9/11 Tribute - "Never forgotten. Forever grateful."

While most of the content that I post on this blog is intended to be humorous and light hearted, I felt that I had to make an exception with today's post.  As you know Sunday was the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 tragedy. While New York City commemorated the anniversary with the dedication of the 9/11 Memorial, other cities throughout the country held similar memorials that also remembered those who lost their lives as a result of the events on 9/11, as well as those in the eventual War on Terror.   

On this important anniversary, a couple of companies took to the airwaves to run their own 9/11 tribute commercials. State Farm and Budweiser were two of the companies that aired these 9/11 tribute commercials during NFL games on Sunday.

State Farm brought in Spike Lee, who filmed nearly 150 schoolchildren, ages 8-11, from the New York City area, showing them visiting four firehouses and thanking firefighters with their own version of Jay-Z and Alicia Keys' song "Empire State of Mind." The spot is full of loving New York imagery, closing on the new 9/11 memorial and the words "Never forgotten. Forever grateful." This State Farm spot is embedded below.



Budweiser reprised—with a twist—one of its most well-received Super Bowl ads of all time: the spot from February 2002 in which the Budweiser Clydesdales visit New York and kneel before Ground Zero. The new version shows One World Trade Center under construction in the background. This reprised Budweiser spot is embedded below. 

Back From the Future

Back to the Future fans, this post is for you. Many B2F fans have always wondered since the release of Back to the Future II, when Nike would perfect the technology that would allow for the production of power-lacing shoes, just like the ones that Michael J. Fox wore in the movie. Well I have some good news and some bad news. Unfortunately, Nike has not yet perfected the technology behind power-lacing shoes. We will have to wait til 2015 for a pair of those. But they have been able to replicate the shoes that Fox wore in Back to the Future II. Nike is currently auctioning off 1,500 pairs of the Nike MAG self-lacing shoe—the same shoe worn by Marty McFly in Back to the Future II—on eBay to support the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's research.
    
Nike went all out in their effort to promote this amazing opportunity to own a piece of movie history. They even got Christopher Lloyd to reprise his role as Doc Brown for their advertising efforts. To help promote this once in a lifetime event, Nike and its ad agency Wieden + Kennedy produced a spot, slightly over two minutes, that stars Kevin Durant, Bill Hader, Christopher Lloyd, Tinker Hatfield and Donald Fullilove. As you can already guess, Lloyd even utters his trademark phrase, "Great Scott," in this comical spot. Kevin Durant tries his best, but underwhelms in his role as a customer who recites Biff's trademark catch phrases. I guess Thomas F. Wilson was unavailable. This spot is embedded below.



As you can see, this amazing opportunity is being called Back 4 the Future. Nike has even created a website, by the same name, that allows fans to not only explore the shoe in more detail, but also provides links to both the eBay store and the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research. To bid on the 2011 Nike MAG shoes, go to nikemag.ebay.com. Please remember that all net proceeds from the auction sales of these shoes will go directly to The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research. If you would love to own a pair of these shoes, but find that the current bids are out of your price range, please head on over to the Michael J. Fox Foundation's website and donate whatever you can. Hopefully the more money we can set aside toward Parkinson's research will allow for a cure to be found that much sooner.

In addition to the comical spot featuring Christopher Lloyd and Bill Hader, Nike also produced a short clip that highlights this limited edition shoe. To top this, a short video featuring Michael J. Fox, was also produced. In this short video, Fox introduces the shoes and provides details on the auction and how you can score yourself a pair. Fox even appeared on the Late Show with David Letterman recently, to help promote the shoes and the ongoing auction. All of these videos can be view after the jump. Enjoy!

Let the Hunt Begin

Wieden + Kennedy is at it again. This time its for the new Dodge Journey.

 
In an effort to help promote the new Dodge Journey, W+K created a modern day scavenger hunt. Teaming up with YouTube help spread the message of this contest, Dodge and W+K have hidden three Journey crossovers across America. Each of the Journey crossovers are located in a different region of the country, one in the West, another in the Midwest and the final one in the East. If you are lucky enough to be able to find one of these crossovers, then you will win it.

Dodge and W+K are utilizing YouTube to not only introduce the contest and explain the rules, but also to allow people to view additional videos including a 24/7 live camera feed of the hidden vehicles, all of which will reveal additional clues. Additional TV spots will break on September 10th, 16th and 23rd. Each of these commercials will reveal details on where each of the vehicles is headed and where it can be found. There will be clues in nearly every frame of each commercial about the vehicles' ultimate destination.

The commercials introducing the Dodge Journey scavenger hunt contest and the rules of the contest can be viewed after the jump.

Watch Out Below!!!

Here's a scenario for you: You have a magic festival coming up soon and you are looking to promote it in a way that no one has ever done before. So what do you do? If you ask Lg2, an ad agency in Quebec City, they will tell you that there is no better way than to play a trick on the audience. That is exactly what they did for the Quebec City Magic Festival.

