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Viral Video Round-Up: November 20th, 2012

Posted on November 20, 2012 by Seedwell Creative Studio

Made Man | How to Grow a Mustache with Nick Offerman

It’s that time of the year again: the weather is colder, the leaves are beginning to fall, and everywhere, facial hair grows. Be it No Shave November or Movember or what have you, beard-haters beware! ‘Tis the season of manliness!

This PSA for Movember, from MadeMan.com, is the latest to embrace a new trend in advertisements for male hygiene: satirical machoism. And they couldn’t have picked a better spokesperson for their cause! Actor Nick Offerman, better known as Ron (f*cking) Swanson from NBC’s Parks and Rec, is an absolute delight – there is a perfect harmony between his straight-faced, sardonic delivery and the sillyness of what he is saying. Not to mention the fact that Mr. Offerman is packing one of the best mustaches the world has known since Burt Reynolds. And it all plays into the guidelines of manly satire approach as laid down by Dollar Shave Club and Old Spice (though not quite as random). Bravo! Here’s to moustaches everywhere!

Disney | Darth Vader: What Are You Going to Do Next?

Oh, the times they are a changin’ in a galaxy far, far, away. And much closer to home too, with Disney’s purchase of Lucasfilms and the incredibly lucrative Star Wars franchise. The four billion dollar deal was immediately followed by the announcement that Disney is producing a new Star Wars trilogy, set after the original and to be released starting in 2015.

This has set off a backlash across the Internet, with fans lamenting the impending Disneyfication of the franchise and the succumbing of George Lucas to the dark side. As an ardent Star Wars fan, I understand where their anger comes from. But we must remember the wise words of Master Yoda – “Anger leads to hate, and hate leads to the Dark Side”. Truer words may have never been spoken.

It’s sad to see something like Star Wars – the first blockbuster franchise of the modern Hollywood era – go so corporate. It was not too long ago that Lucas was a rebel himself, fed-up with the dealings of the Studio Empire, who fought hard to maintain his autonomy and vision; financing much of the trilogy with his own money. But the man who would defy Hollywood also showed it the way to even greater power through extensive merchandising, high-concept blockbusters, and sequalization. More than any other director on the planet, Lucas helped shape the formula of the modern blockbuster. And let’s not forget that George has never been able to let the Star Wars sleeping dog lie: adding more advanced CGI effects to the original trilogy and directing the three prequel films. Is it really a surprise that he sold out? Tragic as it may seem, this was an inevitability. The purity of the Star Wars franchise was bound to be tainted – just like a new building that eventually grows decrepit after thirty odd years.

Rant on the politics of the film industry aside, let’s discuss the future of this beloved franchise. The day after the Disney-Lucasfilm announcement, this video was released featuring Darth Vader and his Stormtrooper entourage enjoying a day at Disneyland. It’s a well done spot that portrays the marriage between the two companies in an endearing light. Before anyone goes accusing Disney of commercializing Star Wars let us remember all the Star Wars themed advertisements that have appeared over the past decade. Or the Lucasfilm inspired rides at Disneyland that have been part of the park since the late 80’. In terms of Star Wars commercials, this one rates rather highly.

So will the new Star Wars films be great? Most likely not, but they shouldn’t detract from fans love of the original trilogy – the same way any number of other bad sequels haven’t detracted from the original (I’m looking at you, The Godfather Part III). And with everyone’s expectations so low for Episode VII, who knows, we might all end up being pleasantly surprised with what Disney comes up with.

Australian Metro | “Dumb Ways to Die”

It’s amazing that a video so clearly concerned with death is also simultaneously adorable. Props go out to the folks at McCann Melbourne for putting together such a delightfully morbid PSA to entertain (and educate) the public about subway safety. This is how I’ll teach my children about death – with a catchy tune and cutesy humanoid blobs. The indie vibe of the music perfectly matches the style of animation. It’s incredible fun to watch the blobs meet their untimely demise. Like Happy Tree Friends but with a conscience. It’s no Zoomin’ Through the Sound, but it’s message and heart are in the right place. Be safe y’all.

