Since 1944, the United Negro College Fund has operated under the banner “A Mind is a Terrible Thing to Waste.” Today, they’re updating to the too-long slogan “A Mind is a Terrible Thing to Waste But a Wonderful Thing to Invest In.”

Regardless of its verbosity, Y&R New York and the Ad Council’s new campaign is a smart, relevant adaptation. Instead of accepting donations for their fund, UNCF is “taking the cause straight to where the money is,” and has created the first-ever stock for social change. Columbia University economist Clive Belfield created an algorithm to determine the value of a share, which investors can purchase via Better Futures’ website.

The Better Futures campaign puts concept into practice, and shows people that they’re not just giving money, they’re investing in future generations. Y&R’s pro bono work will include print and TV PSAs that “use real stories from real UNCF students to show how that investment will pay dividends for all our futures,” says Michael L. Lomax, president/CEO of UNCF, in a statement. If investors are inspired to get involved, the Better Futures stock could be Wall Street’s most meaningful.

Credits after the jump.

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Hey, did you know that Taco Bell’s Doritos Locos tacos now come in a Cool Ranch variety? Of course you did, and you and your 20-something-year-old friends are probably celebrating in a parking lot or pool hall right now according to this spot from DraftFCB. “By golly, what a wonderful new offering,” you thought to yourself. “I should throw a Doritos bag containing a taco to my similarly aged friend across town. That is what I shall do.” And then you did.

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Sure, 72andSunny and Samsung have had some fun comparing the latter’s smartphones to Apple’s in recent years, but in the last several months, it seems like the brand’s finally getting over their complex and showcasing the product line on its own. First, they highlighted the Galaxy S4 with a graduation-centered campaign. Now, they’re showcasing new features for Father’s Day with “hip dads in action.”

In “Swaddle Master,” a befuddled father learns the tricks of the swaddling trade via Smart Pause YouTube. With “Quick Snooze” (below), meanwhile, the same cardigan-wearing dad watches the game with his little one at the end of the day. As his eyes droop shut, the game pauses. He reopens them and it picks up where he left off.

Though this creative work may not go viral or win awards, showing the practical (and less glamorous) application of the S4’s features will perhaps win the hearts of young parents everywhere. On a special occasion like Father’s Day, maybe hitting your target audience is enough?

Credits after the jump.

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In light of the “no homo” press conference from Indiana Pacers center Roy Hibbert, this new Boost Mobile basketball spot from 180LA may strike some sensitive nerves. However, the humor is handled with enough subtlety to tiptoe around accusations of offensiveness. There’s also a really well-timed nuts joke that might make you chuckle if you are into such sectors of comedy.

In the commercial, one unlucky defender gets posterized on in a pick-up basketball game, and to make things worse, his face gets an up-close view of the sweaty dunker’s crotch. For those who aren’t basketball aficionados, there was actually a name for such a move – balls on your head – that became popular in the 1990s when young NBA players like Darius Miles would dunk on a guy. After the dunk, the player would run down the court celebrating like this (I’m not making this up). Whether Boost Mobile knows it or not, they are bringing back forgotten basketball treasure. The commercial is probably making some subconscious statement about the intersection of black, gay, and youth cultures, but as a consumer product, it’s really just funny. You see, Tyler, the Creator, it’s possible to make an effective ad without relying on stereotypes. Credits after the jump.

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“Main Street Matters,” The Martin Agency’s first campaign for Benjamin Moore since winning creative/media duties for the paint brand back in February, celebrates local businesses in the US and Canada. From today until June 30, users can visit paintwhatmatters.com and vote for a town to receive a Benjamin Moore makeover. Painting and renovations will then take place in 20 cities from July until May 2014.

Brad Pitt lends his simpering voiceover (can’t help but think of his Chanel ad) and star power to Benjamin Moore’s video spot, with lines like, “Drug stores that still make milkshakes with real ice cream…matter.” The video–a slideshow of old-timey American storefronts–isn’t exactly scintillating, but of course the idea of supporting local communities hits a soft spot in my small-town girl heart. Using digital outreach to revitalize mom and pop places is a smart, noble idea. I just wish the campaign’s design sense didn’t also need a makeover.

Credits after the jump.

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I did not stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night, so you’ll have to forgive me if I’m lacking a certain prowess, but I’ll try my best to cover the latest commercial from the hotel brand and Fallon. The “Stay Smart” campaign launched in 1998 and is back after an extended hiatus. We briefly covered the revival in April, and now, Holiday Inn is re-releasing the second spot to Youtube after it had a successful run in movie theaters.

