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Seedwell Produces “Rewind YouTube Style 2012″ feat. PSY, WOTE and Star-Studded YouTube Celebrity Cast

Posted on December 17, 2012 by Seedwell Creative Studio

We’re calling it the biggest creator collaboration in YouTube history. Last month we got to meet PSY (Gangnam Style), who walked into the new YouTube Space LA studios to shoot a music video with us. It was midnight and he had just come from playing a concert with Justin Bieber. This was the cherry on top of our third 16-hour day of shooting with the largest number of top-tier YouTube celebrities to share a bill ever. Did we mention Walk off the Earth also showed up? We are honored that YouTube commissioned Seedwell to produce this mash-up of culturally defining moments of 2012 (both on and off YouTube). It was a total blast and we made a lot of new friends. [UPDATE 12.24.12 - We are proud to report the video achieved over 50 million views in its first week live!]

WATCH THE VIDEO: http://youtu.be/iCkYw3cRwLo | BEHIND THE SCENES + IMAGE GALLERY BELOW!
Can you name all the stars and can you spot all the references?

We’d also like to extend a HUGE thank you to all of the cast and crew involved in the project, many of whom worked long hours and went above and beyond to make this a success!

Best,
Peter, Beau and David
Seedwell digital creative studio

PRODUCTION CREDITS
Directed by Peter Furia | Produced by Michael Rucker, Peter Furia, and Beau Lewis
Executive Producers: Lee Hunter, Michael Rucker, Kevin Allocca, Dom Elliott
Associate Producers: Catherine Goldschmidt and David Fine | Assistant Director: Beau Lewis
Director of Photography: Catherine Goldschmidt (http://catherinegoldschmidt.com)
Edited by Peter Furia and David Fine
Music Composer: Jeff Kite (http://jeffkitemusic.com)
Choreography by SuzE Q (http://suzeqrocks.com)
Visual FX and Intro Titles by Monstro (http://monstrodesign.com)
Production Designers: Michele Yu and Cindy Chao | Stylists: Esha Gupta and Alexandra Schardt
Make-up & Hair: Jenna Tucker, Caroline Ramos, Michelle Tabor Ramos
Gaffer: Daniel McNutt | Key Grip: Lev Karamov | Location Mgr: Dan Eason | Studio Mgr: Whitney Rosenthal
Color Correction by Peter Brunet
End Card Designed by Vanessa Johnston | End Card Characters by Fuji Dreskin
1st AC: Sebastian Sokolowski | 2nd AC: Joe Bou | Steadicam Operator: Brian Freesh
Electrician: Joey Kennedy | Best boy electric: Derek Hoffman | Best boy Grip: Josh Markvan
Grip: Efrem Karamov | 4th Electric: Greg LeFevre | Audio Playback: Phil Amidon | DIT: Peter Brunet
Production Stills: David Fine
BTS Camera: Anthony Cote and Natasha Blass | BTS Edited by Alex Mallonee | BTS Assistant Editor: Alexandra Schardt
PA’s: Alex Mallonee, Julio Newman, Sydney Veazey, Hank Hartnell, Justi Reynolds, Vanessa Augustin, Alexander Hernadez

BEHIND THE SCENES VIDEO+PICS FROM THE SHOOT

Viral Video Ad Round-Up: April 17, 2012

Posted on April 17, 2012 by Seedwell Creative Studio

There’s no argument over the most viral branded video of the past few weeks: Google’s “Project Glass: One day …” has racked up a million views for every day it has lived on the Internet, igniting a wildfire of techie-dream-buzz and a boatload of ~~much more entertaining~~ spoofs. That being said, if you’ve found this blog, you’ve seen that ad. Any day now, you’ll be talking to your Google glasses while your Google car drives itself to whatever monitor you get paid to search Google on. Meanwhile, for entertainment’s sake, we’re going to forge ahead to the rest of last month’s note-worthy viral advertisments.

Neistat for Nike – Make It Count:

Director, film-maker, TV star, educator, man of the people, whistle-blower … There isn’t a hat that New York’s Casey Neistat can’t wear. Most recently, he’s added rogue advertiser to the talent collection, taking Nike’s Fuel Band for a trip around the world. The Nike brand invited Neistat to the Fuel Band’s star-studded launch event and approached him soon afterwards to create a movie/advertisement for their newest product.

