W+K’s line of Dodge ads appeals to consumers with a distinct voice that separates the brand from most  auto manufacturers hawking new models. By now, we all know the recipe: frenetic cuts, clean white text, VO that tries too hard to be cool, and the loop from “No Church in the Wild.” The commercials run so often,  you almost forget that the song used to belong to Jay, Ye, and Frank Ocean. I doubt any of them drive Dodge Darts.

But for those of us who want to drive Dodge Darts, the latest spot, titled “How to Change Buying Cars Forever,” details a clever crowdfunding pitch meant to make new cars a little more affordable. Interested buyers can design their own Dart online and set a funding goal for family and friends who want to purchase individual parts as gifts. Mom and Dad get the steering wheel, your brother covers the leather seats, etc.

And if you’re getting married, the Dodge Dart Registry throws a nice wrench in the department store marital registry monopoly. Nobody wants a new toaster. Credits after the jump.

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Four months since the debut “How to Change Cars Forever,” WK’s Portland’s first spot for the Dodge Dart, it’s clear the campaign is now kicking it into high-gear with phase two.

When we first posted the debut spot back in July, there was quite a discussion going on in our comments section. It’s become par for the course here: We post new work from W+K, and the comments explode with people saying it’s not as good as Wieden’s past work or, if someone likes it, it’s because her or she must some sort of W+K fanboy. It’s a testament to W+K’s amazing portfolio they’ve built throughout the years. We expect this agency to blow our mind with every campaign, and we’re quick to complain when it doesn’t.

While this Dodge Dart maybe didn’t completely turn my world upside down with the first spot, it’s definitely grown on me. Despite the fact that it seems to run during every commercial break of an NFL telecast, when I hear the familiar bassline of Kanye West/Jay-Z‘s “No Church in the Wild,” I find myself always completely absorbed in the spot, guessing what aspect of the Dodge Dart will be presented next.

These two new spots, “Interior” and “Unsafe,” take the same formula and condense it into 30-second slices of sensory overload. Perhaps its reflective of the over-caffeniated environment of the W+K Portland office? In any case, the rapid-fire narrative of the Dart’s features really does make the car look like it is far more technologically advanced than any of its competitors. If you’re wondering how to make TV spots dazzle and sell simultaneously, well, it’s just this easy. Credits after the jump.

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Seeing as it’s World AIDS Day and all, it’s rather timely that SF-based freelance art director Keith Gibson and his Red Pencils crew return with their goodwill mission to fight the disease. Just like last year, the Red Pencils are looking to enlist people from the ad community to take part in the AIDS/LifeCycle, a seven-day bike ride that this time starts in San Francisco on June 5 and ends in Los Angeles on June 11. The current 2011 Red Pencils roster consists of:

Keith Gibson / Freelance Art Director & Designer / Riney, San Francisco
Michelle Kelly / Jr. Communication Strategist / GSP, San Fancisco
Brandon Reif / Creative Director / Draft FCB, San Francisco
Laura Gibson / Marketing Director / ECA, Oakland
James Brown / Freelance Creative Director/ San Francisco
Michael Tabtabai / Creative Director / Saatchi & Saatchi, Los Angeles
Mark Estes / Freelance Photographer / Oakland
Christopher Wood / Creative Director / Luckyfish, Atlanta

If interesting in riding, email team@redpencils.org or if you’d just like to download and put up the poster to show your support, here’s your link.  Full release after the jump.

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