05.11.12

This Week...An Unexpected briefing, Darth Vader, Fresh Start, Gum election, Protect what’s behind you

An Unexpected BriefingAir New Zealand

Darth Vader Disney

Fresh StartWhitelion

Futuristic OOH predicts election resultGum Election

Protect what’s behind youToyota

A very surprising Hobbit inspired in-flight safety video from Air New Zealand.

Air New Zealand is now officially the Airline of the Middle-Earth. To prove the new positioning, and to promote the upcoming release of the Hobbit movie, the Kiwi airline released an hilarious and super well produced in-flight safety video featuring some unusual but well recognizable passengers.

Among the other Hobbits, the Unexpected Briefing features a cameo appearance by Peter Jackson and even by Gollum himself.

The video will be on board Air New Zealand flights from November.

An Unexpected BriefingAir New Zealand

In a bit of corporate efficiency that would make the Empire proud, Disney has taken its Star Wars-themed Star Tours ride at Disneyland and re-cut it to celebrate the company's acquisition of Lucasfilm.

It's basically the same spot, just with a little less vandalism by Vader. In fact, Disney Parks has done plenty of Vader videos, mostly supporting its regular Star Wars Weekend events.

Darth Vader Goes (Back) to Disneyland After Lucasfilm DealDisney

Fresh Start Whitelion

Whitelion, a charity that provides mentoring to troubled young people, is looking to challenge perceptions of troubled youth and encourage businesses to become "Fresh Start Employers“ and provide more opportunities to young people who are working hard to put their past behind them.

The online initiative asks people to go to www.freshstartemployer.com.au and confess the mistakes they made in their youth to challenge the perception that past mistakes define your future.The social media-driven campaign also features a video of celebrities making similar confessions.

In the event that your polling place was destroyed by Hurricane Sandy, you can still vote for president early by smearing gum on the candidate you hate the most. 

Gum election 2012 a street-art project by creatives Stefan Haverkamp, Hedvig Astrom - has put up signs all over New York City, as well as cities in California and Canada (the latter of whose gum ballots won't be counted), with Obama and Romney's faces on them. The signs encourage passersby to stick their used chewing gum on the candidate they dislike the most.

So far, Romney is clearly winning this unpopularity contest. Gothamist quips that the Gum Election “is bound to have as good a turnout as the real one”.

Futuristic OOH predicts election resultGum Election

Protect what’s behind youToyota

New campaign from Toyota Belgium in collaboration with street artist Ernest Zacharevic, to highlight the positive effect on safety of rearview cameras.

On the walls of a parking lot in Brussels, Zacharevic created six unique 3D street art paintings featuring children playing. The result is a dynamic series of realistic installations that drivers actually can collide with unless they take care. They carry the strapline “Protect what’s behind you. Drive with a rearview camera” and are simply signed “Toyota”.

Toyota are clearing pushing their own vehicles that come with a rearview camera but this is a nice general safety piece from them.