YouTube Tuesday took a break last week for the Jewish New Year (happy new year if that’s your thing, BTW). We’re back this week with three killer product/service videos and the usual accompanying mini marketing/communications/branding critiques.

1. Grey Poupon. Many Apply. Few Cut the Mustard

This is wickedly brilliant. If you remember the funny ads like this one from eight million years ago …

… then you know that Grey Poupon has always had a sense of humor and a faux snootiness (they are, after all, not actually snooty…. they’re made by Kraft for godsakes!). In some of the most brilliant, creative social media marketing ever they are taking this snootiness to a whole new level. While most brands practically BEG you to like their Facebook pages, Grey Poupon makes you apply to like their page. And they show you a little video in which a panel of judges looks at your Facebook life and decides whether you’re in or out — with some witty comments along the way. Sadly I didn’t think to screen-record my application video. And it was impossible to watch it again (I even tried uninstalling the app via my Facebook privacy settings and re-applying–but that didn’t work either).

See below, I was able to grab some video. But the best thing would be for you to try this yourself. And see your own video.

I asked my dad his permission to login to Facebook as him and apply.  Despite the fact that the jury called him charmingly photogenic (he is) and praised his social skills (he has them!), he didn’t “cut the mustard.” Here’s his video. He’s a little faux pissed :- ) He wants to appeal! I suggest playing these full screen to get the full sharpness of the writers’ wit.

Then I asked my brother Ami. He made it!

Will you cut the mustard? Give it a try.

2. Toyota Tundra

OK. This is how advertising is done!! BTW, note the absence of paid TV. Quoting from the Fast Company article where I first read about this:

The creative team at Saatchi & Saatchi L.A., headed by Verner Soler, senior art director, and Graham McCann, senior copywriter, had been working to develop a television campaign that would demonstrate the Tundra’s enormous towing capacity. “They were thinking of what the Tundra could pull to show off how amazing it is. They came up with ideas like towing a satellite or a UFO across the country,” said Chris Adams, executive creative director at Saatchi L.A.

When they saw the news that the Endeavour was going to make its final landing in Los Angeles en route to the California Science Center, where it would be on permanent display, their plans became clear.

“We realized it could be much bigger than a TV ad. It could be history,” said Adams. Conveniently, Toyota already had an existing relationship with the California Science Center.

Although there’s no paid TV component, the campaign will, no doubt, get airtime when news crews cover the “finish-line” celebration planned at Exposition Park in Los Angeles as the Endeavour arrives at the Science Center towed by the Tundra.

Here’s a video showing the team getting ready for this feat:

This is simply brilliant. It’s product placement — directly into history, into culture. And they’re not just relying on TV news to show their truck, they’re doing a good job of showing the brand (nice closeup of the logo) and making their points (“this is a Tundra you’de by on a lot”) in this getting-ready video.

3. West Wing Coup: Getting Out the Vote for Less-Well-Known Political Races

It’s hard, in the US,  to get people out to vote for littlish (seeming) elections. Turns out it can also be hard to get people to vote for littlish (seeming) races  even on big election days — like say the one coming up in November — when greater numbers of voters head to polling stations. That’s because voting in these races means finding them on ballots that are often overflowing — and not so well designed. And you know how it goes, unless you’re super passionate about something (and even if you are) it’s easy to forget to vote on it if it’s not staring you in the face. This is a concern for Bridget Mary McCormack who is running for State Supreme Court in Michigan. Fortunately her younger sister and some of her friends did this:

This is beyond a great marketing coup. It also includes a nice graphical treatment at the end showing the solution on an actual ballot. Some behind the scenes “making-of” shots can be found on McCormack’s campaign Facebook page.

P.S. :- )