This Is My…

I just came across this amazing advert for the University of Calgary.  I guess it was video that was made and aired for the Induction Ceremony for new students this semester.  Whoever made this seems like they put in a lot of effort into it.  The actual camera used, the angles, the camera work, the lighting, and production value are top notch.  Plus, I am just fascinated with this whole “My U of C” concept that the university has.  And for this ad to personalize My U of C and the various facets of the University the way that they have is really tremendous.  The cherry on top is Frou Frou which totally sets the mood. 

I think every university should have something like this.  It’s one of those things that I would love to see first thing in the morning while glancing up at a tv screen in a hallway on my way to class.  Sometimes, its these “feel good” things that could change the course of your day.  A good moral booster I think.   

Good on the people involved in this project. Excellent job guys.

V-Dub

Whenever I buy something new, I always like to check out the commercials that are out there for either the specific thing I bought or at the very least the company that makes it.  Like I said before, my dad just recently bought a new 2008 Volkswagon Jetta.  Below is an older commercial for a 2002ish Jetta that I remember watching way back when.  In my opinion its one of the best commercials that VW has aired ever. 

The theme of the commercial is The Wedding or The Big Day in which a guy races to the wedding of the woman he loves (in his super fast Jetta of course) and arrives just in time to crash the wedding right when the Minister says, “speak now or forever hold your peace.”  If you are wondering what the song is in the background, its called “One Million Miles Away” by J. Ralph

Start Wearing Purple!

So I got lost yesterday in the Youtubes of the Internets and I happened to stumble upon the Urban Prankser/Improve Everywhere website.  These are the guys that do live public art all over the world.  Anyways, one of the guys from Improve Everywhere was approached by Yahoo to do an ad for their ‘Start Wearing Purple’ website.  The jist of this add is that a women (an actor or agent as IE terms them) gets on an elevator and begins singing “start wearing purple” by Gogol Bordello.  Meanwhile there’s another agent in the elevator that tries to stir a light reaction from the other two strangers in the elevator.  She sing is kinda aloud to herself until they hit the next floor where another agent gets on seeing that the first agent is singing the song.  Before you know it both the agents begin singing.  By the time the third floor comes there’s a young guy (agent) who’s listening to the song on his IPod very loudly.  All of a sudden all three of these agents begin singing the song and dancing.  The forth floor surprises the strangers in the elevator when a guitarist and a drummer add to the festivities on this weird elevator ride.  As soon the 5th floor (what I am assuming to be the main floor of the building) arrives, all the agents stop abruptly and get off the elevator.  The strangers (and the actor agent stirring them up) are literally floored as they don’t know what just happened.  As they get off the elevator, four other agents get on to the elevator wearing nothing but purple. 

Watch the video below and you’ll get a better sense of the ad.  Its actually a very creative and brilliant idea on the part of IE.  Not only is the song catchy and sticks to your brain like glue, but the fact that they did it live with hidden cameras to total strangers made it all the better.  They ended up doing the same bit 15 other times to various people who were fortunate enough to step into that elevator that day.  You can find the rest of the videos and behind the scenes stuff at www.startwearingpurple.com

This sorta stuff only happens in New York City.

(P.S For all you Y! purists out there, here is the original link to the vid, playing in a yahoo video player which I don’t know how to embed into my blog: Yahooooo!

Nostalgic Molson Canadian Commercial

You guys remember this?

I am not a drinker but I always loved Molson Canadian commercials.  They probably make some of the most recognizable commercials in Canada.  This was by far one of their best.  This is the type of commercial were you can only watch in the winter at night.  Any other time of day or season doesn’t do justice to this commercial.  They used to play this commerical during every commercial break on Hockey Night In Canada.  Brings back some good memories.  The best commercial was by far the commercials they ran from late 94-early 96.  I still remember that commercial:

Buildings.
Blocks of time passing by.
Orographies of unforgettable characteristics
And stone
Bouncing off of back bones buried deep
In your own
Backyard.
Why?
Because
I.
Am.

Ok, I may have not quoted it exactly but keep in mind, the last time I saw that commercial was literally 11 years ago. But the amazing thing is that I still remember it. It was THE BEST commercial I have ever seen. The imagery was so Canadian; Sir John A. McDonald hammering in the last spike, an old clip of the Forum in Montreal, one of the old Montreal Canadians hoisting up the Stanley Cup (forgive me but the name eludes me right now), plus a whole different range of other clips. Each clip was like half a second long and each clip represented Canada in one way or another. Its probably one of the most Canadian commercials ever made. Ahh good times….