Today I received some viral pass-it-to-a-friend ad pieces for Starbucks and Method, two brands I admire personally and professionally. It’s nothing new, but I am starting to see *a lot* more of these ads and find these particularly interesting.

     

#1 – Starbucks
Why I like it: It’s an action movie about coffee. Uses humor. It’s surprisingly irreverent about Christmas, which it interprets so schmaltzily in its stores — the only text that ever appears on the screen (the closing shot) is “Fear Santa”.
Cons: It takes a VERY long time to load.
Tech notes: It looks like this guy is going all over town, doesn’t it? By checking out background clues I was able to discern that actual distance between his travel points is 0.06 miles, or one block. He’s going from the Embarcadero Hyatt to Schroeder’s Restaurant in SF — here’s the actual route for you map geeks.

#2 – Method
Why I like it: Method is the rockstar of the cleanser aisle, gaining market attention through it’s gorgeously-designed dishwashing, laundry and hand soap, etc. Then they launch this borderline-racy psychotherapeutic New Year’s campaign: Come Clean. (Their tagline: “People against dirty.”) You either confess your sins or view a dynamic display of others’, while a pair of perfect female hands repeatedly wash themselves. It is mesmerizing. And the usual send-to-a-friend option is here as send to mom. As a recovering Catholic, I’m all over this cathartic confessional.
What I don’t like about it: Nothing. Drool over their dreamy detergents here. No, they are not paying me.

Coming tomorrow: watch me get publicly flayed for alliteration abuse…