Thumbs up to Urban Toronto for getting an image of this cool hallway designed by Montana Steel for the King Blue Condos sales office that opened today.
Who is Montana Steele...
Over the last 20 years, dedication, energy and passion have guided Montana Steele Strategic Marketing to create real estate brands that are truly magnetic. This award-winning, Toronto-based advertising agency is today one of the foremost names in the new home development business. With an impressive client list that includes some of North America’s largest developers, Montana Steele Strategic Marketing is an agency that’s committed to creating original and effective communication. With over 60,000 units sold, over $12 billion in sales and over 150 awards won, the numbers literally speak for themselves.
Nissan gets tough on the streets with their new concept sports car "Extrem". Nissan captured the vibrancy, color and excitement of Brazil with EXTREM, a radical car aimed squarely at the young (and young-at-heart) car enthusiasts keen to make a statement on the roads. Press below.
First concept car from Nissan designed specifically for Brazil
Design reflects the color and passion of the country
A new urban compact sports car that's exotic yet attainable
Rugged and agile 2+2 with distinctive color treatment
EXTREM has been created especially for Brazil. It has been designed for and built in the country and has its world debut at the 27th São Paulo International Motor Show (October 24 – November 4).
"Brazil is a country of great natural beauty and it has a passionate, rich culture. But this is not always reflected in the cars on its streets, especially the more affordable locally produced vehicles which tend to be conservative in design, color and specification," said Shiro Nakamura, Senior Vice President and Chief Creative Officer.
"EXTREM, with a dynamic, high-character design, is far from conservative. It was created to appeal to the country's growing band of city-based young professionals who are passionate about design and want to make a personal statement. The lightweight two-door 2+2, has a dynamic stance, fresh surfacing, and a clear rugged ability to tackle the urban jungle everyday," he added.
Designed by Nissan Design America (NDA) in San Diego, California, in collaboration with Brazilian designers and produced in Brazil, the concept previews a new breed of car. By blending versatility and toughness with the agility of a compact 2+2, EXTREM is a new genre of urban compact sports car.
Its unveiling at the São Paulo Motor Show underscores Nissan's commitment to Brazil. The country is one of the largest new car markets in the world and one in which Nissan enjoys significant sales growth. The company claimed almost two per cent of the 2011 market, doubling its 2010 sales, and aims to account for five per cent of new car sales in Brazil by 2016. via NissanNews.com | USA
Cydcor is established as an independent company in 1994, Cydcor growth is conducted under the leadership of President Jim Majeski and Chief Executive Officer Gary Polson. This growth has been substantial, and Cydcor ability to profitable joint ventures to establish, to deliver measurable results through significant market share increase from Cydcor customers and a variable cost model.
Cydcor is named among the «Best Places to Work» by the San Fernando Valley Business Journal for the second year in a row and ranked №14 for area mid-sized companies. It serves the people bringing the voice of a strong commitment to workplace excellence as the leading provider of outsourced, face-to-face sales teams.
Cydcor donates gift boxes to US Army
Face-to-face sales firm Cydcor announced that is has donated 28 boxes of items to U.S. soldiers through Any Soldier, a philanthropy group that helps American armed service members receive packages and letters from home.
Members of the Cydcor Community helped fill the boxes at the company’s Westlake Village, California headquarters, and Any Soldier mailed them off to soldiers serving in the field, along with special letters from loved ones.
«Our troops are making sacrifices for all of us and we felt it was very important to help them as much as we could,» — said Gary Polson (chief executive).
Cydcor has donated time and resources to a number of area philanthropy groups in recent years, including the Children’s Hospital in Los Angeles and Casa Pacifica in Camarillo, California. More than 220 company sales representatives have donated more than 220 hours to 16 organizations to date.
Participation in a life of the US soldiers
«We’re proud to have had the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of these soldiers,» — said Vera Quinn (vice president of operations).
Get ready for whole lot of Beyonce during the 2013 Superbowl, Pepsi announced the Big Games half time performer will also be appearing on Pepsi cans and I'm assuming we wont be surprised to see here in one of Pepsi's Super Bowl ads this year. Read the full scoop at Brand Channel HERE.
The Fact Brief:
Pepsi is announcing a true creative and wide-ranging global collaboration with worldwide music icon, Beyoncé. Together they will collaborate in developing new content and innovative ways to engage fans, consumers and retailers to benefit both brands.
Beyoncé is our partner and Brand Ambassador for Pepsi. Pepsi has had a relationship with Beyoncé for more than a decade – she first served as a Pepsi spokesperson in 2002.
Since then, she has become a global pop culture phenomenon – arguably one of the biggest pop stars in the world — winning 16 GRAMMY® awards and selling more than 100 million albums worldwide.
The multi-faceted collaboration with Beyoncé includes:
Establishing the Creative Development Fund, a resource devoted to the co-creation of innovative and relevant consumer content.
Collaboration on design – in addition to having her image on a can or bottle, she is working with us on the design of all materials related to the partnership.
