SVP Global Director Creative Excellence @McCann_MW, former Creativity Editor @AdAge
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Articles by Ann-Christine Diaz
Coors Banquet beer launches campaign to back firefighters in wildfire season
While Molson Coors brand Coors Banquet has drawn the spotlight for its recurring role in the popular Netflix series "Cobra Kai," the brew today steps out with a more serious push during yet another treacherous wildfire season in the U.S. The Chicago-based brand today calls attention to climate change and the wildfires that have increasingly ravaged the country with “Protect Our Protectors,” a new program designed to support the nation’s wildland firefighters.
Chicago brands its own water in campaign from Quality Meats
Chicago—famous for its architecture, hot dogs, pizza—and now—water? Today, the Windy City unveiled a new “product,” Chicagwa, an H20 brand promising to bring thirst-quenching freshness, straight from Lake Michigan, to its denizens and visitors. The potable, which comes in cans featuring vibrant artwork from local artists, is actually a new campaign to promote Chicago, commissioned by the office of Mayor Lori Lightfoot and created out of local agency Quality Meats.
Toyota Super Bowl ad for Tundra pickup has famous Joneses and a Jonas
“Jones” may be one of the world’s most common last names, but it’s an emblem of star power in one of Toyota’s Super Bowl ads this year, which is packed with celebrities bearing that moniker. The halftime ad promoting the Toyota Tundra stars actors Tommy Lee Jones, Leslie Jones, Rashida Jones plus one anomaly -- Joe Jonas, driving the truck in a hilarious all-terrain race. And it’s all set to the classic 1965 tune, “It’s Not Unusual,” sung by none other than Tom Jones.
Chevy resurrects ‘baseball, hot dogs, apple pie’ jingle in the form of a Guy Fieri dish
In 1974, Campbell Ewald copywriter James Hartzell conceived the phrase, “baseball, hot dogs, apple pie and Chevrolet,” which became the basis of one of the most iconic car ads of all time. Now, Chevrolet is bringing back that famous line -- in the form of a Guy Fieri dish. The General Motors brand, along with ad agencies Commonwealth/McCann and Weber Shandwick, partnered with the restaurateur and TV host to create the first-ever Apple Pie Hot Dog, which it’s introducing on Aug.
Ford classics go electric in Chloé Zhao-directed Olympics ad
Ford Motor Co. tapped Oscar-winning director Chloé Zhao to tell the story of how its “electrified” classic cars are shaping the brand’s future in a new Olympics ad from Wieden+Kennedy New York. Zhao, repped out of Caviar for commercials, captures scenes of how the electric versions of its most popular and famous vehicles -- the F150 Lightning, the Mustang Mach E and the ETransit -- are helping to improve the lives of everyday Americans in new ways.
Beer maker Corona rewards fishermen for ‘catching' plastic
Mexican beer brand Corona has long been associated with the ocean and beach life. But pollution puts those areas increasingly under threat. That's the inspiration for this unusual event the brand recently held in Mexico — the "Plastic Fishing Tournament." The contest, created by advertising agency We Believers, challenged local fishermen to go out to seas not to catch fish, but to retrieve plastic waste.
McDonald's to more than double ad spending with diverse-owned firms
McDonald’s is promising to more than double its U.S. investment in diverse-owned media companies, production shops and content creators by 2024. Over the next four years, it will increase its U.S. advertising spending with platforms owned by Black, Hispanic, Asian American, female and LGBTQ people from 4% to 10%. Additionally, the world’s largest restaurant company will be forming multi-year partnerships with diverse-owned media entities.
McDonald's offers Big Mac and fries NFTs-but you can't buy them
Are NFTs over yet? In the world of fast food, apparently not. Following in the footsteps of Taco Bell and Pizza Hut, McDonald’s is the latest restaurant chain to drop its own collection of non-fungible tokens.
Former McDonald's exec's firm snapped up by Vice Media
VICE Media Group today announced its acquisition of PLTFRMR, the brand consultancy formed last November by Chris Garbutt, former TBWA\Chiat\Day global creative chief, and Colin Mitchell, who previously served as McDonald’s senior VP-global marketing. With the acquisition, the duo will assume co-president roles at VMG’s creative agency Virtue. Garbutt will also become Vice Media Group’s chief creative officer, while Mitchell will serve as VMG’s chief innovation officer.
