I search, therefore I am.

That could be the tagline for Google Zeitgeist, the company's annual year-in-review package, which gazes back at the previous 12 months and ranks people, places and things—country by country—based on how many people searched for them on Google.

It's a fascinating data set. Who doesn't love a good list, after all? It's also a giant popularity contest, complete with rampant evidence of our collective trashy side. The leaking of Kate Middleton's topless photos was the year's second most-popular "event," behind Hurricane Sandy but ahead of the London Olympics? If you say so! Here Comes Honey Boo Boo was more interesting than American Idol or Homeland? I guess! More than 1 trillion search queries can't be wrong, after all.

The lists are one thing. Putting the data in motion is another. As it did in 2011, the task of translating Zeitgeist into video form this year fell to creative agency Whirled. The resulting spot, below, is supremely satisfying in the way that all such videos are. Distilling a whole year into less than three minutes, packaging the experiences of the world's 7 billion people into a tidy few dozen images—it's irresistible. It's all in there—birth, death, rebirth, the peaks and valleys of human behavior, from hope and resilience to war and persecution. It gives order to everything based on human curiosity, and makes no judgments.

It should come as no surprise that the piece is bookended by Felix Baumgarter's triumphant leap to Earth from the edge of space back in October—the culmination of the Red Bull Stratos project. Ad people in particular should appreciate that placement. The year's most notably grand human achievement was also brand sponsored. How nice.

Whirled founder and creative director Scott Chan tells us a little about how the Zeitgeist video sausage is made: "It's a whole lot of homework and research. As cliché as it might sound, the process for me always starts on Jan. 1. I'm honestly thinking about how we can top ourselves without straying too far from the formula that people have grown to love over the years. Like, for example, I brought on viral remixer extraordinaire Luc Begeron (aka Zapatou), who has been making noise creating these epic supercuts using the best videos the Internet (world) has to offer."

"But things really kick off in late September. Together with the Search team at Google, we spend a solid couple of months reading, watching and cataloging to understand just what happened in the year so that we can figure out the story we want to tell. Then it's just a matter of fitting all the pieces of the puzzle (events) together to tell that story."

It may not be the whole story, but it's the most popular one.

These days, that counts for a lot.



CREDITS
Client: Google
Project: Zeitgeist
Agency: Whirled

What a resemblance! Nicole Kuhnlein, a senior producer at North Carolina ad agency McKinney, was on the Today show this morning because she looks exactly like Savannah Guthrie. Kuhnlein, 33, says her kids are always calling out "You're on again Mom!" when they see Guthrie on television. See the Today segment below, in which all the show's personalities meet their doppelgängers. Those agency people—always surprising you with new hidden talents.

Specs
Who (l. to r.) Partners Ron Fierman, president, CEO; Mitchell Caplan, managing director; Gene Lewis, creative director; Sarah Blecher, executive producer
What Digital ad agency
Where New York offices

Digital Pulp was founded in 1996 by a group of guys sitting under Ethernet cable dangling from the ceiling and surrounded by copies of Photoshop and Illustrator. Riding the Internet’s early wave, Digital Pulp expanded beyond developing websites to developing brands’ identities. With a combined 40 years of digital experience, its four partners now handle clients like Dartmouth College, Bausch + Lomb, IEEE and Sotheby’s. The agency recently won Pace University and the American Cancer Society as clients, along with Procter & Gamble’s Duracell Powermat, the first P&G brand to conduct direct-to-consumer online sales. 

Nike, Pepsi and Volkswagen, three global marketers that are old pros at creating blockbuster video content, produced the three most-watched commercials on YouTube this year, according to the video site's 2012 Ads Leaderboard—a list of top branded spots with at least as many organic views as paid views throughout the year.

Nike Football led the way with "My Time Is Now," and it certainly was the right time for the flashy, interactive Euro 2012 clip from Wieden + Kennedy, which has received almost 21 million views since its May release.

Pepsi MAX's five-minute "Uncle Drew" spot from The Marketing Arm, starring Kyrie Irving, was second with 18 million views, edging out Volkswagen's "The Bark Side" Super Bowl teaser from Deutsch/LA.

Automakers did very well overall, accounting for eight of the top 20 spots (nine if you count Hot Wheels) and six of the top 11.

