Kids Trash Stale Minutes, Mom Gets Mad, in AT&T Rollover Minutes Ad

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I love this ad where a mother opens the kitchen trash and finds a bunch of little clocks: old AT&T rollover minutes that her kids don't want because "those minutes are from September!"

"They're rollover minutes, they're exactly the same!" she cries in exasperation. Then she delivers a one-sentence guilt trip that brought my mom's "starvation in the mother land!" speech to mind.

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by Angela Natividad    May-20-08    
Topic: Commercials, Good, Mobile/Wireless, Television



Apples Continues to Receive Consumer-Generated Love

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Not that we one more proof point to solidify the fact people who love Macs love Macs and people who...well...let's just say there's no love at all on the PC side of thing, but here is yet another consumer-created ode to Apple greatness. It's set to the tune Again & Again by The Bird and the Bee and demonstrates all the wonderful things Mac can do.

The video was featured on the Unofficial Apple Weblog.

by Steve Hall    May-20-08    
Topic: Consumer Created, Good, Video



GEICO Gecko Gets Stalked!

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Here's a new series of GEICO commercials where the gecko gets stalked by a wildlife enthusiast. Watch him narrate for nature lovers while the green mascot goes about his business at libraries, golf courses, cafes and parks.

The safari fanboy is totally at odds with his surroundings, but he's got that wild, lovable Steve Irwin enthusiasm about him. My favourite is the spot where the gecko ditches him on the subway.

One point for beast; zero for man.

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by Angela Natividad    May-20-08    
Topic: Brands, Campaigns, Commercials, Good, Television



Forget the Snack Bars; Want Some Eye Candy with that Cuppa?

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A UK-based Kellogg's Nutri-Grain campaign aspires to bring the office tea trolley back in vogue.

I have no strong feelings about mobile snack trays, but this glorified Nutri-Grain evangelist is sizzling. (So much hotter than his American counterpart, the break room bagel guy.) He can push my trolley any day of the week -- or at least stand around pouring me tea for an indecently long time before moving onto the next hungry cog.

by Angela Natividad    May-20-08    
Topic: Brands, Campaigns, Good, Guerilla, Online



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Sweden Unleashes Even More Weird McDonald's Commercials

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Back in January, after viewing a crop of really weird McDonald's commercial from DDB Stockholm, I wrote, "OMFG! WTF? We don't know what drugs they use over in Sweden but, damn, we want some now! Or at least we want to know what goes on inside the minds of DDB Stockholm Copywriter Magnus Jacobsson and Art Director Frederik Simonsson who created these three off-the-charts whacked ads for McDonald's."

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by Steve Hall    May-20-08    
Topic: Best, Brands, Commercials, Strange



Samsung Fobs Soul-Seekers Off with Eye Tricks

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Like crows drawn to scraps of tinfoil, the average person cannot resist the temptation of an optical illusion -- no matter how many times they've visited the Imaginarium.

To promote the Soul handset, Samsung presents 10 optical illusions in under two minutes. And while the use of optical illusions to promote the Soul is confusing in itself, the video has sparked an argument on Engadget over whether the actual number of illusions seen is 8 or 9. (It's definitely not 10.)

If that proved as pointless and disappointing to you as it did me, please accept my apologies and some Magic Eye porn.

by Angela Natividad    May-20-08    
Topic: Brands, Campaigns, Promotions, Video



Amstel Light Teaches Us Dutch Word for 'Beer'

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And it's a lot like the English way, actually. Also see banner variation.

Sadly, the banner doesn't sing, dance or turn monitors into open bars. Guess it won't be joining the rich media gallery.

by Angela Natividad    May-20-08    
Topic: Brands, Campaigns, Online, Poster



Terry Richardson Discusses His Work For Belvedere Vodka

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If you're the sort of person who enjoys listening to creative people prattle on endlessly about their work and how what they magically make "flowers open up," then you'll love this new section of the Belvedere website in which photographer Terry Richardson discusses his work for the vodka brand. He even says "fuck" which seemingly makes sense since the brand is re-birthing itself as the bad guy of upscale vodkas.

To view, go here, choose country, answer age question, skip stupid intro, click Discover Luxury Reborn, Click Terry's Room. Don't you love the simplicity of navigating a Flashturbation site?

"Fuckin' Liberating!"

by Steve Hall    May-20-08    
Topic: Brands



Teaser! Countdown Clock! Blog! It Must be...A Marketing Campaign!

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Here's yet another one of those videos that presents itself as one thing but is likely just another promotion for something no one needs or wants. In the video, the predictions of Nostradamus are examined as they relate to some mysterious wind that is supposed to "besiege the capital of Europe" otherwise known as Brussels.

The video ends with the classic date teaser, "Fall 2008" and a link leads to http://legrandsouffle.be, a blog with the ubiquitous countdown clock and other goodies. It's not in English so it's unclear if there are any further details on the site. No doubt, those who can read the site will fill in the blanks.

The video was posted by Cherry and Cake, a fairly well known agency in the Netherlands. Care to comment, guys?

by Steve Hall    May-20-08    
Topic: Online, Video, Weblogs



Asthma Attack Powerfully Delivered

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Along the lines of Meth and workplace safety ads, this commercial for the American Asthma Foundation dramatically illustrates what it's like to experience an asthma attack. It's not pleasant and the commercial does a perfect job making the point.

by Steve Hall    May-20-08    
Topic: Cause, Commercials, Good



Oh Look! It's Another Ass Selling Things!

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OK, then. After having crapped all over sexism in the office place, why not jump right back into reality: the use of sex, namely ass in this case, to garner attention for the purposes of selling stuff. This is a consumer-created ad for French railway Voyages-sncf.com. See? Even "regular people" know sex sells.

by Steve Hall    May-20-08    
Topic: Bad, Consumer Created, Good, Racy



Tables Turned on Advertising Industry Sexism

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On the way out from her AgencySpy gig, SuperSpy minces no words lashing out at guys and sexism in the workplace reversing things a bit so men can endure the rampant objectivity apparently experienced by women in the ad business. For some, her point of view may be seen as harshly bitter but I'd say it's not very far off base in some instances.

She writes, "I'm going to find the first junior employee that I can and comment on how nice his jeans fit or better yet, tell him my own sexual fantasies and see if he bites. Yes, he probably will, but the power I exert in doing it, in making him feel uncomfortable for a brief moment, small, at jeopardy for his job (that brief sweet vengeful second), will be some sort of justice for all the ad guys who have come onto me and the chicks I know or don't even know in the work environment."

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by Steve Hall    May-20-08    
Topic: Agencies, Opinion



Missing Soldiers Put Internet at Standstill

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This campaign won a Gold Clio in the Content & Contact category.

To commemorate Ehud Goldwasser, Gilad Shalit and Eldad Regev, Israeli soldiers abducted by Hezbollah on July 12 of '06, Y&R/Tel Aviv asked major sites to shut down for five minutes on July 12, '07. For that short period of time, each page aired this message.

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by Angela Natividad    May-20-08    
Topic: Campaigns, Cause, Online



And the Awards Show Pinata Explodes Again!

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If after a panoply of awards shows you are still not sure which ads were best, below are the agencies, clients and campaigns that received a Gold or above in Clio's Television/Cinema/Digital, Interactive, Technique and Radio categories.

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by Angela Natividad    May-20-08    
Topic: Agencies, Campaigns, Industry Events