Beyoncé starring in a new “Live for Now” global TV commercial, currently planned for release in early 2013
Beyoncé will be appearing in print and out of home advertisements for Pepsi. She will also be visible in-store and on-premise through materials such as shelf promotions, in-store displays and in-store advertising.
The Beyoncé partnership is the lead example of how Pepsi is pioneering a new way for brands to engage with musical artists, moving from sponsor to partner. This creates a creative and commercial collaboration that serves both artist and brand.
Beyond the partnership with Beyoncé, we are using our global scale and scope to create a platform to support multiple country-specific Pepsi musical artists.
With our music program, we can excite our existing fans and attract new consumers to Pepsi, connecting their love of music with the refreshing experience of drinking Pepsi, driving sales of Pepsi globally.
Our retail partners love music partnerships and are ready to embrace this relationship because Pepsi has a proven record of promotions that drive store traffic and sales.
Meet Grant Weber, the star Canine Sales guy in newest ads for Subaru. The comical commercials take selling automobiles to the dogs, who have been driving Subaru vehicles for years. Above is the Dog Tested Intro spot and below two more of our favorites from the campaign: "Last One" which features a surprise Cat driving into the dealership and the "Breeds" spot where Grant shows us no matter the breed of dog, they all agree once you sit in a Subaru, you'll stay.
Fashion brand Bebe’s “The Best Part of the Day is the Night” ads rolling out now nationwide in print and online, add to a high-energy, multiple touchpoint marketing campaign introducing consumers to a new Bebe.
Created by New York City – based advertising agency JWalk (www.jwalkny.com), this newest national creative campaign will be seen in fashion books including Glamour, Elle and Cosmopolitan; online, with high-impact digital homepage roadblocks on sites including Instyle.com. Other components include mobile ads, video ads in taxis – even branded t-shirts, printed with campaign slogans (“good girls go to heaven, bad girls go everywhere”).
The branded rollout follows a month-long, unbranded mystery hash tag teaser campaign, #be9to5, that introduced girls to the idea of the real 9 to 5 – 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. – and got people talking about who or what was behind it. Unbranded ads on billboards, bus stops and beer coasters with provocative lines like, “he was a good idea at the time” generated excitement; copy directed viewers to an unbranded microsite, http://www.be9to5.com/. As buzz built around the hashtag, among fashion bloggers and followers, and speculation grew about who or what was behind it, Bebe earned some much needed 9 million impressions, 120 percent above projections, a renewed cultural cachet and a ton of social engagement.
Early stages of the branded phase are showing similar momentum. The campaign has generated over 6 million impressions on Twitter and Instagram. Moreover social engagement is translating into sales increases. One example: over 1,000 t-shirts, carrying the messages "Good Girls Go to Heaven" in white and "The Best Part of the Day Is the Night" in black, sold out in one week — a 250% increase over typical t-shirt sales of 200 in a week.
What happens when a stuntman, actor/director and screenwriter walk into a Gold Coast bar? They come up with the concept for an action fantasy film that is already raising eyebrows in Hollywood no joke. Rene Perrin, Avelino `El Rico' Lescot and Susan Macguillicuddy are the trio behind The Black Sun, which recently took out the Most Ambitious Screenplay award at the 2015 International Action on Film Festival in Los Angeles.
The locals are hoping the added hype surrounding their screenplay will push the project into production and attract the eye of distributors. Lescot, a Gold Coast-based actor, stuntman and filmmaker who has worked on The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, Peter Pan and The Condemned, said The Black Sun incorporates several genres.
``It's enchanting and mystical,'' he said. ``It's a gypsy, action, adventure, romance, western with a strong supernatural feel that is set in the Pacific Islands, Mexico, China, New Zealand and here. ``At the moment the film industry needs something different but financially manageable and that's The Black Sun.''
He said The Black Sun's `twist ending' had helped draw attention to the project. The film follows a warrior's worldwide journey on the Matariki boat, which Lescot said is `like another star of the film'. Lescot and Perrin have an impressive international fanbase thanks to the success of their action film Among Dead Men. It won several awards for best fight choreography and generated considerable profits in DVD sales in Canada, Germany, Thailand, Cambodia, Poland, Puerto Rico, Hawaii and Hong Kong. It also grossed several times its $7000 budget in DVD sales through Walmart in the US. Perrin, who has worked as a stunt performer on films such as The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, Daybreakers, Nim's Island, Fool's Gold and Ghost Ship, said they wanted to combine their `love of action with a love of romance' in The Black Sun.
Balancing out the testosterone on the team is screenwriter Susan Macguillicuddy. Despite having worked with the likes of Cate Blanchett, Jessica Alba, Antonio Banderas and Melanie Griffiths, Macguillicuddy said working with `the boys' on The Black Sun has been her `most cherished writing experience'.
``It's like we each started at one end of the canvas and worked our way to the middle, fine-tuning the parts of the script we liked,'' she said. ``It took us about a year and hundreds of meetings but we're happy with the finished product. ``We wanted to do something very avant garde with the genre and something new. ``Getting the Most Ambitious Screenplay award means we really pushed the genre, which is what we set out to do.''