The car ads were almost all Super Bowl spots—Honda (No. 5), VW (No. 6, separate from the teaser), Chrysler (No. 8), Audi (No. 10), Chevrolet (No. 11) and Toyota (No. 16)—showing how the big game can significantly goose online ad views. (Fiat's "House Arrest" with Charlie Sheen, at No. 18, was the only auto spot not tied to the Super Bowl.)

Nike added a second spot in the top 10—its entertaining showdown between Cristiano Ronaldo and Rafael Nadal finished at No. 9. Rounding out the top 10: Samsung's latest swat at Apple fanboys was No. 4; and GoPro's long-form video for its Hero3 camera was No. 7.

The top 20 spots feature a wide range of styles and themes—from comedies to dramas to mini documentaries and music videos—in varying lengths, from just 15 seconds up to five minutes. Also remarkable is the staying power of many of these spots, which continue to rack up impressive daily views many months after their release.

While it didn't crack the top 10, Old Spice continued its strong showing in viral video, placing four spots from Wieden + Kennedy in the top 20—the most of any marketer. Asked how the Procter & Gamble brand keeps its output so consistently compelling, client brand manager Jason Partin said it's about building on a legacy while tweaking the formula to keep it fresh. "We never lose sight of the guys that use Old Spice," Partin said. "They've come to love the brand and expect a certain level of entertainment from us, so we work hard to deliver on that."

W+K creative directors Jason Bagley and Craig Allen said the litmus test is simple. "We try to make ourselves laugh first and foremost, and hope that at least 12 other people think it's funny," they said in an email to Adweek. "So far that's worked."

They added: "We just try to come up with ideas that will make our producers want to kill us and threaten to quit every day. That's how we know we're on the right track. Also, we have a time machine that takes us into the future and tells us what will be successful. Some call it cheating. We call it 'not cheating.' "

Click below to see all 20 spots. And check back in 2013, when Adweek will be showcasing a monthly YouTube Ads Leaderboard highlighting each month's most successful spots.

Gallery: YouTube 2012 Ads Leaderboard

Behold this new kid's product—with national TV ads breaking this holiday—and try hard not to conjure the familiar refrain, "You'll shoot your eye out, kid!" It's called the JT SplatMaster, if that gives you any inkling of its intent. It's an at-home paintball gun made for boys 9 and up. What could possibly go wrong? It "accurately shoots up to 100-plus feet" and pelts its target with brightly colored gunk, "a first in its category," according to manufacturer Kee Action Sports. Hey, competing with Nerf ain't child's play, all right? The paintball-lite gun, for the record, shoots at a fraction of the force of a real one. Easily bruised? Play at your own risk. (There's actually a whole section on safety at the website.) The marketer, a first-time national TV advertiser, is spending about $2 million to hawk the blaster on channels like Nickelodeon, Nick at Nite, Disney XD, Cartoon Network and MTV (the latter for the man-children). The campaign is from ad agency Tierney in Philadelphia and emphasizes outdoor play and adventure rather than, say, a ride to the emergency room. (Goggles are sold separately, after all.) The only question remaining: Where can I get me one?

While television should once again account for the lion’s share of global marketing spend in 2013, a disproportionate number of executives report that search is a far more effective medium through which to generate consumer demand.

According to a new study from the Chief Marketing Officer Council, 27 percent of those surveyed said that TV was the most impactful medium through which to advertise one’s brand, whereas 44 percent said that search was the superior vehicle.

Among the findings in the 55-page “State of Marketing 2012” report, executives are particularly enthused by search and social media but said that they are not satisfied with their current digital-marketing performance. Nearly half of the CMOs surveyed said that making over their digital strategy would be one of the most important challenges facing them in the New Year.

Despite this apparent mandate for change, 64 percent of marketers are still budgeting fewer than $500,000 for digital spend, and 46 percent report that this figure represents less than 10 percent of their overall marketing spend.

That said, marketers expect to increase their digital investments in the coming year. Per the CMO Council study, 47 percent said they planned to boost allocation to digital to 10-24 percent of their total marketing budgets, while 22 percent said digital would account for anywhere between 25 percent and 49 percent of their overall media mix.

In the U.S., TV accounts for roughly one third of all media spending. Analysts estimate that overall TV spend—a catch-all that includes national and local broadcast, network cable, syndication and Spanish-language channels—will add up to some $65 billion in 2013, out of a projected total media haul of $186 billion.

