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Wieden + Kennedy’s two-year stranglehold on the Grand Effie has ended.

Instead, the top prize at the 45th annual Effie Awards tonight went to 72andSunny for its “The Vet and the n00b” campaign for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, an Activision Blizzard game. The effort, which also involved roster shops OMD, SapientNitro and Edelman, featured explosive, high-adrenaline ads starring Sam Worthington and Jonah Hill.

In 2011, Wieden collected top honors for its “The Man Your Man Can Smell Like” work for Procter & Gamble’s Old Spice and last year, the shop emerged victorious with its “Imported from Detroit” campaign for Chrysler. This year, Wieden had another finalist—the warm-hearted “Thank You, Mom” campaign for P&G’s sponsorship of the Olympics—but the Grand Effie jury embraced the action-adventure approach of 72andSunny instead. Within 16 days of its launch, Call of Duty realized an estimated $1 billion in sales, making it one of the biggest entertainment releases ever.

“The big idea was brilliantly executed across the paid, owned and earned media landscape,” said Mark Baynes, chairman of the Grand Effie jury and global cmo of Kellogg. “The jury ultimately felt that Call of Duty best captured the principals of marketing cause and effect.”

The other seven finalists this year were JWT’s "Magic Vision" augmented reality app for Band-Aid; CAA Marketing’s “Cultivate a Better World” for Chipotle; OgilvyOne’s credit card application push for Intercontinental Hotels; Digitas/Crispin Porter + Bogusky’s “Small Business Saturday” for AmericanExpress Open; BBDO’s “The Great Paper Airplane Project” for the Pima Air & Space Museum; 22squared’s “Million Dollar Gift of Happiness” for the Costa Rica Tourism Board; and Draftfcb’s “Stories to Inspire Change” for PFLAG Canada.

Other Grand Effie jurors included R/GA’s Richard Ting, OMD’s Jonathan Haber, Ogilvy & Mather’s Colin Mitchell and Sony’s Susan Jurevics. The winner was revealed at the end of a dinner ceremony at Cipriani 42nd in New York.

Each year, the show awards gold, silver and bronze prizes in dozens of categories. A full list of this year’s winners can be found here.

Based on a point system, the Effie Awards also identified the “most effective” advertiser, brand, agency, agency office, independent agency and holding company. The winners in those respective categories were P&G (for the third straight year), Mizuno, Ogilvy & Mather, Ogilvy New York, Wieden and Omnicom Group.

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"If you're wondering where the beef is, we have it, and we'd never deprive you of it." Thanks for the tip, Andy Puzder, CEO of Carl's Jr. and Hardee's! Your straight-faced and earnest delivery of that line in a video message about McDonald's move to drop the Angus Third Pounder from its menu has restored my faith in humanity. Purists might complain that you're co-opting Wendy's classic tagline to zing McDonald's, but purity has no place whatsoever in the QSR world. Just kidding. I hope. Anyway, Puzder shines in the clip as he addresses disgruntled McD's customers, reads some of their whiny tweets and heartily chomps down on a Carl's Jr. 100% Angus Six Dollar Burger. He takes a hearty, executive bite. I can see why this guy is CEO. Also, his signature graces full-page ads from 72andSunny that ran this week in The Wall Street Journal and USA Today. Both the video and print ads prompt folks to visit ReclaimYourAngus.com (don't mistype that) and download $1-off coupons for the Six Dollar Burger. Hmm, let me see … subtract the 1 from the 6, and hey, now it should only cost $5! But it's even less, because, despite the name, the Six Dollar Burger actually starts at $4.49 pre-coupon. Kinda strange ... still, I've got no beef with that.

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There is no one—and I mean no one—less cool than a new parent. The arrival of a newborn instantly transforms the late-night partier into a midnight feeder, and designer duds are a risky proposition in a new world awash in the byproducts of baby's digestion. And friends? They still do brunch, only you're not there anymore.

In its latest Samsung spot, targeting new dads (and women who coo over cute dads and babies), 72andSunny makes a hard left away from pushing the Galaxy S4 as the cool kids' alternative to the iPhone. In it, a new dad is on his own for the first time, trying to swaddle and calm his newborn son while Mom runs errands. She calls to make sure all is well as the baby fusses on a changing table, and Dad answers with the Galaxy's signature swipe of the hand. "We're having a dude's day here. We're fiiiine,” he says, perhaps a bit too emphatically. "You take the weekend if you want to!"

With one hand on the child, Dad can't type, but instead asks his Galaxy to search YouTube for swaddling tips. Voila! With the smartphone's help, he is quickly able to produce the perfectly swaddled son. Dad's relief is palpable, and a self-satisfied smile spreads across his face. The baby begins grinning, too—but for a different (and hilarious) reason.

Since last year, much of Samsung's marketing has been directed to touting the Galaxy as the super-advanced and ultra-cool alternative to that stodgy old iPhone your clueless mom and dad use. In this latest effort (somewhat reminiscent of this 2011 AT&T spot), the techy features are still center-stage, but it's the applicability of these features that is emphasized, not their buzz factor. This audience isn't showing off phone features to be cool or as a symbol of social status—rather, they are using them to immediately simplify their lives.

