Nice TV ad for Evian's Live Young Campaign, directed by Michael Gracey and created by agency Euro RSCG. Music is "Rapper's Delight" by Dan the Automator.

Check out the Live Young website at http://evianliveyoung.com/

(Hey you people at Euro RSCG, let me know more often when you have good stuff like that! Write at latenightdave@hotmail.com).

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Here's something for you all to chew on: Stride Gum's latest commercials. So long-lasting, that you can actually enjoy this post until I come back from vacation...bah-hahaha.

What verve, what humour.

(Kudos to JWT New York and director John O'Hagan from RSA Los Angeles)

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New Axe scent: Chocolate. Look at the guy's face. Priceless.
Kudos to agency VegaOlmosPonce, Buenos Aires and (do they need presenting),post-production powerhouse The Mill.

(Thanks, Stellart Média!)

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Altoids does it again with two refreshing spots, presenting us more unknown stories about the darker past of the Little Mint That Could. Booo for the 18th century. Thank God for Altoids.

Kudos to Energy BBDO and MJZ.

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Ah, the classic look and feel of 8-bit video games finally applied in advertising. It's about time. Thanks for that, Leo Burnett Detroit, and creative crew Jesse Rea and Regina Cesarz, director Mark Glazer and SWAY Studio for the effects. You kicked my pixel heart's butt.

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Durex Condoms has this history of being quite fond of publishing irrevent advertising creative, and folks, the spots you are about to see are no exception. Most material usually ends up getting banned in most prude countries (such as our great Canada), yet Durex keeps the flame alive. Condom people, I salute you. Also lots of luck and long life to Durex's agency Mortier Brigade Brussels.

The next two spots are full of win. Enjoy. (Thanks Karine & Marie!)

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I don't know if you guys had some time to catch Sony Playstation's latest series of ads for the PS2 or PS3 game "Syphon Filter", titled "Advanced Spy Fighting Techniques". It's a hilarious parody featuring spokesperson and action hero "Agent_Kevin_78 a.k.a. Dramahawk", a kinda fat, military-obsessed 20-something kid giving us the low-down on the latest in counter-spy field ops. Great work by the folks over at TBWA/Chiat/Day L.A. and Epoch Films.

What's impressive is the shameless, blatant use of guns and aggressive military techniques depicted in there, which are now sure to spur outrage in the ranks of parents, pacifists, and people out there who think video games are already violent, let alone showing videos of kids handling guns. But Playstation has a track record for being outrageous, and I can only think these folks are the kind of people who would drop their pants and moon an entire audience of christian fundamentalists at the local mass, complete with hairy balls and whatnot. But taking in consideration the audience, let's put on our pimples for a minute and agree that there is some funny in there.

What's also impressive in these ads is that these days, you can produce video material with little budget, and still gather quite an impression -- the "authentic botched look" trend speaks. Some audiences like the authenticity more, the blunt comments and the raw feel. And if you can make a series such as this one, you don't want this on TV. This can only be on teh Internets because you won't fool any gamer by throwing this on TV and trying to give it the podcast look.

Authenticity+Trend Insight= A deadly combo. Now you know! And knowing is half the battle. Go Joe!

(Watch the 3rd one first. Yes, I'm random like that, making you do all those little annoying activities).

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On a scale of 1 to 10 on my weirdometer, this clearly hits a 16. This is an ad for Discovery Channel 's latest show "Lobstermen" which everyone says sucks ass. However I do admire the production values and artisanship of Justin Harder (I'm sorry but is. that. really. your. name, and if it is, your parents have a wicked sense of humor) who directed, animated and edited this entire spot by himself. Congrats Justin.

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Powerful. Far fetched idea, but "far" is where you get 'em. Congrats to BBH London for this sure shot at Cannes.

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Nature = animals, juice = Orangina. Hence, naturally juicy. If advertising was any easier, they'd call it Your Mom.

Agency: FFL Paris

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Dirty, dirty, dirty. Agency: Dieste Harmel, San Francisco

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I don't know what to say. Volvo's greatest idea with Heinz's best signature ever. Come on guys, what's the point on this one? A little originality wouln't hurt when shelling out the big bucks on mega productions. Reported costs on the entire "Good Things Come To Those Who Wait" campaign: £10 million pounds (19 million canadian). And this doesn't even feel like Guinness at all.

Plus, for some unexplainable reason, watching this makes me thirsty for Coke.

Well. If there's anything to say, TheMill really did a great job on the CGI.

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Clever little one. Agency unknown. The art director better stay unknown too.

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Sony recently ported their sucessful Bravia creative platform (remember the balls! THE BALLS!) to their Walkman brand, highlighting a new range of products coming out. Featuring a unified signature ("Music. Like No Other"), their latest spot Music Pieces brings together a "special orchestra" that features large groups of people playing the same instrument, playing each part of a different song to improvise one big piece. Some kind of an orchestral beat box, if you want. This concept symbolises the new Sony Walkman Project, which aims at bringing people online to play one small part of a track, then mixing these parts together to create four music pieces by four composers around the world.

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A bit late maybe, yet here it is: the latest Sony Bravia ad on AdKrispies, featuring colorful blobs of rabbits and claymation, in the Big Apple.

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Aside from being green with envy. Aside from the fact that I would definitely want to know how they sold this one to the client. Aside from the huge amount of budget involved in there.

THIS CAMPAIGN KICKS ASS.

My friends, let's celebrate my return to the world of blogging with this incredible campaign from JWT Paris for Schick Quattro Titanium. It has been awhile since I've seen an integrated campaign with real punch, and I can't say anything but KUDOS. Being the target audience I'm kinda biased of course, but comparing apples with apples, this is by far the best razor ad campaign ever.



The campaign also features a micro-website complete with a video game, character presentation, screensaver, desktop backgrounds, e-cards and more. I don't know if this is the fruit of research or pure gut and insight, but all I can say is that JWT and Schick are spot on. I would love to see that kind of creativity in our North American ads, instead of the proverbial jetplanes, steel walls and cheek-caressing chicks. Learn, Gillette! Stop the race for the most-bladed razor, and put your money in some customer love. (Thanks, Infopresse!)

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Holy smokes. This is one for the history books, folks. (Thanks Chorizo from Ihaveanidea!)

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Check out Nike latest viral video for its new line on Meta7 shoes. As reported on ElectroPlankton, "Illustrator Paul Huang teamed up with animators Chris Riehl and Sean Starkweather to deliver a surrealist cell shaded fantasy. The story revolves around an anthropomorphized circle, square and triangle who escape their oppressive lives to be transformed into something better thru an encounter with the Meta7 shoe. "

(Thanks, ElectroPlankton!)

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Here they are! Freshly embedded from YouTube!! Yay. I have no merit.

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