For RBC’s sponsorship of TIFF (Toronto International Film Festival), Untitled Films director Mark Gilbert helps paint the picture of how handy having an 'Uncle in the Biz' can be for young filmmakers. Unfortunately, not everyone has such an uncle.

Draftfcb Toronto launched a national campaign that uses inspirational testimonials from the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Ally (LGBTA) community in support of the not-for-profit organization PFLAG Canada. The campaign, which utilizes QR codes and mobile video, features 14 inspiring personal stories from the LGBTA community, including Rex Harrington, former principal dancer with the National Ballet and recent guest judge on So You Think You Can Dance Canada, and Terry Edward Briceland, sewing specialist for HGTV’s Divine Design.

The running line in this campaign from Fluid Salon is "Look good no matter what you do" and as Copyranter pointed out "...she's about to get a shiny diamond necklace to match her shiner, so all's well that ends well? Edgy."

Dentsu Canada are spreading a bit of Japanese joy to Canada with these shadow projections. Participants can transform their shadows into giant legendary Japanese characters including a sumo wrestler, a geisha and a samurai. Neat.

This is the making of Driving Can be Beautiful.

The final product, a 30-second spot airing on television and online, features the Jetta GLI acting as brush and a rain-slicked parking lot serving as the canvas. The performance culminates with a shot, taken from 150 feet above the parking lot, of the car completing a light painting of the Volkswagen logo.

In addition to the commercial and a short “making-of” documentary (also shot by Davis), the campaign will include some innovative out-of-home executions celebrating the Fall launch of the Jetta GLI featuring the actual long exposure photographs taken during the shoot.

Inspired by the light trails left by cars in long exposure photographs, Volkswagen Canada’s launch campaign for the all-new 2012 Jetta GLI shows performance in a whole new light. Forgoing Hollywood-style, computer-generated effects for a more authentic achievement, the spot exhibits a “painting” created by the headlights and tail lamps of the 200 horsepower GLI, the high-performance version of Volkswagen’s popular Jetta model, as it streaks around a darkened parking lot.

Aaah, barbershops. The proper places for men to get their hair cut, shaved and buzzed. No fancy-smancy lavender scented oils, no neon lit salon where your hairdresser has Farah Fawcett's do and hip-wiggle. Barbershops are basic, and traditional. They know the buzzcut, the burr, the businessmans cut. The know how to use clippers and how to taper your neckline and trim your sideburns. Barbeshops never go out of style. Barbershops are honest. This campaign is so very barbershop. Nicely done.

A local group trying to keep oil supertankers from BC's waters is using innovative posters that simulate an actual oil spill in real time. The secret? The tankers featured on the posters are printed using a special enviro-friendly black ink that bleeds in the rain and reveals the message “Oils spills affect everyone. Take action now at notankers.ca.”

Developed by Rethink Communications, the posters are part of the Dogwood Initiative’s No Tankers campaign, which aims to prevent oil supertanker traffic navigating BC's northern coastal waters.

notankers.ca

City-wide art project launches The Grid, Toronto’s newest magazine.

TORONTO (May 12, 2011) Torontonians awoke Thursday morning to a more connected city courtesy of The Grid, Toronto’s new weekly city magazine, and Rethink Canada.

Late Wednesday night, dozens of artists descended on Toronto’s streets to create a colossal cross-city art piece. The designs are created with non-permanent environmentally friendly chalk and depict The Grid’s visceral connection to the urban landscape and its populace. The effort is part of Rethink Canada’s launch campaign for The Grid, which also includes print, digital, out of home, and social media.

How many times have you been talking about someone only to find them standing right behind you? Good thing this guy went to Fallsview Casino! Shot with Steven Tsuchida & Blammo Worldwide.

He's a bunny with one mean accent! Poor little guy. He sure knows how to throw a guilt trip.

Scott Corbett and Rethink Vancouver capture this young drivers unfortunate predicament. Good thing BCAA has you covered from the road to the home.

Having a little fun with the McDonald's monopoly sweeps, Cossette made McD's take monopoly money even if it was just for a couple of days. In other news, old monopoly money games prices skyrocketed on Ebay. True story. Okay, maybe not the last bit.

Target audience: Anyone interested in film, but more specifically a young urban audience from 21-45.

Communications objective: To develop a radio campaign that would set DOXA apart from other entertainment.

Creative Strategy: The creative strategy was based on an insight that people want alternative forms of entertainment. When it comes to movies, far too often moviegoers are stuck with what Hollywood offers them.

Campaign Description: The campaign highlights many Hollywood movie stereotypes. The radio spots use a film listings, phone-in service to demonstrate the lack of choice and expected storylines found in traditional theaters but then goes on to suggest DOXA as a completely different film experience.

Market commercial ran in Vancouver and the Lower Mainland.

See also Big Tasks and Balloon

Birthday parties are hard work.

In this campaign for the Egg Farmers of Canada, we remind people that if you need energy for a big task, all you have to do is Get CrackingTM.

This Earth Day (April 22), Volkswagen Canada wants people to know that a little air in their tires can make a big impact on the environment. Volkswagen will be presenting a 30-second television ad, featuring a slowly inflating globe. It culminates with the message that “By checking our tire pressure regularly, we could save 24 million litres of gasoline a day.”

The ad is just one part of the Volkswagen’s Worldwide “Think Blue” program, which is based on the notion that environmental protection and automotive progress should go hand-in-hand.