Hyundai's latest commercials for its Tucson SUV are set in a town with a quiet, but incredibly accident-prone, community of inhabitants. That's because they're all crash test dummies.

The bizarre but likable ads from Innocean USA actually take place in a minimalist,white-walled warehouse decorated with street signs, lamp posts and plastic shrubbery. The spots show various dummies getting easily distracted in typical driving situations—they are dummies, after all—and the vehicle's features coming to the rescue.



"The goal was to create a really memorable and smart series of spots that refreshingly deviate from the standard crash-test-dummy commercial," says Innocean creative director Bob Rayburn. "The trick is that even though our subjects were all dummies, we needed to draw viewers in by their human-inspired, character-driven actions."



In the spot above, the SUV's emergency braking system averts disaster by sensing "absent-minded dummies in its path" (the mannequin driver stares into a tablet screen). In another, the Tucson's hands-free entry saves a tailgate party. (CTDs prefer bratwurst. Good to know.)



The wackiest spot, for the vehicle's lane-departure warning system, features a "hunky" surfer-dude simulacrum with flowing locks whose appearance almost causes a female dummy-driver to veer into oncoming traffic. (He's got a plastic personality, we hear.)



"One interesting element of the shoot was the fact that we had to fully execute all the safety features in each of the videos—meaning we couldn't edit around the feature working," Rayburn says. "Legally, we had to show it working. Everything had to be triggered naturally, and the car had to respond all on its own. It's human nature to worry when a car is headed for another car and we aren't allowed to hit the brakes. But the car came through, and the automatic emergency braking did its job."

All in all, working with flesh-and-blood actors is a breeze compared to coaxing usable performances from a troupe of dummies, Rayburn says.

"Having to position them exactly right to get across the notion that they aren't paying attention sounds easier than it actually was," he says. "It felt like we were adjusting some dummy part after every take to get them just right. The fact that we used a hybrid mannequin/crash test dummy helped because we were able to manipulate them physically and position them how we needed."

They're also less sensitive than flesh-and-blood actors. "We could yell at them without having to worry about their emotions," Rayburn says. "They absolutely nailed every take."

As a competing nameplate recently taught us: Sometimes the best innovations happen when you don't think of dummies as dummies.

One more spot appears below.



CREDITS
Client: Hyundai
Agency: Innocean USA
Production Company: O Positive
Director: Jonathan Klein
EP: Ralph Laucella, Marc Grill
Line Producer: Angie Revell
Production Designer: Jason Edmonds
DP: Maz Makhani

Ahead of the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP21) in Paris on Dec. 7-8, conceptual artist Naziha Mestaoui gives us 1heart1tree, an art project that reforests the planet as more people contribute.

Brought to life after a successful Kickstarter run, the idea is simple but also remarkably personal: You download an app, then use its sensor to take your heartbeat. Between Nov. 29 and Dec. 4, a virtual tree will blossom around the Eiffel Tower, growing to the rhythm of your heart. You'll be able to watch it live from your app and share it online—and better yet, a real tree will also be planted in your name someplace in the world.



The app, developed using real-time 3-D software Unity, uses 3-D interactive mapping technology to produce a unique tree with your heartrate and project it live onto the Eiffel Tower, using 30 video projectors.

"The entire 3-D environment will be calculated in real time on a central server receiving all the information from the database fed by the phone application to generate all the trees," according to Mestaoui. Names or words of the user's choosing will appear alongside the trees for a short period of time, composed of 16 characters maximum and lasting from 8-45 seconds before vanishing.

The app is still in prep mode, but users who reserve a tree will get an email once it's live, roughly around mid-November. Each participant gets a photo of their virtual tree with their name on the Eiffel Tower, a certificate, and a Google Earth file that highlights where your actual tree was planted.

Even more ambitiously, for the next three years, you'll get a twice-yearly report about how the project is doing, enabling you to "stay in touch" with your tree. Think of it as an eco-friendly Tomagotchi that won't die if you fail to wake up at 6 a.m.



Over 45,000 trees have already been reserved, according to the website, but they're shooting for participation in the millions. Partners include the City of Paris, the United Nations FCCC and the French presidency. Eight reforestation partners have been tapped, and project ambassadors will be announced soon.

Fade in: A young woman walks down a street at night, her footsteps echoing in the darkness. She looks back. Is she being followed? Nervously, she runs headlong into the blackness.

Cut to: A montage of men and and women from different eras, in color footage and black-and-white, running through different cities, towns and landscapes, at all hours of the day and night, in steamy summers and icy winters, gazing over their shoulders as some unseen terror laps at their heels.

What is this strange, inhuman force that threatens to dissolve their celluloid reality and keep viewers in the dark about their fates?

That's the setup for this engaging film from Mill+ director Carl Addy. Check it out here (with spoilers below):



Addy deftly deployed clips from dozens of movies for "Film Is Fragile," aimed at illustrating why the British Film Institute's restoration efforts are worthy of public donations.

"The concept for this film isn't simply about the preservation of the physical celluloid," Addy tells AdFreak. "More importantly, it is about the protection and sanctity of the soul of film, which is storytelling."

Cinematic classics, cult creations and modern masterpieces are represented in the work, all seamlessly woven into a single story designed to keep viewers on the edge of their seats.

"Our biggest challenge," Addy says, "was getting clearance on such a wide range of footage. It was a mammoth research task, as we needed to trawl through so much footage. We are very grateful for the filmmakers, whose generosity helped us create this film, allowing us to pay testament to the worthy cause that the BFI is promoting."

It's certainly an inventive way to remind us that, in some cases, there are no retakes. For movies that have been damaged or have begun to disintegrate, it's critical to act before the action they contain fades to black forever.

