creative Directors: Craig Allen/Jason Bagley
Copywriter: Derek Szynal
Art Director: Brandon Mugar
Producer: Frank Brooks
Account Team: Mimi Kim/Kelly Quinn/Tori Misell
Executive Creative Directors: Mark Fitzloff / Joe Staples
Integrated Executive Producer: Erika Madison

Production Company: Epoch Films
Director: Martin de Thurah
Executive Producer: Melissa Culligan
Line Producer: Karen O'Brien
Director of Photography: Alwin Kuchler

Editorial Company: Rock Paper Scissors LA
Editor: Ted Guard
Post Producer: Helena Lee
Post Executive Producer: Angela Dorian

VFX & Design: The Mill
Senior Executive Producer: Sue Troyan
Executive Producer: Enca Kaul
Producer: Antonio Hardy
Production Coordinator: Kris Drenzek
Creative Director: Tim Davies
2D Lead Artist: Tim Davies
2D Artists: James Allen, Jale Parsons, Scott Wilson
Colorist: Adam Scott
Executive Producer, Color: Thatcher Peterson
Color Producer: Diane Valera
Production Coordinator, Color: Jackson Rogers
Color Assist: Christopher Obal / Asa Fox / Sam Ziaie

Music+Sound Company: Agoraphone
Composer: Agoraphone
Sound Designer: Barking Owl
Song (if applicable): Dark
Producer: Dawn Sutter Madell

Mix Company: Lime Studios
Mixer: Sam Casas / Zach Fisher / Joel Waters
Producer: Susie Boyajan

Today Fiat Chrysler Automobiles announced an end to its six-year partnership with Wieden + Kennedy. FCA, which owns brands including Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and Maserati, said in a statement that now seemed like the right time for the two companies to split amicably.

Over the years, the duo teamed up to create a range of work that was not only powerful, but also humorous thanks to a partnership with Anchorman 2 and a handful of ads featuring the movie's star, Will Ferrell. The two also reached some big milestones together including a few well-received Super Bowl ads and an Emmy Award for Outstanding Commercial for the Chrysler "Born of Fire" ad.

Here are the 10 most memorable campaigns for Chrysler and Dodge:

10. Dodge ''Don't Touch My Dart''

To advertise the Dodge Dart in 2014, the automaker created the "Don't Touch My Dart" campaign. The humorous spots star the perfect comedy duo, Craig Robinson and Jake Johnson. Robinson plays an overprotective Dart owner and Johnson plays the envious best friend who really wants to touch the new car, but is not allowed to. Hilarity ensues.

 
9. Chrysler ''Premium to the People''

For their last campaign together, W+K and Chrysler cleverly tapped two actors who have played presidents on TV shows, Martin Sheen and Bill Pullman, for a presidential-themed campaign touting the Chrysler 200.

 
8. Dodge ''Predators''

"Predator" has everything you could want or need from a car ad: A suspenseful narrator, a Dodge doing donuts in an abandoned parking lot and a Phil Collins song. The 2015 spot imagines the Dodge vehicles as predators, sneaking around in the night, and it's pretty captivating.

 
7. Dodge ''100 Easy Steps''

Making a Dodge is easy. It only takes 100 steps, which are nicely squeezed into one 30-second spot. Well, sort of. The ad for the Dodge Dart from 2013 is quick, clever and highly amusing.

 
6. Chrysler ''Drive Proud''

Another anthem of sorts, this Chrysler spot from 2015 is all about taking pride in being a Chrysler owner, calling these men and women the "kings and queens of America." The work from W+K is empowering and the shots of the car make you almost envious if you don't have a Chrysler to drive.

 
5. Dodge ''Freedom''

Imagine if George Washington rolled up to fight the British in a Dodge. Pretty crazy, right? Dodge's 2010 "Freedom" ad takes that wacky idea and brings it to life saying, "There are a couple things America got right. Cars and freedom." Yes, indeed.

 
4. Dodge ''Defiance''

In 2013, Dodge showed off the Dodge Charger by placing the car in a video game setting and running it as a 30-second ad. The ad was created in partnership with the Syfy show Defiance, which is set in 2046.

