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YouTube Blog: Ads that entertain: YouTube’s top spots of 2011
We always knew people liked to watch the ads. At least some ads, like the great ones people talk about after the Super Bowl. Then YouTube came along in 2005 and brought with it the notion that ads can be great content that earn their way onto screens of all types, spread by consumers who vote, share, like, comment, blog, plus-one, or even create response videos or spoofs.

YouTube is the ultimate meritocracy for video, and advertisers are adapting to this world by creating content that people want to share. It’s no surprise, for example, that among the top-10 most-watched ads on YouTube in 2011 are two Super Bowl ads.

Most watched video ads of the year (eliminating music videos and trailers):
1. VW — The Force

2. T-Mobile — Royal Wedding

3. Chrysler — Imported From Detroit

4. DC Shoes — Ken Block's Gymkhana Four: The Hollywood Megamercial

5. smartwater — Jennifer Aniston goes viral

6. Team Hot Wheels — The Yellow Driver's World Record Jump

7. Old Spice — Scent Vacation

8. Apple — Introducing Siri on iPhone 4S

9. Samsung — Unleash Your Fingers

10. adidas — D Rose: adiZero Rose 2 The Bull

What is surprising is that the majority of YouTube’s top “ads” of 2011 (seems strange to call them that) never appeared on traditional TV at all.

Videos like T-Mobile’s Royal Wedding, itself a spoof of the JK Wedding Dance, were made for the web and made to amuse, entertain, and to be passed around, as are mini-movies like DC Shoe’s Gymkhana Four, stunts like Hot Wheel’s record jump, and Old Spice’s “Scent Vacation.”

Even the two Super Bowl ads making the list, Chrysler and Volkswagen, were part of elaborate campaigns made to live significant lives on the web. In the past, advertisers treated their Super Bowl spots like state secrets, but Volkswagen posted “The Force” on YouTube two weeks before the Super Bowl last year, and had 10 million views before the game began. Chrysler took the opposite approach, but created a video four times the length of a typical TV ad, perfect for extended watching on the web after the game.

For brands, creating great content—advertainment, if you will—isn’t just for big TV events like the Super Bowl anymore. Increasingly, advertisers and their agencies are focusing on the content and the strategy, and letting that content distribute itself. That doesn’t mean they aren’t doing traditional advertising. Indeed all of these campaigns were backed up by significant spending to seed and promote these videos on YouTube and elsewhere. But paid media only gets you so far. In the end, it doesn’t matter if they paid $3 million for 30-seconds in the Super Bowl or much less to get the conversation started. In the end, it’s the content that counts.

Doritos recently announced the details of the seventh Crash The Super Bowl Ad Contest and as of today you can officially submit your ad! The 2013 Crash The Super Bowl VII should see some great consumer created ads considering this years grand prize winner is getting the opportunity to work with Michael Bay on the film "Transformers 4."

Is your ad ready to be submitted? Check out the submissions already rolling in on the Doritos FaceBook App, more details below:

What has become one of the most popular of all the Super Bowl Ads on game day are the finalist of the Crash The Super Bowl contest. Now the seventh year that Doritos is running the contest they kick it up big time by announcing this years winner has the opportunity to work with Michael Bay on the next installment of the “Transformers” movie franchise, along with a shot at a $1 million bonus!

Bay who actually started his career in advertising had this to say: "...creating television spots and trying to make a name for myself, I can definitely relate to those who enter the Crash the Super Bowl contest," said Bay, who began directing commercials and music videos one week out of film school in 1989. "I know firsthand how challenging it can be to succeed in such a competitive industry, so I’m excited to help someone else truly make a name of their own."

The contest invites people to use their own creativity to create homemade ads for the Doritos brand, the top two spots will air during the Super Bowl XLVII broadcast on Sunday, Feb. 3, 2013. One of the ads will be selected by America’s votes; the second by the Doritos brand team. The ad that ranks the highest on the USA TODAY Ad Meter rankings will be awarded the grand prize of working with Michael Bay, and if that ad lands at the top of the USA TODAY Ad Meter, Doritos will be handing its creator $1 million!

