TAG Heuer recently ran an ad campaign for their Monaco brand watch. It was a contest to guess the winner of the above “Duel” between two important figures in the history of the Monaco series, Steve McQueen and Lewis Hamilton. The contest officially closed on June 10th, 2009. Apparently, it’s been one of TAG Heuer’s most popular online contests ever.

According to TAG Heuer, Lewis Hamilton won the Duel… but I don’t think anyone wins with this ad. They sliced up the original footage from the Steve McQueen 1971 film Le Mans to shoehorn his image into the ad, and then used a poor quality voice actor that sounds nothing like him to dub over his lines. Ironically though, McQueen’s shoehorn/voiced over performance is better than Lewis Hamilton’s actual performance. And McQueen’s been dead for almost 30 years. Overall, the ad is fairly lame on that level. Still, it has racing footage, so I can’t call it all bad. Check out the full version:

TAG Heuer’s reasoning for using Steve McQueen in this ad is because the company is celebrating its 40th anniversary in 2009, and McQueen helped bring the Monaco brand into prominence by wearing one on his wrist in the film Le Mans.

Complete Ad

Honda’s new commercial for the 2010 Insight has a deceptively simple appearance. A series of shapes and patterns flash across what looks like an old Lite-Brite set, or maybe an LED panel, or perhaps even just a series of computer generated dots on the screen. It’s nice to look at and nice to listen to, due to the pretty music playing along. Simple and nice. The interesting part is that the flashing dots are actually the flashing headlights of 1,000 actual Honda Insights. One thousand full sized automobiles, arranged in a gigantic grid in such a way so they appear to be a perfect rectangle from the camera’s vantage point.

Check out the “Making of…” video near the end of this post:

The calming music used in the commercial is “This Little Light of Mine” by Berend Dubbe.

The commercial’s director, Erik Van Wyk, set out to film the ad entirely “in-camera” – a daunting task given what he wanted to show. According to the Van Wyk, he “was quite militant about doing it all in-camera using real lights in a gigantic grid. People sense the honesty in the sweat and commitment of other people, not CG.” Which is, of course, absolutely correct.

Filming something like the “Let It Shine” ad is extraordinarily complex. Given the way perspective works, you can’t just line up the cars and expect it to look right. The process includes a lot of math and a lot of trial and error. The crew apparently used laser sights, GPS, and surveyor’s equipment to get all the locations right. The heights and angles and exact distances had to be tweaked and re-tweaked to make sure everything was in the right place.

Van Wyk said of the final edit, “After all the research and precision planning required; seeing the test animation play out for the first time from camera position 61.5 meters up in the sky was inspiring. It was perfect”

The Making of the Commercial…

—Official Press Release—
Honda Shines Bright In New TV Ad To Support Affordable Hybrid Car

‘Let it Shine’ was directed by Erik van Wyk and creative directed by Jeff Kling, John Norman and Sue Anderson.

LaSexta is the sixth nationwide broadcast television station in Spain and, starting this year, the only channel in Spain that broadcasts Formula 1. So they commissioned the creative agency Kotoc to make some intro spots and they came out really nicely. My only complaint is that the ships don’t look like their going fast enough. Other than that, the pod racer feel of the whole thing is pretty interesting and the look is definitely nice.

Check out the rest of the intro spots:

Client: laSexta
Produced by: Kotoc | Director: Freddy Córdoba | Executive Producer: David Diéguez | Direction: Roger Córdoba | Art Director: Ruben Córdoba | Production Manager: Vanessa Diéguez | 3d Modelling: Alex Monge, Bernat Fortet, Kepa Casado, Marc Calvelo, Omar Sarmiento, Roger Tortosa, Ruben Córdoba | Animation: Freddy Córdoba , Hugo Garcia, Marc Calvelo | Light/Render/Compositing: Eduardo Lasierra, Marc Calvelo, Roger Tortosa, Sergio Pinto | Graphic Design: Josep Bernaus | Visual Effects: Bernat Fortet, Roger Tortosa | Audio Direction: Alex Candela FLow-Audio | Recording Studio: The Room Bcn Estudio (Jordi Navarro, Gorka Desbrach) | Collaborators Audio: Xuxa Levy, Miguel Pino | Systems: Fran Quinto

via Kotoc

This looks to me to be a re-edit of some actual footage of the new Toyota Prius commercial. The Blue Man Group is apparently in the commercial, but judging from some of the bizarre, unprofessional cuts used in this video, I don’t think this is the official version. I could be wrong, but something about this video just doesn’t seem right.

Any Adsavvy readers out there care to correct or enlighten me, please do. I’d love to get to the bottom of this.