CREDITS
Client: Samsung
Agency: 72andSunny
CEO/Partner: John Boiler
Client: Samsung Galaxy S4
Executive Creative Director: Jason Norcross
Creative Director/Writer: Matt Heath
Creative Director/Designer: Jason Ambrose
Senior Designer: Allison Hayes
Lead Writer: Jason Pollock
Designer: Robert Teague
Director of Film Production: Sam Baerwald
Senior Film Producer: Angelo Mazzamuto
Film Producer: Esther Perls
Group Brand Director: James Townsend
Brand Manager: Andy Silva
Brand Coordinator: Nadia Economides
Production Company: Epoch Films
Director: Michael Downing
Executive Producer: Melissa Culligan
Executive Producer: John Duffin
Line Producer: Francie Miller
Editorial Company: Arcade Editorial
Editor: Andrew Leggett
Managing Partner: Damian Stevens
Executive Producer: Nicole Visram
Producer: Kirsten Thon-Webb
Assistant Editor: Trevor Schulte
Assistant Editor: Luc Giddens
Assistant Editor: Luke McIntosh
VFX/Animation Company: Chemical Effects
Senior Executive Producer: Sandy Beladino
Producer: Liz Lydecker
Senior Flame Artist: Shauna Prescott
Flame Assistant: Jorge Tanaka
Head of 3D: Mat Stevens
Telecine Company: The Mill - LA
Music Company: South Music
Head Of Production: Dan Pritkin
Creative Director: Jon Darling
Composer/Arranger: Robin Holden
Sound Design Company: Barking Owl
Sound Designer: Michael Anastasi
Executive Producer/Creative Director: Kelly Bayett
Mix House: Play Studios
Executive Producer: Lauren Cascio
Assistant: Hermann Thumann

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Let the games begin!

Sony and Microsoft stormed Adweek and YouTube's Ads Leaderboard in May as both companies introduced their next-gen gaming consoles—the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One—in teaser videos. Both of those clips made the top five this month. But they were eclipsed by a teaser for an actual video game, which took the top spot.

Elsewhere on this month's list, Old Spice nailed down two spots in the top 10 for the second straight month. And Kmart followed up April's enormously successful "Ship My Pants" ad with "Big Gas Savings," which reached less stratospheric but still respectable levels.

Audi of America placed high on this month's list with its hilarious spot starring Leonard Nimoy and Zachary Quinto. And Cruzan Rum also snuck in with its amusing take on laid-back island life.

The view counts, which fell back significantly from their record levels in April, are as of June 5. To be eligible for the YouTube Ads Leaderboard, videos must be marked as ads on YouTube (i.e., they get some paid views) but must also earn significant organic views. See all 10 spots at the link below.

Video Gallery: YouTube's 10 Most-Watched Ads in May

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IDEA: Every mother is a superhero. But when your kid's birthday is fast approaching, it helps to have Batman, Wonder Woman, Superman, Aquaman, The Flash, Green Lantern and Cyborg on hand for some extra superhelp.

Those seven DC Comics characters swoop into action in 72andSunny's new 30-second spot for Target's just-released 50-piece summer collection of Justice League merchandise—everything from sporting goods, dinnerware and lawn/garden items to action figures, sand toys and beach towels that double as capes. Mom helps the superheroes out, too, in a mid-spot twist, and the ad is notable for another reason—it's the first to animate the inside of a Target store.

"Our guests have grown to love Target's campaigns for the signature 'wink and nod' touch of humor we often include," said Frank Crowson, senior director of category marketing at Target. "It was important to feature the Justice League characters in a way that captured our guests' attention with a playful story line that brings their favorite Justice League characters to life."

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COPYWRITING: The spot was a collaboration among Target, 72andSunny, Warner Bros. Consumer Products and DC Entertainment. "We wanted to keep the script simple and straightforward," Crowson said. The ad opens with Mom checking the calendar on the fridge as her son is seen through the window boarding a school bus. Alex's birthday is coming up! Mom immediately calls the Justice League on her smartphone, and suddenly they're all standing in front of a Target, ready to attack.

Inside, they help her pick out Justice League products. Superman uses his X-ray vision; Wonder Woman lassos party supplies; and Batman takes Mom for a ride on a swinging rope. At the checkout, though, they're powerless without money—so Mom whips out her Target REDcard. "It was important for Mom to 'save the day,' so we created a story line to show how she can find everything she needs for a summer party at Target at a great value," Crowson said.

At the end, an action-movie-style voiceover says, "Save the day with the Justice League. Only at Target." The tagline "Expect more. Pay less" is seen on-screen in a superhero-style type treatment. There is almost no dialogue, although at the conclusion, Wonder Woman says to Mom as they walk back through the parking lot together: "I love your boots."

ART DIRECTION: London-based Golden Wolf did the animation, working with Warner Bros. Consumer Products, Warner Bros. Animation and DC Entertainment to render the characters properly. There was no live-action footage shot as a guide; everything was purely imagined by the animators. "A first for Target is always exciting," Crowson said of animating the store's interior (as well as an employee). "We pride ourselves on our in-store experience and environment, and we ensured this was captured as we brought our animated Target store to life."

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SOUND: The soundtrack, Willy Moon's "What I Want," has a harder edge than most Target ads use, befitting the action sequences. "[It] had just the right vibe for this spot, and we are excited to feature him as an up-and-coming artist," Crowson said. "The lyrics 'You know what I want/I got what you need' also felt like a great fit because they convey that Target is the Justice League headquarters for everything guests need. Personally, this is one of my favorite music tracks featured in a Target spot during my time here."

Barking Owl created whooshing, superhero-style sound effects to match the characters' movements and showcase the products.

MEDIA: The spot broke Sunday and will air nationally. A Spanish version will run on Hispanic networks such as Telemundo, Univision and MundoFox. The campaign also includes a comic-book-inspired print spread in the May 31 issue of Entertainment Weekly, as well as in-store displays and digital advertising.