How creativity is fueling food delivery brand battles through the pandemic and beyond
During the Super Bowl this year, two of the biggest brand rivals, Coca-Cola and Pepsi, opted out of running ads, the first time in two decades both decided not to appear. But competition did heat up in a different category, with food delivery platforms DoorDash and Uber Eats both making their Big Game debut with spots featuring high-profile celebrities.
POPEYES BANKS ON BAD SPELLING TO TAKE THE WIND OUT OF MCDONALD'S CRISPY CHICKEN SANDWICH DROP
Today at noon EST, McDonald’s gave a preview of its upcoming Crispy Chicken Sandwich like it was debuting an exclusive new sneaker—via a limited-edition drop, on a special website: https://chkndrop.com/. Consumers who went to the site and paid $5 were promised an early taste of the new menu item, along with a custom hoodie and vinyl featuring a sandwich soundtrack by producer Tay Keith. Not surprisingly, the offer sold out quickly.
See McDonald's playful new packaging design
McDonald’s packaging has a playful new look. Working with design firm Pearlfisher, the fast food giant has debuted a global overhaul of its burger wraps and fry boxes, which now feature whimsical designs more in line with the company’s feel-good brand identity refresh from 2019.
EMPTY AD SPACES IN L.A., NEW YORK, CHICAGO AND BOSTON BECOME HOME TO SPIRIT-RAISING MESSAGES
With the pandemic now several months in, the fallout remains palpable around the country. Once thriving metropolitan hubs are now littered with shuttered storefronts and boarded up windows. Outdoor advertising, too, has suffered—with various companies and local advertisers having little reason to showcase their offerings to streets void of pedestrians.
Chicago protest murals turned into get out the vote display
This is the second iteration of the Boards of Change effort, which in July used gorgeous billboard art to drive participation in the 2020 U.S. Census. “In this moment in history, it is important that we make every effort possible to contribute to change—as an agency, as a city and as an individual,” said FCB Chicago CCO Andrés Ordóñez in a statement.
Kraft Mac & Cheese new flavor: pumpkin spice
Today is the first day of fall, which marks the moment that pumpkin spice wafts in from practically every corner of the food and retail universe. But 2020 welcomes a new contender into the cinnamon and nutmeg-flavored fray: Kraft Mac & Cheese. In Canada, where Kraft Mac & Cheese is known as Kraft Dinner (or KD), the ready-to-make boxed food is coming out in a pumpkin-spiced variety. But it’s not available for purchase. Consumers have to sign onto a waiting list at PumpkinSpiceKD.com.
How brands are supporting parents through the pandemic
Agency Terri & Sandy has a number of packaged good clients on its rosters, including Gerber, Applegate, Twinings and Carr's, as well as probiotics brand Culturelle. Parents are the target audience for such brands, and since the coronavirus took hold in the U.S., the agency has been doing a deep dive into how it has been “reshaping” parenting, says Tracy Chapman, the agency's director of strategic planning.
Capri Sun 'pranks' school kids with water
As some children head back to school in the real world, parents have plenty of concerns about their safety. Will children be adequately distanced? Will they keep their masks on, covering their mouth and nose? Will classrooms and bathrooms be sanitized enough?
MCDONALD'S REMOVES ITS CORONAVIRUS MESSAGE FEATURING SEPARATED GOLDEN ARCHES
Advertising agency DPZ&T teamed with McDonald’s Brazil to remake the Golden Arches in pulled-apart form to encourage consumers to keep each other safe through social distancing.
McDonald's separates its golden arches in act of coronavirus solidarity
Earlier this week, Slovenia-based creative director Jure Tovrljan reimagined the logos of famous brands including Nike, Starbucks and Mastercard in light of the coronavirus pandemic. But McDonald’s reworked its iconic mark, the Golden Arches, for real. Agency DPZ&T teamed with McDonald’s Brazil to reconceive the Golden Arches in pulled-apart form to encourage consumers to keep each other safe through social distancing.
Rogue ad highlights safety features in a 'distracted' world
Digital devices’ command over our lives has become a theme of late in advertising, with marketers reminding us that it’s important to shut down every now and then, or at least during the holidays. But when the entire world seems to be powered on, the Nissan brand says it’s here to help you deal with some of the dangers that come hand in hand with digital distraction.
Nissan Rogue spot highlights safety features in a 'distracted' world
Digital devices’ command over our lives has become a theme of late in advertising, with marketers reminding us that it’s important to shut down every now and then, or at least during the holidays. But when the entire world seems to be powered on, the Nissan brand says it’s here to help you deal with some of the dangers that come hand in hand with digital distraction.