International distributors have shown interest in The Black Sun and the trio is currently in the process of looking for investors.
Black Sun of a Gun, 9 out of 10 [based on 672 votes]
Scion has announced today that their lifestyle gallery and retail space on Melrose Ave. in Los Angeles, called the Scion A/V Installation, will host cult fashion label Hood By Air for a month long installation opening May 18. "Scion's goal is to continually support influential and emerging artists with the opportunities and resources that otherwise might be unavailable to them," says Jeri Yoshizu, manager of sales promotions at Scion, "Hood By Air was a brand we felt would really embody the conceptual retail experience we set out to deliver through this gallery space." The Scion A/V Installation is a retail and gallery environment that merges Scion product and lifestyle for the first time by offering consumers the opportunity to test-drive vehicles from the space itself. "Scion A/V Installation is a step in a more interactive direction for the retail gallery," says Yoshizu, "The focus of the space is affordable artwork, and limited edition products. Adding a test drive component moves Scion and our art initiatives closer to each other than they've ever been." The Scion A/V Installation project will bring New York City based fashion label Hood By Air to the west coast for the brands first pop up retail installation. "The partnership between Scion and Hood By Air was a natural step for the cultural strategy we focus on," explains Jeri Yoshizu, manager of sales promotions at Scion, "Scion A/V hosted a concert in Brooklyn with A$AP Rocky. It was during an interview with the rapper that we first began the Hood By Air conversation. It became clear that this would be a perfect partnership to shed light on the work we are doing at Scion and also support these emerging talents across the music and art worlds." The Scion A/V Hood By Air pop up exhibition, entitled "MORPH," will serve as the debut of a capsule luggage concept collection and feature three silicone art objects inspired by hiking luggage, tattooed skin and jewelry piercings as the focal point for the exhibit. On May 18th the Scion A/V Installation space will be transformed into a space reminiscent of a high school locker-room wherein the limited edition products will be sold for the duration of four weeks. Scion A/V has partnered with Hood By Air to produce an entire inventory of limited edition Hood By Air items that will sell within the space, including but not limited to the coveted Hood By Air Classics t-shirt collection in never before seen color-ways, backpacks, posters, water bottles, Emory boards, small accessories and more. The opening reception of the Scion A/V Presents: Hood By Air "MORPH" will be held on Saturday, May 18th from 7 – 10 p.m. at the Scion A/V Installation, located at 7667 Melrose Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90036. The Hood By Air exhibit will be present within the Scion A/V Installation space for the duration of four weeks following the opening reception and close on June 16th. Credits: Creative Agency — Sydney Reising, New York.
Integrated creative company Brand New School recently completed a national campaign for Ford via Team Detroit to help launch its annual Built Ford Tough Sales Event. Directed by Jonathan Notaro, the series of four commercials is a new take on the auto manufacturer’s popular spots for their best selling line of trucks.
Taking center stage in the campaign is a spot that showcases the versatile lifestyle options of the Ford F-150 with a mix of heavy live action elements and bold animation. Also included are three more animation-focused spots, all of which hit the air during the opening week of the NFL regular season. Taking inspiration from the iconic graphic design work of Saul Bass, these football-centric spots offer a fresh visual approach to this widespread campaign.
“We’re honored to have contributed on this campaign for Ford,” says Brand New School Managing Partner Devin Brook. “The collaboration with Team Detroit was an ideal fit because of the diverse nature of the job, requiring strong live action and design to put a unique spin on this instantly recognizable campaign.”
Creative Credits: Client: Ford Title: Built Ford Tough Sales Event Spots Agency: Team Detroit Production Company: Brand New School Director: Jonathan Notaro Art Director: Kris Wong Producers: Steiner Kierce, Johnna MacArthur Flame Artists: Mark French, Greg Cutler CG Leads: Marcus Stokes, Russ Wootten 3D Animators: Val Sinlao, Mike Cahill, Danka Chiang, Garrett O’Neill, Billy Maloney, Kim Im 2D Animators: Scott Uyeshima, Brian Do, Phil Guthrie, Nhi Vho, Ken Quemuel, Kyle Anderson, Mike Milyavsky, Nate Mulliken Tracking: Bogdan Mihajlovic Designers: Kris Wong, Sakona Kong, Waka Ichinose, Brandon Smith, David Chen, Joel Watkins Editor: Erik Barnes Assistant Editor: Sterling Robertson Storyboards: Max Forward Colorist: Tom Poole (Company 3)
350 Action, a climate change activist group, is petitioning the World Meteorlogical Organization to change their naming system of storms from randomly selected names, such as Katrina and Sandy, to the names of actual policy makers who deny climate change. The campaign, at ClimateNameChange.org, kicks off with a video that brings the proposed naming system to life. At the heart of the campaign and site is the actual petition, information about climate change, the policy makers who obstruct and deny climate change and more.