The CMO Council’s report was culled from responses to an online survey of 550 senior marketing executives representing major media markets such as North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific and Africa.

According to Liz Miller, the CMO Council’s vp of global programs and operations, Asia is lagging on the digital front, as some 37 percent of marketers in the region allocate less than 10 percent of their spend to digital platforms. “It’s clear that marketers across the region are ready to run into a digital future, but as the hyper-connected digital consumer continues to evolve, marketers must invest in the people, processes and platforms that will better predict and prepare them for these engagement opportunities,” Miller said.

All told, 54 percent of CMOs surveyed said they had increased their overall budgets in 2012, while 22 percent reported that they had made reductions in their marketing spend.

While social and search are expected to grow by leaps and bounds in the year ahead, most categories are expected to see more modest growth. The CMO Council report flagged only one significant backslider, as 31 percent of those surveyed said they would be slashing their newspaper budgets. Analysts expect stateside newspaper spending (national and local) will drop off by as much as 7 percent.

While still the king of the hill, TV spend could be hampered by imprecise performance metrics and rapid declines on the broadcast side of the ledger. Analysts believe national cable will be responsible for much of TV’s modest gains, with revenues expected to increase by as much as 8 percent to some $30.5 billion. Broadcast gains are likely to be more modest, with sales on track to grow around 3 percent to a little under $14.5 billion.

Another finding culled from the survey should give media agencies pause. According to the report, 60 percent of respondents said they expect to make an agency change in 2013, with a need to improve their social-media expertise cited as a major reason for the shift.

Only 12 percent of respondents felt their agency partners were “extremely valuable.”

A number of CMOs also said they planned to move previously outsourced services back in-house, particularly in areas like data analysis and research. This would be a reversal of the trend of a few years ago that saw many agencies radically reduce headcount in their research departments.

Last night, a long list of legendary musicians got together at Madison Square Garden to raise funds for Hurricane Sandy relief. The median age of the artists—a group that included such icons as Paul McCartney, Bruce Springsteen, Billy Joel, The Who and The Rolling Stones—was approximately 75. So, it was a welcome departure from the evening's geriatrics when State Farm reminded us about another important demographic affected by the superstorm: children.

In a spot from DDB Chicago and director Joe Pytka titled "State of Hope," State Farm interviews a classroom full of kids whose lives have been shaken by Sandy's devastation. But it's not the weeks without power and heat, the flooding or the damage to their homes that they're concerned with. It's the seaside amusement parks.

"I liked eating the cotton candy and licking my fingers," recalls one of the children, who could be out of the classroom scene in Annie Hall."The roller coaster was as big as the Empire State Building," adds a student with questionable depth perception. "My brother threw up," reports another. But thanks to Sandy, those days are over, the beaches eroded, the boardwalks broken, the roller coaster in Seaside Heights swept into the ocean.

But these resilient kids are already looking ahead, imagining a future with a new, bigger, better roller coaster. One with lots of loops. And maybe even a stronger foundation that can survive the apocalyptic weather we're stuck with for the remainder of our time on Earth. Because, in the wise words of State Farm, "Hope can never be washed away."



CREDITS
Client: State Farm
Agency: DDB Chicago
Director: Joe Pytka

Australian mall rats dress up in mouse costumes and run on a giant wheel inside a cage in this latest installment of Clemenger BBDO's borderline sadistic "How far will you go for Fantastic Delites?" campaign for the flavored-rice-snack brand. Round and round they go, taking tumbles and battling exhaustion, egged on by a crowd and video messages on the screen of the snack dispenser: "Faster Faster Faster" and "Run Mousey Run." Those who generating enough speed earn a pack of Delites. If not, well, they were reduced to little more than sweaty vermin on public display. (It must've been hot inside those suits!)

"Yes, the people in the video are people who were in the mall," says agency director Erik de Roos. "We did announce through the Fantastic Delites Facebook page that another challenge was coming up, without actually disclosing what the challenge entailed. Beyond this, we relied on the general public's interest and desire to participate. Of course, in order to demonstrate to the general public what was involved, we had to show them. As such, we had one pre-determined person who kicked things off for us."

