Ad of the Day: JCPenney Has Store Shoppers Surprise Complete Strangers With Gifts

Is giving to others the greatest gift of all?

Even the sourest Scrooge might admit the idea has merit after checking out JCPenney's #JustGotJingled campaign from EVB and Victors & Spoils.

In the video below, JCP staffers approach customers and offer them the chance to "buy" presents for their fellow shoppers. The givers get to choose the lucky recipients (who must be strangers) and tell them they can pick out gifts for themselves from any department in the store. JCP picks up the tab—and there are no price limits or any other restrictions. The recipients are, understandably, surprised and incredulous at first. But once the offer sinks in, the smiles spread—and in some cases, the tears begin to flow.

"We didn't want to follow the obvious formula of a retailer surprising people with free gifts to prove that they are generous," says Debra Berman, JCP's chief marketer. "We wanted to go deeper with a pay-it-forward idea and prove that people—specifically, our customers—are generous, and when given the opportunity, they would make amazing things happen."

The video was filmed last month at stores in Illinois and Indiana. The most expensive items given away were sofas and a wedding ring, though some folks picked out relatively inexpensive, functional products like jeans and shoes. "Even small things like that received a big reaction," says Berman, "because they were things the receiver really needed."

Yes, grinches, it's mainly a feel-good marketing ploy from a struggling retailer. Still, the emotions on display are genuine, and the video goes a long way toward capturing the true spirit of the holidays. (There's also a website where JCP has begun sharing random acts of kindness gleaned from social media.)

The effort lacks the scope of TD Bank's #MakeTodayMatter campaign, which funded local activists' efforts to help their communities. Even so, #JustGotJingled is poignant in its own right. "The idea of having to give something to a complete stranger can be very scary," Berman says. "And it's that vulnerability that made this experiment so real and interesting. It brought out emotions in both the giver and the receiver."

It's pretty clear that the givers feel they've received something wonderful, too.

Suck it, Harvey Nichols!

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Ad People Are the World’s Bravest, Say Firefighters, Astronauts and Bomb Disposal Experts

Yes, disposing of bombs is stressful. So is operating on someone's brain, or rocketing into the endless void of space. But none of those things require quite as much courage as advertising, where only the truly fearless succeed.

That's according to Wieden + Kennedy's amusing call for entries campaign for the 2015 Andy Awards, which is seeking your bravest work for its next show. Check out three films below, in which practitioners from supposedly daunting fields tip their hats to advertising people—the world's real heroes.

There are also display and social media ads that show extremely courageous ad creatives Gerry Graf, Dan Wieden, Susan Hoffman and Jeff Benjamin being mock-congratulated by people who are almost, but not quite, as courageous as they.

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The point, of course, is that this is just marketing—no one is saving lives. And yet, in less dramatic form, you do need courage to do breakthrough work, even if scientists, scholars and soldiers aren't going to pat you on the back and salute your valor.

W+K's Colleen DeCourcy is the 2015 Andys chair. "Colleen and the talented team at W+K captured the spirit of bravery by using humorous situations for creatives to be inspired," says Gina Grillo, president & CEO of The International Andy Awards. "Caring about the work and approaching it with passion and bravery is what we want to see more of, and with that comes fame, glory and quite possibly an Andy for your award shelf."

You can also test your bravery over on the Andys website.

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1-800-Contacts Ran the Perfectly Goofy Ad on ‘Eaten Alive’ Last Night

Those who were disappointed that Paul Rosolie wasn't completely and totally eaten alive by the snake on Discovery Channel's Eaten Alive last night got a consolation prize—this comical ad for 1-800-Contacts, which aired on the telecast and did show a guy properly (if cartoonishly) devoured by a snake.

The plot of the ad, by Pereira & O'Dell, was a total coincidence. And in fact, the company originally planned to break the ad in January. But after hearing about the Discovery special, it was moved up to Sunday's broadcast—and the agency tells us the voiceover was even tweaked to tie into the show (specifically, the part where the snake-eaten dude murmurs, "I hope this makes me famous.")

1-800-Contacts also had some fun on Twitter last night.