Credits: Advertising Agency: Barton F. Graf 9000, LLC, New York, USA Chief Creative Officer: Gerry Graf Executive Creative Directors: Eric Kallman, Brandon Mugar Creative Director / Copywriter: Dave Canning Creative Director / Art Director: Dan Treichel Senior Designer: Matt Egan Head of Production/Executive Producer: Carey Head Creative Technology Director: Jonathan Vingiano Account Director: Jennifer Richardi Business Affairs Director: Jennifer Pannent Planner: Danielle Travers Production Company: Furlined Director: Ted Pauly VP/Executive Producer: Eriks Krumins Executive Producer: Dave Thorne Executive Producer of Sales: Meghan Lang Line Producer: Jennifer Gee DOP: Kris Kachikis Edit: Big Sky Edit Editor / Sound Designer / Mixer: Chris Franklin Co-Editor / Colorist: Dave Madden Sr. Asst. Editor: Liz Bilinsky Jr. Asst. Editor: Megan Elledge Graphics / FX: Ryan Sears, Steve Kutny Executive Producer: Cheryl Panek Asst. Producer: Grace Phillips Music: APM Music Account Executive: Lauren Bell Stock Video Footage: T3Media Senior Account Manager: Amy Geisert Photography: Magnum Photos Corporate Sales Manager: Diane Raimondo Photographer: Paolo Pellegrin
To commemorate La-Z-Boy's 85th anniversary, the campaign includes a TV commercial promoting a national sales event. "We're excited about this promotional spot and feel it's the perfect time to invite customers to come see our collection of customizable home furnishings, including sofas, sectionals, ottomans and more," said Doug Collier, Chief Marketing Officer and President International at La-Z-Boy. "The anniversary commercial celebrates our 85-year history by having a little fun with Brooke and poking some fun at ourselves, while showing our beautiful and unexpected home furnishings."
La-Z-Boy's agency of record, RPA, teamed with @radical.media Director Dave Meyers to create four TV commercials, a pair of online videos, four national print ads and other digital content.
The first TV commercial, which started airing in early August, "Big Deal/Anniversary Sale," opens on Shields in the midst of an elegantly decorated living room, calmly discussing La-Z-Boy's 85th anniversary sale. "Eighty-five years, that's a really big deal," she says. "They don't need some loud ad that screams 'sale!'- just me telling you about the great deals on gorgeous furniture." Just then, horns trumpet, balloons drop from the ceiling and a nine-foot tall flashing sign lit up with "85th Anniversary Sale" slides across the set. "Guys, I thought we weren't doing this?" Shields asks with a confused yet playful and cheeky tone.
"For a household name, Brooke maintains a down-to-earth, relatable persona that's genuinely approachable," said RPA CD Jules Fox. "The situational humor used in the campaign plays on Brooke's lighthearted personality and appeals to the sensibilities of our target audience."
"Shut Up" introduces an incredulous neighbor who yells "Shut up!" and punches Shields every time she learns that a new piece of furniture came from La-Z-Boy, inspiring the spooked spokeswoman to begin replying to her inquiries via text message from a safe location. Late 2012, the TV campaign continues with "Elephant," which demonstrates the advantages of previewing purchases with La-Z-Boy's online customization tool and stars a life-sized computer-generated elephant, and later "Neighbor" will air featuring a binocular-wielding snoop who cannot fathom the beautiful living room is all made by La-Z-Boy.
The TV commercials will run on more than 30 cable networks in the U.S. and Canada, including HGTV, Food Network, Lifetime, Oxygen and USA. Two online videos, a Q&A with Shields where the actress talks openly about working with La-Z-Boy and a flipbook, which rapidly cascades through La-Z-Boy-designed rooms, will live on http://www.la-z-boy.com/. Print will appear in a variety of publications such as "Better Homes & Gardens," "Country Living" and "Martha Stewart Living" and online units will run as pre-roll or banners.
Credits: Client: La-Z-Boy Agency: RPA "Big Deal/Anniversary" first air date: 07/31/12 "Shut Up" first air date: 08/21/12 "Elephant" first air date: 11/13/12 "Neighbor" first air date: 12/25/12 EVP, ECD: Joe Baratelli SVP, GCD: Pat Mendelson CD/Art: Jules Fox CD/Copy: Alicia Dotter Agency Executive Producer: Gary Paticoff Agency Senior Producer: Selena Pizarro Agency Assistant Producer: Whitney Young Production Co: @radical.media Director: Dave Meyers DP: Joseph Yacoe Executive Producer: Jim Bouvet/Frank Scherma Line Producer: Scott Cunningham Production Designer: Tyndall Arrasmith Editorial Company: Spotwelders Editor: Paul Sabater Executive Producer: David Glean Telecine Company: CO3 Telecine Artist: Stefan Sonnenfeld Telecine Executive Producer: Rhubie Jovanov Visual Effects Company: Baked FX VFX Supervisor: George A. Loucas VFX Producer: Jessie Mizrahi Title Design: Bl:nd Creative Directors: Erik Buth Executive Producer: David Kleinman
Challenge: The once elusive, now strongly emerging Russian middle class still prefers big, expensive cars, an obvious proof of its social success. Although most of them are in dire need of a second car, our potential customers showed virtually no interest in our Smarts. Our objective was to bring the most reluctant consumers to test drive the Smart and change their state of mind from “Smart is not really a car” into being true believers and advocates of the Smart.
