Best Spots: August

Best Spots are selected by Adweek editors from commercials breaking on broadcast and cable television. Call Nancy Sobel at (212) 536-6453 to submit reels or to order this month's collection. The Best Spots section is written by Mark Lang. AMERICAN EXPRESS In England, Jerry Seinfeld can't buy a laugh-his jokes fall flat. So he travels the countryside to learn the lingo, words like banger, bubble, squeak and googly. Along the way, Jerry meets a shepherd, plays cricket, sings in a pub and walks across Abbey Road Beatles-style. Question: If Seinfeld decides to import this English shtick to his TV show, would that make Kramer a wanker? Title London Agency Ogilvy & Mather, New York Creative head Rick Boyko Creative director David Apicella Art director Dave Ladden Copywriter Chris Mitton Agency producer Gary Streiner Production co. Propaganda Director David Kellogg Editor Chris Franklin, Big Sky Music Craig Snyder, Snyder Music BUDGET RENT A CAR A guy named Dan Bryant tools around the beach in a Mustang convertible. As he drives past surfers and scenic coastline, words appear to describe Dan the Man: "Free spirit." "Too cool for school." "No shirt. No shoes. No problem." Well, one problem: Come Monday, the dude has to surrender his rented car and return to his not-too-cool-for-school life. Title Dan Bryant Agency Hill, Holliday, Connors, Cosmopulos, Boston CDs Mike Sheehan, Dave Gardiner Art director Chris Poulin Copywriter George Goetz Agency producer Vic Palumbo Production co. radical media Director Alan White Editor Dick Gordon, Mad River CHEX SNACK MIX Via stop-motion animation, the chips, pretzels and cereal in a bag of Chex Snack Mix form a smiling mouth, then a happy face. The spot takes on the air of a Peter Gabriel video with the munchies. Title Mixed Up Face Agency Campbell Mithun Esty, Minneapolis CD/art director Harry Gonnella CD/copywriter Christy Martin Executive producer Renee Calder Production co. Chelsea Pictures Director Simon Blake Music Machine Head COCA-COLA Sitting on a porch, LL Cool J patiently braids his daughter's hair. She doesn't like it (he's doing a lousy job) and hands him a Coke to make him stop. Although dad gets the soda, the little girl puts the fizz in this spot: Her I'd-rather-be-anywhere-else facial expressions are just right. Title Daddy's Little Girl Agency Rush Media, New York Chief creative director Russell Simmons CDs Anne Simmons, Dominique Trenier Art director Paul James Copywriter Dominique Trenier Agency producer Tony Harding Production co. GMS Director Brett Ratner Editor Robert Ivison, Inside Out FARBERWARE SKILLET WITH DUPONT SILVERSTONE SELECT COATING A guy comes home to an empty house: His girlfriend took everything-the golf videos, the recliner, the lights, even Sparky the dog. But she overlooked the Farberware nonstick skillet, and our hero proceeds to cook up a storm. She returns, however, and takes the pan from him in mid-stir fry. Time for Best Spots film trivia: Which currently running independent movie stars the actor in this ad? Answer: In the Company of Men. No wonder she left. Title She Took Agency Young & Rubicam, New York CDs Howard Benson, Peter Murphy Art director Dennis Stevens Copywriter Joanna Templeton Agency producer Lori Talish Production co. Lovinger/Cohn & Assoc. Director Paul Goldman FINISH LINE A bunch of kids discuss the rules of their two-hand-touch football game. "That light's our end zone. Sidewalk's out," says one. "Five Mississippi rush," says another. Both sides line up to run the first play, but two fat kids call timeout. An ice-cream truck is spotted, and the game is stopped before it ever starts. The ad's feel is street smart; the kids are real, right down to their athletic clothing. Title Time Out Agency 40 Acres & a Mule, New York CD/director Spike Lee ACD/art director Geoff Edwards ACD/copywriter Colin Costello Agency producer Will Wilcox Production co. 40 Acres & a Mule FRUIT BY THE FOOT Confections have come a long way since the days of candy dots on a sheet of paper. But Fruit by the Foot takes a page from