THE SPOT:

CREDITS
Client: Target
Agency: 72andSunny, Los Angeles

John Boiler: Partner/CEO
Glenn Cole: Partner/CCO
Aaron Howe: Creative Director
Eric Burnett: Senior Writer
Jaclyn Markle: Designer
Ryan Iverson: Writer
Helena Yueh: Junior Film Producer
Ellen Pot: Senior Film Producer
Erin Goodsell: Film Producer
Autumn Abbruzzi: Brand Manager
Jaimie Mazzola: Brand Coordinator
Kelly Wright: Strategist
Cecilia Harvey: Business Affairs

Production/Editorial/Animation/Design: Golden Wolf
Ingi Erlingsson: Creative Director
Ewen Stenhouse: Art Director/ Director
Ant Baena: Producer
Norm Breyfogle: Lead Designer
Storyboards: Ewen Stenhouse, Norm Breyfogle and Yohan Auroux
Animators: Ewen Stenhouse, Tim Whiting, Peter Dodd, James Duveen, Carlos De Faria, Sam Taylor, Jerry Forder, Joe Sparrow, Matthew Timms and Isobel Stenhouse
Compositors: Alex Fernadez and Stefano Ottaviano
Designers: Norm Breyfogle, Ewen Stenhouse, Jonathan Djob Nkondo, James Duveen, Marie Ecarlat, Yohan Auroux, Bobbie Jean Litsenberger

Music: Willy Moon, "What I Want"

Sound Effects: Barking Owl
Michael Anastasi: Sound Designer
Kelly Bayett: Executive Producer/Creative Director
Brock Babcock: Mixer

Finishing: Barking Owl
Elexis Stern: Executive Producer
Abisayo Adejare: Producer
Mark Holden: VFX Artist

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It was only a matter of time. YouTube's gurus of gluttony, the EpicMealTime guys, have partnered with the burger pornographers at Carl's Jr./Hardee's to promote the chain's new Super Bacon Cheeseburger. EpicMealTime host Harley Morenstein, fresh off a stint as AdFreak's guest judge of the world's grossest fast-food abominations, joins costar "Muscles Glasses" (aka Alex Perrault) in a series of TV and Web-only clips from 72andSunny unveiling the new burger. The promotion will also feature placement on EpicMealTime's YouTube channel, and customers can reportedly request an "epic" upgrade that ratchets up the bacon count from six strips to 12. The burger's actually pretty wimpy by EpicMealTime standards, but it's good to see that at least one chain was willing to embrace the show's gleeful gluttony. Check out one spot below and another, plus credits, after the jump.

CREDITS
Client: Carl's Jr./Hardee's
Campaign: "Bacon to the 6th Power"

AGENCY: 72andSunny
Glenn Cole - Chief Creative Officer/Partner
Matt Jarvis - Chief Strategic Officer/Partner
Mick DiMaria - Creative Director
Justin Hooper - Creative Director
Rebecca Ullman - Jr. Writer
Sarah Herron - Designer
Sam Baerwald - Director of Film Production
Molly McFarland - Senior Film Producer
Brooke Horne - Film Producer
Matt Johnson - Group Strategy Director
Josh Hughes - Strategist
Latanya Ware - Business Affairs Manager
Sherri Chambers - Group Brand Director
Alexis Varian - Brand Director
Mandy Hein - Brand Manager
Tim Sekiguchi - Brand Coordinator
Melissa Harris - Sr. Print Producer
Emily Hodkins - Communications Manager

Production Company: Christina Productions
Justin Hooper - Director
Christina Ritzmann- EP
Jenny Lenz- Line Producer

Editorial: NO6
Chan Hatcher- Editor
Crissy DeSimone - EP
Yole Barrera- Producer

Online/VFX: Brickyard VFX
George Fitz - Lead VFX Artist
Diana Young Head of Production - VFX Producer

Telecine: Co3
Mike Pethel – Artist
Matt Moran - Producer

Sound Design/Mix: On Music and Sound
Chris Winston – Sound Design and Mixer

Music:
"The Bacon Song"
As performed by Harley Morenstein of Epic Meal Time
Courtesy of Next Time Productions

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1. Gifted Youth
Chris Bruss, president; Dal Wolf and Josh Martin, executive producers; Ryan McNeely, creative director
Head count 7-20, depending upon booked jobs
Clients Pepsi MAX, Old Milwaukee, New Era, GameFly

2.Goodness Mfg./Trailer Park
Rick Eiserman, CEO; Doug Troy, COO
Head count 430
Clients Warner Bros., Microsoft, MTV, Apple, Verizon, Fox, Toshiba, Sony, Capital One, Universal

3.BBH L.A.
Matt Ross, managing director; Fran Hazeldine, head of strategy; Pelle Sjoenell, ecd
Head Count 14
Clients Google, Red Bull, Give Back Brands, Scooter Braun Projects, Los Angeles County Museum of Art

4. CAA Marketing
Jae Goodman, co-head, co-CCO; David Messinger, co-head; Jesse Coulter, co-CCO
Head count Not disclosed but estimated at 30
Clients Coca-Cola, General Motors, Mattel, Diageo, Chipotle, QVC

5.DDB California (aka DDB West)
Mike Harris, CEO; John Minty, COO; Jason Elm, CCO
Head count Around 60 in Los Angeles, 200 in San Francisco
Clients Clorox, Wells Fargo, ConAgra

6. Tool
Brian Latt, president; Dustin Callif, managing partner; Josh Gold, head of film and TV
Head Count 32
Clients Toyota, Virgin America, Keystone Light

7.RPA
Bill Hagelstein, CEO, president; Joe Baratelli, evp, CCO
Head count 500
Clients Farmers Insurance, Mandalay Bay, Intuit, La-Z-Boy, Honda (creative), Honda/Acura Dealer Association

8.Crispin Porter + Bogusky
Sue Anderson, ecd; Jason Gaboriau, vp, ecd; Mason Reed, evp, managing director; Ivan Perez-Armendariz, evp, chief digital officer
Head Count 109
Clients Microsoft Windows, Old Navy, Grey Poupon, Vitaminwater