Solution: Our secret weapon: once you take the Smart for a ride, you’ll fall in love with it. Core audience’s weakest point: their big cars and all the problems they bring along.
Context: Most illegally parked cars in Moscow are picked-up during the weekend shopping. Once car-less, drivers go through a real ordeal – exorbitant, hours long cab rides through Moscow’s traffic, in order to get back their cars.
Idea: At the peak of the driver’s desperation, the Smart Teams jump in, offering free rides, a unique opportunity to test drive the versatile Smart in some of the World’s worst traffic jams.
Being there for them exactly at the moment when they needed a car the most turned reluctant, condescending consumers into true believers – a 100% realistic test drive of the very car that could have saved them from all the hustle.
Results: 40 Smarts saved 623 car-less drivers during 3 days, in parking lots around 8 shopping malls
Over 400 drivers became true belivers (“Smart is a real car”) – rate of conversion of 70% — advocating Smart on their vkontakte and Facebook profiles
Blogs and news portals picked-up the stories, generating hundreds of thousands of dollars in earned media and incalculable amounts of positive emotions around the tiny cars that saved the day of Moscow car-less drivers
Test drives increased 10 fold and Sales increased by 300% in the 2 weeks following the event
CREDITS: Brand / Title: Mercedes Benz AG – Smart Creative Ad Agency: BBDO Group, Moscow Chief Creative Officer: Igor Lutz Creative Director: Mihai Coliban Deputy Creative Director: Sergey Kozhevnikov Senior Art Director: Darya Agapova Senior Producer BBDO: Valery Gorokhov Producer Assistant BBDO: Natalya Abzalova Animation: Kirill Kulygin Producer Park Production: Irina Lanskaya Director Park Production: Ivan Oganesov DOP Park Production: Georgy Leonov Managing Director Pelican Event: Elena Novikova Account Manager Pelican Event: Maria Stepkova Client Service Director: Christina Tancher Group Account Director: Anna Sokolova Account Manager: Yana Bader
Kevin Spacey is brilliant in the new ad campaign for American Airlines created by the ad agency McCann, London, enjoy a sneak peek of the spot set to air in a couple of days.
Official Press Release: Kevin Spacey, the Academy Award-winning actor, takes on three new roles as part of a campaign to promote American Airline’s unique brand philosophy of understanding the individual flyer.
The 60-second ad ‘The Individual’ breaks on UK television on 12th November. Kevin Spacey appears as a slick designer type, a creative screen writer and a Malibu family guy and finally as himself in the series of ads. Director Chris Palmer of Gorgeous who’s previous work included the Skoda ‘Baking Of....’ and the Budweiser ‘Lyrics’ ad, worked closely with Kevin Spacey in developing and bringing to life the three characters who reflect the broad American Airlines premium flyer demographic. American Airlines is tapping into the rich values associated with ‘Modern America’; egalitarianism, primacy of the individual and the impeccable but informal approach to customer service. All the characters are united at the end of the film in their appreciation of American Airlines understanding ‘what makes me, me, whoever I happen to be. Two additional 20 second ads bring the proposition to life. ‘Multiple Meals’ shows the three characters having distinctive dining habits, all of which are accommodated by American Airline’s ‘Dine Upon Request’ service. In ‘Multiple Boarding’, the characters are shown checking in their various ways, from a traditional boarding pass to a smartphone option. The campaign is backed by out-of-home advertising and digital activity which has also been created by McCann, and ties in with American Airline’s evolved ‘discerning flyers’ strategy, developed to widen American’s appeal, to be more inclusive of a wider audience for First and Business. The first screening of the Advertisement on TV will break on UK television on 12th November at 6.05 pm on ITV1 during the International Football match between England and Spain.
Maria Sebastian, Vice President, Sales and Marketing EMEA at American Airlines comments: We believe that this new campaign is an exciting development for American Airlines as we have Kevin Spacey creating a number of unique characters purely for our campaign. It’s interesting and engaging – but crucially, it also conveys our service ethos, treating discerning customers as individuals.”
Geoff Smith and Simon Butler, Co-Creative Directors at McCann London, said of working with Spacey: “The casting of Kevin Spacey for the trio of roles was crucial to the emotional appeal of this ad, and his performance really lifts it to a higher level. He manages to combine an everyman quality with an indefinable touch of class, which sits seamlessly with the ‘discerning flyers’ message that the ad conveys.”
Chris Palmer says: “Kevin Spacey really nailed the characters, as you'd expect. I can't imagine any other living actor who could have transformed into such diverse and believable characters. It was weird shooting with him as a totally different character each day. The crew didn't recognise him when he came on set, even on the third day. You completely forgot it was Kevin Spacey in there. In fact, it was a bit of shock to see him as himself on day four.”