the past with its new tie-dyed fruit roll. In this spot, a kid loses his candy to a ravenous smiley face on his T-shirt. Title Stuff Your Face Agency Saatchi & Saatchi, New York Creative director Chris McKee ACD/art director Trip Park ACD/copywriter Glen Levy Agency producer Dani Stoller Production co. Cucoloris Director Tenney Fairchild IKEA A New York subway car gets the IKEA treatment-rugs, sofas, bookcases, lamps, tables, window blinds, even plants. "If IKEA designs can make this space more livable," says the voiceover, "imagine the possibilities for your home." It's a neat idea-and an effective ad. Title Subway Agency Deutsch, New York EVP/creative director Kathy Delaney Sr. art director Matt Myers Sr. copywriter Cheryl Van Ooyen Sr. producer Guy Williams Production co. Crossroads Films Director Mark Pellington Editor Owen Plotkin, Editing Concepts KODAK ADVANTIX With fast cuts and slapstick humor, this ad portrays a couple trying to enter their kid in The World's Cutest Baby Photo Contest. Of course, it's a last-minute deadline and the ensuing mad dash to find the right photo negative is funny. In the end, the couple's entry is a jowly shot of Grandpa, a close-but-no-cigar resemblance to chubby-faced junior. Kodak's Advantix indexing system could have saved the day. Title Baby Agency Ogilvy & Mather, New York Creative head Rick Boyko Art director Susan Westre Copywriter Chris Wall Agency producer Lance Doty Production co. Pytka Director Joe Pytka LAUDER PLEASURES FOR MEN A father and son play on a green lawn near a white fence in front of a blue sky. They chase each other, throw a football and end up quietly resting on a hammock. Louis Armstrong's "What a Wonderful World" provides the voiceover. This visually arresting spot places the viewer in a parallel PC universe, where testosterone translates into a loving hug. Did we mention the Labrador retriever puppy? Title Perfect Day Agency Gorman Multimedia, New York CD Robert Luzzi, Estƒe Lauder Executive producer Eileen Terry Head of production Robert Nackman Producer John Hopgood Production co. Tony Kaye & Partners Director Peter Nydrle LEVI STRAUSS & CO. Not quite sure where Levi's is going with its new campaign, but this ad shows a sense of humor, poking fun at the car chases of 1970s cop shows. The gist: A thief on a Moped steals a Peking duck and a cop presses a taxi into action. The Levi's-wearing cabbie has been waiting all his life for this moment. As the thief putters away, the taxi pursues at high speed, pulling 360s. In fact, the cab has to go out of its way not to catch the Moped. Title Car Chase Agency Foote, Cone & Belding, San Francisco Sr. VP/ group CD Brian Bacino VP/CD/art director Sean Mullins Art director Kim Schoen VP/CD/copywriter Suzanne Finnamore Copywriters Chris Lisick, Susan Treacy Sr. VP/exec. producer Steve Neely Production co. radical media Director Tarsem Editor Robert Duffy, Spot Welders MACY'S WEST Four barefoot legs stride forward in an airport; they stop at a luggage carousel, where shoes slide down the chute. "Summer's almost over," says the voiceover. "Which means eventually you're going to have to put on some shoes." This ad targets the young and restless Gen Xer, who wears Dr. Martens and who wouldn't normally consider Macy's an option for boot buying. Title Summer's Over/Dr. Martens Agency Citron Haligman Bedecarre, San Francisco Creative directors Matt Haligman, Kirk Citron Art director Roz Romney Copywriter Kelly Sopp Agency producers Amanda Doss, Nancy Cardillo Production co. Fahrenheit Director Jason Farrand Music Kinetics Editorial Bob & Sheila's Edit World MCDONALD'S Admit it: The first time you saw the "living" McNuggets, you laughed. These frisbee-throwing, roller-coaster-riding, baseball-playing, beachgoing chicken chunks are a hoot, a smart skew on a product more often seen on a tabletop than poolside. Title Summer Fun Agency Leo Burnett, Chicago Group CD Allen Klein Art director Greg Nations-Powell Copywriter Dominick Maiolo Agency producer Chris Rossiter Production co. Celluloid Studios Director Robin