Why wasn't I invited? I've got my own whiskers and wheel. Anyway, the clip is a sequel to the agency and client's vending-machine video from a few months back, which saw folks dancing, genuflecting and pushing a button up to 5,000 times to earn free snacks. That video gotten more than 2.5 million views since June, and according to de Roos, it ranks as one of Australia's top viral videos of the year (though not, of course, the very top one).

The mouse video takes the concept of consumer challenges to a higher level of absurdity. It's fun and inventive, impossible to turn away from. Yet, doesn't it suggest we're all just lab animals trapped on the wheel of consumer culture? "The stunt certainly isn't intended as a metaphor," says de Roos. "It is purely a result of our campaign platform … the belief that our products taste so good, people will go to extremes to get their hands on them."

So … that sounds like we're doomed, right? We're mindless snack-slaves with no free will and should be thankful that the Mayan apocalypse is approaching to cleanse the planet of our presence? Is that what you're saying? "I don't think all hope is lost yet!" says de Roos. "People certainly went to extremes to get a free pack, but they were entertained at the same time. And we feel this is why the concept works: It is enjoyable for participants and spectators alike."

OK, I see your point. No harm, no foul. Everybody wins. The wheel's not a bad thing in the end. Smart way to spin it, mate.

I have a question: What possible Turkish Airlines flight could have both Kobe Bryant and Lionel Messi on it? Are they taking advantage of round-trip tickets from Los Angeles to Istanbul with a convenient stopover in Buenos Aires? Are they going to the Olympics? Or are they going to that really awesome island in the Caribbean where only the extraordinarily wealthy and physically fit are allowed to visit? That is my suspicion.

This very cute spot from Turkish agency Alametifarika sees Bryant and Messi competing for a kid's affections à la Pixar's One Man Band, among others (which is not to say it's a ripoff, merely that it's a solid plot for a short subject). First, the ball handling (footling?), then the houses of cards, then the balloon animals … I kind of wanted to see where it would go next, but honestly, I'm with the kid. Plane flights are but fleeting; ice cream is eternal.

Great stuff here: the windmill on Messi's one-up house of cards; both guys grinning invitingly at the kid through the whole spot; the adorable child's teeth; and the seats! This really does make Turkish Airlines look like the most comfortable airline in the universe, not least because all the other passengers are blithely going about their business as though Kobe and Messi are on every flight they've ever taken, forever trying to impress some dumb kid and keeping normal people from sleeping or reading Stephen King.

Also, Kobe has great timing.

Incidentally, the ADR (automated dialogue replacement) on the flight attendant's voice would have been funny a year ago; now it makes me think she's related to Bane. Her voice is coming from everywhere!

And seriously, look at the number of YouTube on this thing: 57 million in less than two weeks. That is the combined power of soccer and basketball, which I hope to harness in the hybrid sport I have just invented, socketball.

I'll see you on Rich Guy Island.



CREDITS
Client: Turkish Airlines
Agency: Alametifarika
Creative Team: Emrah Karpuzcu, Kenan Unsal, Can Bilginer, Huseyin Sandik, Odisseas Sevsevme, Emre Abay, Nilufer Acar, Sertug Alptekin, Cagri Ark
Director: Marco Grandia
Production: Electric Zoo, Filmcolony, only925
Post Production: Ambassadors, Filimisleri

I can make my own wacky Skittles holiday commercial on this Create the Rainbow site from BBDO Toronto and Jam3? Do I have to? Can't I just strangle myself with a string of festive lights instead? Users choose various characters, dialogue, settings and music and share the results with friends—who, if they have any self-respect, will hit delete before the "ad" comes to an end. I put scruffy slacker stereotype Travis and Funky Santa—a black guy in Claus garb who chuckles ominously and wishes everyone a "Happy Christmas, Kwanzaa or Hanukkah"—in an office hot tub filled with Skittles. Overall, the effort is kind of uninspired, and the DIY approach feels re-gifted from 2009. Where's that smoochin' walrus when you need him!? Way to waste the rainbow.

