Arby's - Slow Advertising

Arby's (which is a fast food chain in the US) recently launched their new Smokehouse Brisket sandwich.  The process of making the brisket includes smoking it for 13 hours, but some consumers questioned whether it was actually smoked for that long or was just a marketing ploy.  Arby's (and their agency, Fallon) decided to answer their critics and also tap into the slow TV movement by running a 13 hour TV commercial (though it only ran in one market... Duluth, Minnesota).  They also live streamed the commercial online (is it really livestreaming if you're playing something which isn't actually live?) which garnered a larger audience than you'd expect (15,000+ people).

Perhaps you think this is just a stunt and perhaps you're correct, but equally Arby's could be tapping into a movement that's been bubbling below the surface for sometime.  That movement is called Slow TV.  In Norway for instance, several of the highest rated shows in recent years include a 10-hour show following a train journey from Oslo to Bergen, an 18-hour broadcast of salmon spawning and a five-day broadcast of a cruise ship travelling through the Norwegian Fjords.  There's clearly an audience for slow TV and perhaps it's something advertisers should be tapping into more.  Kia's 5 hour long super slo-mo Superbowl Ad of Adriana Lima waving a flag had more than 2 million views before they took the video down.  A quick search of YouTube yields dozens of log fire videos several hours in length each with a significant number of views.  If you do find yourself with 13 spare hours and would like to see the process of a brisket being smoked, then check out the video below

Ads Worth Watching - Week Of June 6th

Beats - The Game Before The Game
'Watch how the best prepare for Greatness' in this star studded 5 minute long spot by Beats all about pre-game rituals of players and celebs alike.  An unlikely favorite for best World Cup ad.  It's a slow build, but well worth your time.



Banco Chile - Mineros
Banco de Chile enlists the survivors of the Chilean mining tragedy in this emotional piece encouraging the Chilean national team to victory in the World Cup.  Note:  Turn on subtitles if you don't speak Spanish.



Dove Men + Care - Calls For Dad
Lovely ad celebrating Dad's from Dove in advance of of Father's Day: 'Three quarters of dads say they are responsible for their child's emotional well-being, while only 20% of dads see this role reflected in media. It's time to acknowledge the caring moments of fatherhood that often go overlooked.'



Lifebuoy - Tree Of Life

I somehow missed this when it came out a month ago, but it's another incredibly powerful ad from Lifebuoy.

Motorola - Meet Moto E
Everything's better in slo-mo, including product demos.  In this video a 3-second free fall is turned into a 60 second film showcasing the product features of the new Moto E phone.

Honey Maid - Love

Pedigree — Share For Dogs

Pedrigree - Share For Dogs

Pedigree — Share For Dogs

Bringing Poverty To The Fore

Bringing Poverty To The Fore

Ads Worth Watching — Week Of April 25th

Ads Worth Watching — Week Of April 25th

Here Come The World Cup Ads - Adidas, Nike, TAM Airlines & Castrol

Here Come The World Cup Ads

Electrolux — Three Days Of Beautiful Food

Electrolux — Three Days Of Beautiful Food

Moving to Medium.com...at least temporarily

Updates to 5 Cool Things will now be done through G+ and medium.com so please head on over to the 5 Cool Things collection on medium.com:

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Melbourne Remote Control Tourist

Have you ever wanted to really see a city before you visited?  That's the main idea behind the wonderful new Melbourne Remote Control Tourist campaign from Tourism Victoria.  As you may remember, a few months back I highlighted the San Pellegrino remote control robot that allowed internet users to control a robot in a small italian square for a few minutes at a time.  Now Tourism Victoria has taken the idea the the nth degree by enlisting a combination of technology and remote control tourists.  The campaign allowed internet users to control one of four people roaming around the city of Melbourne from October 9th to the 13th.  Outfitted with a combination of livestreaming cameras, GPS backpacks and handheld computers the tourists can be controlled by users on remotecontroltourist.com via Twitter & Facebook.  The remote control tourists can be told where to go, what to taste and what to experience.  It's a brilliant idea in allowing potential visitors to truly see and experience the city of Melbourne before they go.  In the first two days this modern evolution of the classic subservient chicken saw the remote-control tourists drink 21 cups of coffee, 71 high-fives, handshakes and hugs, 28 selfies, 2 karata lessons, one busking session while traveling a combined 50 kilometers.

The tourists were available throughout the day, with highlights from each day turned around in hours and uploaded to the website and YouTube.  Check out the intro video below as well as the Friday highlights.  I absolutely love the idea and while technically challenging, you can imagine the wide future and application this will have across the travel industry, particularly as wearable technology such as Google Glass becomes more pervasive.  The project was created by Clemenger BBDO, Exit Films & Jason Zada (the guy behind the Cannes winning 'Take This Lollipop.')




Posted by: Reuben Halper