Katz MILWAUKEE BUCKS In the words of the Big Dog, Glen Robinson: "Before the college career, before the nickname and the autographs, there was a little boy who played in the streets and playgrounds of Gary, Ind., just for the pure love of the game. I still know that little boy, and I bring him to the games. And he bangs with the big boys because he still loves the game." Get your 10-pack ticket plan. Title Little Boy Agency Meyer & Wallis, Milwaukee CD/copywriter/producer Tom Dixon Art director Jim Brooks Production co. Thomas Productions Director Thomas Zimmerman Postproduction The Finishing Group Music John Garrett Music SLIM JIM In a wild, animated street-luge race, Larry the Luger takes the lead, detours into a sewer, meets up with a rat and falls just short of the finish line. The only color in this animated ad: Larry's red, spiky hair and the brown Slim Jim stick. Where is product spokesman and pro wrestler Randy Savage, you ask? Don't fret. It's the Macho Man on VO. Title Larry the Luger Agency North Castle Partners, Stamford, Conn. Creative director Hal Rosen Art director Steve Garbett Senior copywriter Steve Mark Agency producer Jack Blanford Animation/production co. J.J. Sedelmaier Productions Music Dusty Watson STAPLES Placing a bag full of back-to-school supplies on the car roof, Mom tries to cheer up her three mopey kids. School is good, she says, driving now, the roof-bound bag starting to spew its contents onto the road. "You get to learn history, science, geography, social studies"-the kids cheer each splattering book cover and pencil case-"and math!" With that, the bag launches off the car, crashing to earth like a doomsday asteroid. And the kids go wild. Title Bag Agency Cliff Freeman & Partners, New York Exec. CD Arthur Bijur Art directors/copywriters Dan Kelleher, Mark Schruntek Agency producer Catherine Abate Production co. Johns+Gorman Films Director Rent Siedon Editor Anne Craddock, Red Car SUN MICROSYSTEMS Using a simple type design, this ad plays on the old children's "Connected" song. Here, the cell phone is connected to the wristwatch, the wristwatch to the TV, TV to the pager, pager to the smart card, smart card to Java, Java to Sun Microsystems. It's a clever and clean way to show that new technology leads back to this Silicon Valley company. Title Connected Agency Lowe & Partners/SMS, New York Chief creative officer Lee Garfinkel EVP/creative group head/art director Peter Cohen EVP/creative group head/copywriter Dean Hacohen Assistant producer Kathy Weiss Production co./editorial Charlex Director Alex Weill TIRE KINGDOM In this spot, a meat truck, with a steak painted on its side, drives toward a field of mooing cows. "There are times when the largest selection of brand-name tires doesn't mean a thing to you," says the voiceover. As the vehicle approaches, a bovine hoof kicks a milk bottle in the truck's path, the glass smashing on the road. "And there are times when it does." Title Cow Agency Fahlgren, Tampa, Fla. Creative director John Stertz Art director Robert Solis Copywriter James Rosene Agency producer Ed Longo Production co. Texas Story Director Ali Selim THE WEATHER CHANNEL In a bar called The Front, weather groupies watch their favorite cable network. And boy meets girl: "You know, I did some weather in college," he says. "I'd probably be on the Weather Channel right now if not for the injury." "Injury?" she asks. "Rotator cuff surgery," he answers. It seems our hero can't raise his arm high enough to cover the whole map. He "can handle the Sun Belt, but anything above Montana . . . forget about it." Inspired lunacy. Title Rotator Cuff Agency TBWA Chiat/Day, Venice, Calif. CDs Steve Rabosky, Jerry Gentile Art directors Chris Graves, Deb Hagen Copywriters Erik Moe, Mickey Taylor Agency producer Cheryl Childers Assistant producer Christy Torres-Pacheco Production co. The A&R Group Director David Ramser Editor Dan Bootzin, Venice Beach Editorial

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Best Spots: August

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