While you’re battling Wednesday workdays at the office, Geico has a new addition to their “Happier Than” campaign that gives a literal visual representation to Hump Day. Yes, a camel, with humps. The camel’s coworkers don’t look thrilled with their humped friend running through channels of cubicles and interrupting their productivity. Wednesdays should be a time of cautious optimism – by the end of the day, a majority of the week will be finished – but these guys look like they just got demoted.

The Hump Day spot – created by the insurance brand’s longtime ally The Martin Agency – won’t be going up on the Mount Rushmore of  ”Happier Than” ads. That space is reserved for Dikembe Mutombo‘s supermarket exploits and Eddie Money’s entrepreneurial skills, commercials that dealt with clever concepts that riffed on pop culture. “Hump Day” is more of a cheesy pun dragging itself over 30 seconds of airtime. Re-strum the banjo, there’s always next time. A ridiculously long credit list awaits after the jump.

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Nearly three months after 72andSunny introduced us to “The Replacer”–aka Fargo baddie Peter Stormare–in its campaign for Activision’s Call of Duty: Black Ops II – Revolution trailer, the agency has brought back the character, now with sidekick JB Smoove in tow, for its Black Ops II – Uprising promo. Jesus, how many entries are in this franchise? Anyhow, the newly formed dynamic duo embarks on several replacing adventures from serving as weatherman to fixing cable, with Stormare being his usual, somewhat menacing self and Smoove giving us the fast-talking delivery that we first came to know and love in Curb Your Enthusiasm. 

We’re not sure what the budget is here, but as the Black Ops franchise expands, so do seem the timeframe and scope of the clips promoting it. But, if you have the patience for it (it is lunchtime on the East Coast, after all), don’t let us stop you from taking in this slightly entertaining, slightly grating clip. Credits after the jump.

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What?!? Is that the Pillsbury Doughboy being used in a non-Pillsbury advertisement? Is that even legal? This is a big deal! Wait, is it a big deal? I mean, it’s not like they’re competitors of Geico’s. You can’t insure your car with baking products and you can’t bake with car insurance. Wait, can you? No…no, you can’t. Yet.

What we have here is an ad-crossover of sorts, which, if you think about it, wouldn’t be that surprising if brands weren’t so super protective of their copyrighted material. You’d think that someone would learn a lesson from Who Framed Roger Rabbit? about that joys of allowing your brands to interact with others. So it’s refreshing to see Pillsbury play ball with Geico and The Martin Agency for a joke about the giggly little Pillsbury Doughboy getting the pat-down from the TSA on his way to a baking convention. Man, that little guy really loves being touched, huh? Credits after the jump.

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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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Like a less-slick, self-assured version of Harvey Keitel‘s “The Wolf” from Pulp Fiction, actor Peter Stormare, who you might remember from playing Steve Buscemi‘s even sleazier partner-in-crime in Fargo or to a lesser extent, “Slippery Pete” on Seinfeld, stars as “The Replacer” in 72andSunny’s latest lengthy effort for Activision. This time, agency and client team up to promote the latter’s Call of Duty: Black Ops II – Revolution, which will come equipped with new multiplayer apps, a new weapon and even a zombie mode to play undead.

In the two-and-a-half minute clip above, we find that “The Replacer” is actually a way more charitable character than Wolf, lending his services to a variety of gamers, whether a frustrated, domesticated type, an expecting parent, a guy on a blind date, a landscaper or even a zoo cleaner. The intensity of previous Call of Duty clips has supplanted by comedy, and we kinda welcome the change of pace. And plus, we have a soft spot for Stormare, a man who’s played bit/supporting roles in more movies than we can count.  Credits after the jump.

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After the Tiger Woods sex scandal broke, it was a bit surprising that Nike stayed loyal to the face of its golf line. But, by offering 23-year-old phenom Rory McIlroy a 10-year $250 million contract, is it possible that Tiger’s days may be waning? At the very least, Nike Golf is no longer dependent on the success of Woods to carry its brand for the next decade.

