Creative: Best Spots – June

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 compiled by Mark Lang.
california dept. of health services/tobacco control section
The threat of cancer, emphysema and death doesn’t seem to faze young smokers. But, says the VO: “Now that medical researchers believe cigarettes are a leading cause of impotence, you’re going to be looking at cigarettes a little differently.” And the smokers watch the butts go limp in their mouths. Hey, this tack might work. Want some subliminal advertising? The lead babe in this spot looks like Lorena Bobbitt.
Title Gala Event
Agency Asher & Partners, Los Angeles
CD/art director Bruce Dundore
Art director Tris Caserio
Copywriter Jeffrey Stamm
Agency producer Michele Essayan
Production co./edit Palomar Pictures
Director Breck Eisner
Music Brian Banks, Ear to Ear
citra
With big-band music and great editing, this ad is an ace. A ball-shagging truck breaks down out on the driving range, and golfers zero in on the helpless driver–who makes a hilarious mad dash out of harm’s way. “Nothing like a day on the range to make you thirsty,” says the VO, calling Citra “the soda with a curiously crisp citrus taste.” Isn’t that Fresca?
Title Ball Shagger
Agency Goldberg, Moser, O’Neill, S.F.
Creative director Brian O’Neill
ACD/copywriter Paul Carek
Art director Terry Rietta
Agency producer Paul Golubovich
Production co. Coppos Films
Director Craig Gillespie
Editor Bob Spector, Bob & Sheila’s Edit World
Sound Stephen Dewey, MachineHead
espn/wnba
Dressed in orange and white, the colors of the WNBA basketball, the WNB-Ays funk band sings: “Monday night. Monday night. All is right on Monday night. Monday night. Say Monday night. Ain’t it right on Monday night?” Hard to forget when the WNBA airs on ESPN. Care to guess what the title of this spot is?
Title Monday Night
Agency Wieden & Kennedy, New York
CD/copywriter Stacy Wall
Art director/director Young Kim
Agency producer Steffi Bender
Production co. Maelstrom
Director Emily Dennis, Mad River Post
Music RTG Music

footaction/adidas
This attitude ad offers Adidas-wearing pole vaulter Lawrence Johnson in action. “How come you haven’t heard of him?” asks the VO. “He’s not a sprinter Sprinters may get the glory, but deep down they’re just pole vaulters who are scared of heights.”
Title Scared of Heights
Agency DDB Needham, Dallas
CD/art director Carl Warner
CD/copywriter Jim Hord
Agency producer Kimberly Grear
Designer Linzi Knight, Red Rover
Production co. Voyeur Films
Director Marcus Raboy
Editor Andy Ames, Panic & Bob
Music JSM

fox network/mLB
Climbing to the top of a large stepladder, a dude grabs a hanging rope and launches himself. Crashing into a wall, he goes thud! Yep. That sounds like Baltimore’s Brady Anderson hitting the outfield fence. It’s a hilarious, twisted way of promoting “the sounds of the game” on Fox. Hey Oriole fans, can you say, “Wait till next year”? Go Yanks!
Title Rope
Agency Cliff Freeman & Partners, N.Y.
Creative director Cliff Freeman
ADs Taras Wayner, Roger Camp
Copywriter Kevin Roddy
Agency producer Liz Graves
Production co. HKM
Director Noam Murro
Editor Ian MacKenzie, MacKenzie Cutler

hefty onezip
Locked in a OneZip bag, a gingerbread man makes a run for it. But, crashing into cakes and bags of flour, the cookie can’t escape his plastic prison. Two elderly bakers watch the mayhem. Great effects.
Title Gingerbread Man
Agency DDB Needham, Chicago
Chief creative officer Bob Scarpelli
Creative director Don Pogany
CD/art director Adam Glickman
CD/copywriter Craig Feigen
Executive producer Greg Popp
Production co./animation ILM
Director Robert Caruso
Editor Alan Chementi, Western Images
Composer Cary Haun, Elias Music

heineken
A golfer hits ball after ball, smashing glass objects along the way. In the path of destruction: a car windshield, picture frame, chandelier, computer screen, lamp, neon sign, stoplight and a huge building, which comes crashing down. “And you wonder why Heineken also comes in cans,” reads the super. Simple yet funny.
Title Golf
Agency Lowe & Partners/SMS, New York
Chief creative officer/copywriter Lee Garfinkel
ECD/art director Gary Goldsmith
Producer Teri Altman
Production co. Propaganda Films
Director Lloyd Stein
Editor Eric Johnson, MacKenzie Cutler
Audio producer Jun Mizumachi, Howard Schwartz Recording