Air New Zealand | “An Unexpected Briefing”

Speaking of South Pacific transit PSAs…

When you think of New Zealand, what is the first thing that comes to mind? I’ll bet it was Lord of the Rings. It’s funny that the LOTR and upcoming Hobbit franchises hold so much sway over New Zealand’s international reputation. But they do, and the citizens of New Zealand seem to fully embrace it.

Par example, check out this new safety video for New Zealand Air. Working with dedicated employees of WETA Workshop the video is chock-full of authentic LOTR costumes and jokes. My favorite has to be the gag featuring LOTR director Peter Jackson and the One Ring – simply put, awesome. However, the video as a whole is a bit tedious. The cheesy jokes matched with the Shire score (the most excessively sentimental music from the films) is a little too much – the video ends up feeling tackier than the relationship between Frodo and Samwise. And the costuming inexplicably varies from WETA’s genuine wardrobes to DIY hobbits and Gollums.

Then again, maybe airline safety videos are always painfully dull — even if they feature iPhone-wielding Nazgul in them. Still, I respect New Zealand Air for the concept: LOTR has clearly done wonders for New Zealand’s tourism, so why not take advantage of the ever increasing buzz surrounding the first Hobbit film? The only problem is the execution. Maybe they will have better luck in 2013 and 2014.

Viral Video Ad Weekly Round-Up: February 6, 2012

Posted on February 6, 2012 by Seedwell Creative Studio

We woke up this morning to a world without football and, more noticeably, a web without new ad teasers or automobile buzz. Car companies were the biggest winners of Super Bowl 2012, with ads from Honda, Acura, Chrysler, Chevy and Volkswagen ranking highest among game-day and YouTube views alike.
Considering these game day ads cost upwards of $3 million, the automotive industry is either very desperate or doing better at the bank than they’ve led us to believe. Not only did most car companies release ad teasers in advance of the game but Kia, Volkswagen and Honda also released extended, 90-second versions of their game day spots for YouTube. More is more. Afterall, it is the Super Bowl.
Chrysler’s simple, sentimental approach was a stark contrast from the beer-and-chimpanzee spots that prevail throughout half-time. The automaker used black and white still shots of mixed-race America and pans of hard-working Detroit to strike a chord with our pride and patriotism. Clint Eastwood was at the heart of the ad, rallying nationalist optimism for what is apparently America’s “second half.” Eastwood is a guaranteed win for most machismo football fans and while we’re sure there are many viewers who’d rather not be reminded of reality while filling up on salty snacks and terrible pop music at half-time, the ad’s sincerity was more refreshing than Pepsi for sure.

It’s fair to say that starting off last week with Honda’s Ferris Bueller reprise set the bar pretty high. The 5-second teaser for Matthew’s Day Off garnered over 5 million views on its own and was a perfect example of how successful the mini-ads for extended-length ads have been. Honda didn’t even brand the teaser and that bit of mystery effectively lit up the web with curious chatter.
We weren’t amused by the Acura ad featuring Seinfeld and Leno which just seemed like NBC had too many bored celebrities on their hands and Kia’s over-the-top ad was only a smidge of an improvement. The saving grace for their everything-but-the-kitchen-sink approach was it’s self-awareness made most obvious by the 5-HOUR TEASER featuring scantily-clad Adriana Lima waving a flag in slow motion. The full-length ad depicted a less-than ingenious dream sequence (rhino excluded) with every simplistic, man-pleasing staple thrown in. For us the winner of Super Bowl 2012 wasn’t the NY Giants, it was the Internet. The ads circulated virally, the half-time circus is already up on YouTube, NBC even gave streaming Super Bowl content a go. Which is why last week’s highlights were web-based viral videos.

Volkswagen’s teaser/extended ad combo was interesting, risky and almost as cute as Honda’s … almost. “The Bark Side” raised our interest in a reprise of last year’s Darth Vader hit from the auto company and it also turned out to be a very necessary tool in tying Volkswagen’s two incongruous commercials together. The Volkswagen Beetle in the Super Bowl spot motivates Bolt the dog to get up off of that thing and get in shape. It’s a classic, cute ad, which happens to be playing in the intergalactic Star Wars Cantina where a motley crew (much preferred to the aged band in Kia’s ad) is watching the game and rating the ads. The dubious Darth Vader looms nearby and doesn’t take kindly to hearing his ad come in second to Bolt the dog. The company took a leap making such a self-aware spot, but it worked in the rankings and also in the push for repeat viewings, if only to better understand the ad.

