Greg Ketchum, Executive Creative Director, Ogilvy New York on IBM “Data Anthem”:
In the next phase of IBM's Smarter Planet campaign, we're focusing our messaging on how organizations around the world are going about the business of actually building it. One of the pillars of building a smarter planet is the emergence of data and the ability to harness it for answers to our biggest problems. We wanted to educate business leaders on the importance of data, provide some context for its proliferation, and suggest the enormous opportunities that lie within it. We also wanted to convey to people that we now have the computational power and advanced analytics to see data in new ways so we can make sense of it. Hence, our interest in finding the most compelling, arresting ways possible of visualizing actual data. On a smarter planet, data matters.  read more »

Is America that uptight about showing anything having to do with the LGBT community? Yes, yes we are. (You need only look at the gay near-miss Super Bowl Snickers from two years ago or this year’s Mancrunch spots for further proof.) There’s a spot running now in Canada during the Olympics from Bensimon Byrne for Hyundai that features a play on a lipstick lesbian theme that would never fly further south. Underscoring the current homophobic vibe in the U.S. is that it’s *merely* suggestive of a relationship; there’s no physical contact whatsoever. But Sweden? Proud of ya! (Tip to The Auto Marketing blog.) (Update: Hyundai has now moved its Canadian account to Innocean Worldwide Canada, saying only that the move was to “unify its North American business on strategy, planning and creative.”)  read more »

Here’s hoping the Canadian men’s hockey team can pull out a win tonight against Russia & make it into the medal round where they can play the US again (and possibly win).
(posted by a Canadian)

Teaser for the upcoming Super Bowl XLIV commercial "a whale of a tale"

“Master Driver” seamlessly blends Japanese-inspired watercolor visual effects with live-action to communicate how the Infiniti G series "unites engineering and emotion, connecting driver to road."  read more »

Anonymous Content Director Patrick Sherman helms the first new TV creative for Interstate Batteries since 2007. Sherman collaborated with agency Firehouse to develop the spots, which each feature a hapless driver stranded in a frustrating predicament due to a dead car battery.  read more »

Wanna drive your dream car? You can now.

In this spot you'll find a wide variety of beautiful cars waiting for you with an open door, in the end, all you have to do is pick one.

This ad airs in the following markets - US, UK, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Canada, Mexico, Australia, Japan...Media Buying is handled by Universal McCann.

A unique opportunity to consummate the car lust that has been building up inside all of us since we were kids. It’s a siren song that calls us headfirst into the world of all things motorsport, and it must be answered. Because whether you’re a racer, tuner, painter, designer or just someone who straight up loves cars, there is something waiting inside this game that will fuel your passion.

TBWA/Chiat/Day show us that not all pets are created equal for Pedigree. My fave - that waterbuffalo. Some may call it a bold move to run your debut super bowl ad without a single dog in it, but this is rather to the (selling) point. You can also see behind-the-scenes videos at Pedigree.com.  read more »

It’s great when a job exceeds my expectations especially when they’re high in the first place. Everyone at MPC who worked on the project really did help to achieve this.

Airing Pre-Game

First ever "deaf" commercial during the Super Bowl. Yes!  read more »