The contest will run exclusively from a Crash the Super Bowl-branded app on the Doritos Facebook Page (www.facebook.com/DoritosUSA) for the first time. You can upload your 30 second commercial starting today Oct. 8, 2012 to Nov. 16, 2012. The app is designed to engage and socialize with consumers in a much broader way than in previous years with app features like a "Pitch In" tool that allows fans to interact with each other. The tool will also allow people to help ad creators by requesting or offering up props, talent and other items contestants might need to create their ads. The traditional toolbox is still available and loaded with the Doritos logos, product shots, music and animations for use in creating your ad. The gallery of submissions is already filling up.

The top five ads will be announced in January 2013, awarded $25,000 and a trip to New Orleans to attend Super Bowl XLVII in a private luxury suite. Then it will be up to fans to vote for their favorite ad, where they will tune in to learn for the first time which two ads will compete for the top spot in the USA TODAY Ad Meter. Bonus prizing will be awarded, based on how each ad ranks on the USA TODAY Ad Meter:
• No. 1 spot on the USA TODAY Ad Meter wins you a cool $1 Million
• No. 2 two spot on the USA TODAY Ad Meter wins you a $600,000 prize
• No. 3 spot on the USA TODAY Ad Meter wins you $400,000

Ram Krishnan, vice president of marketing for Frito-Lay North America added, "Over the past six years, our fans have created thousands of Doritos ads, dominating the USA TODAY Ad Meter year after year and making Doritos the brand to watch on Super Bowl Sunday. Every year, our fans deliver for us, so this year we’re bringing them a contest grand prize that we know will be a true game changer. The opportunity to work on a blockbuster film like ‘Transformers 4’ is an experience we know will help catapult our lucky winner to the big time."

Consumer-created Doritos ads have ranked in the top-five of the USA TODAY Ad Meter the last six years, and in three of the last four years scored the No. 1 ranking, the campaign is clearly one of the greatest ad campaigns ever created.

Sponsored Post for CTSB

Nancy thanks Honda for helping her son Steven get a great deal on his Pilot during Happy Honda Days.

The latest rendition of the “Happy Honda Days” holiday campaign begins today and features various amusing thank-you letters to Honda dealers from “Happy Honda Days” shoppers and their loved ones. These personalized stories of happiness come with every Honda.

Developed by Honda’s long-standing agency of record, RPA, six comical TV spots showcase the Honda product line and various standard features such as rearview camera, Pandora® internet radio or Bluetooth® HandsFreeLink®.

“It’s critical for our holiday campaign to break through the clutter during this time period, and we’re confident that these lighthearted spots will stand out,” said Susie Rossick, senior manager, regional marketing, American Honda Motor Co., Inc. “Because this is the ninth chapter of ‘Happy Honda Days,’ the phrase has become shorthand for dealers who rally around the concept each year and consumers who instantly recognize the name from a trusted brand and know it’s a great time to buy.”

Each spot opens on someone thanking Honda for giving their friend or relative a great deal on a new car. The narrator gives a detailed account of why the car is such a great purchase. Precocious Samantha loves getting rides in her big sister Laura’s new Civic while rocking out to her USB-connected iPod®. Doting Nancy loves her son Steve’s new Pilot with its Bluetooth and rearview camera. Spikey-haired tween Pete is grateful for his Dad’s Accord; its low cost equals more presents, and Pandora distracts Dad from his son’s paintball escapades.

Kate thanks Honda for helping her friend Lisa get a great deal on her Odyssey during Happy Honda Days.

Pete thanks Honda for helping his dad get a great deal on his Accord during Happy Honda Days.

Samantha thanks Honda for helping her sister Laura get a great deal on a Civic during Happy Honda Days.