A new spot from W+K finds Tiger playing the “old guy,” challenging McIlroy to a chip shot contest reminiscent of McDonald’s classic Michaell Jordan/Larry Bird “Nothing but Net” campaign from the early 90s.  “No Cup is Safe” depicts Tiger as the wily veteran, with Rory as the new, young face of the PGA nipping at Woods’ heels. To be honest, it’s a bit uncomfortable to watch, as I’m sure it was for Tiger to shoot it. The sun may be setting all too soon on Tiger’s career, while Rory’s is just beginning. Perhaps Tiger offered some advice to Rory on set, some advice that no one bothered to give him 14 years ago when he was in the same situation as Rory is now.

It’s hard to see this spot as anything other than a “passing of the old guard,” which is probably what Nike asked for. It’s cute, but full of sadness and hope at the same time. Perhaps I’m making this a bigger deal than it actually is, but, as a fan of both athletes, it’s hard to imagine a world where these guys can coexist at the top of the professional golf ladder. Credits after the jump.

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In a bizarro world concocted by the minds at San Francisco shop Heat, Baltimore Ravens defensive powerhouse Ray Lewis and Halloween 6: The Curse of Michael Myers star Paul Rudd have known each other all their lives. So tis the premise for the latest TV/campaign dubbed “Madden Forever,” which as you can probably gather, is promoting EA Sports’ latest Madden installment, Madden NFL 13.

As you’ll see above, Lewis & Rudd (makes for a decent band name) not only love the lucrative Madden franchise, but grew up as “young thespians” and it was Rudd in fact who taught Lewis how to do his famous “squirrel dance.” The “Interview” web video is just one of several clips from the campaign along with the “Old Rivals” TV spot below (the full series can be viewed here).

While Heat has tried the rivalry concept out for other EA Sports franchises before (remember Steve Nash vs. Hope Solo?),  we have to say the agency has honed the humor angle quite a bit. Thus, the winning streak for EA campaigns continues. Credits after the jump.

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From Grey London and Hungry Man UK comes the above PSA for the British Heart Foundation. Fans of violent action movies will immediately recognize the spot’s star as Vinnie Jones, the former Welsh soccer star (and sultry lounge singer) perhaps best known to Americans for his portrayal of “Bullet Tooth Tony” in the 2000 Guy Ritchie film Snatch. The man is an enforcer on the field and on the silver screen.

Perhaps more important than Vinnie Jones’ awesome personal history is how he’s helping save lives in “No Kissing.” Apparently, new breakthroughs in medical science or something have proven that mouth-to-mouth is no longer a necessary component of proper CPR administration. That’s right, easily manipulated lifeguards of the world. You no longer have to engage lip locks to save lives. All you need is some Bee Gees on a boombox, your own two hands, and the silly British version of emergency medical services to ensure your breathless subject stays alive. Listen to Vinnie, it’s “not as hard as it looks.” Credits after the jump.

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Former 180 LA creative director Amir Farhang, who joined up with prodco Uber Content last fall, directs this latest round of spots supporting Droga5′s ongoing Tap Project for Unicef. The black & white ditty above stars music megastar Rihanna, who gets help from a smooth tune and a purposely corny VO. This latest clip, one of four in a “Celebrity Tap” campaign that also stars Taylor Swift, Vinnie Chase and someone named Selena Gomez (her clip is after the jump), comes with a contest where you can “win bottled tap water from the gilded faucets” of said celebs. Yum? Check out the Gomez’s chirpy spot and credits after the jump.

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Thanks to comedian Maria Bamford (who frightened Adfreak last year) Wieden+Kennedy, director Wayne McClammy and a score from Rocky IV, we have ourselves a rather amusing spot.

McClammy guides Maria through a series of frenzied preparations for “The Target 2-Day sale.” She appears in TV spots and various digital media, including web films, banner ads, and online circulars. And she’s always first in line.

Maria plays her role very well and when mixed with that Rocky IV score, (which is for arguably the best training/endorphin-pumping scene out there), the spot really puts the extra emphasis on her foresight. If you know the tune, you know it stands for hard work and grueling prep. Peep the website for more of the campaign.