Pedro Pascal embraces a beachy mindset in his debut for Corona. We think it’s safe to say that summer has officially arrived!

From MullenLowe, this work marks the fourth iteration of “La Vida Más Fina” (“The Fine Life”), which broke during the NBA Conference Finals.

In “One Man’s Journey,” Pascal follows a trail of sand to the seaside. “Even if you leave the beach, it never leaves you,” he says.

A pair of :15s in Spanish find Pascal listening to his heart and inviting a couple to join him for dinner and drinks:

“We believe every Corona symbolizes the optimistic feeling you have when you’re on a beach, no matter where you choose to enjoy one,” says Matt Lindsay, chief marketing officer at Corona parent Constellation Brands. “Partnering with a talent like Pedro has added a new dimension to our ‘La Vida Más Fina’ campaign, marking an evolution in tone and bringing a fresh perspective that we hope will inspire people to let go of the stresses of modern life.”

MullenLowe launched “Momterns” in 2022 after learning that 1.1 million women left the workforce during the pandemic.

“As many women who left work to care for their families navigated the road back, they were met with obstacles or firmly shut doors,” says Samadani. “It’s two years later, and women are still being penalized for stepping away to care for their families. So, we felt it was time to get loud about this problem, call out this continued bias and call on our industry to recognize the strengths moms bring to any organization.”

Resumes of previous “Momterns” who are still seeking full-time employment swathe bouquets provided by L.A.-based flower shop Lenita by Grenita. MullenLowe attached a note emphasizing how moms deserve more than just flowers, but actual opportunities. 

Bouquets were sent to moms in hiring positions at top agencies, including 72andSunny, Wieden+Kennedy, TBWAMedia Arts Lab, Mischief and more. 

“By repurposing a classic Mother’s Day gift—an estimated 74 percent of moms receive flowers for Mother’s Day—we sent a message on our former momterns’ behalf–our very own Trojan Horse,” says Samadani. 

“The idea came from just being baseball fans ourselves, and the frustration of missing Opening Day, year after year, because we’re busy working,” says Ricky Johanet and Jordan Sparrow, creative directors at MullenLowe Los Angeles. “So we thought it would be fun to have people openly admit they need the day off to watch baseball—which felt very much in line with the ‘fine life’ mentality that Corona wants people to embrace.”

Fans are encouraged to follow Corona and tag their bosses on the brand’s Insta to enter a sweepstakes and possibly win free beer, a one year subscription to MLB.TV or tickets to a game on March 28.

“Opening Day deserves to be enjoyed in the finest way possible: with an ice-cold Corona in hand,” says Saúl Trejo, director of brand marketing at Corona, in press materials. “As the official Cerveza of Major League Baseball, Corona is proud to champion the fans who never lose, and reward those who live in the moment to take the day off.”

Let’s play ball and LFGM!

“As we brainstormed about how we could get Congress to act, we learned that phone calls are still one of the most effective ways to get the attention of our elected officials,” MullenLowe ECD Tim Vaccarino tells Muse. “But we also knew the calls would need to be memorable and personal so they wouldn’t be ignored like so many others on this issue. “

With that in mind, “We turned to those whose opinions of gun laws and violence could simply not be matched: the victims of themselves,” Vaccarino says. “By leveraging breakthrough developments in AI technology, we would be able to perfectly recreate the voices of these victims. They would be the ones to call and tell their own stories.”

MullenLowe and Edisen Tech ran audio and video files of victims through AI programs to generate the campaign. “Each recreated voice required just 6 seconds of reference audio, although we worked with more to ensure the highest quality and authenticity,” he says.

After that, “we worked with each of the victim’s families to write the phone call scripts, ensuring the stories we told were true and honest to their loved ones. This included their tone of voice and the cadence they would have had in conversation.”
 
“When talking with parents of gun victims about the idea, they reiterated that if just one congressperson’s mind changed on this issue, the entire campaign would be worth the effort,” Vaccarino says.

Along with Joaquin (who’s parents founded Change the Ref) MullenLowe created “Shotline” calls from:

• Uziyah Garcia – 10-year-old killed alongside 18 classmates and two teachers in the Uvalde shooting at Robb Elementary School.
• Ethan Song – 15-year-old killed by a gun left unsecured at a friend’s house.
• Jaycee Webster – 20-year-old shot and killed in his bedroom by a lone gunman.
• Mike Baughan – killed himself using a gun he was able to purchase in only 15 minutes.
• Akilah Dasilva – 23-year-old killed by a man with an AR-15 in a Waffle House mass shooting.

Along with the automated calls programmed to flood the offices of elected officials, activists and victims’ families will rally today outside the U.S. Capitol.