Credits:
Agency: RPA
EVP, CCO: Joe Baratelli
SVP, GCD: Jason Sperling
VP, CD: Curt Johnson
CD: Alicia Dotter
ACD: Sarah May Bates
SVP, Executive Producer, Content: Gary Paticoff
Agency Senior Producer: Fran Wall
Production Company: Moxie Pictures
Director: Frank Todaro
Executive Producer: Robert Fernandez, Karol Zeno, Roger Zorovich
Producer: Laura Heflin
Editing Company: The Reel Thing
Editor: Lance Pereira
Flame Artist: Moody Glasgow
Executive Producer: Doug Kleckner
Telecine: Co3
Colorist: Beau Leon

Great-Ads Exclusive –Comparethemarket.com Spin-off outtakes advert.

Credit Card Comparison by Maurice Wigglethorpe-Throom, CEO and Founder of comparethemarket.com

Robert Webb, star of cult British comedy TV show Peep Show, plays eccentric CEO Maurice Wigglethorpe-Throom in this outtake that uses the disturbing metaphor of facial hair to explain why you should compare credit card interest rates on comparethemarket.com. This video, yet to be released to the general public, was filmed alongside a separate TV campaign to allow the comedian to run with the role of this peculiar character.

We first met CEO Maurice on Christmas Day when they released this web advert below: This is a film about a heroic young man, who is cursed with being at least six times more handsome, clever and sensitive than anybody else. He also carries a head of the most ravishing hair you ever did see. Despite these troubles, he struggles through life with immense dignity. He is modelled on me, Maurice Wigglethorpe-Throom.

Credits
Starring: Robert Webb
Creative agency: VCCP London
Creative director: Darren Bailes
Director: Simon Cole
Producer: Jeremy Goold
Post-production: Finish
Editor: Alaster Jordan at The White House

Google is going all out and creating some great ads for the Google Galaxy Nexus, all three TV commercials are the work Boston based ad agency Mullen who created Google+ Hangouts: Social MC's spot, Calling All and my favorite the Google+ Hangouts: Bohemians which features Queens Bohemian Rhapsody.

Credits:
Advertising Agency: Mullen, Boston, MA, USA
Chief Creative Officer: Mark Wenneker
Executive Creative Directors: Tim Vaccarino, Dave Weist
Chief Digital Officer: Mauro Cavalletti
Associate Creative Director / Art Director: Jeff Da Silva
Associate Creative Director / Copywriter: Jon Ruby
Content Creator: Emile Doucette
Executive Director of Integrated Production: Liza Near
Executive Producer: Zeke Bowman
Associate Producer: Vera Skuratovsky
Account Service: Tara Inskip, Hannah Hewitt
Production Company: Arts & Sciences
Director: Matt Aselton
Executive Producer: Marc Marrie
Producer: Dina Oberley
DP: Jo Willems
DP 2nd Unit: Corey Walter
Editorial: ps260
Editor: Maury Loeb
Assistant Editor: Ned Borgman
Assistant Editor: Colin Reilly
Executive Producer: Laura Lamb
Patterson Animation/Graphics: Brickyard VFX
Artist: Robin Hobart
VFX: Brickyard VFX
Lead VFX Artist: Geoff McAuliffe
Executive Producer: Kirsten Andersen
Audio Post: Soundtrack
Sound Design / Mixer: Mike Secher

You’ll never think about Tide and Oreo Cookies the same way again, creative ad agency, mono teamed up with high fashion director and photographer Matthew Donaldson to amplify universal truths about everyday items to epic proportions with a suite of national ads for Target and The Everyday Collection.

Spot: "Matador" — Tonight's menu: sirloin steak, chicken breasts and pork, with a side of fierce. Welcome to The Everyday Collection by Target.

Is Target's grocery aisle ready for its close up?

Target is pushing its food, laundry detergent and other groceries in a national ad campaign that pokes fun at high-fashion advertising by featuring models interacting with everyday products.

In one ad, a model in a white dress and high heels struts by blueberry muffin and cake mix boxes that explode in different colors. Then she crushes an egg with her hand.

"Dominate that PTA bake sale," a voiceover whispers. "The Everyday Collection. By Target."

The campaign is part of a larger move by Target, better known for its cheap-chic clothing and home goods, to focus more on its grocery-store aisle. Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and other Target competitors also have been expanding their selection of groceries to lure more customers into stores.

