Brands

Those rapscallions at Boulder-based TDA are at it again, this time launching a new campaign for Sir Richard’s, the condom brand that kicked off its launch by giving us wild postings in NYC nearly 18 months ago and is now honoring National Women’s Health Week with “Vagina Rules.” To be specific, TDA’s effort calls on the ladies to offer “rules about what they won’t put in their vagina” to raise awareness for the lesser-known chemicals that are often found in condoms and lubricant, including spermicide, parabens, and glycerin. You can check out an image from the campaign below or go to the website for info. San Francisco, Denver and Austin, meanwhile, can expect Sir Richard’s wild postings of their own in the near future. Credits after the jump.

Read more

After three months or so of reviewing, the University of Phoenix, which is an accredited college institution mind you, has tapped Arnold Worldwide as its new agency of record. If you remember, the Apollo Group-owned school previously worked with Pereira & O’Dell for nearly three years. Arnold’s Boston headquarters will oversee the work for University of Phoenix, which is set to debut this fall.

In a statement, Arnold Boston president Pam Hamlin says, “Adult education is a fast-growing market and University of Phoenix is the largest in the category. We’re incredibly excited to partner with them to help create a distinct and powerful brand message in a category that’s currently filled with ‘a sea of sameness.”

Believe it or not, 2012 marks a decade since Comedy Central canceled their robot fighting show, BattleBots. The show had it all, from destruction to hilarity to scantily-clad “correspondents” to cameos from Bill Nye the Science Guy. If you’re anything like me, and you consider these attributes the recipe for televised greatness, you were devastated when BattleBots went off the air.

So, understand that I’m a little biased when I call the above spot for Atlanta-based agency Fitzgerald+Co a wonderfully creative way to demonstrate the durability of Pergo floors. Not only do I get to see my old robot friends, but I suddenly have quite an affinity for a flooring product that I’d never heard of before. Of course, this begs the question: Do married women, who I assume are the ones generally responsible for making the purchasing decisions when it comes to flooring (as depicted in the spot), respond to BattleBots in the same way that I do?

The campaign also features a Facebook page where consumers can “Like” the video for a chance to win a new floor, learn more about the BattleBots featured in the spot, and browse different Pergo styles and key features. Credits follow after the jump.

Read more

Perhaps James Joyce would be proud from the ether. Minneapolis-based ale brand Finnegans, which has been around since 2000 we’ve been told, has teamed up with fellow Twin Cities op Martin Williams to launch its own “confessional” of sorts on Facebook. Who needs a priest when an algorithm can play judge & jury and provide you with penance in the form of Irish Amber brew? We don’t know if you want to go all Michael Corleone and confess your deepest, darkest sins, but however you play, there’s brew involved as well as your Facebook friends. Feel free to give it a go, whether Catholic or not.

Gentlemen, let’s face it: Khakis aren’t cool. In fact, the only reason you’ll catch most guys wearing khaki pants is because they’re forced to either by their job, their spouse/significant other, or because they didn’t want to wear a suit to a more formal occasion. For me, khakis are reminiscent of my time in elementary school, where my mom would cram me into an old paid before church. They were uncomfortable, fit weird, and definitely didn’t have the cool factor of jeans.

So, how are Haggar and agency McGarrah Jessee (who you may remember from the Shiner vs. Heineken stage/billboard ripoff fiasco last summer) attempting to give their brand of khakis the cool factor that your old pair of Dockers lacks? Why, with a new TV campaign for the new Life Khaki line, which recently launched (initial spot above) and shows the difference between wearing khakis because you have to and wearing khakis because they’re manly (perhaps a move from the Old Spice playbook).

Did you know that WWII-era generals and Indiana Jones-esque adventurers wear khakis? It’s because they’re manly, and also probably because only farmer-types were wearing jeans in the 1940s. Either way, I learned in my early 20s that a well-fitting pair of khakis can definitely make you stand out in a room. A word to the wise, though, who may feel compelled to jump into a mants experiment: If the pockets of your khakis stick out while you walk around, they don’t fit right. See the newest spots from the campaign and credits after the jump.

