Weekend Fun (2): Valentine’s Day

Speed Dating Prank | 2015 Ford Mustang | Ford.com

With Valentine’s day fast approaching, Ford has rolled out an ad film that looks pranks unsuspecting men on a first date with a professional stunt driver.  The video was made by a Detroit-based production agency, The Work.

Red Velvet Oreos get Valentine's twist

Oreo counts down to Valentine's Day with six digital spots. The brand has initiated a countdown to Valentine's Day with a series of digital spots to promote its red-velvet limited edition.

 The animated ads, created by 360i, put a romantic twist on daily interactions.

 A total of six ads will debut on YouTube each day until Feb 14.

Expedia 'PDA' by 180 Los Angeles

Expedia's new campaign asks couples from Times Square to Santa Monica Boulevard to 'get a room' for Valentine's Day. The promotion in the 180 Los Angeles-produced ad is a $50 discount on rooms www.expedia.com/valentine for couples booked before Feb. 14.

The ad features shots of PDA (public displays of affection) and will broadcast on television and social media.

Heart Transplant UK seeks donors in Valentine's Day campaign

Website lets people send personalised e-card to announce they are heart donors Heart Transplant UK is encouraging people to register on the heart donor list as part of its Valentine's Day campaign.

 "Give your heart this Valentine’s Day" by Dare also aims to find a heart for Stacie Pridden, who has been diagnosed with pulmonary hypertension.

Dare has also produced an online film directing people to the website. The spot shows Pridden filming a video on her laptop of herself asking for someone to give her a heart. The camera then pans out and Pridden is out of breath and hooks herself up to a medical machine to help her breathe.

The work was created by Chloe Pope and Jessica Morris, and was directed by James Strong through Dark Energy Films.

According to Heart Transplant UK, there are 265 people waiting for a heart transplant in this country. Last year there were 145 heart transplants in the UK. Only eight out of 10 people receive the transplant they need and Pridden may have just three months to receive a successful transplant.

John Fisher, chief executive at Heart Transplant UK, said: "The campaign has been launched to help sign people on to the donor register. Nine out of 10 people support organ donation, but only three out of ten sign up.

Giving your heart this Valentine’s Day takes a whole new meaning when you could be giving someone life."

Durex suggests a Valentine's Day chocolate substitute in the UK

Durex is encouraging couples to 'ditch' chocolates and roses this Valentine's Day and try something new instead.

Its £1.5 million ($2.3 million) campaign features a man holding a range of Durex lubrications packaged as flowers, with the tagline, 'Why not give something a little different for a change?'

The campaign was created by Havas Worldwide.

The brand said it launched the campaign after it found that pleasure gels are "one of the most popular things that people would like to experiment with in the bedroom."

There is also an ad to coincide with the release of 50 Shades of Grey, the film set to be released this Friday. The spot says, "Reality, it's better than literature."

It shows a couple reading in bed and throwing away their books as the woman reaches for a Durex-labeled box in a drawer.

Creative direction for the ad was handled by Christian Sewell and Andy Mcananey with Mark Fairbanks, the executive creative director. It was directed by Toby Macdonald through Partizan. The media agency was ZenithOptimedia.

Lastminute.com touts the 'sexy delights of Europe'

UK travel site Lastminute.com has launched a campaign encouraging lovers to enjoy 'the sexy delights of Europe' this Valentine's Day.

It has released a video on its YouTube channel and website positioning the brand as the go-to-site for a "#lustminute" city-break.

The campaign will be backed up by PR, press ads, CRM activity and content and hotel recommendations on the Lastminute.com site.

The 'sexy delights of Europe' film, created by Adam & Eve/DDB, features a series of sexually suggestive images of famous art, monuments and food items from across Europe.

These include glimpses of Le Pedrera in Barcelona, Venice’s canals and some 'master-bakers' in action.

The World's Talking About: Odd love

If any brand has the right to make Valentine’s Day its own, it is Interflora. The flower delivery service’s Danish arm has released a TV campaign that tells the story of two youths from different cliques who fall for each other. The ending owes a lot to Grease. In fact, it is Grease – but with different haircuts and a one-minute runtime. But it still strikes a chord, and the "Never stop trying" line is a winner.

(The campaigns first appeared on www.Campaignlive.com and www.campaignlive.co.uk)