For its part, Target has been expanding its grocery selection, particularly with investments in its "P-Fresh" fresh-food section. Out of its 1,782 stores, about 1100 have an expanded fresh food layout and more than 250 have a full grocery store.

With that push complete, Target decided the time was right to put the focus on its groceries, but in a way that still plays on Target's fashion know how, said chief marketing officer Jeff Jones.

Target, with ad agency Mono in Minneapolis, created the tongue-in-cheek campaign that treats groceries and home products like fashion accessories in a photo shoot. Spending is undisclosed on the ad campaign, but it will include eight TV ads that will run throughout 2013. In addition to TV spots and newspaper inserts, it will include eight TV spots, three radio ads, and digital short films that will run as banner ads online.

One TV ad shows an $11.99 bottle of Tide laundry detergent and a model in a white dress dancing fancifully.

"We all yearn for something," says a voiceover as bubbles float by the model. "And that something is the other sock."

The campaign "creates a foil for what people are used to seeing for grocery advertising," said Jones. "It combines the design ethos and fashion creditability that Target has with the idea that it also has great grocery items at a great price." article via: The Associated Press.

Spot: "Laundry" — Lose yourself in Tide laundry detergent. Who knows what you'll find? Give in to The Everyday Collection. By Target.

Spot: "Ravenous" — Pickles, Ruffles chips and other timeless cravings. Attack! Give in to The Everyday Collection. By Target.

Spot: "Bake Sale" — Cake and muffin mix hit the catwalk in true Target fashion. Welcome to The Everyday Collection. By Target.

Credits:
Creative Ad Agency: mono, Minneapolis.
Director: Matthew Donaldson
Creative Co-Chair: Paula Biondich

At Great-Ads we love to share truly great advertising campaigns, and sometimes we need to remind ourselves here that it's the creatives behind the work that we want to compliment and not the brands. Ok so why are we rambling on.......FedEx, oh FedEx with so many a great ad featured here like The Enchanted Forest, the Dominoes spot from BBDO, Toronto, and one my personal favorites The FedEx AAAAAAAAA Auto Repair Shop ad...one of your delivery guys does this!!!

"goobie55" who uploaded this video on YouTube, obviously upset about how her package was handled by the FedEx delivery man, was even more surprised considering she was home with her front door wide open.
Note To FedEx: the best advertising campaign is useless when videos like this are as common as your commercials.

All our favorite Terry Crews old Spice commercials remixed into one pretty awesome mash-up video. The Denver Egotist notes this was done thanks to Old Spice's ad agency Wieden+Kennedy who partnered with infamous youtube video remixer melodysheep on creating a remixed music piece of all the Terry Crew Old Spice spots.
See all the Old Spice ads featured on Great-Ads HERE.

As we patiently wait to see some new ads start running from BlackBerry for it's new Z10 device (aside from the What It Can't Do Super Bowl spot and the Keep Moving commercial, both are great) everyone at Great-Ads is itching to see something exciting from the device manufacturer formerly known as RIM. Until then this is all we have....

MERCEDES AMG PETRONAS is using BlackBerry 10 for innovative projects unlocking the power of mobile computing and bringing fans closer to the season's 19 races. Spot the iconic BlackBerry branding on the chassis and headrest of the F1 W04 Silver Arrow, and the race suits of Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg.

Today Blackberry released an official Teaser ad for the 'Set The World on Fire' Tour, Episode III of the BlackBerry Keep Moving project featuring Global Creative Director Alicia Keys. We are still hoping for something more exciting from this campaign.

Someone in Ontario, Canada took marketing the new Blackberry 10 into their own hands with this brilliant vanity license plate "BBRY 10" using the provinces slogan Yours To Discover makes it perfect, someone hire this guy. Image via:

Great-Ads looks back on Samsung Smart TV's spot "Seductive Motion" come behind the scenes with a sexy girl, a Smart TV, a stampede of men and see how they took over downtown Buenos Aires to create this great commercial with 12 million plus views to date. The lovely model is Angela Bellotte who also models for Victoria's Secret. Full commercial below.

