Wanna Party? Leave McCain with Mom and Dad

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Hoping to recruit film buffs to the Democratic Party, Truth Through Action launched its first indy production, Blue Balled. Where it lacks political depth, it compensates in party-line zeal.

Nice use of the Requiem for a Dream theme music. And we totally caught that nod to The Graduate!

It's a failsafe ploy for fast appeal: No one ever gets tired of the "I'm 19! Tonight's my lucky night!" plotline, right? I'm guessing not; otherwise, Porky's, American Pie and Chico State would be fresh out of relevance.

Crappy jokes aside, we look forward to seeing future stuff from Truth Through Action.

by Angela Natividad    Jun-17-08    
Topic: Online, Political, Video



BuddyFetch: For People that Just Can't Friend Fast Enough

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This is sort of weird. Buddy Fetch brings Ask Jeeves to mind, except you're not seeking answers to abstract questions; you're seeking buddies.

The results can be just as amusing, though. We entered "writing, marketing, cats" in the search box. These were our results. But this was probably the top find of the day.

The system scans profiles across social networks, blog sites, Twitter and -- oddly enough -- AIM and Gchat. Results can be skewed by sex, age and webcam/mic access. A short profile of each user is listed, as well as their screen names across different media. (Invasive much?)

At left is a testimonial from the Buddy Fetch homepage that made us burst out laughing. Not sure why. Sometimes soul patches make us do that.

by Angela Natividad    Jun-17-08    
Topic: Online, Strange



Dashboard Rock Could Excel a Bit Better at Rocking

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Dashboard Rock, which represents Mazda's attempt to cash in on the popularity of games like Rock Band and Guitar Hero, vibes like Dance, Dance Revolution for your fingers. You can also download 15 songs as you move through the game.

Now here are all the setbacks.

more »

by Angela Natividad    Jun-17-08    
Topic: Bad, Brands, Campaigns, Games, Online, Worst



Little Girl Defines YouTube

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YouTube is a lot of things to a lot of people but now we have the definitive description from a little girl who seems to know the truth. Finally, all that social media crap can be set aside for a definition that actually makes sense.

by Steve Hall    Jun-17-08    
Topic: Video



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Deutsch Doesn't Know the Difference Between GM and Chrysler

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OK, what? Does Deutsch really not know the difference between a Pontiac Solstice and a Corvette? Even worse, the difference between a Chevy HHR and a Chrysler PT Cruiser? Seemingly not according to these screenshots (1, 2) of the agency's site on which they label the Soltice a Corvette and an HHR a T Cruiser.

Guys, guys, guys! Do we have to bring out that shot of Donny in a Speedo again and slap you upside the head with his junk to wake you up?

by Steve Hall    Jun-17-08    
Topic: Agencies, Bad



Kazan Dabs Cultural Pen with CGI-Heavy Palette

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Imagine if Ghost Writer made friends with Cirque de Soleil, and then they went on a Russian tour with hula hoops, tennis racquets and Day-Glo underpants.

Got all that? Good. You're probably picturing Kazan Celebration, which starts out enigmatic, quietly lovely and culturally reverent. Then there's this explosion of acrobats and enthralled villagers similar to the Mystere Las Vegas show.

The piece was put together by Adore Creative, which helped Kazan win a bid at the 2013 Summer Universiade (which Adore calls "the second biggest sporting event in the world after the Olympics"). Also see World of Kazan, where an English-speaking narrator depicts Kazan as a fairy-tale locale.

That's cool and all. But does it have Lotus toilet paper?

by Angela Natividad    Jun-17-08    
Topic: Campaigns, Events, Good, Promotions, Video



Funerals Need Not Be Boring Says MyWonderfulLife

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Who said funeral have to be boring, weepy events that continuously follow the same routine? Not MyWonderfulLife, a newish online funeral planning service where people can make their funeral wishes known ahead of time and make it easy for those left planning the funeral with guidance as to what kind of funeral the person prefers.

A new commercial celebrates this so-it-yourself approach making it clear anything can happen at a funeral.

by Steve Hall    Jun-17-08    
Topic: Campaigns, Commercials, Good, Strange



Adrants Has Been On Twitter For, Like, EVAR! Follow Us!

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So like yea. Angela and I have been on Twitter forever and we love it. We find news. We find insight. We share ideas. We offer opinion. We discuss advertising stuff. We find out who's saying what at conference before anyone else does. And we hang with the AdWeek crew. (We'd happily hang with the Ad Age crew if they were actually on Twitter.)

So follow us. Yes, follow us and find out just what the hell Angela and I do all day long. Angela's at @luckthelady and I'm at @stevehall.

Oh, and if you just want Adrants headlines via Twitter, follow @adrants.

by Steve Hall    Jun-17-08    
Topic: Announcements, Social



Verizon's Twittering Teddy Reads Tweets

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So if you're Verizon FiOS, what do you do to take advantage of the tools that have made media social? You create Twittering Teddy, of course. Twittering Teddy, cobbled together by My Home 2.0 Techno-Gurus, is an animatronic teddy bear that speaks people's Twitter streams through a live Ustream feed. You can friend Teddy on Twitter and here him speak your tweets as well as the tweets of your friends.

more »

by Steve Hall    Jun-17-08    
Topic: Social



Enlarged Ego? Patchy Facial Hair? Plain Awkward? Adrantsarax May Be Right for You

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This is awesome!

For client Cedra, Door Number 3/Austin put together Get Your Drug On. It confirms a suspicion we've had for years: that making a drug, or at least the ads for a drug, is as easy as Mad Libs.

Also, gotta love that waiting room music.

by Angela Natividad    Jun-17-08    
Topic: Brands, Campaigns, Good, Online



Twix Tears One Out of the 'Choose Your Own Adventure' Playbook

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Remember those Choose Your Own Adventure books that pretty much let you decide whether you'd die two, or twenty, pages into the story? Visit Twix.com for a grown-man version of the game. You won't get to ride any unicorns, but if you're lucky, you might get to ride something else.

The adventure is called "Get the Girl." The protagonist convinces a girl to come home with him by inviting her over to blog about the media. (That gets me every time.) But there are obstacles! Mull your options over with Twix. (Helpful hint: at the very end, pick "Be honest." You'll dig what happens.)

Accompanying spot: "Oh, blogging! I love blogging!"

by Angela Natividad    Jun-17-08    
Topic: Commercials, Good, Online, Television



Mark Your Calendars for Real Men and Women of Madison Ave.

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Next week, and for the first time, the most reputed names in advertising history are congregating in Manhattan. They include David Ogilvy, Phyllis Robinson, George Lois, Mary Wells Lawrence, and Shirley Polykoff.

And even if you can't face most of them in the flesh, you get the chance to revisit the ads, posters, books, spots and interviews that made them memorable.

Real Men and Women of Madison Avenue: Their Impact on American Culture will be exhibited from June 24-September 26 at the Science, Industry and Business Library's Healy Hall.

The exhibit covers the lives and work of copywriters and art directors that influenced buying habits in the past 80 years. The event is sponsored by the One Club, and we'll be covering the debut early next week.

Hope to see you there. View a full description of Real Men and Women in Mad Ave. in the Adgabber Events calendar.

by Angela Natividad    Jun-17-08    
Topic: Agencies, Industry Events