PlayStation2> It seems fitting that a campaign with the tag "Fun, anyone?" would, in fact, be purely and unabashedly fun. Using ludicrous premises, like a singing, big-mouthed duck-like creature alongside a jaunty dancing robot in "Robot", or a transferable guffawing grin in "Laughing Mouth", accompanied by rudimentary drawings and infectiously silly music, these spots bring PlayStation out of the dark ages of previous esoteric efforts into the land of the loony.

CREDITS:
Agency: TBWA, London
Art Director: Frazer Jelleyman
Copywriter: Alisdair Graham
Producer: Diane Croll (head of TV)
Production Company: Passion Pictures, London
Director: Russell Brooke
Designer: Erica Akerlund
Animators: Steve Small, Dan Sumich
Producer: Cara Speller
Executive Producer: Andrew Ruhemann
Sound: Warren Hamilton, Wave, London

Nissan "Water Fight"> Great acting and direction convey drama and suspense in "Water Fight", in which a shifty-looking man is lurking in an alleyway. Looking for his chance to run (or attack - we're not sure at this point), the man is blindsided, not by gun-touting rogues, but by his water balloon-hurling buddies. The spot, particularly a backlit scene where he's under fire from a torrent of balloons, pays comical homage to classic mob flicks. It's the newest effort from Nissan in its Shift campaign, this time prompting drivers to "Shift_Fun".

CREDITS:
Agency: TBWA\Chiat\Day, LA
Executive Creative Director: Rob Schwartz
Creative Directors: Chris Graves, Kathy Heppinstall
Associate Creative Director: Neal Hughlett
Art Director: Dave Muller
Agency Producer: Michelle Burke
Production Company: Harvest, Santa Monica
Director: Baker Smith
Editorial Company: Spot Welders, Venice
Editor: Haines Hall
Sound Design: Elias Associates, Santa Monica

Covenant House> Even the best PSAs and non-profit messages can be heavy-handed. Not so this fresh campaign for Covenant House, which taps society's obsession with reality shows and gives it a twist. The three-spot campaign features a group of yuppies and office drones in scenarios where they have to fish for food in dumpsters and perform 'favors' for drug runners. The spots ridicule how far reality programming has come, and put tangible identifiers on the problem of homelessness.

CREDITS:
Agency: TAXI, Toronto
Creative Director: Zak Mroueh
Copywriter: Terry Drummond
Art Director: Alan Madill
Agency Producer: Sam Benson
Production Company: untitled, Toronto
Director: Yael Staav
Director of Photography: Tiko Poulakakis
Producer: James Davis
Editor: Brenton McConnell
Post-Production: Flashcut Editing, Toronto
Additional Effects: TAXI,Toronto
Music House: Grayson Matthews, Toronto

Marshall Fields> Star power, when used properly, can transcend whatever product category it's advertising, resulting in a watchable, likeable and effective spot. When it's not, you end up with a pop-tartlet copping a super model's shill for a soda (see Rearview, pg. 62). Tracy Ullman in a campaign for Marshall Fields' 13-Hour Sale definitely falls in the first pack. In ultra-styled, retro living room sets, the comedienne delivers monologs as various characters that make you want to run out and shop. Good thing, considering that's the point.

CREDITS:
Agency: Fame, Minneapolis, MN
Creative Director: Tina Wilcox
Broadcast Producer: Ginny Heuer
Art Director: Dan Adamson
Production Company: DNA, LA
Director: Liz Friedlander
DP: Welles Heckett
Executive Producer: Patricia Judice
Editorial: Tim Taylor, Brett Astor, Fischer Edit, MN
Post-Production: Crash & Sue's, MN/Fischer Edit, MN
Music/Sound Design/Audio Post: Modern Music, MN

Simple Suncare "Irrotation"> To our North American minds, Speedos are ill-advised at the best of times. Add to that a raging machismo and rotating crotch, and the best advice is to run away. Adapted for TV from a successful UK print campaign, this spot falls in the 'image is burned on my retinas' category of memorability, and the 'laugh out loud' category of humor. For inquiring ladies, the 'skillful' movements are courtesy of clever effects.

CREDITS:
Agency: Us, London
Creatives: Us
Production Company: Independent Films, London
Directors: Us
DP: Federico Alfonzo
Post-Production: Condor, London

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