CTR’s past groundbreaking work includes “The Lost Class,” a multiple-Clio-Award-winning campaign from 2021. During his acceptance speech, Joaquin’s dad Manuel spoke as his son, imploring the creative community to do more in the fight against gun violence.

Yeah, naked turkey guy is the baste. Er, best. (A visual so strange, it drove us to dad humor!)

Acclaimed director Wuthisak “Un” Anarnkaporn from Factory01, supported by post-production teams at TheQuietLab Singapore and Bangkok, delivers something special. These Lynchian excursions are by turns amusing and unsettling in a way western ads rarely are these days. They’ll make your skin crawl—just a little, and in a good way. Best of all, they reward repeat viewings, even if you know the punchlines. 

“Each film was intentionally crafted to have a unique visual language and cinematography that’s true to the genre,” agency senior copywriter Ernest Chin tells Muse. For example, “‘Cooking’ has that slightly washed-out look, Americana setting and locked cameras that are Martha Stewart-esque.”

“Concert,” on the other hand, “toggles between different camera angles that you’d find in a live concert recording,” Chin says. As for “Drama,” the style comes “straight out of a Netflix crime series like Mindhunter, even utilizing the same, familiar aspect ratio and subtitles.”

“Humor is a delicate matter, and too often fumbled in the wrong hands,” says MullenLowe ECD Daniel Kee. “We are especially grateful to PRISM+ for taking a chance on expanding their marketing repertoire beyond its influencer-driven efforts. It speaks of a boldly optimistic and growing brand.”

In terms of production, “Each film was intentionally crafted to have a unique visual language and cinematography that’s true to the genre,” agency senior copywriter Ernest Chin tells Muse. For example, “‘Cooking’ has that slightly washed-out look, Americana setting and locked cameras that are Martha Stewart-esque.”

“Concert,” on the other hand, “toggles between different camera angles that you’d find in a live concert recording,” Chin says. As for “Drama,” the style comes “straight out of a Netflix crime series like Mindhunter, even utilizing the same, familiar aspect ratio and subtitles.”

For all three, “It took rigorous casting to find the perfect talents for the roles, but we took care to avoid more obvious choices,” Chin recalls. “During pre-production, the director went out of his way to cast someone who ‘reminded him of a chicken.'”

Hey, close enough. Actor-dude, put that quote on your resume!

The agency and production teams wrote and revised scripts for 30 potential spots to arrive at the final films. 

“The main protagonist in ‘Concert’ was originally a man,” Chin says. “But Khun Un morphed him into a stoic Asian grandmother that most viewers could imagine sitting right in their own living-rooms.”

He adds: “It was a dummy. No grandmas were hurt in the making of this film!”

The work drops this week across cinemas, digital and in-store media.

The first season of Acura’s original anime series “Chiaki’s Journey,” celebrated the launch of the Type S line of performance vehicles. It was inspired by the brand’s challenger roots and passion for performance on both the road and the track. For the past few years, Acura has been using entertainment-style storytelling to showcase its products. With “Chiaki’s Journey,” we combined anime with racing to create a fun and adventurous tale that connects with a new generation of buyers.

The featured characters embody the heritage and spirit of the Acura brand, representing our passion for performance. Since its launch, the series has been successful in connecting Acura with Gen Z premium car buyers, becoming one of the brand’s most successful marketing campaigns ever.

Acura created a second season of the award-winning anime to introduce the 2024 Integra Type S ahead of its arrival this summer, partnering again with BAFTA-nominated animation studio The Line and agency MullenLowe L.A. to bring Chiaki’s latest adventure to life.

Season two picks up where season one left off, adding more emotion and adventure to the new challenges facing our heroine, Chiaki. We delve deeper into her origin, exploring her father Ichiro’s mysterious past while uncovering what drives Chiaki’s passion for racing. 

We see her take on Colorado’s daunting Pike’s Peak in an Integra Type S—an entirely different challenge compared to the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach street circuit featured in season one. Acura has a deep connection to Pike’s Peak, having competed in the iconic hill climb 12 years consecutively, with the team amassing numerous first-place finishes and multiple course records. 

Now, Chiaki commits to finishing what her father started—overcoming the twists and turns of Pike’s Peak and fulfilling the racing legacy of her father.

This year we were thrilled to extend “Chiaki’s Journey” from the screen to the real world at the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach, Calif., with an experiential installation. “Uncle Noboru’s Garage” was pulled directly from season two and featured a real-life version of the signature Type S from the series. The Integra Type S racer on display donned a custom anime wrap ahead of its debut on the course, which takes place in June. Acura introduced a bespoke, original manga book, too.