Read more

Just a month after hearing rumors that she was leaving her director of planning gig at TBWA\Chiat\Day NY, to which she offered us a “no comment” at the time, it looks like Eliza Esquivel has indeed moved on to bigger and better things. The exec has now joined up with food and beverage giant Kraft as VP of global brand strategy.

Prior to her new gig, Esquivel spent three-and-a-half years at Chiat\Day, eventually moving up in February 2011 from group planning director on Skittles and Starbust among other accounts to director of planning at the agency’s NYC office. During her career, the new Kraft veep held senior planning positions at the likes W+K Amsterdam and JWT New York.

A generous tipster, or so we think, sent us a verbatim note that seems to outline a $500 million global media review for Luxottica, the Italian monolith that is home to eyewear lines including Ray-Ban, Oakley and Patrick Bateman’s personal fave, Oliver Peoples. We’ve contacted the brand to get some clarification on the matter, but see for yourself below and after the jump. Strap on your guns, kids.

Global Media Review Considerations

Scope of the review and desirable outcome
ï       Re-asses and challenge our current media agencies
ï       Consolidate our media services, possibly into one agency
ï       Reconsider the media agency services, notably in the light of an exponential growth in media-generated content and analytics
ï       Aim for best partner for Luxotticaís brands in terms of:
1.      Strategy and new media services
2.      Engaged and pro-active client service
3.      Global coordination and local implementation
4.      Excellent capabilities across all digital platforms
5.      Cost-effective media buying (or the right media quality for our brands at the best price)

Read more

Well, guess you can’t win ‘em all, McGarryBowen. Barely a week after narrowing its creative agency search down to two finalists, GSD&M and the aforementioned McGB, Walgreens has reportedly decided on the former. Here’s a note a tipster sent to us around 9:45 this morning: “GSD&M is new agency of record for Walgreens, besting BBDO, McGarry Bowen and united Publicis offering (they were the incumbent).” The “Publicis offering” we believe they’re referring to is the digital marketing work for the chain, which was previously handled by Digitas.

Neither GSD&M nor Walgreens responded to our inquiries this morning. According to AdAge, the review didn’t include multicultural, media or digital media planning/buying.

As we speak, there are a bunch of guys dressed in their best Three Amigos garb who are ready to “mariachi-ize” your song requests in a Facebook effort that’s dubbed the “Cuatro de Mayo Concierto.” Since we’ve already touched upon our pre-gaming festivities, let’s now turn our attention to this live streaming effort from Grey, which picked up the advertising business for the brew brand last November and is now promoting Mike’s Classic Margarita in honor of Cinco de Mayo. Enough of our spiel already, go watch the band jam here.

Though the “King of Pop” passed away nearly three years ago, his spirit continues to loom large over PepsiCo, which announced that it will ship out one billion cans of Pepsi adorned with a silhouette of Michael Jackson, who appears to be dressed in his duds from the “Smooth Criminal” video. According to USA Today, the announce comes on the heels of Pepsi’s new, global partnership with the estate of Michael Jackson and is part of the brand’s 25th anniversary celebration of the moonwalker’s Bad album and tour (couldn’t they just have waited a year to celebrate the 30th anniversary of his far superior album, Thriller?). Of course, opinions are split down the middle, with some calling it “macabre” and others hailing it as “brilliant.”

In addition to the cans, the AP reports that a TV spot featuring Jackson’s image will air in some markets and there will be chances to download remixes of the artist’s classic tracks and win tickets to Cirque du Soleil’s “Michael Jackson: The Immortal World Tour” performance. The late pop star’s relationship with Pepsi dates back to 1983, and while we’ll always remember the infamous hair-burning scandal, why not just reflect on the 1984 ad starring the future Carlton from Fresh Prince of Bel-Air that eventually made it to air (below).