Neistate took the Fuel Band’s tagline “Life is a sport. Make it count.” to heart and used Nike’s ad funding to embody their motto by spending it all on 10 days worth of world travel with his pal. The result is a pretty montage of famous destinations and quotations in the spirit of “Carpe Diem.”

The main attribute of Neistate’s viral success was his own claim that he’d gone rogue on Nike’s dime. It’s a twist that benefits both the brand and the film-maker. I don’t think Neistate was deviating far from Nike’s original intention: a video showing “what ‘Life is a Sport, Make It Count’ means,” but with this angle Niestate owns the video effectively more than Nike does and keeps his rogue reputation.

safersex4seniors.org PSA - Safe Sex for Seniors:

Little known fact: The elderly are straight up hedonists. Okay, maybe you knew that. Old age is a permission slip for all the Ferris Bueller-esque antics you may have passed up for weary responsibilities in your past, but the free-for-all is getting out of hand in senior communities and meccas like Florida where the rate of STD infection has risen 71%.

This Safe Sex for Seniors PSA doesn’t shy away from the topic of old people having sex. In fact, it gives us tantric visuals. There are many ways to do it, says the script as your pappy is taking granny like a wheelbarrow, but only one safe way. Seniors, they remind us, aren’t exempt from using condoms. While the ad borders on shock, it also leans towards hilarious, which has undoubtedly helped this video rise to the top of Unruly’s viral chart in less than a week.

Nintendo 3DS - Joel Mchale Goes Viral:

Everyone’s talking about viral videos, (including us). Watching them, sharing them, talking about them and as often as possible, making them. Nintendo has been paying attention. They’re last attempt at virality, the 100-year old woman who swears by her Nintendo DS did fairly well as a seemingly organic video documenting a supposedly real story, but this time they’re aiming for success head-on with a star at the helm.

Joel McHale plays a very meta-marketing tool in the ad and explains to Nintendo how this whole viral thing works. He needs baby pandas and an intern to punch in the gut. “If I’m gonna do a commercial, I don’t want it to feel like a commercial” he says before bringing in the branded banners, bikini babes and life sized Mario and Luigi. Subtle, Winger.

AMC – A Dramatic Surprise on a Quiet Square:

People are watching less television, opting out of more ads and becoming increasingly critical of the marketing being shoved in their faces on a daily basis. In turn, advertisers are getting more creative, not only through viral campaigns but also via the most in-your-face marketing of all – publicity stunts. I was a huge fan of last month’s Generous Store from Anthony Berg and this month AMC has joined in on the fun with an over-the-top drama-filled stunt “in a quiet square.”

Passerbys were lured by a big red button that said “Push for more drama” and as soon as they took the bait, the antics began. Helicopters, hold-ups, motorcycles, ambulances, babes of both genders all flood into the scene as if every show on AMC started convulsing and multiplying right then and there.

A good publicity stunt is a two-for these days because not only can it garner word of mouth and organic press, but the video can easily go viral as well and who needs a commercial when you’ve got all that?

Coke – Hug Me Machine:

Speaking of publicity stunts, we enjoyed this one as well. There isn’t a ton to be said about it: It’s a Coke machine that dispenses free sodas when you give it a hug. (Hopefully it’s being sanitized regularly). But it’s worth a write-up because its simplicity is genius. It’s perfect for Coca-Cola’s friendly, ubiquitous branding. People have been having “a Coke and a smile,” while holding hands and singing kumbaya across the globe since the Mad Men days and this little gimmick actually gets people to hug the brand. I mean, really? People wouldn’t have the same giggles hugging a DVD dispenser. Coke wins again.

Viral Video Ad Weekly Round-Up: February 20, 2012

Posted on February 20, 2012 by Seedwell Creative Studio

Google – Valentine’s Day Doodle

Google’s animated ads have become increasingly clever and cute over the years. Like the ever-changing Google logo on the search page itself, the “Doodles” are also always related to current events because Doodles like this Valentine’s Day short are a fun way for the search giant to keep current. The little boy in the ad searches online to find gifts for the jump-roping girl he wants to woo, but she turns her nose up at everything he comes up with. Finally he returns with a jump rope of his own and she sees him in a new light. To be even more topical, Google added cute animated couples at the end including a dog and a cat, a cookie and some milk, and a man and man. For the soundtrack, Google used the song “Cold, Cold Heart” by Tony Bennett, an artist whose name was also trending on Valentine’s Day. It was quickly the top trending ad online, garnering over 30,000 shares in 24 hours.