At least in our spot, someone was actually inside the snake! #EatenAlive #NeverRunOutOfContacts http://t.co/Zzy8EENe2b

— 1-800 Contacts (@1800CONTACTS) December 8, 2014

CREDITS

Client: 1-800-Contacts

Agency: Pereira & O'Dell

Chief Creative Officer: P.J. Pereira

Vice President, Executive Creative Director: Jaime Robinson

Creative Directors: Jason Apaliski, Robert Lambrechts

Art Directors: Tim Delger, Brett Beaty

Copywriter: Katie Brinkworth, Simon Friedlander

Account Director: Ashley Brown

Associate Strategy Director: Molly Cabe

Strategic Planner: Beth Windheuser

Vice President, Media Strategy: Joshua Brandau

Vice President, Production: Jeff Ferro

Senior Broadcast Producer: Elisa Moore

Director of Business Affairs: Jaime Szefc

Production Company: Epoch

Director: Phil Morrison

Director of Photography: Reed Morano

Executive Producer: John Duffin

Producer: Phillip Rose

Editorial Company:

Arcade Edit

Editor – Greg Scruton

Assistant Editor – John Gallagher/Ryan Andrus

EP/Managing Partner – Damian Stevens

EP – Nicole Visram

Producer – Gavin Carroll

Visual Effects, Timber

Jonah Hall & Kevin Lau – Creative Director's / Partners

Chris Webb – EP

Damian Stevens – Managing Director/Partner

Michael Theurer – Head of Production

Chris Homel – Lead Smoke Artist

Austin Hickman-Fain – Assistant Smoke

Emily Avoujageli – Producer

Music: Future Perfect

Executive Producer: Maxwell Gosling

CG Animation: Laundry

Creative Director: Anthony Liu

Creative Director: PJ Richardson

Executive Producer: Michael Bennett

Producer: Kirsten Collabolletta

Art Director: Anthony Maiuri

Modeling/Texturing/Lighting: Herman Kim, Yang Liu

3D Animation: Herman Kim, Yang Liu

Compositing: Ted Gore, Yang Liu

Sound: 740 Sound,

Sound Designer:

740 Sound, John Martin

Executive Producers:

Scott Ganary

Mix: One Union

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Burger King Surprised Apartment Hunters With One Whopper of a Kitchen Upgrade

If you're apartment hunting for a three bedroom/two bath/one Burger King, this might be the spot for you.

Spanish agency La Despensa equipped a tasty pad in downtown Madrid with a BK kitchen and menu counter for a stunt touting the arrival of the chain's home delivery service. You've got familiar brand signage, colorful meal displays and even some guy named Michael, dressed in a BK uniform, ready to take your order.

Because the agency listed the unit on local real-estate websites for roughly half its market value, "we had around 800 calls in five days asking to see the place," La Despensa creative director Luis Monroy tells AdFreak. Hidden cameras recorded the reactions of prospective tenants, who seem amused and pretty psyched about the experience.

"It took around three days to assemble the restaurant after weeks of searching for the perfect place," Monroy says. "Can you imagine what it's like to carry up all the kitchen tools, digital screens for the menu-board … and the bar of 300 kilos to the third floor with no elevator?" Members of the marketing team, production company and agency all pitched in to help with the heavy lifting.

Of course, authentic BK cuisine was served. "It is a much more complete experience with a Whopper in your hands," Monroy says. Soon after it finished the video, La Despensa (which translates to "The Pantry"—perfect, right?), the apartment, which really had been on the market, was snapped up, "unfortunately without the restaurant, and at a higher price."

This well done prank manages to stay on-point and satisfy without seeming overcooked. And that's kind of rare in this category.

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An 18-Wheeler Jumps Over a Racecar in EMC’s Gnarly, Record-Setting Stunt

Data storage and cloud computing company EMC, which sponsors Formula 1 racing, recently sent an 18-wheeler careening over a racecar in an epic, world-record setting jump … because awesome.

It's one of those records you have to see to believe because large trucks are not known for their grace, outside of Jean-Claude Van Damme videos, or their jumping capability.

EMC is a technical partner for the Lotus F1 team. And it's made a ton of pretty videos about its role in designing the E22 car that meets the new F1 regulations and the technical services it provides the team. It's pretty good content.