Hewlett-packard
“Scenario #1”: Some kung-fu guys need new uniforms, so the grand poobah–after discovering that the Uniform Hut’s server has crashed –phones in the order. Bunny outfits arrive in the mail. More phone calls bring kilts, doctors’ scrubs, ballet tutus. “Scenario #2”: H-P
e-business technology keeps the Net server up and running.
Title Kung Fu
Agency Saatchi & Saatchi, S.F.
CDs Steve Silver, Curtis Melville
Art director Joe Kayser
Copywriter Rob Jamieson
Agency producer Carol McCarty
Production co. Tool of North America
Director Erich Joiner
Editor Eric Zumbrunnen, Spot Welders
Composer David Livingston, DV8

mastercard
We’ve all been there–in a line behind someone who wants to write a check, but the clerk needs approval from the supervisor. In this spot, a debit card lets a guy avoid the curse of Aaaaaaaal. Nice twist in a cookie-cutter campaign.
Title Paint
Agency McCann-Erickson, New York
Deputy CD Joyce King Thomas
Art director Jay Gnospelius
Copywriter Michael Towell
Agency producer Pam Buckner
Production co. Tate & Partners
Director Baker Smith

master lock
Gilbert Gottfried’s ranting comedy is an acquired taste. People love him or hate him. Put Best Spots in the former category. In this ad, he provides the voice of a Master Lock, challenging “Grandma Nature” to take her best shot. Grannie does, and Gilbert’s got a comeback for each meteorologic indignity.
Title Lock vs. Nature
Agency Cramer Krasselt, Milwaukee
Creative director Neil Casey
Art director/producer Dave Hoffman
Copywriter/producer Pat Pritchard
Production co. Morrison Productions
Director Hobby Morrison
Editor Steve Morrison, Cutters

milwaukee brewers
As a parking attendant struggles to keep cars in line, watchful Brewer manager Phil Garner says to his pitching coach, Don Rowe: “The guy’s struggling. I think he’s done.” So Garner heads over: “How do you feel, Hank?” he asks. “I’m good for a few more, skipper. At least let me get that station wagon.” But all Hank gets is the hook in this clever ad.
Title Hit the Showers
Agency Kohnke Hanneken, Milwaukee
CD/art director Rich Kohnke
CD/copywriter Dave Hanneken
Art director Mark Fairbanks
Copywriter Rob Franks
Agency producer Darlene Stimac
Production co. RYP Filmworks
Director Bob Purman
Editor Jerry Reidel, Independent Studios

nbc
With attendance down in her Thursday-night pottery class, the instructor blames NBC’s Must-See-TV lineup. If you can’t beat ’em, join ’em. The results? A Veronica’s Closet bra/gravy boat and an ER bedpan/Noah Wylie tribute. No mention of Seinfeld, though. How soon they forget.
Title Pottery Class
Agency/production co. In-house
CD/copywriter/prod. Ron Hayes
CDs John Miller, Vince Manze,
Jim Vescera
Art director Alfred Sole
Copywriters Wendy Miller,
Sean Hood, Louis Venezia
Producer David Landau
Director Jeffrey Fleisig
Editor David Harris

nike tennis
In a championship tennis match, players, line judges, ball boys and ball girls all die with great theatrics. “Sudden death tie-breakers. Another cool thing about tennis,” reads the super.
Title Sudden Death
Agency Wieden & Kennedy, Portland, Ore.
CDs Jamie Barrett, John Jay
Art director Arty Tan
Copywriter Jamie Barrett
Prods. Beth Harding, Tieneke Pavesic
Production co. Foodchain
Director Mark Greenfield
Editor Kelly Morris, Joint

nike training
In this moody ad, a boy places a soccer ball on the kitchen table, takes a steak out of the fridge and squeezes the meat, its bloody juices cascading onto the ball. He goes outside and, when the local dogs get a whiff, gets chased down the road. The super reads: “What are you getting ready for?”
Title Meat
Agency Wieden & Kennedy, Portland, Ore.
CDs Hal Curtis, Chuck McBride
Art director Tim Hanrahan
Copywriter Jerry Cronin
Agency producer Ben Grylewicz
Production co. Satellite Films
Director Jhoan Comitz
Editor Adam Pertossky, Rock, Paper, Scissors