CREDITS
28 Days Later / Fox Entertainment Group Inc
A Matter of Life and Death / iTV Studios Global Entertainment
Attack the Block / StudioCanal
Blood / BBC Films
The Blue Lamp / StudioCanal
Brick / NBC Universal/StudioCanal
Casino royale / EON Productions/Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios
A Clockwork Orange / Warner Bros. Entertainment
The Double / StudioCanal
For Those in Peril / Soda Pictures
A Hard Days Night / Oaktree Capital Management
Harry Brown / Lions Gate Entertainment Inc. UK
In Which We Serve / ITV Global Entertainment
The Italian Job / Paramount Pictures Corporation
Man in the White Suit / StudioCanal
The Man Who Haunted Himself / StudioCanal
My Brother the Devil / Rooks Nest Entertainment
Nineteen eighty-four / EON Productions/Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios
Queen of Spades / StudioCanal
Rage /  See-Saw Films/Screen Media Films
Secret Agent / ITV Studios Global Entertainment
Shame / Entertainment One/ See-Saw Studios
Shell / Verve Pictures
The Shining / Warner Bros. Entertainment
Skyfall / EON Productions/Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
The Spy Who Loved Me / EON Productions/Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios
Trainspotting / Channel 4 Films/Miramax LLC
Welcome to the Punch / 42mp/Entertainment One Ltd
The Wicker Man / StudioCanal
The Woman in Black / Entertainment One/Hammer Films
The Worlds End / NBC Universal Inc.

Here's the latest knockoff from the Dollar Shave Club school of straight-talking spokesperson advertising—a low-budget, occasionally funny but mostly cringe-inducing ad for Goodwipes, a brand of body wipes that likes to talk dirty while cleaning you up.

Actress and comedian Lace Larrabee stars in the two-minute clip, which calls on her to wipe away boob sweat while delivering a bracing monologue about the power of Goodwipes to redeem your smelly, sweaty self.



The straight-talk approach is tricky when it comes to personal hygiene. And this spot, while it tries hard to be funny, mostly comes off as gross. (The ridiculously sweaty guy is as randomly over the top as many of Larrabee's jokes.) It might have helped to use a British actress—with their proper diction in the face of filthy material, they're known for making bodily-function humor actually work.

Still, Goodwipes is going all in with this approach, which works somewhat better in the press release, which features comical canned quotes from some of the company's execs.

"This ad is a game-changer!" says Goodwipes president Charlie Siciak. "Whether you're in a crowded elevator at Comic-Con or forgot you had no running hot water, Goodwipes is the answer to the question … how the heck do I not feel like a slimy bowl of beef consommé sitting out for three days?"

"We don't test our products on animals because frankly, many of them don't care how they smell and neither do we," adds co-founder Sam Nebel. "We put our wipes in the hands of hygiene-conscious consumers leading active and busy lifestyles who need to feel fresh on the go. When you feel fresh, you feel good. When you feel good you're the bomb! I also want the world to know how soft your skin feels after using a Goodwipe … it's like magic! We have something really special here!"

That's debatable. Still, an A for effort on a tiny budget.

The holiday advertising season is officially upon us, and there's no clearer sign of the coming Christmas bonanza than a new campaign from America's largest toy retailer.

Last year, Toys R Us signed ad veteran Rich Lennox, who spent almost two decades in accounts at J. Walter Thompson, as its new chief marketing officer before assigning creative duties for future campaigns to BBDO.

The Omnicom agency's Atlanta office produced the big-box leader's first 2015 holiday ads, and the work amounts to a brand refresh, as Toys R Us positions itself as central to the holiday experience for millions of Americans.

The anthem ad "Tree," which debuts next month on broadcast TV, includes no toys, games or other consumer goods. Instead, it sends a more emotionally resonant message about inclusiveness and generosity with a young girl and an older neighbor who seems at first to be a classic "bah, humbug" curmudgeon.

The spot serves as the centerpiece of a campaign called "Awwwesome." CMO Rich Lennox told Adweek, "The ads are designed to position us on the emotional high ground. Toys R Us is an incredibly important brand, and for a long time, it hasn't spoken about the spirit of Christmas."

Toys R Us turned to BBDO to deliver that emotion while also reminding Americans that it remains the leader in an increasingly competitive retail market. Lennox said, "The brand has become slightly faded. We wanted the type of work that could revitalize the brand in the eyes of consumers."

But it's not all sentimental. Lennox called the resulting work "a two-layered campaign," and two 30-second spots, which debuted this week, appeal to parents with a combination of wit and classic product placement by illustrating what might happen after a local Toys R Us store closes. In "Lost," Ken plays a typical driver who refuses to ask for directions, as he and Barbie take a tour through this season's offerings.

The next spot is even more direct in promoting the retailer's "price match guarantee," as a Baby Alive doll explains the deal to a somewhat skeptical Optimus Prime, who can't quite deal with the realization that he's not as unique as he once thought.

Lennox explained the progression: "[Deals] are important, but you want to build a relationship with your customers. If we can get consumers to engage with the brand, the activity will become much more effective."

He continued, "If you stand at the front of our store and watch little children come in, there is one thing you will see in their eyes." And that one thing is embodied by the campaign's title. "At that point," Lennox said, "all our great value and operational expertise comes to life in a tangible consumer benefit." 

Lennox told Adweek that BBDO Atlanta "played an incredibly important role in helping us define the strategy." He said the brand is currently working with BBDO and other agency partners on "the process of re-engineering the entire marketing model of Toys R Us."

Two additional ads will follow the anthem's theme of focusing on the spirit of the season, while new product-focused spots will air on TV and in theaters across the country leading up to Christmas.

Credits

Agency: BBDO Atlanta
Client: Toys 'R' Us
Titles: "Lost," "Clone"
Chief Creative Officer, Atlanta: Wil Boudreau
Creative Director: Rhea Hanges
Creative Director: Brett Baker
Creative Director/Art Director: Taylor Crawford
Creative Director/Copywriter: Patrick Lindsay
Executive Producer: Alberto Enriquez
Producer: Alison Terry
VP, Account Director: Danielle Willett
Account Executive: Hannah Aaronson
SVP, Group Planning Director: Emily Viola
Senior Planner: Nina Hensarling
Production Company: BBDO Atlanta
Director: Jim Issa
Head of Production/DP: Eric De Fino

Title: "Tree"  
Chief Creative Officer, Worldwide: David Lubars
Chief Creative Officer, Atlanta: Wil Boudreau
Creative Director: Rhea Hanges
Creative Director: Brett Baker
Creative Director/Art Director: Taylor Crawford
Copywriter: Brett Baker
Executive Producer: Alberto Enriquez
VP, Account Director: Danielle Willett
Account Executive: Hannah Aaronson
SVP, Group Planning Director: Emily Viola
Senior Planner: Nina Hensarling
Production Company: MJZ
Director: Fredrik Bond
Director of Photography: Roman Vasyanov
Music Producer: Wool & Tusk 

A number of anti-bullying campaigns have rolled out in recent years, with most of the messaging aimed either at the victims or the bullies themselves. But now, Adobe is teaming with the Ad Council, agency Goodby Silverstein & Partners and a host of media companies to launch an anti-bullying effort that speaks to a new target—and gives them a clever new language to help make a difference.

