From Dell’s lead agency Y&R NY comes this enchanting new TV spot that tells the story of a cubicle slave named Thomas and his aspirations to be something more.

Obviously, 2013 finds Dell in quite a different spot than they were in a decade ago. While “Dude, You’re Getting a Dell” was seen as a major success in convincing parents worldwide that their college-bound spawn actually needed a computer, the company is now the butt of tech jokes. In fact, consider this headline from last week’s edition of The Onion: “Dell Acquired By Gateway 2000 In Merger Of 2 Biggest Names In Computer Technology.” Yes, Michael Dell‘s buyout of the company is seen to be as relevant as Gateway 2000. Ouch.

Dell has been relying big on Y&R, especially after parting ways with Sid Lee and Arnold in January. With spots like “Thomas: Creator of an Alternate Universe,” Y&R proves that Dell made a wise move consolidating their commercial work with one agency. Not only do we get some great visuals, but we actually see the Dell XPS laptop in action, looking (to be honest) surprisingly forward-thinking for a company that my generation sees as playing catch-up for the last few years. Add to great advertising some bold business moves, and Dell could yet find the pathway to long-term profitability. Credits and a behind-the-scenes clip after the jump.

Read more

From the ever-prolific David&Goliath comes the above advert for Hardee’s, seemingly the agency’s millionth TV spot for CKE Restaurants since taking over the ad duties for the brand at the beginning of the year. Hey, when you have four CDs and two ACDs working on 30-second spots like this one, you’re bound to come up with an idea here or there, right?

This time around, Hardee’s is advertising its hand-breaded chicken tenders by introducing a character who made his own basketball shoes. Okay, so someone trying to hide that fact that he’s greatly impoverished by comparing his footwear to Hardee’s menu items might not be the morally correct person to target. But, he certainly is the easiest. Also, for those wondering if Hardee’s actually has someone on staff hand-breading chicken before it goes out customers, the announce states, “At Hardee’s, hand-breading our chicken tenders fresh and made to order makes them better, and that’s just the way it is – a sentiment that rings even more true with the introduction of the new Hand-Breaded Buffalo Chicken Tenders.” Surprising, but at Hardee’s, that’s “just the way it is.” Credits after the jump.

Read more