Philips
On an oil rig in the middle of nowhere, a man gets a call on his cell phone–his wife is about to give birth. “This is all your fault. I can’t do this,” she says, screaming. While he says useless things like “If it’s a boy, I want to name him Angus,” she is cursing out the world. Finally, she says: “You know that diamond watch we saw the other day? I want it. I want it bad!” Every day, Best Spots thanks the stars above that females have been naturally selected to propagate the species.
Title Birth
Agency Messner Vetere Berger McNamee Schmetterer/Euro RSCG, N.Y.
Creative director Ron Berger
Group CDs Rich Roth, Phil Silvestri
Art director David Leinwohl
Copywriter Sean Looney
Agency producer Sid Rothberg
Production co. HKM
Director Michael Karbelnikoff
Music MachineHead

planters nuts
Munching cashews in the woods, three city slickers see a beaver. “It’s a cat,” says one, “a brown cat.” It’s a marmot,” says another. They feed it, and the beaver carves Mr. Peanut in a nearby tree. It’s not exactly nutty, but the spot is funny enough.
Title Nutty Beaver
Agency Foote, Cone & Belding, S.F.
Sr. CD/art director John Colquhoun
Sr. CD/copywriter Roger Feuerman
Agency producer Laura Benjamin
Production co. radical.media
Director LeMoine Miller
Editor Chuck Willis, Crew Cuts
Sound design Sacred Noise

Powerbar harvest
“When they said I couldn’t make it, I did not listen,” says a woman, running at full speed. “When they told me I was a dreamer, I could not hear them. Well, here I am. And I have the energy and I will catch the bus.” Not just for athletes anymore, PowerBar can help even the weakest survive the day.
Title Bus
Agency Citron Haligmann Bedecarrƒ, S.F.
CDs Matt Haligman, Kirk Citron
Art director Bob Pullum
Copywriter Aaron Stern
Agency producer Rob Sondik
Production co. Fahrenheit Films/Mathew Brady Films
Dir. Jason Farrand, Mathew Brady
Music Gary Remal Malkin,
Remal Malkin Group

Salomon smith barney
This thinking person’s ad poses some good questions: “What will happen in Cuba after Castro?” “Will you ever say, ‘Fill ‘er up with hydrogen?'” What will replace television?” Each
query is answered evocatively, and the filmic visuals are stunning. It’s an intriguing way to sell financial services.
Title Cuba
Agency McCann-Erickson, New York
Deputy CD Jonathan Cranin
Art director Dan Miyahara
Copywriter Pete Jones
Agency producer Sally Hotchkiss
Director Alex Proyas

southwestern bell/Pacific bell
Wrapped in just a towel, stud boy is shaving when the phone rings. Running down the hall, he doesn’t get there in time. Turns out a couple of biddies from across the way are goofing on him. Southwestern Bell’s Call Return service could catch the women in the act.
Title Getting Ready
Agency DMB&B, St. Louis
Chief creative officer Charlie Claggett
ECD Ric Anello
Group CD Greg Sullentrup
Creative director Brad Ashton
ACD/art director Tony Gaudin
ACD/copywriter Anne Strudell
Broadcast producer Michele Morris
Production co. Jon Francis Films
Director Jon Francis
Editor Michael Bartoli, Filmcore
Composer Chris Neilman, MachineHead

u.s. unwired digital pcs
Trapped alone in an elevator with a bomb about to detonate, a man gets instructions to defuse through his cell phone. “Is there a blue wire below the timer? Pull it out,” orders the bomb-squad guy. The man pulls. “Still going,” he shouts. The bomb squader says: “It’s OK. One last step ” crackle static the line goes dead. VO: “Need a phone with longer batteries?”
Title Bomb Squad
Agency Lawler Ballard
Van Durand, Birmingham, Ala.
CD/copywriter/producer Steve Saari
ADs Stephen Jones, Kevin Davis
Production co.Minus 30 Films
Director Jim Zoolalian
Editor Scott Young
Music Groove Addicts