Credits:
Ad Agency: BETC, London
Executive Creative Director: Neil Dawson
Production Company: RSA Films
Director: Mat Kirtby

The creative team at A&E called on long-time collaborators at entertainment agency BIGSMACK to help conceive, write and produce a hilarious Season 3 promotional campaign for their biggest runaway hit in the cable net’s history: “Duck Dynasty.” Under the creative leadership of Head Creative Andy Hann and Senior Creative Director Matt Hall, the BIGSMACK team collaborated with A&E’s in-house team to write, produce, and post for an extensive campaign, that is being rolled out now, as a daily countdown to the launch of the third season on February 27th at 10/9c.

Hann and director Scott Whitham co-direct an unbelievable 21 spots in just two days (view them all on YouTube HERE. The BIGSMACK team shot in the deep rural bayou of Louisiana in the dead of winter, up against tremendous challenges.

Duck Dynasty’ has literally become a phenomenon for A&E, being their highest rated show to date,” says BIGSMACK’s Hann. “It has huge fan appeal, so we were thrilled when they asked us to take a crack at what appeared to be the impossible. We jumped in with the A&E creative team and literally fleshed out and wrote a mountain of scripts over the course of a week. Kudos to the A&E marketing and creative team, who worked many weekends and late night hours to make sure this was a successful campaign. This project was a great opportunity for BIGSMACK to show what our company can do, pulling from all of our resources to make this roll-out campaign a reality, and a funny one at that.”

One of the most successful reality series currently on television, “Duck Dynasty” features the Robertson’s, a Louisiana bayou family living the American dream as they operate a thriving business while staying true to their family values and lifestyle. After creative concepting and writing In New York and Philadelphia was complete, the BIGSMACK production team flew down south from the east coast. They were met with seven inches rain soaked roads in early January, and show fans appearing on-set to get a peek at the Robertson’s, known for their signature long beards. CD Hann and Whitham directed the 21 spots with just two days to shoot the show’s main characters. Strategically planning the logistics for the shoot, they had two crews shoot simultaneously at an enormous Bayou location in Monroe, Louisiana.

“We went in with a plan of course, but due to the volume of spots, unpredictable weather and an unfamiliar location, a lot of adjustments and improv had to happen in Monroe days and hours before the shoot,” explains BIGSMACK’s Head of Marketing Andrew Kobliska. Mud soaked roads, trucks and equipment coming from hundreds of miles away, and crew arriving the night before were part of the challenges the production team was up against. “While Andy was directing one spot, he had to think about the next two spots so we could have a crew set things up ahead of time. The crew was awesome: great hustle; great attitude. The DP's Andrew Turman and Patrick Loungway were absolutely incredible. Because of the circumstances, the DP's had to act essentially as Co-Directors, and they really came through. The members of the Robertson family were all good sports. They hung in there with us and they were willing to do whatever we asked, which included being submerged in freezing water! They have natural talent, and great comedic timing. They really are a wonderful, funny family, which is why they are loved by so many fans worldwide.”

Credits:
Project: 21-spot promo campaign for the launch of “Duck Dynasty,” Season 3

Client: A&E
EVP, Head of Marketing: Guy Slattery
Creative Director: Maria Pecoraro
Senior Writer/Producer: Keith Kopnicki
Director of Operations: Brett DiPretoro

Advertising Agency: BIGSMACK
Executive Creative Director: Andy Hann
Head of Marketing: Andrew Kobliska
Executive Producers: Heidi Erney, Kevin Lahr
Writers: Tom Pace, Joe Nelms, Bob Shea, Andy Hann, Laura Gillespie

Production Company: BIGSMACK
Directors: Andy Hann, Scott Whitham
DPs: Andrew Turman, Patrick Loungway
Producer/AD: Michael Dean
AD: Nick Conway
press via: Hypeworld

Go Daddy is one of the first 2012 Super Bowl advertisers to give us a sneak peak at what they are up too. Go Daddy's Super Bowl commercials include two spots this year, "The Cloud" features Danica Patrick and The PussyCat Dolls and what seems to be some short of heavenly angel thing, which reminds me of the Axe Fallen Angel ads.