Wallace and Gromit are back, and pitching Google+ Hangouts, the group video chat client that allows people to spend quality virtual time with one another, in this fun 60-second spot from Adam & Eve DDB, rehabstudio and Aardman Studios. While I'm surprised, and a little disappointed, by the lack of cheese in this ad, the sheep cameo more than makes up for it. This is also one of those rare occasions where I wish there'd been a prequel. I would love to see 30 seconds of Gromit thanklessly setting up the wireless router. The spot makes good use of the season by suggesting Google+ Hangouts is a great way to get together at the holidays, even if you can't be in the same place. Users can visit this site to send personalized Wallace and Gromit video invitations to family and friends.

For the record, Frank Loesser's "Baby It's Cold Outside" is a duet about a guy who spikes his date's eggnog in the hope that she'll stay the night. Christmas!

I will be doing a bit of Grinching in this post, so let's start with how this is a perfectly fine Sprint ad, but a much better Samsung ad—as it spends quite a while showing off the latest Galaxy S III phone's capabilities, specifically the near-field system that lets you swipe videos and images between phones (at least two of these are definitely GS 3s).

This is also a pretty good Nickelodeon ad, since both Victoria Justice and Max Schneider are staples of the flailing kids' network and its Disneyfied music programming strategy, and both are doing here what it is they do. I would love to be able to successfully pretend to like Schneider's performance style, but I just can't. It's like watching Stevie Wonder's zombie. It's like an undead Smokey Robinson arose from its tomb, Bill Withers somehow failed to slay it with a flaming sword, and it was given its own television show. It's quite bad, though he has a nice voice.

Justice is more appealing, although her performance is sort of the unironic version of Alison Brie's hilarious/sexy "Teach Me How to Understand Christmas" from last year's Christmas episode of Community.

I will, however, admit to being a sucker for the poppier holiday songs in the medley here, especially Wham!'s "Last Christmas" (which even I can see is a perfect vehicle for Schneider, despite it being "lovely weather for a sleigh ride together wi' youuuu" mere seconds later). Also, not to go all Bill O'Reilly, but there are no Hannukah songs in this medley. You wouldn't even have to change the end of "The Christmas Song" (because it's called "The Christmas Song," guys) to "Happy Holidays to You."

Anyway. Props to YouTube vlogger Kurt Hugo Schneider for putting this together. The production is slick (it was shot all in one take), Justice and Schneider look like the product of focus-grouped eugenics, and the phone-hopping video stuff really is cute. And remember: When you're choosing a telecom provider, be sure to switch to Nickelodeon.



CREDITS
Client: Sprint
Agency: Team Sprint (Digitas and Leo Burnett)
Spot: "Holiday Medley with Victoria Justice and Max Schneider"
Executive Creative Director: Michael Boychuk
Group Creative Director: Lawrence Lee
Content Strategy and Development Manager: Mark Book
Executive Producer: Michael Rafayko
Director: Kurt Schneider
Account Director: Andrew Melone
Account Executive: Jake Bruene

See a larger image here.

Denver ad agency Cultivator has one of the best holiday cards of the year with this group portrait inspired by a certain famous scene in A Christmas Story. Via The Denver Egotist.

CREDITS
Photography: John Johnston
Retouching: Armando Martinez (Mando-Matic)
Printing: Spectro

All advertising strives to sell happiness, implying that buying certain goods or services will make you feel better than you did before. Pitching happiness itself, striving to communicate the gravity of the concept and its importance in our daily lives, is a different matter entirely—and that's the metaphorical mission of Hill Holliday's pro-bono "Happier Boston" push for suicide-prevention group Samaritans Inc. In addition to a Web site and PSAs, the campaign is taking its message to the streets via "social experiments." These include cheering "fans" at railroad platforms to greet commuters and wish them a great day; surprise skyscraper elevator sing-alongs; and handing out citrus fruits emblazoned with the message, "Orange you happy?" Roberta Hurtig, executive director of the Samaritans, tells AdFreak that the campaign is designed to expand the conversation about suicide prevention and "focus attention beyond the sad and tragic connotations … to include the hope and happiness that is created when people make connections with one another." Is there concern that such stunts, though well-intentioned, could backfire by rubbing some people the wrong way? "No one who is suffering wants to be told to 'just smile,' " Hurtig says. "But our events are an invitation, not a command—the difference matters, and it's noticeable. A smile shared is contagious, and we've had very positive feedback." If it increases the group's exposure, that's all to the good. Only a heartless Grinch would frown.