The target is people who witness bullying. The new language is the first Unicode Standard approved emoji ever created for a social cause—an eye inside a speech bubble that's meant to be used when people see bullying, and want to speak out against it in some way.

The emoji, which was a mystery when it appeared in the developer preview of iOS 9.1 last month, has now launched on Apple's keyboard. (Those who have the current iOS 9.1 will see it appear automatically.) It's not available natively on Android yet, though Android users will be able to download a special keyboard, developed pro bono by Snaps, that has similar imagery.

The larger campaign, called "I Am A Witness," was developed pro bono by GS&P, Adobe and the Ad Council—with support from powerful media partners Apple, Facebook, Google, YouTube, Johnson & Johnson and Twitter, all of whom will provide exposure and customized content on their own platforms.

Several videos, meanwhile, will generate awareness for the campaign and the emoji.

One is an animated, interactive spot about a kid named Jack who is being bullied. It was created by Moonbot Studios (which also did Chipotle's famous "Scarecrow" spot) with music from Devo's Mark Mothersbaugh. When the user interacts with the video using the onscreen emoji, the boy's bleak world is suddenly filled with more color.

The other spot is a long-form video showing popular YouTube stars reading mean comments about themselves, and then speaking out against bullying. See both spots here:

The whole project started at Adobe, whose CMO, Ann Lewnes, is highly committed to the anti-bullying cause. Last year, she and Adobe launched a project inspired by Lee Hirsch's documentary Bully. This year, Adobe approached its agency, GS&P, looking for a way to extend the message. And the new work also ended up being inspired by Bully.

"We saw this scene in the movie where this kid was getting bullied on a bus," Cassi Norman, the Adobe account director at GS&P, told Adweek. "We stopped ourselves and said, 'Yeah, there's a kid being bullied. And there's a bully. But what about all these kids that are witnessing it and not doing anything?' "

Norman added: "A lot of these campaigns speak to victims and bullies. But we know there's witnesses out there. If we could activate them in some way, they could be a much more powerful tool in stopping bullying happening. That was the driving insight."

GS&P copywriter Kate Baynham said the agency leaned toward the idea of an eye for the emoji from the very beginning, even though the image does carry some baggage. (Apple designed the actual emoji itself, based on GSP's other campaign materials.)

"Obviously the eye is a very strong symbol," Baynham said. "We've had questions like, 'Are you worried about drawing connotations to Big Brother or anything like that?' But so often, victims of bullying feel completely isolated and unseen. And bullies feel empowered to bully because they feel like they might be a little anonymous. By making the symbol an eye, it's like, 'No, I see what you're doing.' It's about accountability."

The eye is also a useful mark as it can adapt to many contexts in which it could be used.

"We wanted to give these a teenagers a tool that's pretty flexible in however they want to use it," Norman said. "Whether it's bringing kindness or support to the person who's experiencing the bullying, or calling it out, or just saying 'I don't stand for it,' it's a flexible symbol that can adapt to those different needs."

Creating and encouraging use of an emoji was attractive in another way, too: It fits the target's existing habits. The campaign already asks them to do something unfamiliar—to take a visible stance against bullying. It shouldn't make the means of doing so unfamiliar as well.

"It's so natural for them to use," Norman said. "We're already trying to change a pattern and change a behavior, so giving them something that's easy and natural to use eliminates an extra barrier to that."

Could use of a simple emoji actually help prevent bullying?

"It seems like it really could. We have a lot of faith in it," Baynham said. "The majority of anti-bullying campaigns are either talking to victims or talking to bullies. They're saying 'Wait until you get to college, and then everything will be fine' or 'Hey, stop doing that. We're all the same person.' Those messages are very important. But for this one, rather than building awareness, it's building activation. We're not asking a lot. We're asking people to consider using this emoji when they see bullying. It seems like something that could really scale up in terms of use."

The campaign will also include activations on platforms including BuzzFeed, Instagram, Kik, Shots, Snapchat, Tumblr, Vevo, We Heart It and Whisper. Nonprofit partners including The Bully Project, GLSEN, PACER and The Trevor Project have also provided expertise and resources.

See more imagery from the campaign below.

He's a sculptor. He's an architect. He's an amateur filmmaker. He has a "passion for telling stories," and he wears "statement socks" while thumbing through an original copy of Decorative Eggs Throughout History. His studio is so massive that he navigates it on a Segway. And did we mention his posh London accent?

He is the most unbearably self-important man in the world, and he's promoting British designer outlet shopping centre Bicester Village in this new spot from U.K. digital film agency Just So.

Does he sound like someone you know?



Just So managing director Richard Ascot tells AdFreak that the purpose of this campaign is to make light of the luxury shopping experience, which might be a little intimidating to those who can't compete with our "polyman" when it comes to highbrow hobbies and impeccable posture.

"Bicester have built a business in understanding that all this can sometimes seem like too much effort," Ascot says, adding that the client "got [the concept] immediately. It was definitely a step change for them, but they wanted something that would resonate with their target audience and they trusted in the idea."

No one wants to be That Guy. This maxim even applies to the sort of fashion-focused men who might frequent the collections of Balenciaga, Givenchy and Mont Blanc (which were recently added to the Bicester lineup—hence the need for this campaign). As Ascot puts it, Just So created the spot to reach "all the men who know about Bicester but think it is too much effort, or those that go but just wait in the car while their wives and girlfriends shop."

But Ascot tells us that his agency wasn't poking fun at any particular man or type of man—not even the ridiculously fussy creative director archetype. "Rather than parodying a person, this was a gentle play against those men's fashion films we are all so familiar with that present an almost mythical man who leave us all feeling a bit inadequate," he says.

Would such a model play well in the U.S.? We think it might. Ascot says, "It would be fun to create an American version where the start point was an American cliché."

We can think of a few. First, he needs a nice black turtleneck...

