via Creativity Online

In April, Coca-Cola announced that its "Share a Coke" campaign, which places real people's names on the brand's cans and bottles, would be going much bigger, and the number of monikers to appear on the labels would triple. But even before that, the brand, along with Mexican agency Anonimo, did something even more remarkable -- it put people's names on cans in Braille.

In February, at Comite Internacional Prociegos A.C., a private nonprofit that helps to train blind and visually impaired adults so that they can be integrated into the workforce, the brand put out vending machines that dispensed the personalized cans in Braille, allowing 100 student patrons of the center to experience the "Share a Coke" phenomenon. More recently, the campaign went broader and the cans are now available at Coca-Cola's customization centers around the country, with the backing of Fundacion Cinepolis, a Mexican chain of movie theaters. The centers typically allow people to customize the cans with particular names, but with Braille, the personalization has been leveled up.

Usher to Use International Space Station Cameras for Pepsi Challenge Video

via Yahoo Music

View the Pepsi "Capture Your World" Photography Challenge Here

Usher is working on what will likely be the biggest video of his career. As part of a Pepsi Challenge campaign that kicks off Tuesday, the singer will incorporate his fans in the project in two different ways.

Beginning Tuesday through June 2, fans can submit photos of themselves to PepsiChallenge.com. Usher will select a winner who will have the opportunity to meet him on the set of his accompanying short film to be released this fall. Usher asks entrants to, “Show me your world through your eyes in only a way that you can see it. The realer, the better. The more honest, the more creative.”

Usher and Pepsi have teamed with UrtheCast, the world’s first full color ultra high-definition cameras located on the International Space Station (ISS), to film footage of the pop star’s fans across the globe. Part of the recordings will be incorporated into a short.

“I wanted to do something very unique that would actually cover the globe, we are actually going to cover the entire planet,” Usher told Yahoo Music during an exclusive interview. “I wanted something that would definitely push the limits.”

Usher is excited about using the UrtheCast technology. “UrtheCast was something that was just that next level that was beyond any of our imaginations,” Usher said. “We all have an idea of what space looks like but we haven’t really seen it through the eyes of this camera that is streaming live through space.”

The short will feature Usher’s new song “Miracles.” A clip of the song is used as background music for the “Without You” singer’s Pepsi Challenge video.

Usher’s excitement about the project recalls memories of one of pop music’s biggest video moments. “I remember the first time I saw Michael Jackson’s ‘Thriller’ how excited I was,” he said. “It’s going to be amazing, like a piece of history.”

Now You Can Drink Martin Garrix

via Your EDM

It seems like every major producer/DJ in EDM is pairing up with huge brands nowadays. Just yesterday we announced Zedd and Lionel Messi‘s new marketing campaign with Gatorade Football and preceded that with news of Avicii‘s joining with Volvo and Major Lazer‘s partnership with FXX; and though Martin Garrix & Tiesto have been known to be working with7UP for quite some time, we simply didn’t expect to be seeing a special edition Martin Garrix branded tropical 7UP drink.

“The cans are a part of a sweepstakes where fans will have the chance to win an all-expenses paid VIP trip to meet one of the two iconic DJs and watch them play live.”

And yet, here it is – as posted by the young EDM superstar just minutes ago via Facebook, it appears that 7UP, which has invested more into EDM marketing than most any other brand, is indeed bringing a Martin Garrix edition of their signature drink to stores near you. This flavor will be joined by a Tiesto version as well, which appears to be Cherry themed. Check it out, and stay tuned for more information on how to get your hands on one of these new beverages.

 

Coca-Cola Bottles Are Back With 'More Names, More Sharing.' It's the Newest Ads on TV

via Ad Age

Every weekday, we bring you the Ad Age/iSpot Hot Spots, new and trending TV commercials tracked by iSpot.tv, a company that catalogs, tags and measures activity around TV ads in real time. The New Releases here ran on TV for the first time yesterday. The Most Engaging ads are showing sustained social heat, ranked by SpotShare scores reflecting the percent of digital activity associated with each one over the past week. See the methodology here.