Sharpie – The Wedding

Sharpies are an office staple almost as much as staples themselves. This brand didn’t need to introduce their product or protect its credibility, so instead they chose to use the ad to highlight (no pun intended) the kind of shenanigans that their indelible markers are not intended for. The church full of wedding attendees are all displaying very un-wedding like emotions. The father of the bride is so angry his wife has to hold him back, the bridesmaids are irritated and shaking their heads, the groomsmen are doing a terrible job trying to hold back their laughter and the bride is wringing her fists around the bouquet as she says “I do.” Finally we see the groom, his face covered in Sharpie, the word ‘boobs’ scrawled across his forhead. If this were real life, we all know what would be drawn on his cheek. Drawing on friend’s faces with Sharpies is classic college humor (not recommended for bachelor parties) and a brand that recognizes the sillier side of their product is a brand that people feel good about using. Way to go, Sharpie.

Tiense Suiker – Home Sweet Home

Belgium sugar company Tiense Suiker created this very sweet (the puns are unstoppable today) ad depicting the journey of their sugar cube hero, T-man. A (careless) family out on a holiday ends up leaving many of their picnic supplies behind, including their sugar cubes. Lucky for them, these sugar cubes truly care. They transform into the T-man who hikes across forest, desert and pavement, walking and hitch-hiking until he finally gets sent in a package to his home address. The video is well produced and features beautiful shots of the country and poignant shots of the T-man in his travels. We love how polite he looks while sitting in the passenger seat, hands crossed, listening to the truck driver who picks him up. The upbeat ditty about coffee and tea is also a nice touch that keeps the viewer interested for the full minute and a half and also keeps the ad lighthearted. Sure the sugar would’ve dissolved in the rain he trudged through and sure we wouldn’t want the weathered, dirty T-man to slip back into our box of sugar to drink, but reality checks have never been good for storytelling and ‘Home Sweet Home’ is a great little story.

Ecotricity – Collapsing Cooling Towers

Ecotricity is a British renewable energy company that we wonder how many people had heard of before their ad went viral last week. Their motto, People:Power, encourages consumers to vote with their energy bills. The ad takes the ugly cooling towers of nuclear power plants and makes them into cute, British characters drinking tea and catching some zzz’s. We did wonder why Ecotricity would make the entities we’re meant to hate into adorable cartoons but that didn’t stop the ad from catching more than a million views nor did it stop anyone from getting the very clear message of the ad. The tea and operatic soundtrack do give the impression that the towers are meant to be cute but outdated. By the end of the ad, all of the cooling towers have collapsed and are replaced with the cleaner alternative of wind turbines. The “Big Six” energy companies have a reputation for being involved in ethical violations and an unwillingness to move forward with alternative energy solutions and Ecotricity’s ad is a call to action for the public and their potential customers.

Central Institute of Technology – It’s a Snap!

Henry and Aaron are an Australian comedy duo who have long been working towards notoriety on the web with their funny videos for the last couple of years now. They teamed up with Perth’s Central Institute of Technology to create this ad as spoof on the prototypical university ad. The result is undeniably funny and also more than just a bit disturbing. Aaron uses the “It’s a snap” advertising cliché to transport Henry and himself around campus, showing off CIT’s feature’s and departments until Aaron hits a bit of a snag with his travel technique. The commercial (probably NSFW) has already been featured on popular viral websites like Dooby Brain and Viral Viral Video and it looks like Henry and Aaron might finally get the fame they’ve been joking about dreaming about.

The Edge: Discussions in Advertising & Social Media

Posted on January 27, 2012 by Seedwell Creative Studio

AdAge.com: Can Industry’s New Ad Campaign Convince the Public of Behavioral Targeting’s Merits?

