Now that the fictional game, “Unicorn Apocalypse,” created by 72andSunny in its ongoing campaign to promote Samsung Galaxy has come to fruition, where else to turn but the movie version and a pitch to the one and only Tim Burton. The writer/director takes center stage amongst the sea of geeky, Galaxy-addled developers and comes up with his own standard oddball concepts for where to take “Unicorn” next in this clip called, aptly enough, “Meeting with Tim Burton.”

The 90-second clip was just one of several Samsung ad placements during last nights Oscars broadcast (guess they saved up their Super Bowl budget for this) that told the tale of the evolution of the honestly (and perhaps deliberately) terrible-sounding faux-game. Still, the most recent installments like the one below where the creatives meet the account folks add a decent amount of smirk and snark to balance the scales. Credits after the jump.

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To those of you who inquired this morning, the answer is yes. After spending just seven months at 72andSunny as an executive creative director, Scott Trattner has indeed returned to TBWA\Media Arts Lab, the place he called home for eight years before joining up with the former, MDC-owned agency. During his brief stint at 72andSunny, Trattner was tasked along with fellow ECDs Jason Norcross and Frank Hahn with leading work across a client roster that includes K-Swiss, Carl’s Jr./Hardee’s and Activision.

No word yet on why such a brief spell at his former shop, but now, in his second tour of duty at \MAL, which officially begins today, Trattner once again assumes the role of ECD and is back to work on Apple. During his first time out, Trattner helped lead creative for on campaigns for everything from iPod Touch to iPad 2 to iPhone 4S.

Hey, look! It’s that dude who was on 30 Rock for a few seasons before they realized his character was totally worthless. This guy. Man, has that dude fallen on hard times or what? Let’s all hope he gets back on his feet before things get worse.

Anyway, the above 90-second spot from 72andSunny takes place in the fictional video game development studio of “Unicorn Apocalypse,” a fake game no doubt inspired by Adult Swim’s online “Robot Unicorn Attacks,” but about zombies because 20-something nerds sure love those. If you think 90-seconds sounds like a long time to watch hipster nerds talk about zombie unicorns and play around with their phones, you’d be right.

I’ve been a little back and forth about Samsung’s recent iPhone-bashing campaign. Perhaps it’s because I think it’s a really great idea, but the execution just misses the mark for some reason. Perhaps that reason, as most blatantly exhibited by the spot above, is because Samsung is targeting pretentious millennials who look down about those with different tastes. It makes sense to label iPhone buyers sheep, but there has to be a more subtle way to do it. Also, here’s a newsflash: pretentious people don’t think they’re pretentious. They just think that they’re right. So, portraying an over the top version of the demo (however accurate), will undoubtedly turn off the very consumer you most want.

As the current top comment on YouTube asks, “Why does Samsung insist on making everyone with their phone act like a 20-something douchebag?” Good question. Credits after the jump.

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72andSunny’s marketing blitz for Samsung continues with this new spot for the Galaxy Note II starring none other than LeBron James (whose other, more charitable ad for Samsung was launched simultaneously). We admit we were intrigued ever since we first caught this 90-second clip at the beginning of the NBA season opener featuring James’s Miami Heat versus their hated rival, the Boston Celtics. Directed by Anonymous Content’s Mark Romanek (the man who’s also behind some of our fave music videos as well as One Hour Photo), the Samsung spot is presented as if we’re following the three-time MVP on his first day back on the job in the NBA (it was actually shot a week before Tuesday’s opener).

From morning family time, complete with cereal, to his trip to the barbershop to the championship ring ceremony at American Airlines arena, we get a gist of what James may have actually gone through on game day (or maybe not). We have to say, though, the Galaxy Note II’s stylus arguably steals the show. Credits after the jump.

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What better time to talk about violent dystopian survival techniques than when most of the East Coast is about to be plunged underwater? Yes, for all of you who still have access to Internet, it’s probably better you watch this new spot for Call Of Duty: Black Ops 2 from Activision and 72andSunny then read some silly rag like the New York Times, despite the latter’s recent removal of its paywall.

Directed by Guy Ritchie, the same Brit who gave us such modern action movie classics as Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, Snatch, and, uh, Swept Away, this trailer finds us in a post-apocalyptic Times Square defended by Ironman himself, Robert Downey Jr. Known for defeating villains like Loki and drug addiction, Downey and Internet celebs  “iJustine” and “FPSRussia” band together to fight against the zombie uprising.

