“Wow….[silence]”. That is what this commercial for Asics, made by Amsterdam Worldwide, did with us. It is directed by Mischa Rozema (PostPanic), a Dutch director specialized in high quality productions that create a magical world. With this ad Asics clearly positions itself as the technical running shoe – away from the other sports brands that mainly talk about the person inside the shoe. And on top of that it reconfirms the meaning of the brand; a sound mind, in a sound body. Other than that is doesn’t need much explanation. And to us that is always a good sign…

‘Go Forth’ is Levi’s new brand proposition. It supports positive change in the world and celebrates today’s “pioneers who are taking action to build a better future”. In this dramatic mini-documentary, created by Wieden+Kennedy and directed by Sanne van Hecke, we see Portuguese street artist Alexandre Farto (aka “Vhils”) nonchalantly wearing a pair of baggy Levi’s and creating a series of street murals that capture the faces of some ‘Berliners’ who embody the ‘Go Forth’ spirit. This branded content made us think of both the Sartorialist film for Intel (by Amsterdam Worldwide) and the mobile printer film for Océ (by Lemon Scented Tea) – though the latter was a fictional documentary. We’re spotting a trend here, in which everyday people are portrayed as heroes. That is, they all do something special and this is enlarged in a documentary-like piece of long(er) form content. It merges real life with the smooth exaggerative qualities of an ad agency and thus subtly incorporates brands into society. It makes (or at least should make) these brands more authentic, credible, and sympathetic.

Last week we wrote about the new FBTO logo, today we share the insurer’s new advertising, created by Only and Qi. Ilse’s voice over tells us how she enjoyed her vacation in Spain with her 4 best friends; they met cool people, went out every night, did some dangerous stuff, and checked out the scenery. A bummer though: mom and dad were there too [end of paraphrase]. The new logo, the kaleidoscopic animation – created by PostPanic – and the catchy score – created by Audentity – give the brand a very refreshing look and tone. And using the distinctive circle from the logo as a brand element in the commercial is also smartly done. The only thing that gave us a small ‘syntax error’ is the radical plot change at the end. The male voice-over: “If you’re world, just like Ilse’s dad, doesn’t revolve around insurances, you should go to FBTO”. As if the record player jumped a few grooves. And we wonder: are there any dads with teenage daughters that have made a hobby out of insurances?

You have to brace yourself a little for this one. Not just for the length of it, but also because of the dark, post apocalyptic picture it draws – it literally shows how it gets under your skin. We guess it makes sense to ask hybrid production house Post Panic to create the leader for OFFF, the post production festival held in Barcelona this year on June 9, 10, and 11 and themed ‘Year Zero’. The visual orchestra features the names of artists that appeared at the festival. And of course, if there’s one shop that knows how to majestically merge digital, real life, and a general, unsettling, even menacing feeling, it’s Post Panic. Still a huge honour when you’re asked to show off your skills to the most critical audience in this creative domain. The film was written by Post Panic founder Mischa Rozema and British graphic designer Si Scott. It was also directed by Rozema and shot in Prague (the line production was done by Savage). The sound, influencing the suggestive character of the film so strongly, was done by Hecq. We love it, because it’s so beautifully…um…offf!

We already knew that the MINI is quite a sexy car. But this Rocketman, MINI’s ultra modern concept car to be launched at the Geneva Motor Show on March 1st, sounds like sexy 2.0. And when you ask BSUR and production agency PostPanic to create a product film for it, you get sexy 3.0. So that’s what MINI did. The two minute film tells the history of MINI in both 2D and 3D animation – which is PostPanic’s specialty. The car has a super light carbon fibre cross system, which makes a natural link to Sir Alec Issigonis words that the first MINI was designed in 1959 as a fuel efficient car. A salient detail is the Union Jack on the roof made from in-laid LEDs that can light up when switched on. It makes a respectful tribute to MINI’s heritage, as the brand is German nowadays. According to the press release the concept car will go in production “based on the response from the MINI fans”. We don’t really know what that means, but it adds the obligatory social media in the loop. This stunning piece of advertising is the proof that “History may repeat itself, but MINI doesn’t“.

Good news for 180 Amsterdam; ASICS appointed the agency for its global communications around the London Olympic Games 2012 – after a competitive pitch that started last summer. 180 will also work with ASICS to launch key product ranges through 2011 and 2012. ASICS asked 180 to give emotional meaning to its ethos ‘Sound Mind Sound Body’ (Anima Sana In Corpore Sano) – an inspiring assignment when combining it with the idea behind the Olympics. 180′s big advantage in the pitch was its extensive experience on the Adidas account – 180’s founding client who left the agency in 2010. Next to 180 ASICS also works with Vitro in San Diego. Together with Vitro ASICS very recently developed a global campaign around the proposition ‘Sports releases more than just sweat’ – namely negative energy. It seems ASICS is working hard to capture some market share from Nike and Adidas.