Title: Play Doh
Product: Sony Bravia
Client: Sony
Nominee: Darren Walsh
Animation Production Company: Passion Pictures
Agency: Fallon

And the rest:

Best Use of Recorded Music (Joint Winner)

Title: Here Come The Girls
Client: Boots
Nominee: Damon Collins
Production Company: Partizan
Agency: Mother

Best Camera Operator

Title: Space
Client: Carling
Nominee: Jess Hall
Production Company: Sonny London
Agency: Beattie McGuinness Bungay

Best Casting AND Best Performance by an Actor

Title: Frozen In Doubt
Product: Anti-drink drive
Client: DFT
Nominee: Wendy Brazington
Production Company: HLA
Agency: Leo Burnett

Best Sound Design AND Best Editing

Title: Enjoy The Everyday
Product: Golf
Client: Volkswagen
Nominee: Art Jones @ Speade
Production Company: Outsider
Agency: DDB London

Best Cinematography

Winner: Construction
Product: R8
Client: Audi
Nominee: Alex Barber
Production Company: Partizan
Agency: BBH

Best Colorist

Title: Turbo
Client: Saab

Nominee: Mark Gethin @ MPC
Production Company: Camp David
Agency: Lowe Brindfors

Best Computer Animation

Title: Underwater Journey
Client: Lloyd’s TSB
Nominee: Studio AKA
Production Company: Studio AKA
Agency: Rainey Kelly Campbell Roalfe/Y&R

Best Costume/Wardrobe

Title: Dr Beautiful
Client: Sony PlayStation3
Nominee: Kate Halfpenny
Production Company: Biscuit/Independent
Agency: TBWA/London

Best Make-up, Hair, and Prosthetics

Title: Sancho & Ramiro
Client: PlayStation3
Nominee: Kate Halfpenny
Production Company: Biscuit/Independent
Agency: TBWA/London

Best Original Music

Title:Gymnast
Product: R6
Client: Audi
Nominees: Tony Rapaccioli @ Wave and Nic Rapaccioli & Neil Barnes @ Tonic
Production Company: Pretty Bird
Agency: BBH

Best Stunts

Title: Jump
Client: Honda
Nominee: BJ Worth @ Blue Sky Productions
Production Company: Knucklehead
Agency: Wieden+Kennedy

Best Video Post Production

Title: Brains Dance
Client: Drench
Nominee: The Mill
Production Company: Rattling Stick
Agency: CHI & Partners

And lastly, my favorite…
Best Live Action Special Effects & Best Production Design

Title: Effortless
Client: Brylcreem
Nominees: John Pennicott &
David Payne @ Asylum
Production Company: Sonny London
Agency: WCRS

Toyota’s new Australian ad campaign for their 2009 Corolla hatchback is freaking solid gold. It’s just this kind of bizarre stuff that gets people interested and talking about the product, especially in their target audience, youth. “We just really wanted to make something a younger audience could be intrigued by, and sell a different side of Corolla, other than how practical it is,” says Micah Walker, Creative Director, Mojo Sydney.

The kitten headed hero’s story doesn’t end with the commercial though, his story is fleshed-out in an animated graphic novel online called The Getaway. We learn his name is Max and he has a sidekick named Misty; and he gets into a series of adventures: 9 Lives and Counting, Landing on all Fours, and The Sound and the Furry… clever, right?


meow

The ad campaign was developed at Publicis Mojo, Sydney, by creative director Micah Walker, art director Michael Spirkovski, copywriter Grant McAloon, account service team Amanda Wheeler, Sara McConkey and Damien Pashby, planner Ian Cassidy, and agency producer Jasmin Ferguson.

The whole thing is surprisingly well done, and the story seamlessly includes all the specs and info about car and tons of downloadable pictures and media. Digital creative director Joel Thomson said, “This idea felt perfect for an illustrated strip, we were confident the ad would drive lots of people online and we wanted to give them something just as cool there to get into and share. It certainly feels like a fresh move for a car site and perfect for Corolla.”

Director of the commercial, Garth Davis said, “This idea, this film, unapologetically celebrates that rich and wonderful world of the imagination… It’s not everyday you make a little film about kitten headed people. I love the innocence of kittens, in a playfully seedy world, and how we explored a new fighting style; a hybrid of kung fu and kitten. For me, this film ultimately reflects the easy going fun and adrenalin of Corolla… I love it, and am very excited about tickling people’s minds.”

My only complaint with the campaign as a whole is that they didn’t show off the car as much as they could have. The new Corolla is a really nice looking car and they had ample opportunities to let it be seen, unfortunately, no such luck.

the website

The final episode of the Audi’s Arrested Development inspired advertising campaign, Meet the Beckers, has been released, and I’m excited.