The spot serves as a continuation of the “There’s a Solider in All of Us” campaign that 72andSunny used during the release of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3. If you’ll recall, that series of spots utilized a cavalcade of celebrities on TV, with appearances from the likes of Jonah Hill, Kobe Bryant and Sam Worthington. As COD:BO 2 approaches its mid-November release date, it’s probably a safe bet to assume we’ll be seeing a lot more of Hollywood with future trailers. Credits after the jump.

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As Samsung’s patent war with Apple rages on, the former has wasted no time in busting the latter’s balls–well, at least those of its devotees–in a new spot that launched not so coincidentally around the time the iPhone 5 hits shelves. Once again, 72andSunny takes square aim at the fanboys and girls anxiously waiting for hours in line for Apple’s next great product (even a huge storm couldn’t drive away the hordes we saw standing outside a Best Buy in Union Square on Tuesday), which according to Samsung boasts many of the same features that are already found in the Galaxy S III. The ultimate kicker, though, is that with a barrel full of snark in tow, Samsung and 72 convey the message here that the iPhone is now better suited for moms and dads. Zing! Credits after the jump.

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Let’s first get through the formalities and let you know, even though you all probably know, that TBWA vet Scott Trattner has joined up with 72andSunny as executive creative director. The eight-year \Media Arts Lab vet co-created the “Mac vs. PC” campaign for Wall Street’s MVP. In a statement, 72andSunny chief exec John Boiler breaks it down, saying, “Scott’s track record for creating colossal impact on behalf of his clients is second to none. His work has not only shaped one of the biggest brands in the world, but redefined industries. Jason and Frank have led some of the most notable campaigns in the world and are cultural keystones. Moving to this new structure will allow us to scale our culture and best practices while maintaining our relentless focus on creative excellence.”

The “Frank” Boiler is referring to is Frank Hahn, who along with Jason Norcross (promoted to partner nearly a year ago) has been bumped up to executive creative directors at the SoCal-based, MDC-owned agency.

Update: For the sake of keeping folks out of trouble, we’ll let the original rant pass by the wayside. Sorry for it, but I still think AdAge really needs to get over itself. You are not the monolith you think you are.

Bisous,

=-Kiran

Following the reveal trailer that aired during last night’s NBA playoffs and showed actual game play, Activision has now unveiled the full-length, two-minute documentary for Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 which was created by The Ant Farm and 72andSunny. Shot in Washington D.C. and featuring an appearance from none other than good ol’ Ollie North, the online film dramatically details the weapons of the future and looks realistic and grim enough to have us believe we’ll be wandering the desolate road with Viggo Mortensen and his son in the coming years. Check out credits if so inclined after the jump.

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Three months after snagging Call of Duty duties from TBWA\Chiat\Day LA, 72andSunny has rolled out its new work for the Activision franchise, which from the looks of it, doesn’t drift too far from the gonzo, celebrity-driven approach employed by Chiat for Black Ops. But instead of Jimmy Kimmel and Kobe Bryant, this time we have Avatar‘s Sam Worthington and a slimmed-down, unlikely hero in Jonah Hill, who play vet and noob, respectively, as well as Superman himself, Dwight Howard. The spot, directed by Peter Berg and featuring the rather appropriate “Shoot to Thrill” from AC/DC, is just as over-the-top as the game play itself and dominated commercial breaks during yesterday’s NFL coverage. It’s something Michael Bay would surely approve of, but where does 72andSunny’s Call of Duty debut rank when it comes to video game ad of the year? Modern Warfare 3, by the way, hits shelves tomorrow.

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It took seven years, which seems like an eternity these days as far as agency tenure goes, but 72andSunny ( Fiat USA’s new AOR) has promoted stalwarts and the agency’s first two creative hires in Jason Norcross and Bryan Rowles (pictured) to partners (their specialties lie in copywriting and design, respectively).

The pair has worked as creative directors at MDC-owned 72andSunny and were responsible for campaigns including “Next Level” for Nike. Their next effort for Activision, dubbed “Skylanders,” is expected to break in October. 72andSunny founder John Boiler says, “They helped build this place brick by brick. Including them as partners is a recognition of their contribution and a platform for them to keep taking 72andSunny to new heights.”