CREDITS
Agency: Just So
Client: Bicester Village
Creative Director: Jonny Madderson / Jono Stevens   
Art Director: Jessie Williams   
Copywriter: Ben Partridge   
Director/ Production Co: Just So - Jonny Madderson / Jono Stevens  
Producer: Rosie Box   
Edito: Jonny Madderson / Ross Hallard   
Sound Design: SoundNode   
DoP: Charlie Goodger   

You remember these two fellows from Clemenger BBDO's hilarious Bonds underwear ad a couple of weeks ago—the anthropomorphized testicles who suffer all manner of abuse down under, until they are comfortably cocooned by a proper-fitting pair of briefs.

Below is the second ad in the series, in which the balls—one of whom, it turns out, is named Dennis!—have further arguments with their nemesis, the brain, who subjects them to many uncomfortable, even painful situations. In the end, though, the brain comes through—and the balls sleep like babies.

A third and final spot is expected in another week or two.

Hey, Domino's, sweet ride!

Behold the Domino's DXP (Delivery eXPert), a modified Chevrolet Spark tricked out with a warming oven and space for 80 pizzas, sides, two-liter bottles of soda and dipping sauces. (The driver's seat is the only seat, because, like cowboys, pizza delivery dude/-ettes ride alone.) There's even a puddle light that projects the Domino's logo onto the ground. (Please, no jokes about the gutter being the perfect place to see this particular brand's emblem.) 

Alas, the DXP isn't shaped like a slice of pizza, but we can't have everything in this life.



Local Motors, which once built a 3-D printed car, held a crowdsourced competition to collect and perfect design elements, while Roush Enterprises, developer of Google's self-driving car platform, put the DXP together. The brand's lead agency, Crispin Porter + Bogusky—the shop behind Domino's Tracker and other high-profile promotions (like the ability to order by text, tweet and emoji)—worked on the DXP's flashy exterior design and bespoke car topper.

There are 100 such vehicles in production, and by year's end they'll serve as mobile advertisements while speeding pies to customers in cities like Boston, Detroit, Houston, New Orleans, San Diego and Seattle.

Strike that—they won't speed. Domino's drivers obey all rules of the road, naturally.



So, what does the DXP mean to consumers?

"People want their pizza to be as hot and fresh out of the oven as possible," CP+B executive creative director Matt Talbot tells AdFreak. "The DXP, with its built-in warming oven, can deliver on that better than any vehicle before it. The other compartments in the vehicle also mean that any drinks, sides and sauces will make it safely to your front door as well."

Four years in the making, the DXP has been rigorously tested, Talbot adds: "That includes flammability testing, cold weather testing, rain testing and excessive-use, including 10,000 cycles of opening and closing the warming oven door."

All that so your triple anchovy with onions will arrive piping hot!

Still, there's no topping the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile (and its progeny, the spunky Wiener Rover), which shines brightest of all in the demolition derby of branded food vehicles.

More pics below.

It isn't often that a makeup ad succeeds in being literally transformative and not just superficially so. But that's the reason for the viral success of this Japanese ad for cosmetics brand Shiseido, which launched less than 10 days ago and has already enjoyed millions of views.

The spot, titled "High School Girl?", opens with a professor opening the door to her classroom. As a soft female vocalist begins to sing over a loungy beat, we pan slowly across the faces of the girls in the room, who seem ordinary enough: One holds a guitar, another drinks from a bottle of water. At the end of the room, a last girl gives us a knowing look and gazes back down at her book.

Check out the spot here (spoilers below).

If you can read Japanese, this is the moment when you discover what you've missed.

The music abruptly transforms into a smooth rap duo. To its beat, the camera moves back the way it came. Stop-motion effects take us backward in time, before these high school girls were merely high school girls, to reveal what's behind all those placid pretty faces.

Sliding back past the professor, who's decided not to enter the room after all, the ad closes with a shot of Shiseido makeup casually splayed around a piece of binder paper, upon which is written a tagline that's almost too simple for an ad that's otherwise so interesting: "Anyone can be cute."

If you watch the ad again, you can appreciate the quiet subtlety with which it shows its hand: It's less of a reveal than a call to be more attentive. The opening scene, for example, focuses not on the teacher but on what she is holding: An image of a piece of art depicting a woman. This image is flipped at the end to reflect how easily we can be fooled once we've looked at something, decided what it is, and moved on.

Here's the making-of video:

Super ad geeks, for whom behind-the-scenes vids are never enough, will appreciate the baggage this kind of work comes packing. It benefits from being a product of its time: YouTube makeup vloggers commonly employ the tools of their trade to produce facial transformations just as impressive as what you see here, and the rise of transgender characters and celebrities in pop culture provides salient ground for it, too. It can also be compared to Dove's "Evolution" spot, which in the last nine years has probably influenced more makeup and beauty ads than we'll bother counting here.

But the ad also echoes older work with deeper implications, like the 1988 play M. Butterfly, which used all the tropes of Madame Butterfly to illustrate both the fluidity of sexual identity and how a stereotypical perspective of Asians as "submissive" and "feminine" by default blinds people to more pertinent truths—including quite obvious physical ones.

Beyond that, Japan is wrestling with its own postgender revolution. And while it's easy to write the country off as further behind in gender rights than we are, sexual ambiguity was built into its mythology and culture long before its exposure to the West.

But we've already talked plenty; you can dive into that wormhole on your own.

If you think your life is too busy, talk to the guy who's working eight jobs.

JetBlue and Mullen Lowe are out with "HumanKinda," a new campaign that pokes fun at high-demand modern lives. Comedian Sam Richardson, perhaps best known for his role on HBO's Veep, plays host in a 16-minute film, directed by Bianca Giaever, about how little time people have for anything these days (like watching a 16-minute film. Get it?).

Here's the trailer:

And here's the full 16-minute film:

Richardson does a great job of keeping the piece moving along at a clip—JetBlue's sales pitch, about slowing down and taking some vacation, is present but takes a back seat to his lighthearted exploration of what's making people so high strung, what they're missing as a result, and what he can do to help.

One study subject is Ryan, a guy who has more than half a dozen part-time gigs. Ultimately, he gets a chance to spend a day doing nothing with James Ward, founder of the Boring Conference (yes, it's a real thing), as well as enjoying a personalized dating show, so he can get back in that game. Another subject, Jennifer, is a working mom who gets a trip to a breathing specialist, and a little time relaxing with a needlepoint group in Florida. (Choice moments include when Richardson makes lunch for her daughter, so she won't have to—suffice it to say, he's a better jokester than chef.)