A three-time Olympian and star of a controversial Nike ad from the 2000 Summer Games has recently been living a double life as a high-price call girl, according to a new investigative report by The Smoking Gun and her own admissions on Twitter. Suzy Favor Hamilton competed unsuccessfully at the 1992, 1996 and 2000 Olympics, and it was during her last appearance at the games that Nike chose her to star in the horror-themed spot shown below. Confronted in a cabin by a Jason Voorhees-esque slasher, half-dressed Hamilton successfully escapes by outlasting the killer in a sprint through the woods. The ad was pulled by NBC after reportedly sparking thousands of complaints for making light of violence against women, although the spot probably wasn’t too popular with parents of young children watching the Olympics, either. "Maybe the image of a guy in a hockey mask out to kill a woman is too disgusting to be on TV," Adweek critic Barbara Lippert noted at the time. "But as I recall, that's never stopped NBC from running commercials promoting Friday the 13th or Scream." Hamilton previously had appeared in a Pert Plus ad, which you can see after the jump. According to her website, Hamilton has also appeared in ads for Reebok, Clairol, Oakley, Kikkoman Foods, Nordic Track, Viactiv Calcium Chews. A popular public speaker and real estate business owner, Hamilton hasn’t exactly fallen on hard times. Instead, she responded to The Smoking Gun’s report by telling her shocked fans that her decision to become a high-class Las Vegas escort was “very much related to depression.” Photo credit: The Smoking Gun.

Maxwell the talking pig returns in an amusingly twisted tale (tail?) from The Martin Agency and Geico. The oinker uses the company's smartphone app to pay his insurance bill while he travels on an airplane. When you're a pig, leg room is not a major issue. He stretches full out, and his feet don't come close to touching the floor. Mmmm ... pig's feet. The flight attendants are kind of rude to Maxwell, just as they are to humans in real life. Kidding, of course. They're always extremely professional and courteous. (In a pig's eye!) The swine is more subdued in this spot, refraining from his signature, hyper-annoying "Wee wee wee!" Perhaps he saved that for the lavatory.

In the U.K., mommies apparently don't rock gas-guzzling minivans. They go for cute little Fiat 500Ls. So, to entice them, Fiat has released yet another example of the hilarity that is white people rapping. This particular rap, created by Krow Communications, fits into the recently popular subgenre of gangsta parents. Called "The Motherhood," the campaign is a blatant redux of Toyota's "Swagger Wagon," which was a viral success for the Sienna minivan. But the Fiat spot is sufficiently well-written to have already reached almost 2 million views in a couple of weeks. Unlike the Sienna campaign, here we have a mom who rolls alone—there's not a dad in sight. Maybe that's because she also admits to being an orgasm-faker. It's more self-deprecating, too, which I attribute to the British sense of humor. Having recently become part of the target market, I confess that this appeals to me greatly. As does the idea of zipping about in an adorable tiny Fiat as opposed to a van so large it requires a camera to keep me from running over my child when I back up. But how this MILF fits herself, Dad and those three kids into the four-seat Fiat 500L is a total mystery.

As a child, could you catch fish with your bare hands while standing knee deep in the local river? Did you have uncanny, almost otherworldly powers of clairvoyance that let you glimpse the future—and even change it for the better? Could you make paper airplanes before you could crawl?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, you should stop what you're doing and go work at Virgin Atlantic.

All sorts of outlandishly precocious children grow up to become Virgin Atlantic workers in RKCR/Y&R's stylish, fantastical, tongue-in-cheek launch spot for the carrier's new global campaign. Styled as a kind of faux movie trailer—cut into 30-, 60- and 90-second TV edits, as well as a cinema version and a two-minute online spot—the spot celebrates the airline's staff as literal superheroes. Their special gifts include rapid reflexes, preternatural intuition, creative problem solving and heightened empathy. Naturally, as adults, they rendezvous in Virgin's ranks as cabin crew, ground staff, designers and pilots.

The tagline: "Virgin Atlantic. Flying in the face of ordinary."

Launched with the new year, the campaign is unapologetically nostalgic and retro, but knowingly so. Air travel hasn't been glamorous in decades, yet Virgin brings back some of that attitude—along with the attendant fashion and sex appeal—but in a way that's exaggerated and borders on self-parody. Promising superhuman staff, in the end, is no promise at all. But in typical Virgin style, the carrier builds the whole campaign around such false claims, and expects you to quit worrying and just enjoy it. And it works—largely due to the skillful direction by Partizan's Antoine Bardou-Jacquet.

