Xerox Unveils Beach Ball As New Logo

xerox_beachball.jpg

Perhaps they haven't seen ATT's logo. Perhaps they don't care their new logo conjures a lazy Saturday afternoon at the beach. No, Xerox and Omnicom' Interbrand, which just unveiled its new logo today, thinks a red beach ball will do just fine conveying its desire to be known as a company that is "engaging and approachable." Yes, "engaging and approachable" just like small child at the beach who wants you to play beach ball with them.

After 20 years of that big red X, 18 months of research and development has yielded...a beach ball. Yup. When we think of a serious document management company, we think of...a beach ball. Don't you?

Anyway, life goes on and after a month or two, no one will even care about this let alone remember the original red X logo.

by Steve Hall    Jan- 7-08    
Topic: Brands



Target Targets Female Target

target_target.jpg

Yup. we're ready for it. Ready for everyone to tell us we're reading way, way too much into this Target billboard that places a certain area of a woman's body highly targeted by men right in the middle of its signature target logo. But you can't tell us not a single soul at Target or its agency looked at this and didn't see a certain interpretation that could be construed as objectifying to women. There's just no way.

Would it have been that hard to place the image of the woman so her upper body was in the middle of the target rather than her...um...crotch? Seriously. Perhaps the initial concept had her playfully face down in a pile of snow emblazoned with her ass in the middle of the Target logo but someone at Target said, "We don't do doggy style at our organization. Flip her over please."

by Steve Hall    Jan- 7-08    
Topic: Bad, Outdoor



East London Decapitator May Be Girl-Targeting Killer-in-the-Make

mulletover-ad.jpg

Sometimes an innocent instance of "sticking it to the man" is not just sticking it to the man. It might be sticking it to women. Literally. Blood and all.

Words & Pictures takes a closer look at the activities of the East London Decapitator and observes the lauded ad-manipulator targets women five-to-one.

Considering the female half of Adrants is the Queen's Country right now, that's a ratio that literally hurts our necks.

Read the analysis, if only for the accompanying "DIE, BITCH" comic.

What do you think? Is this all in good fun, or the makings of a carte blanche psycho?



Stripping Knight Promotes Budget Pizza. (Huh?)

stripping-knight.png

This Round Table ad by WONGDOODY has a stripping knight in it. It's not as exciting as it sounds, but it's probably funny as hell when you're high. (Then again, so is this.)

The ad is for Big Vinnie, a New York-style pizza for the budget-conscious. (But who's gonna remember that?!)

by Angela Natividad    Jan- 7-08    
Topic: Brands, Commercials, Promotions, Strange, Television



Enjoy what you've read? Subscribe to Adrants Daily and receive the daily contents of this site each day along with free whitepapers.

Obama Girl Declares Love For Adrants

obama_girl_adrants.jpg

It's not often one of the hottest women on the planet creates a personalized video just for you but that's exactly what our fave political babe, Obama Girl, did for us today. In the video she calls for a return to values, honesty and patriotism. She then says when it comes to reading about advertising, it's critical she reads Adrants. OMFG. We think we just fell in love!

OK. Fuck that "we" shit. I think I just fell in love! Amber Lee goes on to say Steve Hall is "the kind of American we can all aspire to be." I'm not sure that's true but I'm not going to argue with someone as nice as Amber Lee Ettinger. Thank you, Amber Lee. Thank you, Ben. You both rock.

See all the Obama Girl videos here.

by Steve Hall    Jan- 7-08    
Topic: Announcements, Cause, Celebrity, Good, Video



Uh ... 'Scampi' is a Five-Letter Word, Too

effen-vodka.png

The chief creative officer of Euro RSCG, Chicago gets gushy about five-letter words as part of a promotional campaign for Effen Vodka.

Got a lot of time on your hands? Download the campaign PDF. Never mind the "naughty" aspect; the number of adjectives alone made us blush. (And that's saying a lot.)

As the self-proclaimed experts on reviewing racy advertising, we think the word "Effen" is about as randy as a kid calling his uncle an "a-hole" in an uncontrollable fit of rage.

by Angela Natividad    Jan- 7-08    
Topic: Packaging, Poster, Strange



Facebook Slammed, George Lois Speaks

george_lois_portrait.jpg

- George Parker is sick of Facebook, it's plethora of stupid applications and the insanity of a "24 year old billionaire wanker" gets rich using people's information without asking their permission.