Credits: Project: The Individual Client: Stephen Davis Head of Marketing EMEA American Airlines Agency: McCann London Brief: American Airlines is the airline that treats you like an individual Copywriter: Geoff Smith Art Director: Simon Butler Creative Directors: Geoff Smith & Simon Butler Worldwide Chief Creative Officer/TM: Bill Oakley Director: Chris Palmer Production Company: Gorgeous Producer: Michaela Johnson Agency Producer: Paula Mackersey
Vancouver, September 5, 2013 – DDB Canada is pleased to announce that the British Columbia Automobile Association (BCAA), after an extensive search, has selected the Vancouver office as its agency of record (AOR), responsible for the BCAA brand and its lines of products and services. As its new agency partner, DDB Canada will help BCAA drive new membership, introduce new products and further strengthen the organization’s relationships with its 800,000+ members across British Columbia.
“BCAA started in the area of roadside assistance, but has evolved into a multifaceted brand that places its members and customers at the heart of every service it provides,” says Lance Saunders, executive vice president managing director, DDB Canada, Vancouver. “When you truly look after your members and customers, like the way BCAA does, they can become strong brand advocates, harnessing the power of word of mouth, digital and social tools to spread positive messages. For an agency, this is a dream foundation to build from.”
Effective September 2013, DDB Canada/Vancouver will provide strategy, creative, media buying and planning services, in partnership with OMD Vancouver.
“We are excited to partner with DDB Canada,” says Heidi Worthington, senior vice president and chief marketing officer, BCAA. “At BCAA, we consider our agency as a strategic partner. DDB combines award-winning creative with insight-rich strategy, which will help to further strengthen the BCAA brand. Our trust and reputation with our members and customers is the foundation for our growth. It is from this solid base that BCAA will continue to provide an outstanding experience with our insurance, roadside assistance services, and further expand our product offerings and member savings partners worldwide.”
About BCAA
BCAA is one of the most trusted organizations in British Columbia, serving one in four B.C. households. With over 800,000 Members, BCAA provides an array of home, auto and travel insurance products, roadside assistance and Member savings at over 150,000 partner locations worldwide. J.D. Power has ranked BCAA “Highest In Customer Satisfaction among Home Insurance Providers in Western Canada” two years in a row (2012 and 2013) – details at jdpower.com. Now in its 107th year, BCAA has over $400 million in annual sales, 27 locations and over 900 employees. To learn more about the benefits of BCAA Membership, visit bcaa.com and for more information on the BCAA Road Safety Foundation visit bcaaroadsafety.com
About DDB Canada
Named Strategy’s 2012 Agency of the Year and Digital Agency of the Year, DDB Canada is the most creatively acclaimed, internationally recognized marketing communications agency in Canada. Known for advertising that generates significant results for clients, DDB Canada is a “total communications company” whose fundamental belief is that creativity is the most powerful force in business. DDB Canada has offices in Vancouver, Edmonton, Toronto and Montreal. The agency’s integrated groups include: DDB Kid Think (youth marketing), DDB Public Relations, Tribal Worldwide (digital and social), Karacters Design Group, RAPP Canada (direct) DDB Hodes Recruitment Communications (recruitment marketing) and Shopper DDB (shopper marketing).
Introducing "PEE-LOSOPHY" In a new prank film for Toyota AYGO, Saatchi & Saatchi shows the car’s playful side by launching ‘Aygo Crazy’ to appeal to young people who meet the little imperfections of life with humour. The main character of the prank is an extensively remodelled AYGO-Low-Rider, which cruises through the streets of Berlin and draws attention to itself by humorously marking it’s territory. Part of the ‘Go Fun Yourself’ campaign.
"The specific challenge for us concerning this film was to capture real emotions," says Alexander Reiss, ECD of Saatchi & Saatchi Dusseldorf. "Due to the spontaneous and all around positive reactions of passers-by during the shoot, we knew we made the right decisions about the concept.”
Sevilay Gökkaya, General Manager of Marketing at Toyota Germany also added, "With this prank we are continuing our AYGO-brand strategy very successfully. Together with Saatchi & Saatchi we have managed to re-position the AYGO with younger buyers and are also on track concerning our strategic business goals. And we are also happy with the sales figures of our important mass model – they are significantly above the expected."
Earlier work from the Go Fun Yourself campaign...
Creative Credits: Advertising Agency: Saatchi & Saatchi, Dusseldorf Alexander Reiss, ECD Claus Lieck, CD Nathaly Neusser, AD Tanja Dringenberg, Copywriter Director: Lewi Production: Lovestone Film
More than 300 astonishing objects made from gold and other precious materials are presented in the major exhibition “Beyond El Dorado. Power and gold in ancient Colombia”, held by the British Museum in conjunction with the Museo del Oro, Bogotá. The exhibition opens on October 17, 2013 and will run through March 23, 2014.