The article linked above is from the Ad Age website, introducing The Digital Advertising Alliance’s new campaign. It is an effort from the industry to persuade the public of the benefits of behaviorally targeted advertising or, in laymen’s, ads based on a user’s Internet browsing.

As I read, there was an ad for cell phone services at the top of the page. It caught my eye immediately because I spent most of last week querying providers about their services and pitting them against each other. But that was last week. This week, I’ve already committed to a contract and I’d really prefer not to be reminded of my newly signed shackles by Verizon or At&T and especially not by Boost Mobile. Lucky for me, I know what to do. I already watched the video introducing the Ad Choices icon that appears in the corner of most ads now and the first thing I thought was, “Sweet! Now I know how to get rid of those!” I was a fool. This is the ad industry. I should have known better.

The Ad Choices icon (triangles are so hot right now) does not go away and neither do the ads themselves because that is how websites keep running, people. Buuuuut it is a user friendly addition to browser ads that allows each of us to opt out of targeted advertising or adjust which of our interests are used for marketing purposes.

The Ad Choices campaign definitely chose the right time to reassure users about their privacy and control. People are concerned with marketers storing their personal information online but their even more worried about their browsers. Have you seen the recent tizzy over Google’s new privacy policy? The concern is understandable, but not as reasonable as you think.

Did you know that you risk identity theft every time you register with a school, employer, or swipe your ATM card? But checking your account balances daily (and yes, we mean, online) will help you catch abnormal activity and prevent further damage. Unless you were thinking you’d just avoid the Internet altogether … Yeah, we couldn’t do it either.

Had we been given some input on the DAA campaign (what’s up, guys? Seedwell!), we would have focused more on the persuasive similarities and differences (like control and relativity) between online ads and all other forms of marketing.

Browsing history – how different is that from the shows you watch on which channel and at what time? If, for example, you’re watching the late night dirty stuff, you’re gonna get late night dirty ads. It was just an example, sheesh! But with that nifty little three-sided guy, you can scoff and say to yourself “I’m not interested in such trash!” before changing your preferences or turning Ad Choices off by opting out.

Unlike commercial breaks, junk mail and telemarketer calls, the user is in control of their browser ads. They can also clear their browsing history regularly and delete their cookies in order to be a smart web surfer who is even more in control of their privacy. Your search history stares at you while you sleep … So poke its damn eyes out. Safari’s not going to do it for you.

That is, unless you’re like me, and – gasp! – you actually like having your preferences remembered sometimes. You like your ads to apply to your interests; you even like your browser knowing from page to page what you’re trying to get done. A consumer’s actions speak louder than words and as the web becomes a more personal experience everyday, many users actually enjoy the streamlined capabilities more than they abhor releasing their information.

When I clean out my e-mail box, I sift through a lot of ads. Most are immediately trashed, but some I read. If I read them, they’re not junk. And which ads do I read? Well, the one’s I’ve requested of course. Local coupons, airline deals, doggie tuxedos etc. Whether you choose paranoia (what exactly have you been searching, anyway?) or personalized ads, there will still always be advertisements. The way we see it, this is the most effective in cost and content that consumer, advertiser and manufacturer have ever been, but the Ad Choices campaign may still have a ways to go to convince everyone else.

Viral Video Ad Weekly Round Up: January 03, 2012

Posted on January 3, 2012 by Seedwell Creative Studio

Google “Zeitgeist 2011: Year In Review” – Welcome to 2012 and our first post of the new year! We’ll kick it off with a video review of 2011′s most popular searches. This montage is a stirring and emotional review of the past year, highlighting some of the most important changes in the world. It also bids farewell to some of the most influential people in the world, including Steve Jobs and Andy Rooney. This video has been incredibly popular over the past few weeks, gaining seven million views in under a month. The video doesn’t incorporate any amazing special effects or humor, but it does generate an emotional response with video clips of some of the most viral and talked about videos of the year. There have been a few articles in the past that speak to the power of viral videos being based on their ability to create an emotional reaction in the audience. Another component of this video, as is often mentioned in these round ups, is the use of a powerful sound track which compliments the visuals.