9.Omelet
Don Kurz, chairman, CEO; Steven Amato, co-founder, president, chief content officer; Ryan Fey, chief brand officer, co-founder; Sarah Anderson, ecd; Sean McNamara, group strategy director
Head count 65
Clients AT&T Wireless, HBO, Sony Electronics, Walmart, Whole Foods

10. Blitz Digital Studios
Ivan Todorov, CEO; Ken Martin, CCO
Head count 110
Clients FX Networks, Walt Disney Co., Red Bull, PepsiCo's Naked Juice, Spinmaster

11.180LA
Michael Allen, CEO, managing partner; William Gelner, ecd, managing partner
Head count 90
Clients Adidas, Sony Electronics, Boost Mobile, Mitsubishi Motors, Robert Mondavi

12.Space 150
Billy Jurewicz, CEO, CCO
Head count 10 (Los Angeles office)
Clients: American Express, Buffalo Wild Wings, American Eagle Outfitters, Forever 21, Target

13.Zambezi
Brian Ford, co-founder, creative director; Chris Raih, co-founder, managing director
Head count 70
Clients Popchips, Champs Sports, 2K Sports, Caesars Interactive Entertainment

14.Mistress
Founding partners Christian Jacobsen (strategy), Jens Stoelken (strategy), Damien Eley (creative), Scott Harris (creative), Blake E. Marquis (design)
Head count 33
Clients Mattel, Ubisoft, Disney Interactive, Lionsgate, Jägermeister, Hampton Hotels

15.TBWA\Chiat\Day
Carisa Bianchi, CEO; John Norman, CCO; Lee Clow, global chairman
Head count 550
Clients Nissan, Johnson & Johnson, Gatorade, Pepsi, Infiniti, Pinkberry, Adidas, Energizer

16.TBWA\Media Arts Lab
James Vincent, president; Duncan Milner, CCO; Eric Grunbaum, ecd
Head count 366
Clients Apple (all products)

17.Deutsch LA
Mike Sheldon, CEO; Jeffrey Blish, partner, chief strategy officer; Winston Binch, partner, chief digital officer
Head count 468
Clients Volkswagen, Dr Pepper, 7Up, Target, Taco Bell

18.72andSunny
John Boiler, co-founder, CEO; Glenn Cole, co-founder, CCO; Matt Jarvis, partner, chief strategy officer; Evin Shutt, partner, director of brand operations
Head count 315
Clients Activision, ESPN, Google, Samsung, Anheuser-Busch, Carl’s Jr./Hardee’s, Target, Sonos

19. David&Goliath
David Angelo, founder, CCO; Colin Jeffery, ecd, managing partner; Brian Dunbar, director of client services, managing partner
Head count 145
Clients Kia, California Lottery, Universal Studios Hollywood, MGM New York New York Hotel & Casino

20.Team One
Paul Mareski, president; Chris Graves, CCO; Mark Miller, chief strategy officer
Head count 300
Clients Lexus, Ritz-Carlton, J.W. Marriott, Häagen-Dazs International

21.Ignited
Eric Johnson, president; Jordan Atlas, svp, ecd
Head count 150
Clients NBC Universal, Activision, Sony Electronics

22. Saatchi & Saatchi
Kurt Ritter, chairman/CEO; Chuck Maguy, president; Chris Adams and Margaret Keene, co-ecds
Head count 400
Clients Toyota

23.Innocean
Tony Kim, president, CEO; Greg Braun, ecd; Brad Fogel, COO
Head count 274
Clients Hyundai, FootJoy, See’s Candies

24.Grupo Gallegos
John Gallegos, founder, CEO; Pablo Buffagni, CCO; Joe Da Silva, managing director; Andrew Delbridge, chief strategy and engagement officer
Head count 95
Clients Comcast, JCPenney, Foster Farms, Valvoline, Toshiba, California Milk Processor Board, Motel 6

Illustration: Carlos Monteiro

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Samsung has innovative cross-promotions with musicians down cold.

Separate divisions of the company—Samsung Televisions and Samsung Mobile—had the two biggest hits on YouTube and Adweek's Ads Leaderboard for June, ranking the most-viewed commercials on the video site during the month.

Both spots were tie-ins with musicians. The former was a digital short film starring Usher and inspired by the title track from his new album, Looking 4 Myself. The latter hyped the early release of Jay-Z's new album, Magna Carta Holy Grail, exclusively to 1 million Samsung Galaxy users. (Never mind that the actual album drop didn't go smoothly at all in the end.)

The Samsung Televisions spot, created by Huge, is particularly compelling. Directed by Rich Lee, it features two Ushers facing off against each other—with a "down-to-earth" Usher seeking revenge against a "celebrity" Usher after fame causes his romantic relationship to collapse. The spot has topped 40 million views since it was uploaded to YouTube on June 13.

See all 10 of this month's spots at this link:

Video Gallery: YouTube's 10 Most-Watched Ads in June

Elsewhere on this month's list, a pair of Despicable Me 2 videos did well (one of them from the studio behind the film, the other a brand tie-in); another PepsiMAX stunt broke through; and YouTube itself placed a spot with an inspiring gay-pride video posted in the wake of DOMA's downfall.

PlayStation, Microsoft and Nike Basketball also show up on the list, as does Dollar Shave Club with the sequel to its viral masterpiece from 2012.

The view counts are as of July 5. To be eligible for the YouTube Ads Leaderboard, videos must be marked as ads on YouTube (i.e., they get some paid views) but must also earn significant organic views. The list only ranks videos uploaded in June.

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Chris Raih wanted to settle somewhere funky and hip with ready access to creative talent when he was scouting a Southern California location in 2006 for his about-to-launch ad agency Zambezi. A view of the Pacific Ocean and the possibility of surfing at lunchtime wouldn’t suck either.