 
3. Dodge ''Ron Burgundy and the 2014 Dodge Durango''

Jumping on the Anchorman buzz, Dodge rolled out a series of hilarious spots for the Dodge Durango starring a very on-brand Ron Burgundy, played by Will Ferrell. For the campaign W+K worked with Funny or Die to come up with the perfect copy for each spot, which manage to show off some of the car's best features while also delivering some terrific one-liners.

 
2. Chrysler ''It's Halftime in America''

One year after making a big statement with its "Born of Fire" spot during the Super Bowl, W+K and Chrysler teamed up to create an equally compelling spot. In 2012, the brand tapped American hero Clint Eastwood to deliver a raspy, poetic speech that aimed to unite the country following some tough times faced by the auto industry.

 
1. Chrysler ''Born of Fire''

This 2011 Super Bowl spot starring Eminem, and set to the rapper's hit song "Lose Yourself," not only drew high praise after it aired during the Big Game, but also scored an Emmy Award for Outstanding Commercial that same year. The spot, which promoted the Chrysler 200, also served as a powerful anthem for the motor city, Detroit.

Imagine doing the thing you love the most. Then imagine you can't do it anymore, because of a debilitating disease.

That's what happened to the two multiple scelorisis sufferers featured in a new campaign from the National MS Society. With a little help from virtual reality tech—and their friends—both got a fresh taste of their old passions. 

Created by Wieden + Kennedy, one two-and-a-half minute ad features Steve Bettis, a San Diego resident who started surfing when he was 9 years old, and who continued until after he was diagnosed with MS in 2006, at age 57. 

Early in the clip, he introduces himself, now wheelchair-bound. Later, pro surfer Robert Weaver shows up at his home with a VR headset and 360-degree video he shot riding the waves—and Bettis gets closeups of the ocean in ways he hasn't experienced in 10 years. 



In the second commercial, professional dancer Amy Meisner, diagnosed in 1997, gets a chance to "return" to the stage when LaTonya Swann, winner of BET's reality competition Born to Dance, visits with a VR setup and a clip that captures their joint trade.



Gimmickry aside, it's easy to root for both Bettis and Meisner, who are appealing personalities in their own right. At the beginning of his spot, Bettis talks about how discovering his condition struck him with disbelief, but how he still repairs surfboards as a hobby—and ultimately remains upbeat and practical about his fate. 

Meisner choreographs for people with disabilities. In other words, both found ways to stay connected to their craft, even without the help of VR headgear. But the tech-driven payoffs in both ads are incredibly poignant—like the huge smile on Meisner's face as she moves her arms along with Swann's own choreography, which manages to be totally heartbreaking and truly beautiful. 

Overall, it's also a more striking use of VR than other recent efforts depicted in advertising. Samsung, for example, recently used its headgear to help millennials overcome their fears. The argument worked well enough—one young man with a fear of heights couldn't even climb the stairs to a rooftop without clinging to the rail for dear life. VR simulations helped ease that fear. 

But these MS ads somehow pack a bigger punch—perhaps because of the severity of the physiological betrayal, and the emotional robbery involved: Bettis and Meisner lived what they loved as fully as they could and lost the ability to do it fully. The genuine empathy shown by their non-disabled counterparts also lends emotional heft. 

Thus, the tagline of the videos is particularly apt: "Together we are stronger." In that spirit, a campaign website invites MS sufferers and their families to share their own personal stories about overcoming the disease, using the hashtag #WeAreStrongerThanMS.

CREDITS

Client: National MS Society
Project: "Together We Are Stronger"

Agency: Wieden + Kennedy, Portland, Ore. 
Executive Creative Directors: Joe Staples and Mark Fitzloff
Creative Directors: Caio Lazzuri and Ashley Davis-Marshall
Copywriter: Ryan Niland
Art Director: Danielle Delph
Executive Producer: Patrick Marzullo
Business Affairs: Teresa Lutz and Brian Cook
Project Manager: Carolyn Domme
Art Producer: Grace Petrenka
Studio Manager: Amy Streger
Studio Designer: Leslie Waara
Motion Designer: Daniel Moreno and McKay Marshal
Motion Producer: Sarah Gamazo
Strategy: Hailey Marsh
Account Management: Dana Borenstein and Virginia Mendes

Production Company: Tool
Director: John X. Carey
Executive Producer: Lori Stonebraker / Josh Hamilton
Line Producer: Joshua Greenberg
Director of Photography: Hilary Spera and Chris Saul

