72andSunny orchestrated this playful prank to promote Activision’s new Skylanders game, “Trap Team,” the fourth game in the successful children’s video game franchise.
With a campaign tagline inviting kids to “capture evil” and “unleash good,” the creative team at 72andSunny decided to put a talking, mocking, kid-shocking villain inside a seemingly normal demo kiosk at a Toys R Us in Glendale, Calif., and tapped comedian Adam Carolla to hide in and sound the voice within the “talking” video game console to prank unsuspecting kids. The producers pulled from endless footage of hilarious responses from kids to create a viral-worthy video that launched on YouTube.
Director was Jeff Tremaine of HeLo.
Credits
Client Activision/Skylanders Agency 72andSunny Glenn Cole, partner, chief creative officer; Frank Hahn, executive creative director; Tim Wolfe, creative director/writer; Michael Bryce, creative director; Travis Swingler, sr. designer; Taylor Black, jr. writer; MyTran Dang, jr. designer; Sam Baerwald, director of film production; Dan Ruth, executive producer; Jeff Yee, film producer; Mike Parseghian, group brand director; Torie Gleicher, sr. brand manager; Tashi Oszvald, brand manager; Erica Goitia, brand coordinator; Bryan Smith, group strategy director; John Graham, strategy director; Daniel Teng, sr. strategist. Production HeLo Jeff Tremaine, director; Justin-Moore Lewy, exec producer/partner; Brendan Kiernan, managing director/partner; Tina Nakane, producer. Editorial 72 Studio Jason Lewis, editor; Shawn Kohne, assistant editor; Benjamin Bragg, post producer.
Cannes Gold Lion Film Craft winners “Robbery” and “Funeral” for AXE deodorant were standout ads last year, adroitly blending humor with the brand’s signature edge.
Now, creative agency LOLA MullenLowe in Madrid reunites with Belgian directing duo Lionel Goldstein (Joe Vanhoutteghem and Koen Mortier) to deliver a new campaign for AXE, which explores the theme of sweetness but with an unexpected twist. “The Power of Sweetness” campaign spots subvert traditional notions of charm and kindness, offering a version of “sweet” that’s quite a departure from the norm, staying true to Axe’s playful, irreverent tone while keeping audiences laughing.
In this spot titled “Dog,” man’s best friend is anything but, jealous of an AXE body fragrance-wearing gent who’s courting the canine’s beloved woman owner. We see how sweetness can turn sour when dog takes sweet revenge on the woman’s beau.
Repped by Slim Pictures in the U.S., Lionel Goldstein directed the latest package of AXE spots via Belgium-headquartered production house CZAR.
