Though one of the most consistently hilarious campaigns in the history of television advertising, it’s been a while since we’ve seen a “This is SportsCenter” spot really knock it out of the park. That is, until today.

ESPN and W+K NY fulfill the fantasies and daydreams of fans nationwide with this spot, in which mild-mannered, buttoned-up NFL analyst John Clayton finally shows his true colors, or at least the colors that we’ve all been hoping he’s been secretly hiding. Yes, Clayton’s mythical ponytail makes an appearance. Yes, Clayton is secretly the world’s biggest Slayer fan. And yes, he still lives with his mom.

I don’t know what else to say about this, other than bravo ESPN, bravo W+K, and take a bow, John Clayton. Not that we needed any help getting revved up for the NFL season, but damn, who’s ready for some football? 

(h/t Deadspin)

Update: The spot will make its TV debut, aptly enough, on Sept. 10 during ESPN’s Monday Night Football double-header.  Credits after the jump.

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Prior to Y&R, Schulson spent a decade as a senior producer at both TBWA\Chiat\Day’s LA and NY offices. BBH NY’s latest hire will officially assume her post on Jan. 23.

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With the NHL playoffs looming, Y&R has launched the 2011 version of its History Will Be Made campaign, which like last year’s installment, will likely tug at hockey fans’ heartstrings. The 2010 effort, featuring legendary playoff moments from some NHL greats like Bobby Orr, was dubbed one of the most successful campaigns in the sport’s history, driving more than 302 million TV viewers to the 2010 Stanley Cup Playoffs, in turn making it the most watched in 36 years according to the NHL PR machine.

The first pair of spots will debut on March 13 during the broadcast of the Chicago Blackhawks vs Washington Capitals game and 20 additional spots will appear April 13, the first day of the playoffs, through the conclusion of the Stanley Cup Final with a new spot each day, highlighting a key moment from the previous night’s games.

Check out credits and the two other ads from the 2011 “History” launch  after the jump.
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Taking a cue from Jaws, Y&R New York sets the scene in this spot for the LG Kompressor Elite vacuum cleaner. Everything is all fine and dandy, as all the toys are enjoying a day at the carpet until a couple gets separated from the group. They start, well, having fun until (cue the score) things go to hell real quick when some uninvited guests show up for dinner.

The team at Psyop (with the help of Smuggler) built a set on a stage, keeping the CG to a minimum and shot all the plastic toy soldiers, Barbie look-a-likes, designer toys, stuffed animals, etc on that set and implemented CG to give the dolls different facial expressions. The sharks and other subtleties were obviously generated as well.

Psyop CEO and CD Marco Spier says in a statement, “We of course got personally connected with the toys, their characters and the story. Carefully placing them personally on set to get the best performance out of them, kind of like actors. We also liked the idea of having unusual combinations of different characters because that’s how kids play – free form, mixing and matching, and grouping things together based on what they have no hand, or what their siblings or friends have.”

We think it’s safe to say this turned out to be a nice spot with some good imagination – much better than an infomercial of a vacuum sucking up coins and marbles. Credits after the jump.

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