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Morning Update: Keven Spacey in the new Call of Duty ad; Lawyers write to Barack Obama over ‘racist’ Top Gear

This is our Morning Update, rounding up international media and marketing news from while you were sleeping.

AdWeek: Ad of the Day: Yes, That’s Kevin Spacey in the New Call of Duty Commercial

“On Thursday, Complex and a few other outlets found a SoundCloud file, with no context attached, of somebody who sounded an awful lot like Kevin Spacey delivering a bad-guy-sounding monologue about democracy—and not really being into that particular form of government so much. Complex originally hypothesized it was a viral campaign for House of Cards.

Variety’s Marc Graser ran a spectral analysis on the sound file (wow, Marc) and found a picture of a soldier holding a gun, and made the leap that it was from a new Call of Duty ad.”

Campaign: Watch the new John Lewis ad celebrating the retailer’s 150th anniversary

“Adam & Eve/DDB created the spot for the upscale retailer, which is called “never standing still”. The work broke on John Lewis’ social media channels today and will air on TV during ‘Britain’s Got Talent’ tomorrow.

The ad comprises inter-linked vignettes, which are set in different eras in British history, and is backed by a cover of The Kink’s ‘This Time Tomorrow,’ sung by Gaz Coombes.

It was created by Matt Woolner and Steve Wioland, and directed by Dougal Wilson through Blink.”

The Guardian: Jeremy Clarkson row: lawyers to write to Barack Obama over ‘racist’ Top Gear

“Lawyers are to write to Barack Obama and the ambassadors of every country in which Top Gear airs asking them if the BBC motoring series should continue to be broadcast, following Jeremy Clarkson’s mumbled use of the N-word.

Lawrence Davies, director of law firm Equal Justice, branded Top Gear as “racist” and told MediaGuardian his firm did not accept the apology Clarkson has made.”

AdWeek: The World Cup Is All Anyone Wants to Talk About in ESPN’s New Ad

“If World Cup fever is getting to you, well, you’re not alone.

This new 30-second spot from Wieden + Kennedy in New York, shot mostly in New York, shows American soccer fans talking obsessively about their team—and not just the American team, but their national teams of their ancestral homelands. The tagline is: “Every 4 years the conversation starts again.”

The ad uses real U.S.-based soccer fans, including a German butcher, an Italian barber and a cabbie from the Ivory Coast. These guys are passionate.”

The New York Times: The Great Unwatched

“Some of the biggest names in Internet media have been gathering in New York City at the third annualDigital Content NewFronts, a pitch-a-thon where companies like Yahoo, AOL and Crackle — and, yes, The New York Times — trumpet their digital platforms to brands eager to reach consumers via online video ads.

According to the standard spiel, ads in this medium are alluring because they can be aimed at specific audiences. They can roll in front of content that people want to see. They exist in the digital space where coveted demographic groups are spending more time.”

AdWeek: Who’s Your Daddy? Definitely Not Scooter the Neutered Cat

“When it comes to PSAs about controlling the pet population, most of us have come to expect well-intentioned lectures from the likes of Bob Barker.

Enter Scooter, the neutered cat, ironic love child of Barney Miller and Shaft. He’s the coolest cat on the block, ya jive turkey, with “hip spectacles, no testicles.” What this pimp-ass cat lacks in testicular payload, he makes up for in spunk.”

Mumbrella Asia: Winners revealed in Singapore’s first foreigner-free young creatives contest for Cannes Lions

“The winners have been revealed for Singapore’s first foreigner-free competition to win a place in the Young Lions contest in Cannes this summer.

MediaCorp, which represents Singapore’s entries for the Young Lions competition, took the decision to shut out foreign talent from entering this year, restricting submissions to Singaporeans and permanent residents. The company said the decision was in line with a government directive to “strengthen the core of Singaporean talents in key sectors.””

kaleesi-burger-hed-2014AdWeek: Feast on This Kaleesi Burger Inspired by Game of Thrones

“The inventive chefs over at PornBurger have created another masterpiece: the Kaleesi, a slightly misspelled homage to Game of Thrones dragon mother Daenerys Targaryen.

Known as Khaleesi to her Dothraki followers in the HBO series based on George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire novels, Daenerys famously had to eat an entire raw horse heart without vomiting, which might explain why the patty on this culinary beast is made from dinosaur kale formed into a patty and rubbed in the Ethiopian spice mix berbere.”

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