In the end, it's an entertaining and reasonably persuasive argument. Anyone working in the modern economy can relate. And while there's no shortage of travel and hospitality ads trying to convince you to take that vacation, watching Richardson start to deflate some of the more common excuses makes it easier to imagine the possibility of getting away than just seeing beauty shots of—or trying to imagine yourself in—exotic places.

There's also a Tumblr hub featuring more than 100 pieces of shareable social content

The title itself, "HumanKinda," recalls Airbnb's "Is Mankind?" but absent the tedious philosophizing, in favor of a nice little insight wrapped up in a pun. That is to say, JetBlue's work is intentionally rather than accidentally funny.

Then again, who has time for things that are funny?

CREDITS
Client: JetBlue Airways
Campaign: HumanKinda
Agency: Mullen Lowe
Production Company: m ss ng p eces
Sound: One Thousand Birds

Agency: Mullen Lowe

Creative
Managing Partner, Chief Creative Officer: Mark Wenneker
Executive Creative Director/Art: Tim Vaccarino
Executive Creative Director/Copy: Dave Weist
Associate Creative Director: Lisa Mathisen
Associate Creative Director: Nick Mathisen
Associate Creative Director/Technologist: Joe Palasek
Senior Creative Technologist, Dev/Ops: Stefan Harris
Senior Creative Technologist: Justin Bogan
Senior Creative Technologist: Brian Wilkinson
Senior Experience Designer: Charlene McBride
Motion Designer: Jennifer McMahon
Designer: Alyssa Cavanaugh
Junior Digital Designer: Lauren Schroeter
Junior Copywriter: Macie Soler-Sala
Creative Technologist, Co-Op: Brittany Chiang

Production
SVP, Executive Director of Integrated Production: Liza Near
SVP, Director of Broadcast Production: Zeke Bowman
VP, Director of Art Production: Tracy Maidment
VP, Digital Studio Manager: Steve Haroutunian
VP, Senior Video Editor: Jess Phearsome
VP, Director of Business Affairs: Kim Burns
Business Affairs: Kara Estow
Integrated Producer: Matt Polski
Group Head Producer: Kim Bennett
Production Supervisor: Kristine Ring-Janicki
Executive Producer, Curator of Art/Design: Shawn Smith
Senior Art Producer: Jessica Manning
Senior Content Producer: Aubrey Hayden
Senior Content Artist: Nick Bleil
Senior QA Engineer: Joe Dury
Senior Production Artist: Julie Sforza
Content Producer: Eric Skvirsky
Senior Editor: Rob Apse
Assistant Editor and Videographer: Jake Stafford
Digital Producer: Laura Fronius

Account Service
SVP, Group Account Director: Drayton Martin
VP, Account Director: Meredith Frisco
Account Supervisor: Molly Bluhm
Senior Account Executive: Vishal Chandawarkar
Assistant Account Executive: Kristen Fougere

Strategy/Analytics
SVP, Director of Strategy: Lance Koenig
Strategic Planning Director: Ellie Gogan-Tilstone
Senior Brand Strategist: Sloane Beaver

Media
Executive Director, MediaHub Boston: Keith Lusby
SVP, Group Digital Director: Jade Watts
VP, Associate Digital Media Director: Rachel Allen
Digital Media Supervisor: Shoshana Levine

PR/Social
SVP, Account Director, PR: Jaclyn Ruelle
Account Director, PR: Megan Oxland
Account Supervisor, PR: Becky Brand
Senior Account Executive, PR: Brittany Topham
Assistant Account Executive, PR: Kelsey Labrot

Production Company: m ss ng p eces
Director: Bianca Giaever
Writer: Bianca Giaever
Writer: Ben Orbison
Executive Producer/Founder: Ari Kuschnir
Executive Producer/Partner: Kate Oppenheim
Executive Producer/Partner: Brian Latt
Head of Production: Dave Saltzman
Producer: Tory Lenosky
Director of Photography: Ryan Dickie
Production Manager: Nikkia Moulterie
Additional Production Managers:
Lisa Richardson
Liz Barcia
Production Coordinator: Florence Friebe
Art Director: Angela Barrow
Production Sound Mixer: Juan Bertran
Post Producer: Cynthia Angel
Editors:
Debbie McMurtrey
Kelly Brickner
Catherine Gionfriddo
Jeremiah Shuff
Assistant Editors:
Will Kanellos
Alex Abrahams
Dustin Waldman
Samantha Ommen
Michael Kefeyalew
Animation:
Jordan Bruner
Alex Krokus
Colorist: Shawn King
Online:
Alex Abrahams
Will Kanellos

Sound: One Thousand Birds
Mixer: Andrew Tracy
Audio Post Producer: Kira MacKnight

Talent
Host: Sam Richardson
Test Subject: Jennifer Kitchin
Test Subject: Ryan James Butler
Founder of Boring Conference: James Ward
Guy Who Throws Phone in River: Arvind Dilawar
Hypnotherapist: Shauna Cummins
Clinical Psychologist/Breathing Expert: Dr. Belisa Vranich
Sociologist, Ph.D.: Dr. Christine Carter
Retired Woman: Sheila Yerusalim

Client: JetBlue

Advertising
EVP, Commercial and Planning: Marty St. George
VP, Brand & Product Development: Jamie Perry
Manager, Advertising: Phillip Ma
Analyst, Advertising: Jamie Lawson
Analyst, Brand: Chan Tran

Promotions
Manager, Consumer Promotions and Regional Marketing: Tara Carson
Senior Analyst, Consumer Promotions: Sean Williams
Analyst, Consumer Promotions: Jaclyn Costantino

Corporate Communications
VP, Corporate Communications: Nancy Elder
Director, Corporate Communications: Doug McGraw
Manager, Corporate Communications: Morgan Johnston

Who will be taking care of me?

That's one of the scariest questions facing seniors as they move into assisted living. In a new campaign from The Buntin Group, Brookdale Senior Living shows viewers exactly who its caregivers are—and how invested they are in their residents—while trying to counter some persistent stigmas about senior living.

In a millennial-obsessed culture, the traditional dialogue about aging and "old folks' homes" can be dispiriting. But with these new ads, Brookdale hopes to evolve the perception of senior living and show how its network of centers—the largest in the country, with some 80,000 associates and 100,000 residents—can transform lives.