The official press release:
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Super Bowl 2012 will mark a product milestone for Go Daddy. The world’s largest provider of Web hosting, domain name registrations and net-new SSL Certificates is known for its edgy ads with smokin’ hot Go Daddy Girls, but for the first time ever, Go Daddy is using one of its two edgy new Super Bowl commercials to specifically reference its cloud-based offerings.

Go Daddy has long delivered services “in the cloud” – providing individuals and businesses more efficient and less expensive online options. Now, it’s taking its product marketing to Super Bowl viewers with fun references to Go Daddy’s innovative offerings such as 4th Generation Hosting, known as 4GH.

The 30-second ad is called The Cloud. It features Go Daddy Girl Danica Patrick and the new Pussycat Dolls, along with several core product references in a “divine” setting. The Cloud is also Go Daddy’s most ambitious production in the company’s eight-year Super Bowl history. The storyline includes a revealing moment and an extravagant set design.

“How can we produce a Super Bowl ad that’s fun, edgy, slightly inappropriate and also speak to cloud-based products?” asked Go Daddy CEO and Founder Bob Parsons. “Like only Go Daddy can … trust me, it’ll be as GoDaddy-esque as ever. Danica will surpass her most revealing Go Daddy moment, from back in 2008 when she gave us the big unzip!”

Danica recently ranked the Internet’s Most Searched Athlete and she’s also a sort of Super Bowl staple. By most observers’ count, Danica has been in more Super Bowl ads than any other celebrity, and with this year’s campaign, she will have 11 big game ads on her resume, all with Go Daddy Productions.

“Doing Go Daddy’s Super Bowl commercials is always interesting, but this year’s are epic,” Danica said. “The commercials are very funny – there’s physical humor, and in The Cloud there’s a big-time dance routine. Yes, I dance. And I’ll say this, the dance sequence is as GoDaddy-esque as it gets!”

Go Daddy’s other 2012 Super Bowl ad also features Danica, along with her Go Daddy Girl colleague and fitness guru Jillian Michaels. Like Danica, Jillian is a strong woman and successful entrepreneur.

“I like the way Bob and Go Daddy portray women as strong and successful,” Jillian said. “Yes, the commercials are edgy and hot … but the Go Daddy Girls always have the last laugh, they are the ones in control. A lot of people don’t realize this, but Bob’s executive staff is made up of more women than men.”

The 30-second ad featuring Jillian and Danica is designed to bring massive consumer attention to the.CO domain, the Internet’s most popular new domain name extension. While Go Daddy is working to keep the specifics of the storyline under wraps for now, it has said the ad features a stunning international supermodel whose world-class body drew this comment from Jillian on-set: “If I made a DVD about how to get a body like hers, I’d be a gazillionaire.”

.CO Internet S.A.S. CEO Juan Diego Calle makes a cameo appearance in the Internet-only version of the commercial, along with Bob Parsons. “Not only was filming the Super Bowl ad a fun way to spend a work day, we know it will help take dot-CO to the next level – driving more business and boosting brand awareness,” said Calle. “Last year’s Super Bowl ad helped us to finish our first year with more than one million dot-CO domain names registered by people in more than 200 countries – and made dot-CO the hottest new Web address in the world!”

Go Daddy partnered with.CO Internet for the first time in the 2011 Super Bowl with great success. As for its cloud-based products and services, Go Daddy has been in the cloud since before the term was coined. Not surprisingly though, most people have more awareness of Go Daddy’s commercial campaigns … that may change with this year’s advertising leap into the cloud.

For the Pussycat Dolls, featured prominently in The Cloud’s outrageous dance scene, 2012 marks their first-ever Super Bowl commercial and serves as the unofficial launch of the new Pussycat Dolls.

Right on the heels of three extraordinarily successful projects — garnering record breaking ratings for their clients — BIGSMACK unveils a new promo campaign for the National Geographic Channel. The energy-packed, mind-tickling campaign for the channel’s newest series “Brain Games” broke earlier this week in anticipation of the series launch on Monday, April 22nd at 9 p.m. (ET/PT).