Editorial Company: Joint
Editor: Peter Wiedensmith / JB Jacobs
Post Producer: Catherine Liu / Nathanael Horton
Post Executive Producer: Leslie Carthy / Alex Thiesen

TV VFX Company: Mission Control
VR VFX Company: Luma Pictures

Telecine Company: Company 3
Telecine Artist: Sean Coleman
Telecine Producer: Matt Moran

Music and Sound Company: Joint
Sound Designer: Noah Woodburn
Producer: Sarah Fink

—Print + OOH   

Partners
Photographer: Danielle Levitt
Re-toucher : Frazier Goodbody

—Digital Experiences

Content Type: Virtual Reality Experiences

Production Company: Tool
Director: John X. Carey
Executive Producer: Lori Stonebraker / Josh Hamilton
Line Producer: Joshua Greenberg
Director of Photography: Hilary Spera and Chris Saul

Editorial Company: Luma Pictures
Editor: Faraz Abbasi
Post Executive Producer: Jay Lichtman

Music and Sound Company: Q Department

It's been more than 20 years, but ESPN's "This is SportsCenter" is still going strong.

In Wieden + Kennedy New York's latest work for the classic campaign, pro golfer Jordan Spieth brings his caddie, Michael Greller, to the network's cafeteria for advice—not on which club to use but on whether a fork or spoon is better for eating a bowl of mac and cheese. 

It's a fun little gag, and yet another solid extension of the campaign's broader premise of peeling back the curtain on the (sometimes weird and obsessive) personalities of star athletes and newscasters inside the SportsCenter offices.



Director David Shane, a comedy heavy-hitter and campaign regular, deftly captures the key, absurd moment of indecision. The well-written spot takes that joke one step further with a little twist ending, as anchor Stan Verrett spies on the exchange between Spieth and Greller, and takes guidance for his own lunch. (Verrett, historically, is in need of some help.)

So the work scores extra points for the meta crack on sports commentary as a genre: Sometimes, the ad seems to say, it may well be like listening to someone deliver a blow-by-blow on how to chow down on a microwaveable meal.

CREDITS

Client: ESPN
Spot: "Utensils"

Agency: Wieden + Kennedy New York
Executive Creative Directors: Karl Lieberman
Creative Directors: Brandon Henderson, Erwin Federizo
Copywriters: Alex Ledford, Charles Hodges
Art Directors: NJ Placentra, Gary Van Dzura
Executive Producer: Temma Shoaf
Head of Integrated Production: Nick Setounski
Account Team: Mike Welch, Matt Angrisani, Liz Lindberg
Project Manager: Kristin Daly
Business Affairs Manager: Tana Prosper
Head of Business Affairs: Sara Jagielski
Traffic:  Sonia Bisono, Andy Hume

Production Company: O Positive
Director: David Shane
Director of Photography: Dave Morabito
Executive Producer: Marc Grill
Producer: Ken Licata

Editorial: Mackenzie Cutler
Editor: Nick Divers
Assistant Editor: Zoe Newman
Post Executive Producer: Sasha Hirschfeld

VFX/Finishing: Schmigital
Flame Artist: Jimmy Hayhow
Flame Assistant: Joseph Miller

Mix: Mackenzie Cutler
Mixer: Sam Shaffer

Color Grade: Company 3
Colorist: Tim Massick

Yesterday we looked at some grand tourism ads for Wyoming. Today, let's take a peek at a tourism campaign that's more humble, at least on the surface—Wieden + Kennedy Portland's new ads for its home state of Oregon.

States spend a ton of money trying to find the perfect line that sums up their identity and everything they have to offer. Which is why W+K's new slogan for Oregon is refreshingly simple and to the point: "We like it here. You might too."



Of course, it's a more sophisticated line than it seems. It sells the state's grandeur by pretending it's the opposite—more homey than grand. A raft of 15-second spots play up this gap with wry voiceovers in which many of the state's impressive attractions—Crater Lake, Willamette Valley, Alvord Desert—are presented in "Yeah, they're OK, I guess" fashion.

The viewer will feel smart for being in on the joke, and will likely be more open to this kind of quirky pitch than your typically overwrought tourism messaging. 