In ancient Colombia gold was used to fashion some of the most visually dramatic and sophisticated works of art found anywhere in the Americas before European contact. This exhibition will feature over 300 exquisite objects drawn from the Museo del Oro in Bogotá, one of the best and most extensive collections of Pre-Hispanic gold in the world, as well as from the British Museum’s own unique collections. Through these exceptional objects the exhibition will explore the complex network of societies in ancient Colombia – a hidden world of distinct and vibrant cultures spanning 1600 BC to AD 1700 – with particular focus on the Muisca, Quimbaya, Calima, Tairona, Tolima and Zenú chiefdoms. This important but little understood subject will be explored in this unique exhibition following on from shows in Room 35 such as Ice Age art: arrival of the modern mind, Grayson Perry: Tomb of the Unknown Craftsman, Afghanistan: Crossroads of the Ancient World and Kingdom of Ife: sculptures from West Africa in shining a light on world cultures through their craftsmanship.
Although gold was not valued as currency in pre-Hispanic Colombia, it had great symbolic meaning. It was one way the elite could publicly assert their rank and semi-divine status, both in life and in death. The remarkable objects displayed across the exhibition reveal glimpses of these cultures’ spiritual lives including engagement with animal spirits though the use of gold objects, music, dancing, sunlight and hallucinogenic substances that all lead to a physical and spiritual transformation enabling communication with the supernatural. Animal iconography is used to express this transformation in powerful pieces demonstrating a wide range of imaginative works of art, showcasing avian pectorals, necklaces with feline claws or representations of men transforming into spectacular bats though the use of profuse body adornment.
The exhibition will further explore the sophisticated gold working techniques, including the use of tumbaga, an alloy composed of gold and copper, used in the crafting the most spectacular masterworks of ancient Colombia. Extraordinary poporos (lime powder containers) showcase the technical skills achieved both in the casting and hammering techniques of metals by ancient Colombian artists. Other fascinating objects will include an exceptional painted Muisca textile and one of the few San Agustín stone sculptures held outside Colombia. Those, together with spectacular large scale gold masks and other materials were part of the objects that accompanied funerary rituals in ancient Colombia.
Neil MacGregor, director of the British Museum said “Ancient Colombia has long represented a great fascination to the outside world and yet there is very little understood about these unique and varied cultures. As part of the Museum’s series of exhibitions that shine a light on little known and complex ancient societies this exhibition will give our visitors a glimpse into these fascinating cultures of pre-hispanic South America and a chance to explore the legend of El Dorado through these stunning objects.”
“American Airlines and American Airlines Cargo are thrilled to be partnering with the British Museum on Beyond El Dorado: power and gold in ancient Colombia.” said Tristan Koch, Managing Director of Cargo Sales for EMEA – American Airlines. “American Airlines is a supporter of the arts in many cities that we serve around the world and it’s exciting to be linking the two destinations of Bogotá, Colombia and London by transporting precious passengers and cargo between them.”
Nissan company presented the competitor for electro-car Renault Twizy which has been shown for the 1st time in October of current year on motor show in Paris. The Japanese car received name New Mobility Concept and, according to representatives of the manufacturer, electrocar is the prototype created for studying of possible use variants in the future. Thus, unlike Renault, Nissan does not declare possibility of start of the similar car in mass manufacture.
The New Mobility Concept by Nissan
Nissan novelty is equipped by the same electric power-plant, as Renault Twizy. Renault Twizy sales begin in the European car market in the end of next year, and representatives of the company promise that such car will cost not more expensively the usual scooter. At Nissan mark the 1st serial electro-car is model Leaf, whose manufacture in Japan began in the end of October. The cruising range of such car makes 160 kilometers, and charging of batteries occupy 8 hours. In Europe Leaf will cost about 30,000 euros.
Moms Demand Action has launched a new ad campaign to drive support for new and stronger gun laws in America in the aftermath of the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School in 2012. The video, "How many more rounds?," is an emotive depiction of the damage caused by gun violence. An AR-15 assault weapon is fired in slow motion with each discharged shell casing representing a major shooting in America. The video ends with the message, "How many more rounds are we going to let this go on for?" along with a phone number to the Congress switchboard. Story via: SUSAN KRASHINSKY | The Globe and Mail — Shell casings from a black AR-15 rifle spin in slow-motion flight. Each one is labelled with the name of a school or a city where a mass shooting has taken place: Columbine; Carson City; Virginia Tech; Aurora and Minneapolis and Brookfield and Newtown. This new television ad wades into the debate over gun legislation in the United States at a crucial time, as the Senate prepares to vote Thursday on President Barack Obama’s proposals to stem gun violence. But the agency behind it is located in Canada.