The campaign features real Brookdale associates telling unscripted stories about their connection to residents. In short, the work tries humanize facilities that have long been associated with doing the opposite.

CREDITS
Client: Brookdale Senior Living

Agency: The Buntin Group
Jeffrey Buntin Jr, Chief Strategy Officer
Ray Reed, VP, Group Creative Partner
Tom Gibney, SVP, Director of Content Production
Jason Skinner, VP, Group Creative Partner
Angie Melgar, Designer
Ben Hurston, Copywriter
Marissa Harkai, Senior Project Manager
Ben Thomas, SVP, Channel Engagement Director
Danna Grigson, Media Supervisor
Liz Diekman, SVP, Group Account Director
Jessi Olson, Management Supervisor

Film Production: Radical Media
Director, Brett Froomer
Exec. Producer, Jim Bouvet
Producer, Diane Castrup

Edit: Filmworkers Nashville

Audio: NPALL

Apple has added seven new 15-second Apple Watch commercials to the six unveiled earlier this month, and this round gets some extra star power from actress Chloë Sevigny, musician RZA and R&B singer Leon Bridges.

The spare set pieces are once again set in pastel dreamworlds. But make no mistake: The goal of these ads is to show how a powerful wearable like the Apple Watch can make your actual lived life easier and more convenient—and not coincidentally, make you a cooler person along the way.

With this series, Apple has just pivoted stylistically from the kind of real-world montages that have marked recent iPhone advertising—which the first spots for the Apple Watch had as well—back to the classic Apple approach of colorful, music-driven minimalism à la the iPod silhouettes.

The trick here is to weave product demos (which consumers still really need, to get an idea of why this product might be useful for them) right into the middle of scenes that naturally resist such overt product integrations. This is all balanced pretty skillfully, though.

And the spots—which show off the watch's native and third-party features like Siri integration (the Bridges spot), mobile payments, interchangeable bands (Sevigny), eBay bidding (RZA) and Uber calling—end up being a really groovy mix of image and utility work. (And by the way, they look pretty great on Instagram, too.)

Check out the rest of the new spots below.

Some 95% of mothers feel judged, but they also do plenty of judging themselves, as Similac's latest campaign delicately demonstrates. In an attempt to end the mommy wars, the brand brings us a heartfelt, nearly eight-minute mini-documentary promoting the "sisterhood of motherhood."

The long-form spot follows the brand's hilarious spot earlier this year, in which mommy gangs battled it out on the playground.

This raw acknowledgement of the constant judgment women receive for their choices as moms is guaranteed to make you cry. It's also a huge tonal shift from the humorous scripted video that first took the campaign viral.



After the outpouring of support for the first video, "we knew that we wanted to continue the conversation and nail down what was really going on with moms," says Similac brand director Misha Pardubicka-Jenkins says. "The 'Mother Hood' video was a satire and humorous, but 'End Mommy Wars' is real. It's not scripted—it's how real moms judge and feel judged. It's important to show this if we really want to end judgment." 

Cynthia Wade, an Oscar winner for her 2007 short documentary Freeheld, was tapped to direct the Similac film and let the real feels flow. Woven throughout are the judgments mothers face about breastfeeding vs. bottle feeding (the judgment most relevant to Similac). But it would be difficult for anyone, even a La Leche League devotee, to argue that Similac is taking a pro-formula stance.

Notably, every woman in the video has tried breastfeeding. Those who didn't continue had good reasons, from premature twins to lumpectomies (though having a "good reason" shouldn't be a prerequisite for any decision you make as a parent). The film even begins by highlighting a mother who breast-pumps at work, and depicts several mothers casually breastfeeding on camera.

"How parents feed their babies is a very personal decision, but the mommy wars have opened the topic up for public debate," says Pardubicka-Jenkins. "We want to transform mommy wars into mommy support by changing the conversation."

In fact, the lack of support mothers show each other was the biggest surprise for Wade. "I was struck by how isolation kept coming up as a theme," she says. "Even with supportive partners, friends and jobs, the resounding sentiments expressed by many of the moms were, 'I wish we could all talk about this more openly' and 'I wish I had a greater sense of being connected and supported in my daily job of being a mom.' "

Which is why the women come together at the end of the video to support each other and tearfully admit their snap judgments. It's the most moving part, because it's also the most necessary. In order for any of us to opt out of the mommy wars, we have to support each other on our journeys—wherever they lead.

"By the end of the shoot, I was truly moved by the appreciation the moms had for each other," says Wade. And she wasn't alone. "I was most surprised by how quiet the mostly male crew got, how much the moms' stories affected them."

They affect us, too. It's worth watching the whole film on YouTube—where, of course, the comments are disabled. So, if you want to be all judgey, take it somewhere else. It isn't welcome here.

CREDITS
Client: Similac
Chief Creative Officer: Andy Bird, Publicis
Executive Creative Director/Writer: Jason Graff, Publicis
Executive Creative Director/Art Director: Whitney Pillsbury, Publicis
Chief Production Officer/Executive Producer: Lisa Bifulco
Senior Producer: Lisa Dritschilo
Music Producer: Theresa Notartomaso
Production Company: Mrs. Bond
Director: Cynthia Wade
Executive Producer/Production Company: Jeff Rohrer
Editorial House: Union Editorial
Editor: Sloane Klevin
Executive Producer/Editorial House: Caryn MacLean
Music House: Asche & Spencer
Audio House: Heard City/Corey Melious
Agency Support:
Publicis
MSLGROUP
Mindshare

For a country that commonly uses an incredibly vulgar c-word to punctuate phrases, the U.K. is awfully shy about swearing. The latest example of this comes from London coffee shop Fuckoffee, whose landlord is demanding that it remove the "offensive sign" that is the name of the business.

No humour please, we're British. pic.twitter.com/P1U9VhAEho

— Fuckoffee (@fuck0ffee) October 21, 2015

You know, it wasn't that long ago that Malcolm McLaren opened a fetishwear consignment shop in Chelsea and flat-out called it Sex. It's hard to see how this is any worse, especially since it reflects the perpetual misery of the average Londoner.

Nevertheless, the landlord intimated that if Fuckoffee doesn't get rid of their sign, he will.