Leo Burnett ex-chief creative officer Britt Nolan becomes DDB North American chief creative officer
Britt Nolan, who resigned last week as chief creative officer of Leo Burnett in the U.S., is headed to DDB where he will become the agency’s North American chief creative officer. He replaces Ari Weiss, who is being promoted to the global chief creative officer job. The global role had been held by Amir Kassaei, who stepped down in January. Nolan will be based in DDB's Chicago office, while Weiss stays in New York.
Inside the new visual identity at McDonald's
For the everyday consumer, the name McDonald’s might summon a handful of singular images: the Golden Arches, a Big Mac, a red container of fries, Ronald McDonald. But just two years ago, if you surveyed the company's advertising around the world, you’d find a completely different picture: jumbled messages comprising a mish-mash of fonts, a color palette pulled from the entire rainbow and an assortment of logos.
Fox Networks makes gender-neutral subtitles for 'Pose'
Fox Networks has made a big move to address what’s becoming a growing concern in Latin America in the #MeToo era–that the Spanish language (among others) is sexist. In Spanish, for example, the word for “friend” is “amigo” when describing a male buddy and “amiga” when describing a female pal. But when you set out to call out a group of friends consisting of both men and women, the male version of the word, “amigos,” wins out.
Why Mastercard went from 'priceless' to wordless
When CES opened its doors in Las Vegas earlier this month, Mastercard took the opportunity to drop some news: The company was erasing its name from its logo. The red-and-yellow overlapping discs that have anchored its brandmark for nearly 50 years would, in most cases, stand on their own. It's not every brand that has the cojones, or in this case, the circles, to move into a name-free space occupied by cultural touchstones like Nike and Apple.
Lyft drops its 'L' in solidarity with Brooklyn commuters
Come April 2019, Brooklyn commuters in Williamsburg and Greenpoint are going to be totally screwed. That’s when the L train, their main transportation lifeline into Manhattan, will go out of commission for a full 15 months. Ride sharing platform Lyft is showing its support for the soon-to-be trainless city-dwellers with an outdoor campaign running in Williamsburg and Bushwick that cheekily drops all the l’s from its logo and copy, featuring lines like “Stay ca m.
Pot purveyor lights the way for a new category of weed marketing
Cannabis retailer MedMen has been leading the charge to bring marijuana into the mainstream—a market estimated to hit $75 billion by 2030, says investment firm Cowen & Co. When recreational marijuana became legal in California this year, L.A. customers who visited MedMen stores waited in block-long lines, not unlike the mobs seen at iPhone or Supreme drops.
Florida shooting survivors ask biz community for funding
Eighteen student survivors from the Marjory Stoneman Douglas shooting and founders of the #NeverAgain movement have sent a letter to the business community asking for support for the March for Our Lives and their efforts to put an end to gun violence in the U.S. The letter asks for businesses nationwide to help fund their upcoming march on March 24. Although they've already earned over $3 million on their GoFundMe campaign, "marches are really expensive," they write.
Honda brings celebrity yearbook photos to life in Super Bowl ad
Have an opinion about this story? Click here to submit a Letter to the Editor , and we may publish it in print. Tina Fey clutched a red rose in her high school yearbook photo. Amy Adams just couldn't seem to keep her hair out of her face in hers. And Jimmy Kimmel, dressed in a clown-sized bowtie and bright blue suit jacket, held onto a clarinet as a baby-faced member of his high school jazz band.
Lincoln taps Annie Leibovitz for new Continental campaign
Leibovitz shot in and around New York City, in both urban and rural settings. Photo credit: Lincoln Leibovitz shot in and around New York City, in both urban and rural settings.
Dumb ways to die
Are you sure you want to delete your account? You'll lose everything, forever! Of course not!
Viralanzeiger KW 15
Are you sure you want to delete your account? You'll lose everything, forever! Of course not!
White House enlists celeb moms in last-minute Obamacare push
Two weeks before the open enrollment deadline for Obamacare closes on March 31, the White House keeps pulling out the big creative guns to promote Healthcare.gov to the younger set. Earlier this week, President Barack Obama subjected himself to Zach Galifianakis' bumble-headed interviewer from the comedian's "Between Two Ferns" online series on Funny or Die — a play that led to a 40 percent jump in traffic to HealthCare.gov.
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