Among the new releases, Hall of Famer Bill Russell's gritty voice congratulates Stephen Curry on being named the NBA's MVP in an Under Armour spot, and a commercial from JustFab.com demonstrates what happens when a late-night FaceTime session about shopping with a friend gets too lively. Spoiler: The person sleeping next to you doesn't want to wake up to talk about bargain shoes.

In another spot, Coke expands the range of names on its bottles, so now the Marias, Bretts and Lauras of the world don't have to mark their cups in Sharpie at summer cookouts.

Watch the Coke spot here

Martin Garrix & Tiesto Unveil Their Long Awaited Collaboration

via Your EDM

The long awaited collaborative effort from the Dutch, dance music superstars Martin Garrixand Tiesto has arrived in full, with official music video in tow. As part of a partnership with 7UP, this release, which is out now on Spinnin Records, promises to make a resounding impact on the world of dance music.

As one of the most well received releases from Garrix, “The Only Way Is Up” is an anthem of epic proportions which follows an oddly unintelligible yet catchy vocal line. As it progresses, the accompanying music video depicts Garrix and Tiesto performing together, working in the studio, and travelling while seemingly having the time of their lives. All-in-all this is one of our favorites from both producers.

Watch the official music video hear

Pick it up on Beatport today and check it out for stream below.

Coca-Cola Demands You Choose Happiness in This Gritty Anthem Ad for Europe

via Ad Week

Coca-Cola isn't just a soft drink. It's an essential part of the human experience—the key to true happiness—says a grand new ad from the brand in Europe. So, suck up your laziness and bootstrap yourself some soda.

The 70-second anthem by Ogilvy & Mather Amsterdam (it's the office's first work for the brand) introduces a new theme, "Choose Happiness," and continues Coke's tradition of casting itself as synonymous with joy. But it takes a more aggressive tone than usual. Not only can you be happy, you should be happy, right now, and all you have to do is reach out and grab it. That Coke, right there on the shelf, that is.

Set to a song and rap by Amsterdam-based HT, the spot (plus a more exhausting, full-blown branded music video, complete with an indecipherable hook) argues that happiness is a choice. Which is sort of true in some contexts, but is also oversimplified advertising-speak.

Click to view

The broad-reaching argument rests in large part on urging you to consider all the dandy things your hands can do. They can make beats, and hold jump ropes, and give hugs. (Incidentally, Coke would also like you to know your hands can make the shape of Coke bottles, if you join them together with other hands.)

The spot deserves credit for including moments that aren't totally pollyanna—there's a lover's spat, and even a pseudo-political statement encouraging protest. But it's also a bit divorced from reality. If you have a hard time smiling with a face full of pepper spray, try washing that down with a Coke—it might settle your stomach, too.

Naturally, what Coca-Cola really means by "Choose Happiness" is that you should choose among the red, green, black and white versions of its product. The branding at the end of the spot includes four bottles—representing Coke's Classic, Life, Zero and Diet offerings—part of a new European strategy to lift the profile of the smaller brands by attaching them to marquee advertising.

That may or may not work, but the creative approach in the anthem spot stems from a familiar problem for any soda marketer: It can't pitch the product on the grounds that you actually need it, so it has to manufacture your desire as well. This is how you should be living, the ad says, in an overbearing, if still somewhat convincing, attempt to lift millennial spirits by pandering to vain conceptions of empowerment.

Click to view extended version

Just In Time to Celebrate Dale Earnhardt Jr. and his win: the "Dale Call" Returns

via Sport News

The "Dale Call" is back, much to the delight of Dale Earnhardt Jr. fans.

Mountain Dew has re-released its popular "Dale Call" for fans to order online. It comes on the heels of Earnhardt's Geico 500 win at Talladega Superspeedway.

The "Dale Call" is based on a commercial for Diet Mountain Dew that began airing during Super Bowl XLVIII. In the commercial, a duck hunter tries to rustle up some birds with his duck call. The hunter with him then breaks out his "Dale Call," prompting Dale Earnhardt Jr. to roar into the picture with his car. He quickly stirs up a large number of ducks.

Click to view "Dale Earnhardt Jr. Call"

The "Dale Call" looks like a duck call but also mimics an engine. When you blow into it, it makes an actual sound of a car engine, though not as loud or effective as in the commercial.