For its part, Fuckoffee took a picture of the letter it received from him and tweeted it to the world at large (shown above), along with the caption "No humor please, we're British."

While they're at it, they should tweet him this map of American businesses whose names are puns. He'll probably have a heart attack when he gets to "Dick's Halfway Inn."

Photo by terencechisholm on Flickr.

Simon Wheatcroft has run more consecutive miles than most people could imagine walking. All despite the fact that he's blind.

A stunning new ad from IBM (from The Barbarian Group and m ss ng p eces director Tucker Walsh) tells Wheatcroft's story, focusing on how the app Runkeeper, which uses IBM's cloud computing technology to process data requests, helps him learn his routes by consistently and accurately calculating the distance he's traveled.



In this essay, Wheatcroft delves into more detail on how he does it—changes in the terrain he's feeling underfoot are a key element. But the 90-second video captures other details of his story, like bumping into signposts, bushes and traffic lights while learning a new route, but using those mishaps to memorize a clear pathway. The 83-mile number is also not arbitrary. That's the marker where he collapsed while attempting a 100-mile run, his first ever race.

It almost goes without saying that his success is more a testament to his spirit than any technology, and the vast majority of people are using Runkeeper, and the IBM cloud services behind it, in far less remarkable ways. But the relationship is definitely worth showcasing, as an extreme example of how the brand's services can make lives easier.

"IBM Cloud helps Runkeeper process 120,000 global data requests every second. Each with their own story," says the copy.

Even if that story is someone's legs turning to jelly after a measly 10 miles, the real point is, everyone starts somewhere. 

CREDITS
Client: IBM

Agency: The Barbarian Group
Creative Director: Adam Lau
Creative Director: Eric Burnett
Art Director: Andrew Peet
Copy Writer: Morgan Perrine
Broadcast Producer: Damon Webster / Sherri Hollander
Digital Producer: Steven Kreuch
Business Director: Roger Ramirez
Account Executive: Sophie Shrem

Production Company: m ss ng p eces
Director: Tucker Walsh
Executive Producer/Founder: Ari Kuschnir
Executive Producer/Partner: Kate Oppenheim
Executive Producer/Partner: Brian Latt
Head of Production: Dave Saltzman
Producer: Stine Moisen
DOP: Tim Sessler
Production Supervisor: Naomi Wells

Postproduction
Post Supervisor: Cynthia Angel

Editorial: Beast TV
Editor: Jai Shukla
Post Producer: Colleen Valentino
Assistant Editor: Sarah Germano
Flame Artist: Scott Bravo
Composer: Andy Huckvale

Sound Design: Q Department

Color: The Mill
Colorist: Fergus McCall

Blake Griffin usually soars over everyone else. But in David&Goliath's latest Kia campaign, the Los Angeles Clippers star ascends to new heights: a dreamworld where only the most effortlessly cool competitors—and car drivers—reside.

The spot below, titled "Next Level," timed to the opening of the NBA season this week, is the first of four that will highlight the next-level performance of the 2016 Kia Optima. Griffin, as usual, doesn't break a sweat in terms of his acting—he really is among the most natural performers onscreen, which suits the plot of "Next Level" perfectly.



Whether the Optima will make you feel like you're dunking over other drivers is another matter. But this campaign is already in the zone. Look for the three other spots—"PB&J," "Chess" and "Weatherman"—to roll out over the course of the season.

CREDITS
Client: Kia Motors America

Agency: David&Goliath
Founder, Chairman: David Angelo
Chief Creative Officer: Colin Jeffery
Creative Directors: John O'Hea, Brandon Davis             
Art Directors: Marc Wilson, Allen Yu
Copywriters: Ree Nguyen, Patrick Que
President: Brian Dunbar
Managing Director: Jeffery Moohr
Account Director: Mike O'Malley
Account Supervisor: Jennifer Engelman
Account Executive: Kylie Lemasters
Assistant Account Executive: Lauren Kelley
Account Coordinator: Jaime Gullas
Chief Digital Officer: Mike Geiger
Director of Digital Technology: Robert Boucher
Digital Account Director: Jeanann Grubbs
Digital Account Executive: Sarah Kirsch
Chief Strategic Officer: Seema Miller
Director of Strategic Planning: Andrew Lynch
Director of Broadcast Production: Paul Albanese
Executive Producer: Curt O'Brien
Senior Broadcast Producer: Brandon Kusher
Director of Art Production: Andrea Mariash
Junior Art Producer: Mia Campbell
Project Managers: Kemit Ray, Genie Lara
Director Business Affairs: Rodney Pizarro
Business Affairs Manager: Camara Price
Product Information Managers: Russ Wortman, Mark McNaul

Production Company: MJZ
Director: Craig Gillespie
President: David Zander
Executive Producer: Emma Wilcockson
Producer: Martha Davis

Editorial: Spinach Editorial
Managing Director: Adam Bright
Editors (Courtesy of Cut + Run) : Isaac Chen, Benjamin McCambridge, Brandon Porter
Producer: Jonathan Carpio

Visual Effects: Eight VFX
Executive Producer: Shira Boardman
Producer: Ian Dawson
Visual Effects Supervisor: Jean-Marc Demmer

Agent: Hello Artists
Content Photographer, Videographer: Chris Hornbecker

Music, Sound Design: MassiveMusic
Executive Producer: Scott Cymbala
Head of Production: Jessica Entner
Creative Director: Tim Adams
Senior Composer, Head of Business Development: Ben Einziger

Charlie Brown gets a rock every darn time, but the kids in this video get full freakin' pizzas on their trick-or-treating route.

Pizza Hut takes a page out of the Buzzfeed playbook with a Halloween-themed video that mashes up new and viral footage, complete with a snarky narrator, to show us how to win the ghoulish holiday. The answer: Give away full-sized candy bars—no snack version wannabes—or, better yet, pizza. Never, ever dole out pencils or dress your kid like a raisin. And don't forget the thrills and chills. 

The branded video from Los Angeles-based Shareability is a follow-up to its hugely popular faux PSA from a few months back. That spot featured comically long selfie sticks (and the dangers posed by using them) under the tagline "Please selfie responsibly." It promoted the chain's 2-foot-long pizzas and snagged more than 4 million YouTube views.

