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.”
Gene Hackman and His Wife Are Found Dead In Their Santa Fe Home; Oscar-Winning Actor Was 95
Gene Hackman, the prolific Oscar-winning actor whose studied portraits ranged from reluctant heroes to conniving villains made him one of the industry's most respected and honored performers, has been found dead along with his wife, classical pianist Betsy Arakawa, at their home in Santa Fe, N.M.
Foul play was not suspected, but authorities did not release circumstances of their deaths and said an investigation was ongoing.
Hackman, 95, Arakawa, 63, and their dog were all dead when deputies entered their home to check on their welfare around 1:45 p.m. Wednesday (2/26), Santa Fe County Sheriffโs Office spokesperson Denise Avila said.
Hackman was a frequent and versatile presence on screen from the 1960s until his retirement. His dozens of films included the Academy Award favorites "The French Connection" and "Unforgiven," a breakout performance in "Bonnie and Clyde," a classic bit of farce in "Young Frankenstein," a turn as the comic book villain Lex Luthor in "Superman" and the title character in Wes Anderson's 2001 "The Royal Tenenbaums."
He seemed capable of any kind of role โ whether an uptight buffoon in "Birdcage," a college coach finding redemption in the sentimental favorite "Hoosiers" or a secretive surveillance expert in Francis Ford Coppola's Watergate-era release "The Conversation."
"Gene Hackman a great actor, inspiring and magnificent in his work and complexity," Coppola said on Instagram. "I mourn his loss, and celebrate his existence and contribution."
Although self-effacing and unfashionable, Hackman held special status within Hollywood โ heir to Spencer Tracy as an everyman, actor's actor, curmudgeon and reluctant celebrity. He embodied the ethos of doing his job, doing it very well, and letting... Read More