Under the creative leadership of Founder/Head Creative Andy Hann and Senior Creative Director Matt Hall, BIGSMACK collaborated with National Geographic’s in-house creative team to complete the creative concepting. BIGSMACK wrote, produced, and created extensive CGI and graphics for the new launch campaign. http://www.bigsmack.tv/work/nat-geo-brain-games/

Hosted by Filmmaker and TED Talks icon Jason Silva, the new television series will use illusions, mind games and interactive experiments to reveal the inner workings of the human brain. Each episode of “Brain Games” will explore a different topic. These will include attention, fear, perception, sense of time and memory. Silva is a self-professed "wonder junkie," who has spoken widely about neurology, the human brain, and technology. The timing of the show is perfect, as President Obama announces a broad new research initiative to invent and refine new technologies to understand and map the human brain. Silva is joined on “Brain Games” by “The Gentleman Thief” Apollo Robbins, a deception specialist.

“National Geographic Channel has been a great, long-term client of ours,” says BIGSMACK’s Hann. “We worked on the promo for the “Brain Games” special last year, and it was so popular and successful that Nat Geo decided to turn it into a series. We were thrilled when they came back, and asked us to work on the promo campaign for the new series. We have a very collaborative relationship with Nat Geo. They really utilize us as a collaborative creative agency, and we work very well with their in-house team. They have a great deal of creative trust in us, which we really appreciate. This was a hugely fun campaign for the BIGSMACK team to work on. One of the biggest challenges was the research that we needed to do in order to find fun, and thought provoking examples of brain puzzles and teasers; as well as the choreography of the spots which required the cameras, experiments, and the on-screen talent to be in sync. Many of the shots were all done in one-take, which was quite a feat.”

Hann shared the director’s chair on set with BIGSMACK’s Senior Creative Director Matt Hall, since a great deal of the work was done in CGI and post, after the studio production wrapped. “The series host, Jason Silva, is renowned for his ability to improv,” explains Hall. “So we gave him an outline, but he added a lot of the material on his own while we were shooting. Because of the improv, most of the CGI/effects were added in the postproduction phase, without a lot of pre-planning. The creative process was truly an evolution, with BIGSMACK working with the in-house team at Nat Geo. At every stage, something new was added on-screen, continually making the spots that much better, and leading to a great end result.”

Due to the outstanding success of promo and show launch campaigns created and produced by BIGSMACK in the last 6 months, the team has been hard at work in the studio. “I couldn’t be more proud of the quality of work that continues to come from Andy and our BIGSMACK team” says Head of Marketing Andrew Kobliska, “The idea generation is endless, and this team truly understands how to create a successful campaign for our clients.”

Credits:
Project: Multi-spot promo campaign for the launch of new series “Brain Games”
Client: National Geographic Channel
SVP/Group Creative Director: Andy Baker
CMO: Courteney Monroe
Design Director Marketing & Creative: Carla Daeninckx
Director Ad Sales & Cause Marketing: Allison Mitchell
VP Creative & Consumer Marketing: Emanuele Madeddu
Producer: Valerie Carrillo
Agency, Production & Post Company: BIGSMACK/New York & Philadelphia
Head of Creative: Andy Hann
Senior Creative Director: Matt Hall
Head of Marketing: Andrew Kobliska
Executive Producers: Heidi Erney, Kevin Lahr
Senior Producer: Rich DiNublia
Senior Writer/Producer: Laura Gillespie
Production Coordinator: Meg Hughes
Director: Andy Hann
EFX Director: Matt Hall
DP: Andrew Turman
Line Producer: Larry Schwartz
Design/Animators: Jason Harmon, Rick Malwitz
Graphic Artist: Dan Hoffman
Editor: Mark Farkas
Mixers: Bob Schachner, Mike Taylor
Colorist: Janet Falcon

Google pumped out two new ads today, the first an ad for the Nexus 7 entitled "Fear Less" where a young boy with a fear of public speaking prepares for a speech assignment for school.
He begins by searching Google for the definition of glossophobia and some of the worlds greatest speakers and their speeches in preparation for his big day at school...and with his new found confidence he can depend on his Nexus 7 and a quick Google search to find out how to ask a girl out.