In a world without new episodes of Arrested Development, it doesn’t take much to excite me. Even a commercial that’s vaguely similar to the greatest show of all time can give me a reason to get up in the morning.

Anyway, in the first episode, we meet the whole family. Jason is the regular guy, and the Audi driver of course. He’s bringing his girlfriend to meet his dysfunctional family for the first time. His aggressive brother Billy drives a BWM cuts off a Prius. His drunken, country club-visiting father (The Commander) drives a Mercedes. And his doormat brother (or brother-in-law, maybe) Lewis, drives a Lexus. It’s hilariously accurate and has lots of subtle jokes you may miss if you’re not paying attention.

Episode I: Meet the Family

Episode II: Getting the Bird

The internet gives businesses the freedom to make these kinds of advertisements, and reach a huge audience with them. These ads seem fairly expensive, but if they succeed in rebranding Audi as the regular guy of the high end automobiles, while simultaneously rebranding BMW, Mercedes, and Lexus as the Douche, Old Man, and Wimp of the automotive world, respectively… then these commercials have paid for themselves many times over.

Audi sort of hints at this at the end of episode III when Jason says “I can’t let them win anymore” or something to that effect. This may mean Audi is ready to take the gloves off, so to speak. The automotive industry is financially tight right now, everyone is losing market share and money, so the peaceful “live and let live” atmosphere may be over for now. This may be the start of some attack style ads as companies start fighting over the very limited amount of consumer spending out there.

The Alfa Romeo badge has a very heraldic, ancient feel to it. Very classy. But what does it mean, and why the hell does it have a giant snake eating a man?

Well, the owners of Alfa Romeo (originally called A.L.F.A. for Anonima Lombarda Fabbrica Automobili, which is translated as Lombard Automobile Factory, Public Company) wanted a logo that was associated with the city of Milan, so they used symbols that Milan had used since the Crusades. The red cross is typical Christian symbol of medieval heraldry and used extensively throughout the crusaides. Back then, seeing a bunch of guys with red crosses painted on them didn’t mean “medic”, it meant: Run for your life.

The man in the serpents mouth is a bit more controversial. It’s a symbol called a biscione, and the man in the image is alternatively described as a child (the modern interpretation) or a Saracen or Moor (aka: a Muslim). So the whole serpent motif is all about the Christians Crusaders’ defeat of the infidels. Yeah, pretty strange.

Alfa obviously doesn’t like to call attention to this, so they don’t. And anytime someone else does, they just say something like “Eh, it’s an ancient symbol of our town, fuck off”. You know how Italians are.

Audi’s new ad campaign, Meet the Beckers, is the story of a wealthy, dysfunctional family, each of whom drives a different car. It’s slightly reminiscent of the show Arrested Development, if only because I have that show seared into the hilarity centers of my brain.

Audi driver and regular guy, Jason, is bringing his girlfriend to meet his family for the first time, for Thanksgiving. As he describes each new family member, we see them in their particular vehicle. Obnoxious brother Billy drives a BWM and has a bluetooth headset in his ear while he cuts off a Prius. His drunken, country club-visiting father (The Commander) drives a Mercedes and has a young trophy wife in the passenger seat, browsing a catalog of adoptable little foreign children. He pulls away with the wipers on and turn signal blinking. And, the effeminate, henpecked yuppie Lewis, with his insane twin daughters (who call him “Lewis”), drives a Lexus. It’s spot on.

This commercial tries to make it clear that Audi drivers aren’t the self-centered freaks that all other high-end car drivers are. You can be a regular guy and still drive a nice car.
Judging from their website, there will be at least 3 commercials in the series. I’m looking forward to them, Arrested Development ended too early.

The free market is a beautiful thing, everyone benefits and everyone gets what they want. Just put all the needs and desires of mankind in a pot and sprinkle in some human ingenuity, and out comes all sorts of innovative ways to get things done.

FreeCar Media is one of those innovative solutions. They’re a company that allows regular people to use their personal vehicle as a moving billboard. You just sign up with them and fill out their form. Companies looking to advertise can then browse through FreeCar’s database and pick whomever they want. Once you get picked, FreeCar comes out and wraps your car it in a digitally printed, high quality vinyl advertisement. Then you just drive your car like you normally would, back and forth to work. You can get paid up to $900 a month for that, and most programs last about 3 months, although some are longer and others shorter.

Once the market gets more crowded, it’ll change the dynamics of the pricing and all that, but as for now: Sign me up!