In an effort to help promote the Quebec City Magic Festival, Lg2 utilized a billboard in downtown Quebec City. Unlike your traditional billboard, this billboard had a little surprise that came along with it. So what is the surprise, you ask? Lg2 installed a giant magician hat on top of the billboard, that had live pigeons flying out of it. Just like a real magic trick! Unfortunately, just like any other magic trick, the secret behind this trick will never be revealed, or at least from the client. The client made it a point to include the following message in their promotional video below, "Like any good magic festival, we never reveal our secrets."      

When Your Past Come Back to Haunt You

Have you ever wondered if something that you did in the past will someday come back to haunt you. For people who enter the political world, this question seems to pop up all the time during a campaign or while in office. But, how often has this question popped up in the sports world, especially to a MLB manager? For Kirk Gibson, the manager of the Arizona Diamondbacks, this is the exact question that he was faced with this season.

 
Entering his first full season as manager of the Arizona Diamondbacks, Kirk made it a priority to banned any items from the clubhouse that could cause distractions, including cell phones, iPads, toy guns and toy planes. Unfortunately, he never thought of placing this ban on YouTube. As a result, a couple of veteran players found an old Right Guard deodorant commercial that Gibson filmed in 1989 and decided to turn a screencap of their sudsed-up skipper into fashionable neck ties, as part of a team-building practical joke. Who were the guilty culprits, you ask? FOX Sports Arizona reports it was the team's closer J.J. Putz and second baseman Kelly Johnson (was recently traded to the Toronto Blue Jays) that concocted this devious plan. While Putz denies any involvement, Johnson did nothing to combat the the accusations of his involvement. In an amusing interview with FOX Sports Arizona, Johnson said the following:

I (made) 40. I wanted to make sure that everyone got one. We got the staff, the coaches ... Anyone gets called up, it's like 'Welcome to the big leagues, here's a tie.        

So what did Gibson think of these comments from his then second baseman. As you might suspect, the hard-nosed Gibson did not find the prank all that funny.

I think they're both guilty, Gibson told Fox Sports. And there will be retribution toward them at some point this year ... I don't aim to get even, but I do aim to get ahead.

It turns out that Gibby was just joking with these comments. It could be that his tough demeanor, has been softened as a result his team's performance on the field this season.

Here is the commercial that created this mess for Gibby and some laughter for the rest of the Arizona Diamondbacks organization.

The World's Worst Driver(s)?

Have you ever had a difficult commute into work? Have you ever been cut off by another driver? Have you ever wondered where the person in front of you learned how to drive? If you have answered yes to any the questions, then you need to watch the following video. I think it may provide some insight and answers for you.

The Great Debate!

Did you have a tough time getting back to the grind today, after the long holiday weekend. If you did, then here is something to help you get your work week off on the right foot.



Who would you rather have looking over at you: her or hungry eyes over there! Let your voice be heard and let the Unemployed Ad Man know who you prefer.

Is it Monday Night Yet?

With the start of the 2011 NFL season just four days away. ESPN has already begun airing its latest round of commercials promoting Monday Night Football on ESPN. This year's commercials provide a unique twist and play on the words of this year's tagline, which is "On Monday night, your only job is watching football." Here are the first two commercials that have already begun to air on ESPN. Enjoy! 

It's Not Crazy, Its Just Another Marriage Proposal!

If you haven't noticed recently, the Detroit Tigers have made their presence felt in the mainstream media this season. First, it started with the team's improved play on the field. Challenging their division rivals with close pennant race, for a chance to win the AL Central for the first time ever. Then they grabbed the honor of starring in one of Major League Baseball's 2011 postseason commercials. Now, Comerica Park and the Tigers are starring in a commercial for ESPN. Like most ESPN commercials, this commercial provides its own twist to a question that is commonly asked in today's sports venues. Take a look and see!    

A Smartphone App That Isn't Meant to be Shared

Is it possible that there is a smartphone app out there, that is not meant to shared. In this spot for Hungry Howie's, that appears be the case. So why shouldn't this fictitious smartphone app be shared, you ask? Well, I will let you take a look and see.       



Now that I have your attention, are you curious to know who came up with the idea for this commercial? This spot was created by DBA Worldwide, for its client Hungry Howie's. Great job, guys!  

New Era is on Fire!

Boston Red Sox fan John Krasinski and New York Yankees fan Alec Baldwin are back to their old tricks with their latest installment in New Era's trash-talking ad series from Brooklyn Brothers. As many of you know, the Red Sox-Yankees rivalry is considered one of sports most heated rivalries. With the American League East division title still up for grabs this season, it is shaping up to be an exciting race to the end, both on the field and in this ad series.

In this latest spot, Alec Baldwin not only finds out just how flammable Red Sox tickets are, but he also discovers just how gullible John Krasinski actually is. Take a look and see!



The other videos from this hilarious ad series can be viewed after the jump.