Gatorade: Kevin Durant And Dwyane Wade Have A Nightmare Scenario

I’m realizing that I could start a blog simply featuring sports commercials. Anyway, it’s been said that dreams are a window into our unconscious mind. Some scientists believe that dreams, particularly nightmares, exist as a place to rehearse fight-or-flight situations. That certainly seems to be in Gatorade’s excellent new commercial. Kevin Durant drives to the hoop in a critical situation…and is blocked by Dwyane Wade. Luckily, it was just a nightmare. So Durant goes hard into his training (the intense training music is great.) And in the next meeting, Kevin Durant’s dream becomes Dwyane Wade’s nightmare. A twist! Adweek calls it “the Inception of salty-fruit-punch commercials.” I wonder where LeBron was in all this action.

Dick’s Sporting Goods Has A Very Real Baseball Spot

This baseball ad from Dick’s Sporting Goods has been out for more than a month now, but I didn’t know about it until reading this article on Adweek. Beautiful, cinematic work. I love the cut to black right as the pitch is delivered. It totally looks real and not like a commercial at all. And that can be a great thing.

Expedia’s Amazing “Find Your Strength”

In one word: waterfalls. Here’s more from Adweek.

Old Spice: I Will Live Forever

It’s finally time for the London Olympics. As Adweek notes, most Olympic commercials tend to be serious, like “Best Job”, a great ad which I never wrote about for some reason. But serious isn’t in Old Spice’s brand identity. I feel like it’s harder to do great work that’s humorous, but Old Spice really excels in this aspect. Those are some manly premium table crackers!

I’m A Fan Of Corona Light’s Stan

This is the type of commercial that I could write a lot about. But sometimes, the less said the better. I love it. Adweek is a fan of Stan too.

Come To America: The Tourism Campaign

It seems hard to believe, but according to Adweek, this video by Brand USA and JWT is the centerpiece of the first comprehensive American tourism campaign targeted overseas. But then again, it does seem like an intimidating assignment. America, of course, is a huge country in terms of population, size, and culture. Just check out this Wikitravel article about the United States. The vastness of the United States is a possible explanation why so many Americans don’t have passports (well, one of the positive explanations).

This video isn’t groundbreaking, but it’s pleasant. The song (here’s a full-length version of “Land of Dreams”) is performed by Roseanne Cash, the daughter of Johnny Cash. It provides all the typical examples of Americana that us Americans expect to see, and in some ways take for granted. Indeed, the videos serve as a reminder to me that the United States is a pretty great place, despite all the problems. So if you’re reading from abroad: come to America…we’ll treat you right. Stimulate our economy, and we’ll stimulate your senses. Or something like that.

Old Spice: Believe In Your Smellf And Break Up With Heather Graham

A hat tip to Adweek for this one. It’s the same basic formula that Old Spice has employed for a few years now, but still hilarious. With the Old Spice’s new Champion line, you can do anything, whether that involves owning a sand car, outrunning horses, flying after a “championship sports accident”, or doing the unthinkable: breaking up with Heather Graham. Who would break up with Heather Graham? You will, because you need your space. The real question: do YOU believe in YOUR SMELLF?

Aziz Ansari Goes All Out For American Express, But Fails Hilariously

Aziz Ansari is a funny, funny man. He puts his funniness to good use in this new American Express commercial, created by Ogilvy New York, and reported by Adweek.

I wonder where he didn’t want to go because “there’s beeeez in there.” And yeah, Facebook stalking is a major part of the modern dating game…a lot of people do it even before the first date. Aziz goes all out and racks up a big AmEx bill to try to woo Jessica, played by Stephanie Hunt. But it’s too much. Sorry, Aziz. At least he got some sweet deals. The Sync features is pretty cool…really goes to show how integrated social media is with our lives. A solid spot.

Dodge Wants You To Take (And Find) A Journey

Getting out and actually doing things has seemed to be a recent advertising theme, especially in car commercials. And this new campaign by Wieden+Kennedy raises the bar.

It’s a great ad to start with. But the entire campaign is what makes it even more interesting. As reported on AdWeek, Dodge randomly placed 3 Journey crossovers across America, in the East, Midwest, and West. It’s like a sleuthing game. TV spots (the first debuted earlier today, the next ones will be on September 16 and 23) will reveal clues about the location of the vehicle. Additional videos and clues can be found on Dodge’s YouTube page. You have to reach the Dodge Journey, state your name on camera, and if you’re the first, it’s yours. The first one has been found somewhere in the Sierra Nevada in California. Now that sounds like an adventure. And a genius way to build awareness and buzz.

MTV Sez To Give A Shit While Taking A Shit

It makes me a little sad when I think about how much of my under-21 life I wasted watching MTV. And MTV is also often laughable when they try to become activist. Remember Vote Or Die? I remember picturing Diddy holding a gun to my head and threatening to kill me if I didn’t vote Democrat (South Park imagined it too). But this MTV campaign, ridiculous as it seems, might actually work.

I actually remember Nikki Reed more from the movie Thirteen, but she’s better known to the kids for being in the Twilight movies. The real question that arises: is merely giving a shit enough? Adweek seems to say no. In my view, it may or may not work. But getting people to become aware of issues and to care could be the first step to action.