In the ad, a mayonnaise whiteboy holding his dry-cleaning walks up to a couple of dudes freestyling on a New York street corner. One of the dudes takes the opportunity to diss the whiteboy with a few lines. Instead of recoiling, the whiteboy hands his clothes to his adversary, then drops an impressive verse, subverting every white/black stereotype in the book. Some of his verbal gems include: “But how you gonna let a marketing rep rip your rep/ And slip a depth rhyme scheme your mind only dreams in.” If that’s how one can gain rapping ability, then Lil Wayne may want to consider staying at a Holiday Inn Express while working on his next album. Think about the marketing possibilities of that celebrity/brand marriage…

A city’s own tourist site is rarely the most relevant resource for newcomers and tourists. More often, individual bloggers and independent publications have the up-to-date, insider information, presented in a format that doesn’t appear as if it were constructed in 1998. But, with the help of agencies Sid Lee and Touché PHD, the city of Montreal is working to be their own best digital brand-builder, hopefully setting the tone for a string of cities.

Tourisme Montreal’s campaign asks visitors and residents to be “destination ambassadors” by using the hashtag #MTLMOMENTS when they Instagram their time in the city. Montreal moments will then be showcased on Tourisme Montreal’s bilingual blog, Vivez MTL/MTL Buzz. It’s also mobile and tablet compatible. All in all, the blog is a stylish relief from Tourisme Montreal’s previous staid, basic slideshow site. Hopefully they eventually convert altogether, because more than any tourist board’s recommendations, it’s the people that define a place.

When the word “free” is involved, people will do anything. They’ll even stare at a new phone with eye-tracking software for an hour to win that phone for free. We can file this under the Must Be a European Thing Club, not because people will complete strange tasks to win free products, but because they did so as crowds of people cheered on the contestants. And it’s not as if they were just staring at a phone, they were staring at a phone secure in a tall box as chefs pretended to be on fire and motorcyclists drove by for distraction. If a contestant stayed focused on the phone for more than one minute, he/she received a 100 SFr (Swiss Franc) discount. If he/she looked away for a millisecond, their turn ended. One dude, looking very European in his sleek jacket with infinite pockets, won the grand prize, a Samsung S4, in the above video (go here for more). People cheered. He now has to pay for a monthly plan.

The campaign comes from Switzerland, where creative studio Perfect Fools and Swisscom agency Heimat incorporated the smartphone’s new eye-tracking abilities to generate some buzz. The original video was filmed in Zurich, and crews will also travel to Lucerne, Bern, and Lausanne for similar showcases. If you are a guy who owns a jacket with too many pockets, you may also be able to have an opportunity to stare at a smartphone for an hour. On your mark, get set, F-R-E-E.

If you know a runner or are one yourself, you know that plodding on a path day after day requires a reason. Some take the pain to lose weight, while others are addicted to the runner’s high. Running can be the foundation of a community or the motivation for recovery. In Dick’s Sporting Goods’ latest campaign created by Greenpoint Pictures and Anomaly NY, 13 runners share their personal stories. Starting on March 7th, one video has been released every week. Beneath each story, viewers can click to buy gear or share their own story via the #RunFor Facebook campaign.

For an organization that seems like your bludgeoning American sports store next door, Dick’s appeals to a wider audience with this series of sensitive portraits. We’re all athletes to some degree, and running is an activity we have in common, whether we hobbled along in middle school gym or undertook a couple marathons. In Week 12’s video, cancer survivor Meggan Janota says what should be the sub-tagline of this campaign: “You run by yourself, but you’re not alone.” By capturing this community, Dick’s Sporting Goods inspires and drives.

Credits after the jump

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Changing one of the most iconic products in the world could backfire. We’ve seen Coca-Cola add new flavors and alter their signature bottle contour before: New Coke fizzled out quietly after a decade, and Coca-Cola Blak didn’t even last two years. Now, McCann Milan is making the slightest of changes to Coke cans in Italy, redesigning the mouth, so when someone opens a new Coke, it looks as if the can is smiling back at them. McCann is calling this product the “Happy Can.”

The adjustment is so subtle, folks may not even realize anything has changed at all. The campaign is meant to cheer up Italians after a year of controversial press focusing on Silvio Berlusconi, a new Pope, and a troubled economy. Will the Happy Can make any difference? Probably not, since the can has yet to go into production. At the moment, it is only being hyped for promotional purposes, popping up on billboards in major Italian cities while the Coca-Cola brand goes over the legality of a widespread tweak to their traditional design. If McCann’s can modification could actually remedy Italy’s 36% youth unemployment rate, then people may be more inclined to buy a smiling pop-top. But for now, it’s just a very minor gesture in a country with some very major problems. Credits after the jump.

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