He found his way to the nascent Silicon Beach, a multimile stretch of Los Angeles that grew from iconic Venice Beach to Santa Monica, Marina del Rey and surrounding seaside burgs. The quickly gentrifying area, near the buzzy heart of Hollywood, earned its name for attracting tech startups, budding e-commerce, digital ad shops, and cutting-edge media and entertainment companies.

“This area is an inspiration to us everyday,” notes Raih, founder of Zambezi with his ecd Brian Ford. “It’s progressive, bohemian, smart. It’s completely plugged into trends. And the natural beauty of the beach is another hemisphere of influence.”

Raih’s 70-person agency is in heavy-hitting company. Google, Snapchat, Hulu, Dr. Dre and Jimmy Iovine’s Beats Electronics, business incubators like Amplify and hundreds of emerging technology firms now populate the area. They’re shoulder to shoulder with an eclectic mix of youth hostels, pot dispensaries, bong shops, hot new restaurants and fashion-forward boutiques.

Microsoft moved in about six months ago, and Intel is currently looking for local digs. Facebook outgrew its first office, moving slightly inland to Playa Vista, near YouTube, TMZ and ad agency 72andSunny. Prolific movie producer Joel Silver is renovating the Art Deco 1930s-era Venice Post Office for his production house, and Arnold Schwarzenegger is considering opening an office on artsy Abbot Kinney Boulevard, which GQ magazine has dubbed the “coolest block in America.”

Silicon Beach has become so popular, in fact, that prices have skyrocketed, much more so than in L.A.’s larger real estate market. And with a limited amount of space—buildings don’t reach over 35 feet, and there are no high-rises—anyone not already planted there may have a tough time finding an affordable roof and four walls. “The demand is high and the supply is nil,” says David Thind, a local Coldwell Banker real estate broker. “Sales prices are over $1,000 a foot, some approaching $1,500 a foot. That’s unheard of.”

Thind gets more than a dozen calls a day from tech, media, advertising and other businesses hoping to put their feet in the sand where, he notes, desirable lots can cost “$2 million for a teardown.”

Paul Bricault, a former William Morris agent and managing partner in Amplify, explains that a “startup ecosystem” has burgeoned in and around Silicon Beach. Among the moving pieces: an explosion of angel investors and a steady stream of talent coming from USC, UCLA and other local schools that now foster entrepreneurship. “There’s an influx of capital, lots of recruiting potential, the rise of startup accelerators,” Bricault says, “and it all seemed to happen without orchestration. It was organic.”

After hopscotching from smaller to larger spots in the last seven years, Raih, a Wieden + Kennedy, Portland alum, has situated his agency in a refurbished aqua-green building that’s “shaped like a guitar pick,” one of many quirky architectural gems in Venice. It has storage space for surfboards, bikes and wet suits and a rooftop party deck.

He says the area has lived up to his expectations for strong talent, a sense of community and everyday trendspotting.

“All you have to do is go outside and see what people are wearing, how they’re talking to each other,” says Raih, whose client roster includes 2K Sports, Champs Sports and Popchips. “It puts us right next to the cool kids, and it informs our work.”

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Josh Mandel has been named managing director at R/GA’s new Los Angeles office, moving to the Interpublic agency from 72andSunny, where he’s had the same role for the last two and a half years.

R/GA said it also hired a new L.A. team, Dan Maxwell and Stuart Parkinson from Wieden+Kennedy in Amsterdam, as associate creative directors. The L.A. office is moving to the Samitaur Building in Culver City and has grown to 24 employees, up from four staffers when it opened in January.

Under Mandel’s leadership at 72andSunny, the MDC Partners agency doubled in size and business and won Gold and Grand Effie recognition for work like Activision’s Call of Duty, ‘The Vet and the nOOb’ campaign for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3.

Prior to 72andSunny, Mandel served as marketing director for Nike Mexico and other previous jobs include global brand manager at Nike, planning director at W+K and head of planning at 180 Amsterdam where he led and globally consolidated the Adidas business.

At W+K Amsterdam, Parkinson served as global planning lead and Maxwell, interactive copywriter, on the agency’s Heineken account. Their work on the brand includes the recent Heineken James Bond sponsorship and the ‘Legendary Journey’ campaign which was awarded the Cannes Grand Prix Lion for creative effectiveness this year.

Elsewhere within R/GA’s network, the agency said it hired Kathryn Worthington as head of planning and strategy in Chicago. Worthington had been vp, discipline lead for brand, communications and experience planning at DesignKitchen where she worked with clients like Best Buy, Hewlett-Packard, TD Ameritrade, Wells Fargo and several Coca-Cola brands. At R/GA Chicago, she will be responsible for managing key client relationships, new-business development and talent recruitment. The agency has been growing practice areas like social, where recent work for Capital One and other existing clients is resulting in organic business growth, in addition to work for new clients like Home Run Inn Pizza.

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You plug Google's new $35 Chromecast dongle into the back of your TV set to wirelessly stream Internet video on a larger screen. "For Bigger Fun," this minute-long commercial by 72andSunny, shows all kinds of people doing just that. They watch mainly Hollywood fare (Charlie Chaplin, Austin Powers, etc.) or candid footage from their own lives. In a way, this is the YouTube generation coming full circle, as we can now broadcast ourselves onto our living-room screens and enjoy a stripped-down version of old-school TV stardom. The spot works hard to portray Chromecast as an enjoyable shared experience, though watching people watch TV isn't that exciting. The music, "Zorba the Greek," sets my teeth on edge. It reminds me of the bloody bouzouki that drones on and on and on and on in Monty Python's "Cheese Shop" sketch. Now there's some video worth streaming! Bottom line: Dongle's a funny word. Kind of.