"Oregon is an inspiring, beautiful and geographically diverse part of the country, and we want more people to explore and enjoy it," said Eric Baldwin, creative director at W+K. "Oregonians are humble, though, so we thought it would be fun to undersell the magnificence. That's how we arrived at 'We like it here. You might too.' "

The spots will air in Portland, Seattle, San Francisco, Boise, Idaho, and Vancouver, B.C. Check out more spots below, along with the print and out-of-home work. 

CREDITS

—Video Credits

Client: Travel Oregon

Agency: Wieden + Kennedy, Portland, Ore.
Creative Directors: Eric Baldwin/Karl Lieberman
Copywriter: Shaine Edwards
Art Director: Matthew Carroll
Producer: Felicia Glover

Production Company: Hatch
Director: Trevor Fife
Executive Producer: Adam Bagger
Line Producer: Chad Parker
Director of Photography: Trevor Fife

Editorial Company: Hatch
Post Executive Producer: Adam Bagger

Visual Effects Producer, Supervisor: Rebecca Borsman
Flame Artist: MPC
Titles, Graphics: WK Studio

Music, Sound Company: Walker
Composer: Chris Funk
EP: Sara Matarazzo
Producer: Abbey Hickman

Mix Company: Lime
Mixer: Rohan Young

—Print and Out-of-Home Credits

Client: Travel Oregon
Agency: Wieden + Kennedy, Portland, Ore.
Creative Directors: Eric Baldwin/Karl Lieberman
Copywriter: Shaine Edwards
Art Director: Matthew Carroll
Producers: Kristin Holder, Hope Reynolds

Photographer: Clayton Cotterell
Retouchers: Lilly Archer, Greg Radich

Spotify's new brand campaign from Wieden + Kennedy sings a number of different tunes—employing everything from '80s nostalgia to present-day political anxiety—as it mines the app's data to tell stories about how its users enjoy particular tracks.

The campaign features three new TV spots, including—perhaps most notably—one with Falkor, the dragon-dog from the 1984 fantasy film The NeverEnding Story.

The point of the ad is simple: "The NeverEnding Story," the song by the English pop singer Limahl, is streamed at least once every day by someone in the world. In the spot, Falkor remarks on this oddity, as does Atreyu, riding on his back—except Atreyu is no longer a 12-year-old boy but a 44-year-old man. 

That's because W+K New York got Noah Hathaway to reprise the role. And in fact, that's Alan Oppenheimer doing the voice of Falkor, as he did in the original movie.

Check out the spot and a behind-the-scenes video here:

Two other spots focus on other other random data tibdits. The first is that the Flo Rida track "My House" keeps popping up in Spotify users' playlists about moving. The second is that Pope Francis has a rock album. 

Those info-nuggets are amusing communicated in unexpected ways:

The ads, directed by Tim Godsall of Anonymous Content, begin airing Monday on TV, in cinema and online. Digital and out-of-home ads drive to custom playlists available for free to all Spotify and non-Spotify users. Those playlists are available at NeverEnding80s.com,MovingUpToCanada.com and RockingNuns.com.

The OOH includes a life-size mural of Falkor hand painted in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, N.Y.

The idea to focus on the Spotify stories behind the songs, not just the songs, came from a need to start a conversation beyond hard-core music fans. Thus, the message is: If you don't use Spotify, you're missing out on a fun, collective experience—as well as great music.

CREDITS

Client: Spotify
Chief Marketing Officer: Seth Farbman
Vice President, Creative, Brand Strategy: Jackie Jantos
Global Brand Director: Alex Tanguay
Global Creative Director: Alex Bodman
Vice President, Global Consumer Marketing: Amy Ferris
Head of N.A. Consumer Marketing: Marian Dicus
U.S. Marketing Manager: Alexander Cole