The airline explicitly wants to "bring the glamour and fun back into long-haul travel," says Simon Lloyd, its director of marketing. Mark Roalfe, chairman and executive creative director at RKCR/Y&R, adds: "We wanted to bring to life that special spark that makes the people at Virgin different. I think the film really captures that, but with the tongue-in-cheek tone of voice that we've built with Virgin over the last 18 years."

True glamour may be gone from air travel for good. But in the ads, if nothing else, you can still count on Virgin to make it fun.



CREDITS
Client: Virgin Atlantic
Clients: Simon Lloyd, Breda Bubear, Hamish Rickman
Agency: RKCR/Y&R, London
Executive Creative Director: Mark Roalfe
Creative Partners: Pip Bishop, Chris Hodgkiss
Business Director: Vicky Jacobs
Producer: Jody Allison
Production Assistant: Flo Clive
Music Producer: Dan Neale
Production Company: Partizan
Service Company: Stillking
Director: Antoine Bardou-Jacquet
Producer: David Stewart
Directors of Photography: Andre Chemetoff, Damian Morisot
Production Designer: Nick Ellis
Editing House: Work Post
Editor: Bill Smedley
Postproduction: MPC
Lead Visual Effects Supervisor: Rob Walker
Lead 3-D Supervisor: Jim Radford
Postproduction Producer: Julie Evans
Sound Studio: Wave Studios          
Sound Engineer: Aaron Reynolds
Composer: Guy Farley

Hockey die-hards should be stirred by this Nike spot that captures fans' passion for the game and, by implication, their displeasure with the ongoing NHL lockout. The company and its agency, Wieden + Kennedy, have produced similar commercials during NBA work stoppages, relying on famous hoopsters to carry the day. This new ad—from W + K New York and Biscuit Filmworks director Tim Godsall—feels more sincere, mixing professional and Olympic stars with average folks who deliver lines that are heartfelt and defiant. The tough talk—kids look straight at the camera, asking, "What are you gonna do?" "Take away my skates?" "Take away my puck?"—seems perfectly in-tune to a sport known for its combative attitude. (For the record, I think I could take away the youngest kid's skates. Oh, who am I kidding … he'd kick my ass.) Amplifying the "Hockey is ours" theme, those featured explain that they'll do whatever's necessary to keep playing the game, even using frozen hamburgers as pucks. Take away Canada, and they'll play in Russia. Capitals icon Alex Ovechkin, currently playing in Moscow because of the lockout, makes a nice brief cameo, proving my theory that his commercial performances improve in inverse proportion to his screen time. If and when the NHL schedule resumes—the league and players' union are in negotiations to salvage the season—they should actually play using frozen beef patties. Ratings would go through the roof.

Going cold turkey was never the best strategy for Cookie Monster in ramping down his cookie intake. You've got to step down gradually from all that sugar. That's the main takeaway from this amusing Google Play spot, themed to New Year's resolutions, from Mullen's San Francisco office. Turns out the Rocky theme only carries you so far. Having wrapped up 2012 nicely with its Zeitgeist video, it's no surprise Google is getting such a quick start on 2013. This is a marketer that loves its milestones. Credits below.

CREDITS
Client: Google Play
Spot: "New Me"
Agency: Mullen. San Francisco 
Chief Creative Officer: Mark Wenneker
Group Creative Director: Paul Foulkes
Creatives: Paul Foulkes, Brian Tierney, Jamie Rome, Emile Doucette
Director of Integrated Production: Liza Near
Executive Producer: Zeke Bowman
Senior Producer: Liz Shook
Associate Producer: Vera Everson
Agency Senior Content Producer: Jamee Sheehy
Account Team: Zach Rubin, Tara Inskip, Courtney Calvert, Steve Raggiani, Hannah Hewitt
Editorial: Lost Planet, New York
Editor: Chris Huth
Lost Planet Executive Producer: Krystn Wagenberg
Lost Planet Producer: Kate McCormick
Post Vector Art and Color: Black Hole
Black Hole Producer: Tim Vierling
Mix: Tom Jucarone, Sound Lounge
End Animation: Autofuss