Ryan Reynolds is Detective Pikachu
Another week, another delightful Ryan Reynolds ad. After recent humorous turns promoting his Aviation Gin and Hugh Jackman’s Laughing Man Coffee Company, the Canadian star is back promoting his voiceover work in the upcoming animated film Detective Pikachu.
Over the course of the 90-second spot, “Becoming Pikachu,” Reynolds tells viewers how he became so immersed in his character and the world of Pokémon that he lived life at Pikachu’s height and attempted to lose 182 pounds (until doctors intervened).
The spot, which also features an appearance by Reynolds’ wife Blake Lively, has earned nearly 3.5 million views since its Feb. 25 debut.
Sir Martin sets up shop across from WPP
Never one to shy away from a good nose-tweaking, former WPP chief Sir Martin Sorrell appears to be having some fun at the expense of his former employer. Sir Martin’s MediaMonks (for which his startup, S4 Capital, outbid WPP last year) is opening a new 5,000 square-foot office directly across the street from WPP-owned digital agency AKQA in London’s trendy Clerkenwell neighbourhood.
“We decided to move to an old Victorian warehouse in Clerkenwell as it’s centrally located in London, well-connected via Farringdon station and has the right London vibe,” MediaMonks’ London managing director Martin Verdult told Campaign . “The office is equipped with an edit suite, brainstorm areas, social spaces and even our own G&T closet.” WPP, it seems, will just have to gin and bear it.
Coke cuts to the chase with Orange Vanilla Coke
Coca-Cola is going all “fast and furious” in advertising for Orange Vanilla Coke, its first new product in 12 years.
A 30-second spot from Wieden & Kennedy Portland entitled “The Chase” is constructed around a chase scene featuring a Coca-Cola truck, an ice cream truck and a truck carrying oranges. Set to a soundtrack that conjures up memories of ’70s TV shows like Kojak and Starsky & Hutch, the spot shows the trucks careening through the city before coming to an abrupt halt by a crossing guard holding a stop sign.
While viewers don’t see the trucks collide, we hear a crash—followed by a can of the new product rolling to the crossing guard’s feet. According to a report on AdAge.com, the new product’s flavour profile is based on that of orange popsicles.
Pizza Hut delivers on technological solutions
Tipping the delivery boy could soon be a thing of the past. Pizza Hut is partnering with FedEx on a program that will see the latter’s new autonomous delivery device, the FedEx SameDay Bot, deliver pizza in select U.S. markets this summer. Pizza Hut said that the bot will serve as support to existing delivery staff in an effort to improve efficiency of delivery without compromising quality.
According to FedEx, the delivery bot is equipped with proprietary technology that enables it to navigate unpaved surfaces, curbs and even steps to complete deliveries. “Our success is built around the best-in-class experiences we provide to our customers,” said Nicolas Burquier, chief customer and operations officer, Pizza Hut, U.S. in a release. “As we look to advance our business and continue providing experiences that our customers deserve, exploring technology solutions that allow our team members to do what they do on an even greater scale is critical to our success. Testing of the SameDay Bot with FedEx is just one more way we’re looking to the future of delivery at Pizza Hut.”
New study suggests 18% of online ad traffic is fake
When last we heard from CHEQ it was for a quirky ad featuring former NBA star Dikembe Mutombo as “chief blocking officer.” Now the Israel-based “military-grade ad-verification” firm has put out a study that claims 18% of online ad traffic is fraudulent and 77% of fake traffic in the U.S. is “highly sophisticated.” This is from a business that sells safety to advertisers worried about ad fraud, but we do know that ad fraud criminals are getting craftier.
Earlier this month it was reported that crooks had figured out a way around the much heralded Ads.Txt system designed to ensure resellers were verified by publishers. “While many U.S. advertisers believe that they are being exposed to fairly basic and rudimentary attacks, most of the fraud today is highly sophisticated,” said CHEQ CEO Guy Tytunovich. “First-generation ad verification is ineffective in dealing with the growing scale of online ad fraud, including clickjacking, domain and device spoofing and zombie networks.”
