Hearing Snickers
By Millie Takaki
Snickers factory workers by day and defenders of old school hip-hop by night. That’s the alter ego storyline in a series of shorts–dubbed “digi-sodes,” short for digital episodes–that can be viewed exclusively at www.InstantDef.com over the coming months. The first digi-sode debuted on June 5. Each subsequent digi-sode will break at three-week intervals, with the fifth and final installment slated to become available in mid-August.
The ambitious project, which teams BBDO New York, Atmosphere BBDO, New York (which created the site), musical artist will.i.am and director Jesse Dylan of Los Angeles-based Form, is designed to appeal to the elusive yet coveted teen market, imbuing Snickers with a new brand of cool. The digi-sodes mesh live action, digital graphics in comic book style, and will.i.am-created music.
The factory workers are portrayed by will.i.am and fellow musical artisans Fergie, Taboo and apl.de.ap. They become fortified with super powers during a mishap at the Snickers plant. But with Snickers-induced super powers comes responsibility–in this case becoming the guardian of original hip hop.
The first digi-sode, The Knockout, shows us the factory workers before they gain super powers as they try to combat–but to no avail–Minister LP, a diminutive yet powerful bad guy who has hijacked the essence of hip hop for the almighty dollar, and Mr. Boo-T whose Boo-T Records is producing commercialized junk, which seems to be gaining the ear of the mass populace.
Next we see our factory old-school hip-hoppers on the job, making Snickers bars in an eerie, futuristic plant. However, a mind blaster contraption somehow winds up on the assembly line and falls into a vat of chocolate, triggering a chain reaction which has the four workers magnetized and seemingly knocked out. We’re left at this cliffhanger moment, having to wait until the next digi-sode to see their fate. But it’s clear that this factory accident could be the harbinger of better things to come in that it represents the origin of factory workers turned super heroes.
The digi-sodes can be downloaded and sent to “homies.” The first episode plays like a comic book adventure, with the promise of much more to come.
“We knew we had to go online to reach teens because that’s where they spend most of their time,” said Vic Walia, Snickers’ senior marketing manager. “But we also know that teens are very savvy consumers so we made a conscious decision to tone down our branding in an effort to build credibility with the online community. We wanted to communicate the Snickers’ brand message in an authentic, credible and contagious way. The Instant Def digi-sodes allow us to do that.”
A teaser trailer helped drive initial traffic to the site. The trailer broke in theaters during Memorial Day weekend, playing in the top 10 U.S. markets. During this month and next, the trailer is also running at the In-Store Sports Network, FootLocker, FootAction and Champs stores nationwide. The trailer can also be seen on the Web site itself, with visitors being able to request e-mail update registration.
“This is definitely a story our audience will want to check out,” said Jimmy Smith, executive creative director at BBDO New York and the creator of the campaign. “We’re talking music, superheroes, comic book graphics–everything that’s pop, wrapped up in an instant.”
The performers naturally dovetailed with and gravitated towards the project. “You know, this is fresh,” will.i.am said of working with Snickers in the creative process. “You mean I can make music, incorporate it into a film that’s on the Internet and wherever else we can get it played? Oh, that’s tomorrow–all the way.”
SAG-AFTRA Calls For A Strike Against “League of Legends”
"League of Legends" is caught in the middle of a dispute between Hollywood's actors union and an audio company that provides voiceover services for the blockbuster online multiplayer game.
The Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists called a strike against "League of Legends" on Tuesday, arguing that Formosa Interactive attempted to get around the ongoing video game strike by hiring non-union actors to work on an unrelated title.
Formosa tried to "cancel" the unnamed video game, which was covered by the strike, shortly after the start of the work stoppage, SAG-AFTRA said. The union said when Formosa learned it could not cancel the game, the company "secretly transferred the game to a shell company and sent out casting notices for 'non-union' talent only." In response, the union's interactive negotiating committee voted unanimously to file an unfair labor practice charge against the company with the National Labor Relations Board and to call a strike against "League of Legends" as part of that charge.
"League of Legends" is one of Formosa's most well-known projects. The company provides voiceover services for the game, according to SAG-AFTRA.
SAG-AFTRA has accused Formosa of interfering with protections that allow performers to form or join a union and prevent those performers from being discriminated against — a move the union called "egregious violations of core tenets of labor law."
Formosa did not immediately respond to a request for comment. "League of Legends" developer Riot Games said that the company "has nothing to do" with the union's complaint.
"We want to be clear: Since becoming a union project five years ago, 'League of Legends' has only asked Formosa to engage with union... Read More