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You would think the epic-ness of a Strawberry Pop-Tart Ice Cream Sandwich would speak for itself. But just to be safe, Carl's Jr. has layered its new ad (via 72andSunny) for the dessert treat with breathless commentary from the blogosphere and perhaps the most awe-inspiring soundtrack around: Richard Strauss's "Also Sprach Zarathustra," otherwise known as the theme from 2001: A Space Odyssey. Can the product possibly stand up to this grand teaser? Judging by the early reviews, yes—yes, it can.

UPDATE: Carl's Jr.'s sister brand Hardee's rolled out a new spot from 72andSunny today—for the Texas Toast Breakfast Sandwich, featuring bull rider and Texas native Douglas Duncan. See that spot below.

Look at Jesus. RT @darrenrovell: Carl's Jr launches its Strawberry Pop Tart Ice Cream sandwich nationwide today http://t.co/ZR265DGhmV

— Dark Skinned Beauty (@_CoDiddy) July 24, 2013

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Just as JWT's longtime relationship with Diageo ends, another one begins.

72andSunny has landed global creative responsibilities on Smirnoff, a brand that JWT had handled since 2000. JWT, a WPP Group agency that at one point handled several Diageo brands, including Smirnoff, Baileys and Jose Cuervo, is now, as they say, open in the spirits category.

The Smirnoff shift came after a review that was mostly a roster shop affair. The other contenders included Anomaly, which handles Captain Morgan; Mother, which has Tanqueray; and Bartle Bogle Hegarty, the lead creative shop on Johnnie Walker and Baileys, according to sources. JWT did not defend.

"72andSunny presented a powerful, single-minded idea that we are confident will help deliver our growth ambitions," said David Gates, global head of premium core brands at Diageo.

Beyond the agency's pitch idea, Gates cited the shop's strategic thinking and "clear affinity with the brand and its consumers."

The assignment includes brand extensions such as Smirnoff Ice. Global media spending on the brand was not available, but in the U.S. spending approached $23 million last year, up from $20 million in 2011, according to Nielsen. Those figures, however, do not include online spending.

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Screaming fans, hammy hosts and live animals make up the centerpiece of ESPN's newest campaign pushing its College GameDay show.

The new anthem spot, created with the help of 72andSunny and launched today, debuts the tagline "Get Up. It's Game Day." This year, the three-hour traveling broadcast is moving the first hour of its regular three-hour show from ESPNU to ESPN proper. The show airs each Saturday at 9 a.m., starting with a special four-hour episode on Aug. 31.

The ad montage, culled from episodes of the show, wraps in more footage of college football zealots than have past campaigns, which tended to focus on short, staged skits featuring the show's hosts. Still, there's ample screen time featuring founding cast member Lee Corso's signature move—donning the heads of team mascot costumes over his suit.

A 60-second version of the spot will run online. A 30-second cut is airing on TV, only within ESPN's networks, along with a 15-second ad featuring Louisiana State University's mascot, Mike the Tiger. ESPN is extending the campaign to social media, asking the show's followings on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to share "How they #GetUp4GameDay."

Some of those submissions will find their way on air, in the form of bumpers and in-show-segments. College GameDay also plans to enlist the help of its revolving door of celebrity guests and their social media followings to amp up fans.

The show's full title is CollegeGameDay Built by The Home Depot, tipping its hat to its main sponsor.

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Public-television purists, look away now: The PBS series Avec Eric which features Michelin three-star chef Eric Ripert was completely paid for by brands like the Ritz Carlton, Cayman Tourism Board and Cayman Airways that were featured in episodes. It also didn’t hurt Ripert that his Le Bernardin restaurant in New York was a prominent part of the Emmy-winning series and spawned a cookbook.

The popularity of that show, created and owned by ad agency Anomaly and Ripert, led to the spinoff of the chef’s On the Table celebrity series which has featured people like actress Drew Barrymore cooking Clams Montecito while just happening to talk up her newly launched wine brand.

The success of the shows, shot partly in Anomaly’s Manhattan agency, has led to the agency’s stake in Uncommon Content, which produces The Reserve Channel on YouTube and makes half-hour series for the Web that it hopes will be picked up by broadcast networks. (Even before encountering The Reserve Channel, Anomaly was charting that course. The agency expects to soon announce a mainstream distribution deal for Avec Eric on commercial broadcast TV.) Sponsors of the show, including Cuisinart and Acqua Panna, get ample exposure, and even big-ticket items from German kitchen manufacturer, Poggenpohl, benefit from the air time. Anomaly just helped to sell 52 of the kitchens, shown in episodes like the Barrymore show, to a real estate developer for a Manhattan project.

Justin Barocas, a founding partner Anomaly, reflected on Avec Eric at the Advertising Week session, “Stars Aligned: Brands & Entertainers Sharing the Spotlight.” He said the initiative underscores the agency’s approach to partnerships amid the changing nature of celebrity cultural currency and emerging distribution channels. The intent, he stressed, is to make “one and one add up to three” for all involved.

“This is an example of new models that are available in original development and (intellectual property). We apply a brand’s sensibility with an original storyline and original development,” Barocas said.

Joining Barocas was John Boiler, founder and CEO of 72andSunny, and Michael Rourke, founder and CEO of New York branded content company hud:sun.

Both had their own compelling case studies. In viral marketing videos, 72andSunny tied the identity of Kenny Powers, a former big league pitcher character on HBO’s Eastbound and Down, to K-Swiss. In the videos, Powers becomes a K-Swiss pitchman, is paid in stock and takes over the company, bringing in athletic celebs like personal trainer Jillian Michaels and fighter Jon "Bones" Jones to get the business in shape. Director Michael Bay and businessman Mark Cuban also make cameo appearances.

“Authenticity is at the center. Entertainment and brands should only come together in an authentic way,” Boiler said, emphasizing the balance of promotional interests. “At the center for us was using free-standing assets of K-Swiss and HBO to get our thing out. When it’s disproportionate, you get pay-to-play, old-school entertainment partnerships.”