Old Spice was the funniest, most creative ad in circulation all week. In case you missed it, Wieden+Kennedy ingeniously combined two Proctor & Gamble products into one ad – twice! Terry Crews is back, he smells like power (lol) and he’s selling Old Spice in typically mundane ads for Charmin and Bounce now too! This random and ridiculous ad was by far our favorite from the web this week. Having Old Spice’s Terry Crews crash other, more run-of-the-mill P & G product spots made for an incredibly laughable and quotable advertisement. Old Spice pretty much owns the viral ad market and the added touch from Tim and Eric’s Awesome Show Great Job continues to direct Crews right into hilarity.

Chevy took the importance of virality to heart and created a teaser and web-based ad with the band OK Go in the driver’s seat. OK Go has had huge success releasing quirky music videos on YouTube. The video for their song “Here It Goes Again” had more than 52 million views and was the most favorited music video on the web before it was removed from their site. Chevy capitalized on the band’s specialized web success by letting OK Go create a music video using their car as a myriad of instruments. It’s another fun music video for the band and a fresh form of advertisement for Chevy. Everyone’s a winner.

We also have to give a mention to Denny’s restaurant who opted out of the Super Bowl and went for a cheaper and much more creative route releasing their ad this week on Funnyordie.com. Not only can you find the video on Funny or Die, but the ad is featured in banners and backgrounds of many parts of the popular comedy site run Will Ferrel’s production company. (Side note: Did you know Ferrel did a Super Bowl ad of his own? No? That’s probably because it only played in Nebraska and, even there, nobody drinks Old Milwaukee). The video is a funny spoof on Cesar Milan’s reality series The Dog Whisperer. It features Milan assisting a hungry family terrified of their hot, spitting Denny’s skillet. It’s shot in the overly serious docu-style of the show and Cesar uses the same tips he uses on middle-America’s disobedient pets and even takes the skillet rollerblading “to release some of that pent up energy.” “Is there a chance that the meal just cooled down enough to eat it?” “Not a chance,” says Cesar.
Check out the full spoof at here at funnyordie.com.

Viral Video Ad Weekly Round-Up: January 23rd 2012

Posted on January 23, 2012 by Seedwell Creative Studio

Prior to January 19th 2012, Megaupload was the most widely used file sharing site in the world. Its content accounted for 4% of the entire internet’s traffic despite little to no advertising presence on the internet. When this Megaupload ad was released on YouTube December 9th, the legal battle that ensued between the company and Universal Music Group was only the beginning … of the end. Upon UMG’s insistence, YouTube immediately removed the mega-star-powered Megaupload song but, as it turned out that the song featuring will.i.am, Kanye West, Macy Gray and Kim Kardashian (to name a few) did not infringe upon any copyrights, the site has since returned the ad to the web just in time to say farewell to the file-sharing behemoth. This simply shot ad, with the support of so many celebrities, would have been a very effective image adjustment for Megaupload, convincing users that the artist’s whose work they download don’t actually mind and in fact, they use the site too.

Will the Star Wars television ads ever end? Not when they’re as viral as Volkswagen’s. Last year’s Super Bowl commercial featuring a determined kid trying to channel “the force” brought on the release of what seems to be a never ending stream of Star Wars themed ads and with so much success we had a feeling Volkswagen would be back for more. This week they released a teaser for their upcoming Super Bowl spot, showing how confident they are that it will be worth the wait. This time a canine chorus barks the Imperial March theme song and, hitting on the recent Internet popularity of Chewbacca and ewok dog look-a-likes, even dresses up some of the pups a-la-The-Empire. The final act features a wandering whippet in Imperial Walker gear. Well played.