Agency: Wieden + Kennedy, New York
Executive Creative Director: Karl Lieberman
Creative Directors: Erwin Federizo, Brandon Henderson
Art Director: Jed Heuer
Copywriter: Will Binder
Creative Tech: Craig Blagg
Senior Producer: Orlee Tatarka
Head of Content Production: Nick Setounski
Account Team: Casey Jennings, Molly Friedman, Kerry O'Connell
Head of Art Buying: Deb Rosen
Art Buyer: Ali Berk
Head of Project Management: Yann Samuels
Senior Interactive Strategist: Tom Gibby
Senior Social Strategist: Jessica Abercrombie
Group Media Director: Ryan Haskins
Business Affairs: Sara Jagielski, Keri Rommel, Lindsey Timko
Broadcast Traffic Supervisor: Sonia Bisono
Print Producer: Jeannie O'Toole
Retouching: Chris McClelland, 150 Proof
Studio : Tara Kennedy, Chris Kelsch, Nathan Dalessandro
Creative Services Director: Chris Whalley
Studio Manager: Jill Kearton

Production Company: Anonymous Content
Director: Tim Godsall
Executive Producer: Eric Stern
Directors of Photography: Andre Pienaar, Darko Suvak

Editorial Company: Final Cut
Editor: ("NeverEnding"): Michael Dart Wadsworth
Editor ("Nuns" and "Moving"): Jeff Buchanan
Assistant Editor: Spencer Campbell
Post Producer: Jamie Nagler
Post Executive Producer: Sarah Roebuck

Visual Effects Company: Method Studios
Executive Producer: Angela Lupo
Senior Producer: Heather Saunders
Lead Flame Artist, Creative Director: Tom Leckie

Music Supervisor: Beth Urdang

Mix Company: Sonic Union
Mixer: Steve Rosen

Comedians Jordan Peele and Chelsea Peretti are planning their wedding, and it's not going well. Luckily, they're using Booking.com, so it's easy to make changes. 

The duo—engaged in real life—star in new ads for the accommodations website, fictionalizing their struggle to find accommodations for their special day. Created by Wieden + Kennedy in Portland, Ore., and directed by Randy Krallman, the campaign launches Sunday, with two spots airing during the iHeartRadio Music Awards and the American Country Music Awards. 

In "Destination Wedding," Peele (of Key and Peele) and Peretti (of Brooklyn Nine Nine) consider tying the knot in a yurt, only to find themselves discouraged by a unwelcome guest who has a talent for puffing its chest aggressively. 



In the second commercial, "Beach Booty," the pair scramble to get in shape for their bathing suits—until the bride-to-be gives up on whatever form of aerobic torture they're attempting, and the voiceover suggests a free change to an Alaskan resort instead.



Six more ads are slated to launch throughout the spring and summer, following the couple's celebrity friends as they try getting to the wedding in the first place. 

It's a fun and simple approach—it's entertaining enough to be memorable, but also distinguishes itself from the millennial wanderlust themes currently dominating marketing from other travel advertisers, like Hotwire and Travelocity.

Expedia, for its part, has been building VR experiences to help sick children realize their dreams; Hotels.com, a more direct competitor, is running a moron across the country in hopes of making him president; while Airbnb is inviting people to sleep in shark tanks.

In Booking.com's case, a wedding is an upbeat, relatable topic (and the existence of the tabloid industry proves celebrity couples have broad appeal). So the basic strategy seems to make sense, even if Booking has previously argued that travel itself is a special occasion: Every accommodation has the potential to change a guest's life forever.

Regardless, one thing is clear—that owl is the real winner.

CREDITS
Client: Booking.com

Agency: Wieden & Kennedy Portland
Creative Director: Micah Walker
Copywriter: Nick Morrissey, Mike Egan
Art Director: Jon Kubik, Meaghan Oikawa
Producer: Hayley Goggin Avila
Associate Producer:Nicole Kaptur
Business Affairs: Karen Roche
Account Service: Regina Keough, Tristan Harvin

Production Company: Smuggler
Director: Randy Krallman
Executive Producer: Patrick Milling Smith
Executive Producer: Brian Carmody
Executive Producer: Shannon Jones
Head of Production: Andrew Colon
Line Producer: Ian Blaine
Director of Photography: Darko Suvac
Production Designer: Jason Schuster

Editorial: Cartel
Editor: Andy McGraw
Executive Producer: Lauren Bleiweiss

VFX: Joint
On Set Supervision: Brad Hayes
Lead Flame: Stephan Lectez
2D Artists: Leif Peterson, Noah Poole
VFX Producer: Gail Von Dedenroth
VFX Executive Producer: Alex Thiesen

MIX: Lime
Mixer: Sam Casas