“Chiaki’s Journey” continues to engage fans and introduce new viewers to the brand, going above and beyond any initial expectations we had for the series.  

With the massive success of the first season and the fantastic reception to the launch of year two, there’s no telling what’s next for Chiaki and her Acura Type S journey.

“We wanted to take the idea of craveability to the max. Dial ‘want’ all the way up to ‘need-right-this-second,'” says agency creative director Lindsei Barros. “Add in suburbia and some lighthearted chaos and what do you get? A product launch that’s cinematic, fast-paced and FUN.”

Usually, overheated press-release quotes aren’t especially accurate. But the above description really does put this commercial in perspective.

Odd camera angles, weird facial expressions, a freaky topiary horse and spontaneously combusting barbecue grill … the word for such stuff is “dreamlike.” Yes, lots of ads are dreamlike. Or try to be. But most fail to actually hold viewers’ attention long enough to communicate a brand message.

Here, however, there’s a mini-feast for the eyes that rewards repeat viewings. It’s colorful and cheeky. Also derivative and self-consciously silly, which work in its favor. Savor the faux-Stranger Things vibe as tangy as a mouthful of honey mustard sauce. (Talk about overheated language.)

Moreover—though surely in spite of itself—the approach speaks to our always-on interface of meals, media and manic connectivity. Life’s like a branded dream. Everyone’s watching everything all time. Swipe right on Colonel Sanders. Pass the KFC!

CREDITS

AGENCY: MullenLowe     
Executive Creative Director: Tim Vaccarino              
Group Creative Director: Enrique Camacho              
Creative Director/Copywriter: Tanya Wilson            
Creative Director/Art: Lindsei Barros          
Group Executive Producer: Karen Leiper Haffmans
Senior Producer: Holly Langley     
Associate Director, Business Affairs: Jennifer Wrentmore    
Project Management Supervisor: Tatiana Bueno    
Project Manager: Christine Carugati           
Group Strategy Director: Mike Cassell        
Strategy Director: Jasmin Esquivel               
Group Account Director: Cameron Burnham            
Account Director: Charlie Doyle   
Senior Account Executive: Lia Rivera           

PRODUCTION COMPANY: Kinopravda @ Imposter              
Director: Kinopravda        
Executive Producer: Avtar Khalsa 
Head of Production: Todd Ruhnau               
Producer: Taeko Masuyama          
Director of Photography: Damian Acevedo               

PRODUCTION SERVICE COMPANY: The Lift               
Founding Partner: Avelino Rodriguez         
Managing Partner: Jose Barrera   
Producer: Helena Medina               

POST PRODUCTION: Lost Planet 
Editor:   Bruce Herrman  
Head of Production / Post Supervisor: Kirsten Anderson      

COLOR CORRECT: Ethos  
Colorist: Kaitlyn Battistelli              
Producer: Nat Tereshchenko         

AUDIO POST: Sonic Union        
Engineer: Steve Rosen     
Post Producer: Gina Petrarca        

MUSIC: Singing Serpent 
Composer: Antonio Vivaldi            
Producer: Dennis Culp     
Arranger/Principal Violinist: Andrew Joslyn

What good’s the Super Bowl without babies and dogs showing up in commercial breaks? This year, thankfully, we won’t have to find out. Both Big Game staples will be on display Sunday, courtesy of separate campaigns from two very different advertisers.

First, we visit the E*Trade tykes, as the company, a unit of Morgan Stanley, airs a :30 from MullenLowe and director Randy Krallman.

It’s set at a wedding. Two babes get hitched. They seem a tad … young. But if they’re happy, isn’t that all that really matters?

E*Trade’s wee ones debuted in the Super Bowl 15 years ago, returning several times since. They always look so … young. It’s like they never age.

Next, furry-friend feeder The Farmer’s Dog makes its first appearance on adland’s biggest stage. Cuteness veers into heart-warming, moist-eyed territory over the course of a cinematic :60. Developed in-house with director Goh Iromoto, the story follows a little girl and her pooch growing up together, sharing the joys, sorrows and challenges of life.

That face at the end! Check it:

What a sweet bud. Stirs memories of other famous Super Bowl doggies for some of us.

OK, the spots from E*Trade and Farmer’s Dog aren’t much alike in terms of tone or execution. Regardless, like so many Big Game commercials, they serve as signposts on a cultural continuum. They reflect and inform popular sentiments and obsessions—trivial and otherwise—over a considerable span of time.

We seek out these tropes each year. Love ’em or hate ’em, laugh or cry, they’re part of our collective consciousness, sinking deeper into our psyches as they toddle and wag their way across millions of screens.

Bottom line: Bowser beats babies! So cuuute! Better luck next time, kids.