Archive for ‘We love’

Bill Nye in partnership with Starbucks? You’d think that’s a weird match-up, but I guess even famous scientists like ad money. Via FastCompany:

Turns out the reason it looks like a Guinness and tastes like velvet isn’t magic but, of course, SCIENCE (like everything else in the universe). The four-minute video breaks down how and why the tiny nitrogen bubbles affect the coffee the way they do. He also says “whoa” a lot.

This isn’t the first time Nye has been enlisted for commercial purposes. Back in 1997 he appeared in an ad for the Smithsonian, and 20 years after that, it was a Super Bowl spot for Persil detergent.

Nye’s caffeinated science class is part of a larger “Whoa, Nitro” campaign, created by Starbucks’ in-house creative studio and agency Big Spaceship.

Mountain Goat IPA had a series of hilarious ads during the Melbourne International Film Festival, which shows what you can do with a low budget. These are their earlier ads: they have a 2019 campaign with The Monkeys in Sydney, featuring a goat call center:

Australian brewer Mountain Goat has launched GOAT Lager, an uncomplicated, very enjoyable craft beer with an interactive campaign – ’13GOAT’, developed by The Monkeys Melbourne, part of Accenture Interactive.

To put the brewer on the big stage, The Monkeys built on the tongue-in-cheek tone of Mountain Goat and created something crucial to the success of every big brand: a call centre. The only difference being 13GOAT is run by who else, but the goats themselves.

Part giveaway mechanic, part customer service centre, 13GOAT is a call centre run by goats whose sole purpose is to give away a year of very enjoyable GOAT beer, or a trip to the GOAT brewery in Melbourne.

This New Zealand anti-smoking PSA asks smokers to consider the effect of their lifestyle and cigarette smoke on their pets. Via Adweek:

You’re not going to like this ad, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t watch it.

In its newest gut-punch of a PSA, the New Zealand Health Promotion Agency’s anti-smoking initiative, Quitline, reminds us that humans aren’t the only ones who suffer from exposure to cigarettes. While one would hope that knowing the damage you’re doing to yourself and your family would be enough to break an addiction, the reality is that these points have been hammered by health advocates for decades. The reality of smoking cessation is that different messages work on different people, which is how you end up with angles like this one.

The spot shows a blue-collar Kiwi’s bond with his loyal dog, with most of the 2-minute story told from the dog’s point of view. That perspective makes the largely predictable and tragically unavoidable turn of events all the more potent, as it contrasts the owner’s love with the harm he’s doing to his “best mate.”

Emporium Melbourne ran a surprisingly elaborate ad at the Melbourne International Film Festival. For a moment we thought it was a perfume ad… Apparently, it was a collaboration with MIFF:

For the first time, this year Emporium Melbourne collaborated with MIFF and Cos We Can to produce ‘Persephone’; a fashion short film, featuring Emporium Melbourne designer labels and starring Australian actress Lily Sullivan as ‘Persephone’ – the Greek goddess who ruled the underworld, but left the underworld once Spring arrived.

We’re looking forward to catching The Rest at MIFF 2019, another film from acclaimed Chinese artist and activist Ai Weiwei. Via Vox:

Ai and his team shot much more footage and interviews for Human Flow than they could use in one film, so they’ve followed it up with The Rest, which moves from the macroscopic to the microscopic. The Rest once again moves around the globe, but focuses on the faces and individual impact of the conditions that refugees often face. It is moving and sometimes very difficult to watch, but always focuses on dignity and the beauty of each human no matter their migration status.

The Rest premiered at Copenhagen’s prestigious CPH:DOX festival in April, and two months later, Ai and the film traveled for its UK premiere to the Sheffield Doc/Fest in northern England, where I met the artist to speak about the film, his work, and what gives him hope. Our conversation has been edited for clarity.