This Saturday, if history holds, will be one of the biggest pizza delivery days of the year, and Pizza Hut wanted to be top of mind with a compilation of "pirate cat," toddlers in old people costumes, and scary pranks that never seem to get old. Check it out, along with the behind-the-scenes footage below, and try your hand at Hallowinning.

REI is the latest brand to declare war on Black Friday, with the outdoor retailer saying it will be closed the day after Thanksgiving this year, and will pay its 12,000 employees as though it were a regular workday, "so they can do what they love most—be outside."

The campaign, called #OptOutside, was developed by a team of specialists drawn from Venables Bell & Partners, Edelman, Spark and REI. At its core is the decision to close all 143 retail locations, headquarters and two distribution centers on Nov. 27—an implicit attack on rampant consumerism at the expense of nature and the experience of the outdoors.

The retailer will pay its employees that day, and is encouraging the public at large to join the movement by using the #OptOutside hashtag and taking time outside "to reconnect with family and friends this Thanksgiving holiday."

Here are two videos heralding the campaign, one of which stars Jerry Stritzke, the president and CEO of REI, whose office appears to have quite the pleasant view.

The truth behind any campaign like this, of course—and Patagonia did something similar with its "Don't buy this jacket" campaign in 2011—is that REI wants its stance, however altruistic, to end up selling more stuff. But REI spokesman Alex Thompson said that in this case, the business strategy and the anti-consumerist message dovetail.

"The business strategy for REI has getting people outdoors at its core, and this is first and foremost about presenting the benefits of life outdoors and inviting people to experience it at an important time of year," Thompson said.

A new website, optoutside.rei.com, features recommended hiking trails, many built and nurtured by nonprofits supported by the $2.2 billion retailer. On Black Friday itself, REI.com will feature a black takeover screen that encourages visitors to #OptOutside.

"Black Friday is the perfect time to remind ourselves of the essential truth that life is richer, more connected and complete when you choose to spend it outside," Stritzke said in a statement. "We're closing our doors, paying our employees to get out there, and inviting America to OptOutside with us because we love great gear, but we are even more passionate about the experiences it unlocks."

In a letter addressed to its 5.5 million members (REI is a member-owned co-op), Stritzke quoted outdoor visionary John Muir, who said in 1901: "Thousands of tired, nerve-shaken, overcivilized people are beginning to find out that going to the mountains is going home."

Stritzke added: "As a member-owned co-op, our definition of success goes beyond money. We believe that a life lived outdoors is a life well lived and we aspire to be stewards of our great outdoors. We think that Black Friday has gotten out of hand and so we are choosing to invest in helping people get outside with loved ones this holiday season, over spending it in the aisles. Please join us and inspire us with your experiences. We hope to engage millions of Americans and galvanize the outdoor community to get outside."



CREDITS
Client: REI
Campaign: #OptOutside
Agency: Venables Bell & Partners
Chairman: Paul Venables
Executive Creative Director: Will McGinness
Creative Director: Lee Einhorn
Copywriter: Adam Wolinsky
Art Director: Avery Oldfield
Design Lead: Jarrett Carr
Designer: Nicola Broderick
Business Lead: Colleen McGee
Account Supervisor: Krista Muir
Account Managers: Ariel Rosen, Gillian McBrayer
Business Affairs: Sametta Gbilia
Director of Analytics: Jeff Burger
Director of User Design: Jeff Teicher
Director of Integrated Production: Craig Allen
Senior Producer: Jake Grand
Project Manager: Shannon Fischer
Director: Benji Weinstein 
Line Producer: Jason Manz
Executive Producer: Lori Stonebraker
Production Company: Tool of North America
Managing Director, Live Action / Executive Producer: Oliver Fuselier
Managing Partner, Digital: Dustin Callif
Editorial Company: HutchCo Technologies
Editor: Jim Hutchins
Editor: Patrick O'Leary
Executive Producer: Jane Hutchins
Visual Effects: Brickyard VFX
Lead Artist: Patrick Poulatian
Lead Artist: Mandy Sorenson
Producer: Linda Jackson
Executive Producer: Jeff Blodgett
Mix by Zach Fisher at Lime Studios
Senior Motion Designer: Victor Bivol
Executive Producer Lumberyard: Raquel Bedard / Anna Fields
Music Supervision: David Fisher at Songs for Film & TV
Director of Art Production: Jacqueline Fodor
Senior Print Producer: Michelle Wells
Lead Digital Producer: Adela Chung
Senior Integrated Producer: Marc McLean
Experience Design Company (Microsite): North Kingdom
Production Company (Media): 14Four
Retouching/Prepress: Pacific Digital Image
Production (Promotional Marketing): Freestyle MKTG
PR Firm: Edelman
Media Buying and Planning: Spark
EVP Group Director: Kathryn Dillon
VP Director Strategy: Chris Mittman
Associate Director of Strategy: Jan Alexander Vitturi-Lochra
Strategy Supervisor: Ellie Carroll
Strategy Associate: Michael Barutt, Agata Sciupider

Sometimes the best way to give yourself permission to take a break is to sit and dutifully list all you've succeeded in doing over the course of your illustrious career.

In James Bond's case, that list consists of a whole bunch of women, as illustrated by this ad from J. Walter Thompson in London. If you can't bring yourself to read through to the end, that's intentional. The implication is, it's a wonder that 007's done it himself: It concludes by asking James—who embarks on his latest escapades in Spectre—if he needs a break. (You know, for a KitKat bar.)



JWT creative Alex Ball said in a statement: "As the champion of 'breaks,' KitKat felt it only right to offer one of the world's longest-serving spies a little break from the arduous and often physically exhausting tasks he is forced to undertake for Queen and country."

James will probably be fine, since he never ages—and it's not like he had all that sex in a single day—but it's a clever idea for an ad. We're actually surprised the list wasn't longer, and that there weren't more puns. (Although seeing Christmas Jones's name reminded us of the two horrible "Christmas came twice this year" zingers from The World Is Not Enough ... and now we need a KitKat bar to shove into Neal Purvis's trachea.) 

CREDITS
Client: KitKat
Agency: J. Walter Thompson, London, U.K.
Executive Creative Director: Russell Ramsey
Creative Director, Head of Art: Dave Dye
Creatives: Alex Ball, Ronnie Vlcek
Designer: Chris Hutton
Account Managers: Charlotte Humphries, Alastair Ferrans
Project Managers: Halide Dale, Charlotte McCluskey