On August 16, 1960, years before man had walked on the moon, Colonel Joseph Kittinger of the United States Air Force ventured higher into the atmosphere and saw the world like no human had ever before. When the Gondola (carried by a helium balloon named Excelsior) arrived at 102,800 feet Joe did something simply astonishing that day, he jumped. Plummeting for 4 minutes and 36 seconds and reaching speeds up to 614 miles per hour he fell back to earth before opening his parachute at 18,000 feet. His leap awarded him numerous (and still unbroken) United States Air Force Records, including highest ascent in a balloon, highest parachute jump and the fastest speed by a human through the atmosphere.

Fast forward some 50 years later and leave it to Red Bull to re-open the history books in search of some legendary record just waiting to break it. With the help of Joseph Kittinger, Red Bull and Felix Baumgartner have been preparing for the last 3 years to eclipse the record Joe set 50 years ago. Red Bull’s creative design strategists make the extra effort to revive the wonder and awe of man’s first fascination with space, of free fall and of the unknown by bringing Joe Kittinger on board. It appears to me that this is an attempt to re-brand Joe’s legendary leap with extreme authenticity. What are your thoughts?

Advertising on TV has become insanely difficult with the advent of TIVO, DVR, etc.. as consumers are just breezing through the commercials to get to the next segment of “Real Housewives” or whatever else they may be watching. Agencies are now working harder than ever to make their clients ads better and funnier. We have to make sure we STOP consumers from the dreaded “fast forward” that we all love so much. This simple “break the cycle” campaign is SO obvious that I am frankly amazed no one thought of it before. JWT (the Kotex creative agency) gets props for finally delivering to women and consumers everywhere the obvious…tampon commercials are totally ridiculous! I am posting two cohesive campaigns…the first being my absolute favorite. Enjoy and let’s applaud this level of creative in advertising. Which is your favorite?

UbyKotex: So Obnoxious

UbyKotex: Reality Check (P.S. The irony here is that they actually use a shot of butterflies from one of their other commercials….I guess they are making fun of themselves!)

Fresh off a Grand Prix win in Film from Cannes this past week for the Old Spice spot we posted on back in March, the creative design firm at Weiden and Kennedy released a follow up online this morning. Back as “The Man Your Man Could Smell Like,” former pro football player Isaiah Mustafa returns to “Question” women about the way their men look and smell. Although more CGI driven then the initial spot, the writers at Weiden and Kennedy’s Portland office keep the dialogue as entertaining as ever. Regardless of what the critics say, this new commercial screams “Awesomeness,” and has definitely convinced me to switch from my regular body wash to Old Spice brand. I mean, what do you have to lose besides a woman who may want her man to smell like the man her man could smell like, right?

In a television commercial spot titled Sony “2-D,” Peyton Manning and Justin Timberlake make another appearance to tout Sony’s prowess in the consumer electronics market. This time, instead of standing before a faux-press conference, the pair are led into Sony’s 3-D television department. Donning Sony’s 3-D glasses, the duo are given a brief run-down on the newest happenings at Sony HQ.

The commercial spot showcases Sony’s development of 3-D technology across a wide range of platforms; movies, Playstation 3 graphics and sports games are all impressively displayed. However, after the “spokesduo” makes their observations, the beautiful Sony HQ tour guide finishes with, “After this, nothing else looks as good.” Manning and Timberlake remove their glasses before the tour guide has a chance to stop them, and at that instant, everything (including Peyton and Justin) in the Sony 3-D HQ turns into 2 dimensional cut-outs that collapse onto the floor only to become 3-D again after returning the glasses to their useful position.

In an industry where success is granted to those who are pushing the creative and technological envelope, Sony’s concept behind the roll out and introduction of their new multi-dimensional integration falls, for lack of a better word, quite flat. Aside from under-utilizing two of the most talented men in their respective fields, Sony has managed to make the most entertaining male guest to grace Saturday Night Live in years (don’t believe me? Look HERE) boring. Then, there’s Peyton, the only football player who can speak let alone act well on screen, who has been forgotten entirely for his hilarious casual banter from the Mastercard TV spots and from previous Sony spots to have been cast silent. For this powerful “spokesduo” to be effective, the writers at 180 LA will have let their stars speak as they have done before; comically and successfully.

Where do you see 3-D entertainment heading in the future and how do you advertise most effectively among such a competitive market?