After a lot of requests from fans begging for the call to be made, Mountain Dew put the wheels in motion and did just that. It was unveiled on Amazon late last year and quickly sold out.

The "Dale Call" is now available beginning today and will be sold at a price of $14.99-$19.99 at e-commerce sites such as Amazon and at select tracks. 

Mountain Dew also released a new commercial over the weekend that capitalizes on the success of the first commercial and the sale of the "Dale Call."

Click to view "Do the DEW"

Ad of the Day: Minute Maid Shows What Children Really Think of Their Parents

via Ad Week

Most parents underestimate their parenting skills, at least compared to how their kids view them. That's the premise of Minute Maid's new "Doin' Good" campaign, breaking today.

The four-minute video from Doner Detroit asks at least six moms and dads, "How do you think you're doing?" The parents are surprisingly candid, with one mom saying bluntly, "I failed, I think on a daily basis, to live up to my own expectations. I question if I'm doing a good job." Another parent chimes in: "I love seeing the world in their eyes, but when I can't spend time with them, I do feel like I let them down sometimes."

Then we get their kids' perspectives with a nice mix of ages, from teenagers to elementary school children. The kids write their parents letters, which are are heartfelt—several of them explain the tough experiences their parents have gone through.

Ultimately, the parents get a new perspective on how they're handling their parenting skills.
Watch it here

The idea is a fun twist off of Minute Maid's "Put good in. Get good out" slogan and is part of a broader #doingood campaign that also includes partnering with bloggers, Facebook and YouTube to distribute the video and a new website.

Quincy Jones On EDM: "If They Handle It Right, It Won't Be A Fad"

via Forbes

Quincy Jones isn’t exactly the first person who comes to mind during a conversation about electronic dance music. The legendary superproducer is best known for working with artists like Ray Charles, Frank Sinatra and Michael Jackson, not the likes of Avicii or Afrojack.

Some of Jones’ most celebrated work has contained electronic elements, though, and it certainly makes people dance—one need look no further than Thriller. Still, it came as something of a surprise to see him in a one-on-one panel with electronic music pioneer Pete Tong at the EDM-focused International Music Summitin Los Angeles last week.

Before Jones took the stage, he gave me a few minutes of his time as he walked from his car to the elevator that carried us to the room where he’d be speaking, and seemed just as surprised as everyone else to find himself at an EDM summit. When asked how the panel came about, he said simply: “I don’t know.”

But Jones was quick to weigh in on his thoughts about the state of electronic music, and he didn’t mince words.

“It is a fad right now, but if they handle it right it wouldn’t be a fad,”  he said. “Learn what the f–k they’re dong with the science of music, man. There’s only 12 notes out there.”

During our brief chat, Jones spoke broadly about the fundamental nature of music (“You can’t see it, you can’t touch it, you can’t smell it, but Lord knows you can feel it”) and his personal philosophy (“Just do something you love, it gives you goosebumps”).

Though he didn’t reveal his feelings on particular DJs when pressed, he described their work as being not too different from his own, deep down: “If you know what you’re doing, the machine works for you.”

Jones didn’t have strong feelings on whether or not the current popularity of electronic music would lead consumers to eventually seek a change of pace and turn back to more live instrumentation, a trend that may have already begun even within the most pop-oriented corners of EDM with songs like “Wake Me Up!”

But when the topic turned to Michael Jackson, his eyes lit up, as did mine: I had tried numerous times to contact Jones for an interview while writing my book,Michael Jackson, Inc.

I couldn’t help but ask Jones what he felt Jackson would think about the rise of EDM.

“Are you kidding?” he said. “He’d love it.”

Powerade's Fun 'Workout Billboards' Will Really Make You Sweat

via Ad Week

Climbing wall, punching bag and more

Billboards don't usually ask a lot of you, beyond a cursory glance. But these Powerade boards from Ogilvy Berlin put you right to work.

They're more like exercise installations than billboards. One of them features a scrolling climbing wall; another invites you to punch it as hard as you can. And all of them will make you work up a thirst that Powerade can then quench.

Your move, Ikea. Via Ads of the World.

Click to view