One party not benefiting in that loop: Hollywood talent agents. “They’re better at extracting value than building value,” Boiler bluntly pointed out.

For example, when 72andSunny paired Samsung with Jay-Z this summer to distribute advance copies of Magna Carta Holy Grail for Samsung Galaxy smartphone users, it was the artist’s manager who brokered the deal, not his agent. “Our interests were aligned. Samsung is an innovation company bringing out new devices and Jay-Z wanted to distribute his music in a new way.” 

When Mattel relaunched its Ken doll three years ago, it enlisted Rourke’s hud:sun, which created the Bachelorette reality-style Hulu Web series, Genuine Ken: The Search for the Great American Boyfriend. Eight male contestants competed to become the "great American boyfriend" and the show’s first season was judged by Whitney Port, from reality series like MTV’s The Hills. 

The show got media attention in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and on Good Morning America, and on Hulu, it was the third most-watched program for eight consecutive weeks. Rourke, like others on the panel, said promotional support of this kind of non-network programming has to work as hard as content. In this case, social media played a big role.  

“We got Ken back into the cultural conversation,” he said. “It’s so incredibly crowded out there. We needed to come up with great systems of support for Ken and Barbie and we put a lot of digital influencers in it.”  

The session provided a perfect segue to the next one, an interview with Kardashian momager Kris Jenner, who pointed out that she invented and trademarked that term. The session in the Hard Rock Café was packed with enthusiastic millennials photographing and filming her with their phones.

There were few surprises in the self-promotional shilling from Jenner, the media savvy, architect of the family's branding strategies. She did, however, allow that there is a certain “fragility” to personality-driven brands and that TV shows “come and go.” That's something she would know about after her six-week talk show trial run this summer.

“No, it was not cancelled,” she sniffed, a bit defensively for the indefatigable promoter. “It will take another month before I know if it’s going to be picked up. I was just a summer run.”

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Carl's Jr. (aka Hardee's for those of us on the East Coast) has Miss Alabama USA, aka Katherine Webb, indulge a very important "Game Day Fantasy"—something with which she is quite familiar—by messily eating a giant burger in this new ad from 72andSunny. A Buffalo Blue Cheese Burger, to be precise. Seriously, the thing gets all over her. It's gross, and the whole situation makes her look more slovenly than sexy. I get that they're trying for the Paris Hilton/Kate Upton effect, but much like the burger they're selling, it's too much and not in a good way.

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The smart watch—it's not just the stuff of science fiction anymore! But Samsung takes you back to the sci-fi wrist gadgets of yore (or rather, of the future) in this highly enjoyable new spot from 72andSunny for the new Galaxy Gear. Fictional watches from shows like The Jetsons, Star Trek, Dick Tracy and Inspector Gadget remind you just how long we've been waiting for this technology to arrive. Interestingly, in its use of clips from old TV shows and movies, this creative approach is similar to—though in some ways the inverse of—Apple's very first iPhone commercial. Whereas this new spot suggests we're catching up to the watches of the future, that one said we were saying goodbye to the phones of the past. See two more new Galaxy Gear spots below. (The "Evolution" spot is by 72andSunny; the "In the Wild" video is not.)

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As we've mentioned before, Activision and Interscope brought together two of its juggernaut franchises—Call of Duty and Eminem—for a cross-marketing push promoting the game's new Ghosts title and the rapper's upcoming album MMLP2 (short for Marshall Mathers LP 2). Today, the music video rolled out for Eminem's song "Survival," which is on the Call of Duty: Ghosts soundtrack. The video, which is a collaboration with Activision agency 72andSunny, is basically a four-and-a-half minute commercial for the game, with footage from it sprinkled throughout. (Ant Farm supplied the gameplay footage for the spot.) Eminem worked with Activision in 2009 on Modern Warfare 2 and in 2010 on Black Ops. For much more on the partnership, check out Sam Thielman's earlier story, linked above. For the video, see below (warning: explicit lyrics).

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IDEA: What happens here, stays here … particularly if the city crumbles to the ground.

72andSunny travels to a bombed-out Las Vegas for its latest jaw-dropping, live-action trailer, breaking Nov. 2, for Activision's Call of Duty. This spot, for Ghosts, the 10th game in the franchise, marks the fourth year of the theme "There's a soldier in all of us." The ads have been creatively stellar for years—from TBWA's 2010 Black Ops spot with Kobe Bryant and Jimmy Kimmel through 72's trailers for Modern Warfare 3, with Jonah Hill and Sam Worthington, and Black Ops II, with Robert Downey Jr. They've also been enormously effective, winning 2013's Grand Effie and Adweek's Brand Genius award for Activision CMO Tim Ellis.

The new spot, "Epic Night Out," follows the same general creative path as the earlier spot—unexpected celebrity cameo, potent music, flashy action that mimics the emotion of playing the game—but brings new insights, new toys and a new tone supplied largely by a Frank Sinatra soundtrack.

"Each year we want to shock and awe our audience and the world," said Ellis. "And we feel like this is the best work we've ever done."

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COPYWRITING: Squads play a key role in Ghosts, emphasizing teamwork. So, the script for the spot quickly became about camaraderie.

Early on, the creatives stumbled upon the Sinatra track "I'm Gonna Live Till I Die," which put them in a Rat Pack mood. Part of the game is set in Vegas as well. So those two things "almost led us to the storyline," said 72andSunny chief creative officer Glenn Cole. "It will be a night out in Vegas, you and your buddies having a great time. Crazy shit happens, and you wake up the next day and go, 'Holy hell, that was the best night of the year. Let's do that again!' Which is just like playing Call of Duty with your friends."