- Legendary ad man George Lois makes an appearance on this week's Studio 360, Public Radio International's syndicated weekly show about creativity.

- TNS Media Intelligence forecasts media spend to increase 4.2 percent in 2008 with growth slower in the first half than the second. The Olympics and political spending will contribute significantly to that figure. The biggest increase (14.4 percent) will be seen in internet display advertising.

- AdWeek has named Goodby U.S. agency of the year and Wieden + Kennedy global agency of the year.

by Steve Hall    Jan- 7-08    
Topic: Agencies, Podcast, Social



Samsung Teams With Pussycat Doll Nicole Scherzinger For UGC Contest

nicole_scherzinger.jpg

Some might say user-generated ad campiagns are so 2007 but not Samsung who partnered with Brickfish to bring us a video contest in whick people can submit their own versions of Pussycat Doll lead singer Nicole Scherzinger's single "baby Love." The contest is to promote Samsung's camcorder. The winner, determined by popular vote, will take home a Samsung 40 inch LCD HDTV and an MX10 flash memory camcorder.

Predictably, most entries are about as good as early round American Idol contestants but we're not going to not get all Simon Cowell nasty and ruin the fun. Rather, let's wallow in the amusement the YouTube generation gleefully shares with the world.

Brickfish has enabled and is tracking the viral spread of these video as they make their rounds off the contest site and into the internet ether. There's a cool chart that displays the spread and the viral path the videos took.

by Steve Hall    Jan- 7-08    
Topic: Consumer Created, Good, Sponsorship, Video



Obama Generates Still More Hype, May Win Votes of Hardened Racists...?

obama wants YOU.jpg

Word on the street is Obama won the first-ever MySpace primary for the Democratic side, taking 46 percent of MySpace Democrat votes.

Having stolen the love of social networking's working-class, Bob Garfield -- ad commentator-cum-resident sociologist -- is willing to wager Obama will win racist redneck votes too, as long as he proves "acceptably black" (a la Halle Berry).

You cannot make this shit up.

Back on earth (or not), Jetpacks compares Obama to the ultra-sexy iPhone. That may be the best analogy we've heard all day.

Until Florida tears our hearts out through our throats, we're all for Team Obama too. (But more importantly, Team Obama's all for us!)

< / sinister laugh >

by Angela Natividad    Jan- 7-08    
Topic: Campaigns, Opinion, Trends and Culture



PETA Rides UGC for Big In on Open Apps Craze

peta-logo.png

Loath to miss out on the open applications hype but too lazy (or busy hunting?) to build one, PETA is hosting a contest for people keen to develop a Facebook or OpenSocial app promoting PETA or its campaigns. (Does striptease State of the Union mean anything to you?)

"Remember: We're PETA, so don't be afraid to be racy, provocative, shocking, or even controversial if you want to," the contest info reads.

Winners get a $500 Apple gift card, which can get you an iPod touch or one-fifth of a 17-inch Macbook Pro. Entries due Jan 25 so if you're really into animal salvation, or just hate the crap out of KFC (which is as good an incentive as any), you better get crackin'.

by Angela Natividad    Jan- 7-08    
Topic: Brands, Cause, Online, Promotions



Lacoste Bullies Dental Firm Over Logo, Gets Bitchslapped with Fine

lacoste logo.JPG

Gotta love a logo battle. French firm Lacoste just lost one against a dental practice in UK-based Gloucestershire, which uses the image of a crocodile to promote its service.

The battle raged for four years between the goliathan clothing company and the practice, with Lacoste arguing the use of the crocodile could confuse people into thinking the dentist office is Lacoste-endorsed.

more »

by Angela Natividad    Jan- 7-08    
Topic: Bad, Brands



UK Energy Firm Bears Green Cross for Local Laud

eft-energy.png

To draw eyes to its eco-friendliness, UK-based energy company EDF put together this Frankenstein's hide of an ad. It includes cuts from Thunderbirds and The Wombles, and bits of speeches by John F Kennedy and former President Clinton.

The last frame reads, "This commercial is made from recycled film clips." It was put together by Euro RSCG and includes a hazy adaptation of Kermit the Frog's "It's Not Easy Being Green."

Preach it, you long-suffering recycler you.

We can't wait for the day that Kermit song is adapted for albino animals. Won't be long now.

by Angela Natividad    Jan- 7-08    
Topic: Campaigns, Cause, Television