Searching for the words
through a sea of watchful eyes.
Less is what I Fear.

The second ad released today launches Chromecast which could very well be the easiest way to enjoy online video and music on your TV for only $35. Find out more at google.com/chromecast.

Target is out early with the Holiday Christmas commercials this year with the "Big Dog" ad. The spot starting airing last week and features the Target Bullseye mascot..."The holidays are coming and they're gonna be big" and much to early in the season to be airing Christmas ads but, Great Ads still likes the spot.

The song and music is "Are you ready?" originally by Kate Miller-Heidke.
Credits:
Ad Agency: 72andSunny

Budweiser creates this tantalizing highlight reel in support of their continued sponsorship of Major League Baseball staring three of our nation's greatest hot dogs: The Dixie, The Detroit and The Chicago.

See the Great-Ads archive of Budweiser ads and other popular brand beer commercials HERE.

In India it seems they really know how to dance, sing and have an all out good time when it comes to keeping their clothes clean, thanks to Tide Plus and these great ads for the super cleaning detergent.

1. Tide Plus "Dhobi Ghat"

2. Tide Plus "Dost"

3. Tide Plus "Funky Guy"

4. Tide Plus "Amma"

Credits:
Production House: Little Lamb Films
Directed by: Bauddhayan Mukherji (Buddy).
DOP: Sejal Shah.
Producer: Vishal Patel.
Production Planning & Costumes: Monalisa Mukherji.
Offline: Abhimanyu Chaudhary.
Online: Niket Sharma.
Music: Sameer Uddin.
Client: P&G India.
Agency: Leo Burnett, Mumbai, India

This beauty showed up in the Great-Ads inbox today, enjoy: A bottle Appy Fizz steps into Saif Ali Khan's dream in this entertaining new ad from India. As Saif and a group of young ladies dance to a sequence from the Bollywood track ‘Mein Khiladi, tu Anadi’. Midway through the dream when Saif realizes Appy Fizz is in his dream, he is miffed at him. Nonetheless, they continue on to enjoy the limelight together, jumping around doing funky dance moves to the peppy Bollywood track.

Credits:
Ad Agency: CreativeLand, Mumbai, India

New spot by Toronto ad agency john st., entitled Breakfast Loves Nutella, and all of us at Great-Ads love you too Nutella.

Credits:
Client: Nutella
Spot Title: Breakfast Loves Nutella
Ad Agency: john st. Toronto
Creative Director(s): Stephen Jurisic & Angus Tucker
Copywriter: Dhaval Bhatt
Art Director: David Glen
Agency Producer: Dale Giffen
Director: Jorn Threlfall
Production Company: Circle Productions
Executive Producer: Karen Tameanko
Line Producer: Erica Parks
Director of Photography: Todd M. Duym
Editorial: Mark Morton, School Editing
Colour: Wade Odlum, Alter Ego
Online/Finishing: Paul Binney, Fort York
Music: RMW

The 25th Anniversary of Shark Week begins Sunday, August 12, 2012 on the Discovery Channel, but some great ads begin now with this TV ad created by mOcean.
Check out the phantom camera capturing some amazing slow motion shark attack footage that will air during Discovery Channels Shark Week after the ad credits below.

Shark Week Ad Credits:
Client: Discovery
Lara Richardson: VP, Creative
Jason Turner: Sr. Writer/Producer
Chris Adams: Director of Marketing
Ad Agency" mOcean
Peter McKeon: Creative Director/Director
Teresa Antista: Executive Producer
Zach Lyall: Post-Production producer
Quico Encinias: Animation Supervisor
Don Anderson: Live-Action Producer
Kevin Sarnoff: Director of Photography
Santiago Padilla: Colorist
Jerry Spievack: Visual Effects/Ring of Fire
John Myers: Visual Effects/Ring of Fire
Brian Keith Namanny: Lead Puppeteer/Legacy
Neil Smith: On-Set Water Effects
Keivn Aratari: EVP Entertainment Marketing