Grey Canada has been working with a newly formed group seeking to brand itself as the Mothers Against Drunk Driving of the gun debate: Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America. The partnership came about after chief creative officer Patrick Scissons, on vacation south of the border over Christmas, saw a news segment with Shannon Watts, the founder of the group that at the time was called One Million Moms for Gun Control. Mr. Scissons was moved to reach out to Ms. Watts and ask whether she needed help with the cause. From that conversation, Grey landed on the pitch list for agencies and then secured the account to do pro bono advertising work – something nearly every agency does for a select portfolio of causes. The group’s first television campaign will launch on networks such as CNN and MSNBC and in smaller markets as the group’s members lobby for time on local stations. Ms. Watts says she was inspired by the MADD brand. “It really changed the culture and the perceptions around driving while intoxicated,” she said. “There’s an important role moms play in touching the emotions of America.” As the group gained traction, Grey did a number of smaller promotions, including one involving a typically Canadian perspective. Noting that the popular candy Kinder Surprise Eggs are banned in the U.S. – because of the alleged choking hazard – the Canadian advertising team worked up an Easter campaign sending eggs to Anderson Cooper and other news personalities. The point was that there are more limits on Kinder eggs in the U.S. than there are on the purchase of assault rifles. The group’s influence has been growing, which Ms. Watts attributes to the power of social media. Since it was launched in December, it now has roughly 90,000 members in 90 chapters across the U.S. On March 28, some members were invited to the White House to stand on stage while the President spoke about gun legislation. The new ad is darker than the Easter campaign – the images of shell casings are accompanied by audio of 9-1-1 calls, news reports and solemn presidential addresses about shooting incidents, and the voices of parents whose children have been killed. The organization’s goals include background checks for gun purchases, a ban on assault weapons, and the tracking and regulation of ammunition sales in large quantities. It is funded by the members and by online donations. The gun debate is not only a focus for the Canadian office of Grey Group, which is a multinational firm; in a meeting last fall, Mr. Scissons and Tor Myhren, chief creative officer and president of Grey New York, discussed it as an issue deserving consideration. For agencies, these types of free public service announcements are a creative opportunity as well. “You talk about agencies really wanting to do breakthrough work, work that strikes a chord emotionally and really motivates public opinion, the public service space is obviously the greatest area for that,” Mr. Scissons said. “Any profile it brings the agency based on the success of that work is great. But on a personal standpoint, feeling a connection and being passionate about the cause, it’s infectious within a shop.”
Built — Reinvented 2012 Camry — Release date Oct. 16, 2011
Pit Stop — Reinvented 2012 Toyota Camry — Release date Oct. 24, 2011
Press and Credits: Saatchi & Saatchi LA Creates Campaign for the Reinvented 2012 Toyota Camry
“It’s Ready. Are You?” Touts Vehicle Innovation and Performance
Saatchi & Saatchi LA today announced the launch of the reinvented 2012 Camry campaign, one of the largest integrated marketing campaigns the agency has developed for Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc. “It‟s Ready. Are You?” demonstrates how the seventh-generation model addresses changes in consumers‟ vehicle needs, expectations and driving habits through the combination of new innovations and improvements to interior and exterior vehicle styling.
The campaign centers around six TV spots, beginning with the 30-second “Built,” which will make its national debut on October 16 during NBC's Sunday Night Football. The spot uses stunning animation and visual effects to highlight the Camry‟s new features and visually demonstrate the reinvention of Toyota‟s signature model. As the 2012 model builds around its driver, the spot touches on several of the key aspects midsize car buyers expect to get with their next car purchase.
“For nearly 30 years, Camry has been an icon of durability, quality and reliability. But with the new model, Toyota has made a serious upgrade in technology, safety, elegance, performance and flat out beauty,” said Chris Adams, executive creative director at Saatchi & Saatchi LA. “With the „Built‟ commercial, we had a lot of fun literally showing this reinvention in progress. It truly is a car built around the needs of today's drivers.”
Another 30-second TV spot, “Pit Stop,” pays homage to the Camry‟s racing heritage with Toyota NASCAR driver Kyle Busch. The ad shows how Toyota‟s excellence carries from the racetrack to the roadway by transforming the car in the speed of a pit stop to highlight the Camry's performance capabilities and intuitive mobile technology. “Pit Stop” will make its television debut on October 24.
Two additional TV commercials will roll out later this year. Further, broadcast momentum continues into next year with two spots in the Super Bowl and the Toyota Halftime Report.
The campaign also includes print ads, digital media, out-of-home boards and social media elements. Additionally, digital billboards featuring Camry imagery will run atop the Walgreens building in New York‟s Times Square to spark the public‟s interest and build intrigue for the 2012 model.
Beginning in November, consumers will have the opportunity to get behind the wheel of the 2012 Camry at over 125 events through March 2012. The Toyota Drive Center national ride and drive tour, along with activations at select Life Time Fitness locations across the country, will give the public a chance to experience the vehicle first hand.
To set the stage for the 2012 model launch, Toyota and Saatchi & Saatchi LA launched the Camry Effect website, which is designed to connect the nearly seven million Camry drivers in the United States through an intuitive, interactive, online experiencehttp://www.toyota.com/camryeffect. The Camry Effect provides past and present Camry owners a platform to share stories, moments, memories and milestones of first dates, road trips, soccer games, interviews and college days while witnessing the collective “effect”
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