Star Wars “Freeze Mob” – This viral video is based on the flash mob format but instead of breaking out in song and dance, people freeze in a pose. While this is not a very effective form of flash mob for every business or video, for this viral it works very well. The costumes and make-up for this video were very well done, especially for the main Sith character who had terrific blood-red eyes. The viral is for a video game, Star Wars: The Old Republic, which is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game, also known as an MMORPG. It has received much praise from gaming outlets and has been talked about as the best competition World of Warcraft has had in a long time. The incredibly simple video, released a few weeks ago, has massed two million views in under a month and has likely been fueled by fans of the game and the Star Wars genre. However, as seen in previous videos, Star Wars fans don’t help every video reach the coveted 1 million views mark, there has to be some quality built into the video as well.

Peugeot “Motion & Emotion Show” – French car maker Peugeot has released this excellent video featuring 3D mapping techniques and an Xbox Kinect to create the effects seen in the video. Nokia recently released a video which used 3D mapping of a building in London to create some pretty cool effects. This Peugeot video is crowd based as well, allowing a huge audience in Brazil to watch this giant light show. An actor uses his body and the help of Kinect, to direct some of the driving sequences in the video. It’s a pretty cool addition to the video and also gives Microsoft a nice pat on the back for their technology. With 5 million views in under a month this video has been highly successful. Peugeot is not a company known for viral videos and is not a common name in the United States, but their creativity has transcended oceanic divides and entertained us damn Yanks.

If you’re a brand or agency in need of a commercial or viral campaign, contact us here.

Viral Video Ad Weekly Round Up: December 19, 2011

Posted on December 19, 2011 by Seedwell Creative Studio

“Google Search Tips Rap” – We had the pleasure on working on this unexpected video from Google: a music video featuring Google employees who also created the song and starred in the video. The rap is about Santa oversleeping, but he isn’t afraid of falling behind because he has Google search tips to help him make up for his last minute duties. Placed in front of a warm cozy fire, Santa and his elves prepare for the night ahead as screen capture is used to illustrate several search features such as Google translate. The video also has tips like weather searching, and how to use filters to better sort through search results. This is a fun, creative video that is in a format that isn’t readily thought of as a Google style (music video). We had a great time working with Google on this. The shoot was full of cookies, Google products, and laughter.

Old Spice “MANta Claus” – Old Spice is back with your favorite baritone voiced, towel donning, wit-filled announcer. In this video Isaiah Mustafa is promoting Old Spices’ attempt to give a gift to all seven billion people of the world. Does that sound impossible? Well in this video alone Mustafa gifted 22 million people- nothing is impossible when you give the gift of good scent. Old Spice has a series of these MANta Claus videos on their channel, 36 in total (to date), some of which include direct conversation with Twitter followers. Old Spice has taken advantage of their viral success and built on it by directly engaging their fans in multiple instances. In a series of videos called “Internet Video Responses” Mr. Mustafa responds directly to fans – this is an unparalleled level of engagement unmatched by any other big brand. Even smaller YouTube channels have a hard time engaging fans as thoroughly as Old Spice has been able to do. It’s also nice to see them keep their traditional witty writing even in shorter videos.

Heineken “Sunrise” – Most alcohol companies have standard ads which feature people getting blitzed with the assumption that they have a designated driver. While there is nothing wrong with this formula, because the companies are still suggesting “responsible drinking” they might be missing the point about excessive drinking, even if the blacked-out person in question gets home safely. An article recently compared drinking habits in Italy with Baltic countries such as Sweden, Lithuania, and Latvia finding that Italians have lower instances of violence as well as health consequences. The researchers found that Italians drank regularly, but that they drank slower while the Baltic countries had populations that drank with the intention of getting drunk. The moderate and consistent Italian style of drinking is more in-line with this Heineken viral, where the protagonist has one beer, but parties all night. He does take half a shot, only to spit fire with it. While this is far less drinking than what Italians probably do, the ad promotes moderation in a way not seen in most commercials. Looking at the 145,000 views this commercial has massed over the last two weeks, and scrolling through the YouTube comments, it seems the biggest fans of this ad like it for the music. The track is great, and emphasizes the importance of good music, which, like this video (and this Weetabix ad), might be all that’s needed to make an ad viral.

If you’re a brand or agency in need of a commercial or viral campaign, contact us here.

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