Two weeks ago, some local Toronto readers were fans of Type bookstore. Today, almost 2.5 million people around the world have seen and awww’d and shared the viral hit posted by Type earlier this month. Hard work is indeed paying off. The video is shot entirely using stop-motion filming and took a week of working dawn-to-dusk days to produce. Sure, the couple who own the store had some help, but that kind of commitment is impressive nonetheless. The video is not as much advertisement as it is a sentimental homage to the pre-Kindle days, but that’s exactly what makes it so magical. It reminds us of the sweet and quaint comfort inside our local bookstores by using a fun, retro approach. The books look beautiful, each aligned by color and playfully dancing in and out of one another and we predict Type sees a noticeable increase of Toronto tourists popping into their shop while they’re in town.

On a completely different note, we now return you to the rushing hum of the increasingly interesting future. If there was any doubt in your mind that the use of textbooks in the classroom (or anywhere else, really) is completely outdated, this seven-minute long documentary style ad for the release of textbooks for iPad will definitely succeed in convincing you otherwise. Apple uses a slew of interviews and commentary from seasoned teachers, superintendents, techies and even textbook publishers to make the case crystal clear. Most importantly, they show and tell all of the ways that children can benefit from using technology rather than textbooks. We see students interact with new materials, they make notes that can make themselves into flashcards and, no longer deterred by pounds of heavy books, they come to class prepared to learn. The ad is definitely on the longer side, but it reaches out to the older, technologically skeptical core of educators who, by the looks of it, won’t be able to ignore Apple’s advancements much longer. Students, on the other hand, are likely to need little convincing. Hell, we’d go back to high school for an iPad.

Lurpak butter took their branding and turned it around, releasing this spot that actually associates their butter with good health. The video is filled with rainbow-colored close-ups of every sort of vegetable getting chopped and diced and mashed and is incredibly pleasing and interesting visually. The voice-over is also fun as we recognized this guy from the homicidal series Dexter where much more morbid things are chopped and diced. What an ad, what an ad.

Viral Video Ad Weekly Round Up: January 9, 2012

Posted on January 9, 2012 by Seedwell Creative Studio

LG “Smart Thief” – LG, a brand that hasn’t ever been featured in our round up before, is suddenly the primary contributor this week. This ad begins peculiar, to say the least, with the viewer watching a man from a security camera point-of-view. The man is staring directly into the camera as he is walking backwards through a store. The whole process of the man leaving the store takes a long time, and while watching this guerrilla-style video, I wondered what the point of it was. There is no indication in the video title, YouTube description, or branding during the video that suggests for whom this product is for. After forty or so seconds of wondering what the point is there is a fantastic payoff as the thief leaves the store holding a new flat screen tv, which we can now see because the security camera is looking at the man from the side, not straight on. The slow walk the man had throughout the entire video suddenly changes from annoying and strange to hilarious as the reason becomes clear. In just under two weeks this video has over 1.4 million views, illustrating the strength of the payoff at the end. Another reason for the success of this video could be in how it is shot and labeled. Curious YouTube viewers, such as myself, are lured in by unassuming titles, such as “smart thief caught on cam” and become curious. When there is no obvious branding anywhere the viewer starts to consider if this video is real or not, and they want to see what this “smart guy” is going to do. At the conclusion of the video it is clear (to those looking for it) that this video was made by LG, as the only branding in the entire video is seen in the form of an ad in the window at the end. Overall, both LG ads in this round up have a level of guerrilla-style marketing, but this one is far more successful.

Brisk “Star Wars” – Star Wars themed viral videos are so common that it’s easy to become skeptical over their quality. A previous review of an Adidas Star Wars ad is one such example of a video that attempted to use the Star Wars name to gain views, but the lack of quality left it unable to gain much notoriety. This Brisk ad is not like the Adidas commercial, thankfully, and uses Brisk’s tried and true format of stop motion movie references with humorous writing and actions to create viral gold. As of this writing the video has accumulated 40k views, which isn’t bad for only a few days. The addition of some viral video references in this video, including the infamous Afro Ninja and Star Wars Kid, create ample opportunity for this video to explode in smaller internet circles. The stop motion videos Brisk is known for doing interested me so much I did some additional research and found this video showing some behind-the-scenes work on their video with Eminem (well, in puppet form). Brisk looks to have created this video specifically for the YouTube space, even if it still runs on television. It’s good to see brands continuing to branch out into the viral space but it’s also good to see them take into account what seasoned YouTubers will respond well to.