But the big rig jumping over an F1 car? That's been viewed 10 million times in just a few weeks. Not to mention there's a behind-the-scenes video where you learn fun facts like how they gutted the interior of the semi to make sure it wouldn't catch on fire, and get to watch the door fly open on the big rig while the driver, who is in some awesome space-age bungie harness almost falls out.

You can even see stunt driver, Martin Ivanov, spin the F1 car out after the jump and say it was scary. But also, joy and happiness.

EMC is no stranger to the world record breaking model of viral advertising. In 2011, it fit 26 people inside a Mini Cooper. In 2013, it sent Parker Liautaud on a record-breaking walk—he became the youngest man to walk unsupported 397 miles to the South Pole.

Neither of those stunts received nearly as many views. I guess it just goes to show that when it comes to world records, not all are created equal.

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Carl Nelson France – 3 Tips for Great Copywriting on E-Mail

E-mail marketers professional use a variety of strategies to improve their effectiveness of the campaigns, but one area, usually overlooked is what fills the page–the copy you write.

Whether your a novice or a pro, it’s always crucial to improve your editorial skills and make sure your marketing communications contains valuable information. Good copy also helps your reader understand your offer. These copywriting tips are ones that pros use.

#1: Know your audience.

Who is going to see this e-mail? Try to picture the average person you reach. Give that person a name. What is their day like? Think about what is important to them. What are their passions? There Age? What services or products do they purchase and why? The more you know, the more targeted and relevant your copy will be.

#2: Determine your value proposition.

You should know the answers to the key questions: Why should you have your customer buy service or product? What is it in it for them? Why is your offer better than the one down the street?

#3: Find a unique selling proposition.

The more your offer stands out from your competition, the better your chances will be of getting a response. The USP is defined as a promotion that offers “something that competitors do not.

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The World’s Saddest Clown Pines for Love in This Bleak, Beautiful Ad for Flower Delivery

Ladies and gentlemen, now appearing in the center ring … a sad-ass clown with a heavy case of unrequited love.

The unhappy hero of this bleak but beautiful 75-second ad for Danish flower-delivery service Interflora tries letters, balloons and gifts to charm the object of his affection—an aerial artist who is apparently the shining star of this particular show. But something goes wrong every time, and she barely knows he's alive.

Brandhouse in Copenhagen created the spot, which lots of deft touches that underscore the clown's despair, such as the moody interplay of muted light and shadow, and shots of shabby wood-paneled circus trailers.

"The idea was to find the most heartfelt situation with the deepest possible feelings," agency creative director Mikkel Elung tells AdFreak.

"We needed to find a person who would have the most difficulties in expressing his love. And we couldn't find a better character than a clown who is in love with the beautiful circus ballerina. They are miles apart in every possible way, and traditionally they are not meant to be together, which increases the drama."

Shot in dull hues by Bacon director Martin Werner—with a downer soundtrack by Louise Alenius—the cinematic effort oozes melancholia (this is Denmark, after all), but it's also memorably affecting.

"We think there is hope," says Elung, "we just stop the story before it becomes advertising. The idea is to tap into every human's experience with how difficult it can be to express your feelings to the love of your life." What's more, he adds, "it's a tribute to real life and to the ones that keep trying—and a reminder that Interflora is here to help."

If roses don't do the trick, maybe the clown can take voice lessons and impress her with an aria or something. (That worked out great in Pagliacci. Didn't it?) Or if he really can't stand the pain, ol' baggy pants can always quit the Big Top, hit the highway in his comically small clown car and work birthday parties instead.

Actually, according to Elung, the clown was spared an even crappier fate in the final edit. "We had planned to incorporate an elephant in the commercial. It was on set, and we got a lot of footage of it," he says. "But in all the usable scenes, it had a tendency to poop, so we ended up cutting that out."

CREDITS

Client: Interflora

Agency: Brandhouse

Creative Director: Mikkel Elung

Art Director: Sigurd Bjerre

Copywriter: Simon Kragh

Director: Martin Werner

Production Company: Bacon

Producer: Malene Dyhring

DOP: Lasse Frank

Editor: Rasmus Gitz-Johansen

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