Indeed, in the spot, four friends race around Sin City, battling snipers, tanks and choppers before finding themselves in other parts of the world and beyond. (They're briefly transported to the Arctic and to outer space, among other locales.) At one point, on a Caracas rooftop, they run into Megan Fox. "How you doing?" one of the guys asks, acting cool. She pushes him aside and blasts a hovering robot out of the sky. "Great. Thanks for asking," she replies. (That's almost the sum total of dialogue.)

The Hangover was clearly a reference point. Said Cole: "The story arc of ending up at [Mike] Tyson's house at 5 in the morning and some crazy shit's going on—our equivalent of that in the spot is, 'Wow, are we in space having a gunfight? Awesome!' "

The scripting of individual scenes involved "a matrix of things," he added. They had locations in mind that would capture the scale and scope of the game. They had specific vehicles and guns they wanted to highlight. "And then, we were looking to build personality moments and connections between our guys," said Cole.

At the end, the four guys walk triumphantly in front of fountains at a scarred casino as the tagline appears: "There's a soldier in all of us."

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FILMING/TALENT: Director James Mangold shot the spot over seven days, re-creating Vegas on the Warner Bros. lot and filming the Arctic scenes at an airport in Burbank, Calif., and the space footage on a blue screen.

For the friends, the agency looked for a mix of ethnicities and types—alpha male, prankster, etc. "We thought about the pros and cons of having four guys you know, or four guys you don't know," said Cole. "I think an important question with these [ads] is: At what point might a famous personality overshadow the story we're trying to tell, or the connection we're trying to make? This year it's four guys you probably haven't seen, even though they've had roles in Hollywood."

Fox's scene is all of 10 seconds long, but she's the first woman to be the lead celebrity in a Call of Duty spot. "She's fun, she's sexy, she's cool, she's badass, she's recognizable around the world. And the role was fun," said Cole.

"Video gaming isn't just about dudes today," said Ellis, adding that he generally looks for "unpredictable" stars who don't do a lot of ads.

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SOUND: The Sinatra song has "a fun, swaggery, Ocean's Eleven feeling," said Cole. It's lyrically perfect, yet more stylish and less aggressive than past COD soundtracks with AC/DC and the Rolling Stones. "Let's face it, Frank is cool. He's timeless," said Ellis. Sound design was crucial, too, to make the earth shake and the guns blaze.

MEDIA: The spot breaks as a :90 this weekend on Saturday Night Live and will also run as a :60. Other Ghosts ads this year have included a teaser trailer, an Eminem music video and, for the first time, a minicampaign called "Call of Duty Time" celebrating consumer excitement around the launch.

"Even people who will never buy our game, I want them talking about our advertising and our product," said Ellis. "That is the way you build a cultural juggernaut that sustains itself year after year."

THE SPOT:

CREDITS
Client: Activision Publishing
Product: Call of Duty: Ghosts
Spot: "Epic Night Out"
CEO: Eric Hirshberg
EVP, Chief Marketing Officer: Tim Ellis
SVP, Consumer Marketing: Todd Harvey
Sr. Director, Consumer Marketing: Matt Small
Director, Consumer Marketing: Carolyn Wang
Consumer Marketing Manager: Karen Starr
Associate Consumer Marketing Manager: Andrew Drake
 


Agency: 72andSunny

Chief Creative Officer: Glenn Cole
Executive Creative Director: Frank Hahn

Creative Director, Writer: Josh Fell

Creative Director, Designer: Rey Andrade

Lead Writer: Jed Cohen
Lead Designer: Jeremy Wirth 

Writer: Matt Spicer
Designer: Will Lindberg
Chief Production Officer: Tom Dunlap
Director of Film Production: Sam Baerwald
Executive Producer: Dan Ruth
Senior Producer: Eric Rasco

Director of Business Affairs: Christine Claussen
Business Affairs manager: Jennifer Jahinian
Group Brand Director: Mike Parseghian
Brand Director: Luke Lamson

Brand Manager: John Moloney
Brand Coordinator: Justin Gonzaga

Production Company: Aero Film
Director: James Mangold
DP: Kramer Morgenthau
Executive Producer: Lance O'Connor
Line Producer: Mary Church

Editorial: Union Editorial
Editor: Jono Griffith

Jr. Editor: Jason Lucas

Executive Producer/President: Michael Raimondi

Senior Producer: Joe Ross

Visual Effects: The Mill Los Angeles
Exec Producer: Sue Troyan
Producer: Leighton Greer
Coordinator: Antonio Hardy
Creative Director: Robert Sethi
2D Lead Artists: Chris Knight / Daniel Thuresson
3D Lead Artists: Felix Urquiza - Assets / Chris Bayol - Lighting / Jacob Bergman – Animation / Ashraf Ghoniem – FX / Thom Price – Matte Painting
Colorist: Adam Scott

Production Designer: Todd Cherniawsky

Mix: Lime Audio post
Mixer: Rohan Young
Assistant: Jeff Malen

Sound Design: The Formosa Group
Supervising Sound Designer: Per Hallberg

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Two agencies took top honors at the 2013 Jay Chiat Awards for Strategic Excellence in Advertising during the 4A's fourth annual strategy festival.

72andSunny won a grand prix for its work on Samsung Galaxy—namely "The next big thing is already here" campaign knocking Apple's zealous fanbase. Samsung won gold in the national strategy category for the same campaign.

JWT Cairo also won a grand prix for its work on Vodafone Egypt's "How to make small seem big," which gave local grocers in the country pre-paid calling cards to pass along to customers—capitalizing on a common practice of giving away small items instead of change. The campaign won gold in the product/service creation category.

The two other gold winners this year went to the team of Bartle Bogle Hegarty, New York and Deep Focus for Cole Haan's "Chelsea Pump" campaign, and Ogilvy & Mather, Bangkok for the Thai Health Promotion Foundation's "Smoking Kid" campaign.

Last year, no grand prix were awarded, but the show handed out 10 gold prizes.