LG “Fashion Industry Exposed” – LG is taking a stab at the competition in this video which highlights the LG Kompressor Plus’ tremendous suction ability. They directly go after Dyson, a high-end vacuum maker, by making fun of the fashion industry and its unrealistic representation of beauty. The content of this viral is, however, quite sensitive, and has the ability to anger many. Some of the YouTube comments highlight this sensitive subject, but overall the likes to dislikes ratio still suggests this video is being viewed in a positive light. With nearly 600,000 views it’s not nearly as popular as any of the videos from last week’s round up, but it’s still very viral. LG isn’t a regular in the viral video market (and this was likely a television commercial which was uploaded to YouTube as well) but with a massive tech arm of their business they have potential to create numerous viral videos based on their more computer-based components.

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

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: August 22, 2011

Posted on August 22, 2011 by Seedwell Creative Studio

Hyundai – “Veloster”

Car companies aren’t usually on the “daring and risky” commercial list, but Hyundai sure threw caution to the wind with this ad for their three door Veloster. It features a sudden and violent end to a female passenger who steps out of a car and into the path of oncoming traffic. There is a happy ending, however, and dose of humor with a live action grim-reaper starring as “death”. This was probably meant to be a broadcast ad and has now gone viral online – while it may be too much for tv, it’s mild mannered in comparison to other things on the internet. Overall, the ad is effective in its pithy and sticky messaging of this car’s unique feature, “two doors on the safe side.”

Air Swimmers – “Attack the Air”

“Air Swimmers” are nifty floating blimp toys in the shapes of sharks and fish that scare little kids and cats alike. The best part of this video is the guy walking around in a wet suit with a snorkle and goggles on. While we aren’t surprised by anyone’s attire at the office anymore, it’s not the place one expects to run into a guy in full neoprene flying a helium filled shark – respect. This video has gained well over a million views and has been quite popular for a couple weeks, apparently people are fascinated with these cool little toys. Sales figures remain to be seen, but it’s safe to say this video has successfully and efficiently launched the brand into the wild. We are hoping the next version comes with operating jaws… Air swimmer, fetch me a beer!

Adidas – “Star Wars”

It looks like everyone is hopping on the Star Wars bandwagon nowadays. This Adidas viral, with a very generous amount of opening credits, is debuting the new Star Wars collection of apparel they are releasing. They’ve teamed up with Snoop Dogg (who has been in a lot of Adidas commercials lately) and gone to New York to debut the new items. This video has been moderately successful, probably because of the celebrity name and attachment with the Star Wars franchise, but it is not a well executed ad. It’s lacking clever writing, has inconsistent production quality, and it is mostly composed of gimmicks to garner attention. There was potential here to create a really unique viral, but instead this ends up looking more like a documentary full of product placement.

DC Shoes – “Gymkhana 4″

YES! We welcome you back Ken Block. Your history of making some of the most entertaining YouTube videos ever will make you a staple in our blog as long as you continue to produce your automotive gold. This particular Gymkhana video is located on the Universal Studios back lot; anyone who has taken the tour will immediately recognize the landscape. Unlike the past three Gymkhana videos, this video features special effects, which is a departure from the norm but fits with the Hollywood theme. Like his previous videos, there is no shortage of gratuitous product placement shots that largely go ignored because of the jaw dropping driving slipped in between the blatant ads. One thing Ken Block hasn’t done with these videos is try to hide the advertising; in fact, he makes viewers aware of them, and yet they still watch them because the quality of the video is so high. There is even a level of humor achieved in the degree of acknowledgment. At the time of this writing the video has 1.5 million views, that’s up 700,000 views just today! If Ken Block ever needs to write comedy into his driving videos we are up for the challenge.

IKEA “Have a Go”

IKEA is the newest company to venture into the viral space with this spoof of the classic film Braveheart. The ad stars an army of people fighting, not the English, but the boring. William Wallace has also been replaced with a young housewife, albeit with similar hair. As the angry mob attack their houses with exciting IKEA furniture, the video gets pretty funny… though I have to say, the ad might’ve been better if it were IKEA’s parody of the shopping stampedes that take place at their stores (where I thought they were going for the first 30 seconds). While the video has not received an enormous amount of views as of yet, there is a lot of potential here…

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