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Classic Ad Gimmicks Used to Help Save Energy

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This is sorta nifty. Motivated by the assumption that youth adopt ideals based on how they're presented, Grey/Madrid launched Compra esta actitude ("Buy this attitude") on behalf of the Madrid City Council.

The effort tells people to save energy by twisting up gimmicks we're all familiar with. Ads were inspired by shampoo and perfume ads, and even those totally improbable amateur online videos.

Creative is divided by medium: Internet, TV, Radio, Grafica. Run a barcode scanner over each to see the work. The image at left is from the shampoo spoof, where a woman with lustrous hair swings it in the direction of a lightswitch and flips it off. And here's the online video they're pushing: "The light pong masters," inspired in part by stuff like "Guy catches glasses with face" for Ray Ban. Expect some heavily edited, totally improbable ping pong action. Yeah, baby, yeah.



9,580 Paper Dolls Sacrificed to Keep Converse Cool

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Anomaly/NY worked with Santogold, Julian Casablancas and Pharrell Williams of NERD to produce My Drive Thru, a paper doll music video for Converse. It's effortlessly dope, more so because Pharrell is the coolest fucking celebrity in the entire world. Oh, and the other two are also pretty awesome.

This is part and parcel of Converse's "Connectivity" campaign, which rocked well from Day 1. Scoop My Drive Thru up free on the Converse website, which was revamped to reinforce the celebu-paper doll thing. (Also very cool.) Click "unfold" for screen takeover -- minimal laggage -- then download the track.

by Angela Natividad    Jul-25-08    
Topic: Brands, Campaigns, Celebrity, Good, Online, Video



'Mad Men' Creator Matthew Weiner Talks to Adrants

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During this week's Television Critic's Association Press Tour held at the Beverly Hilton, MarKyr Media Co-Founder Marjorie Kase interviewed Mad Men Creator Matthew Weiner for Adrants. Mad Men, a show about advertising that's set in the early sixties, debuts its second season this Sunday, July 27, on AMC at 10PM.

MK: How has the Ad game evolved since the early days of Mad Men?

MW: I think the biggest difference is all of the conglomerates in advertising. They take the competition out of the market place. The ads themselves, I don't think are particularly bad or anything. There are still great ads being made with amazing amount of talent in advertising. I meet them and I see their work and I'm impressed and I'm amused and I enjoy it.

MK: Aside from all the sexism, drinking and smoking, how has the industry office culture changed?

MW: Well I don't think that's changed. I think that when you go to an advertising convention, the drinking is still there, and all the smoking is happening out in front of the building. I think people still go to strip clubs. There was a joke about Peggy last year that made Pete punch a guy in the face that was "She's like a lobster, all the meat's in the tail". That's from the New York Stock Exchange last year, that's not historical research; I was worried that would sound too contemporary.

more »

by Steve Hall    Jul-25-08    
Topic: Cable, Opinion



Cute Lepers Cure Terminal Boredom. Or Not

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Expectations are high when a press release promises, "Cute Lepers will Cure Your 'Terminal Boredom' This Summer!" But there are no lepers, cute or otherwise. It's just some pop band on tour.

by Angela Natividad    Jul-25-08    
Topic: Events, Online, Outdoor, Promotions



Women Make Less, and You Can Take That to the Bank

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To make a point about how women make less money than men in the work force, Miljopartiet de grona -- the green party in Sweden -- ran a print ad that compares currency featuring men to lower-value currency featuring women. The tagline: "Different gender, different worth."

Commercial Archive observes the idea's been done before; moreover, income disparity is slightly more complicated than some male-chauvinist exec going "Hey, a girl, I'm gonna SAVE."

On a casual YouTube quest for gender-disparaging videos, I found this clip about penis power. Please watch it. It will make your whole day. (Yes yes, SFW, but plug your headphones in.)

by Angela Natividad    Jul-25-08    
Topic: Cause, Magazine, Newspaper, Trends and Culture



Guinness Sexed, 50 79'd, Mars Caves, Parker Pisses

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- This fake Guinness commercial illustrates the pleasures of multitasking among friends...while naked...and having sex.

- To varying degrees, most people feel it's OK to have advertising in free online video content. The highest level of acceptance (82 percent) was for ads in full length TV shows (shown online).

- 50 Cent is not pleased with Taco Bell's publicity ploy urguing him to change his name to 79, 89, or 99 Cent to promote new menu items. 50 Cent has filed a lawsuit claiming his name an likeness were used without permission.

more »

by Steve Hall    Jul-25-08    
Topic: Celebrity, Policy, Spoofs, Video



You Know You Wanna Be a Super Masher

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Serena Software launched a Facebook super group to promote its business Mashup Composer. Check out the row of enterprise-chic Super Mashers. No hipsters here, except maybe for Mascara Man in far left beside Token Polo Guy. But hey, bet you can't tell which one ISN'T REAL.

"Before long, you'll be seeing just how easy it is to @#$% it (or mash it) with Serena Software."

What the hell's "@#$%"? Is that cog-talk for "mash"?

by Angela Natividad    Jul-25-08    
Topic: Online, Promotions, Strange



Got a Penny? Go Buy Glue

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To show how the penny is shortchanged in the value hierarchy, Office Max launched a campaign called "Power to the Penny." Toting a hidden camera, comedian Matt McCarthy pisses people off all over New York City by trying to buy stuff, like steak dinners, with nothing but bags full of copper coinage.

My favourite scene from the above video:

Chef (who pops outta nowhere): "How about if you come in here and you order the steak, and I take the steak, and I put it in the blender, and I give you the steak in a milkshake. Is that a steak?"

Long pause.

Matt McCarthy: "Why don't you go back in the kitchen, because you're not helping the situation."

I wish I had a penny for every time daddy said that to mommy.

More videos at PennyPranks. Each one ends with a clip-happy visual orgy of everything you can buy at Office Max for a penny. Crayons! Yardsticks! Glue! It's diorama time.

by Angela Natividad    Jul-25-08    
Topic: Brands, Campaigns, Online, Strange, Video



Chicago Ad Dude Questions His Worth

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In a sort of funny, sort of lame, sort of introspective, sort of awkward, sort of cheesy, sort of insightful, sort of self-indulgent, this promotional video from Chicago Creative Partnership attempts to instill the notion the agency really, really does take the work it does for brands personally.

Hmm. Not sure crapping on oneself is the best motivational strategy but, hey, everyone responds differently to a kick in the ass.

Inspserado?

by Steve Hall    Jul-25-08    
Topic: Agencies, Video



Agency Sends Intern on Holiday First Day on the Job

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Hey, hey, hey! Maybe being an intern at an ad agency isn't such a bad thing. That is if you're an intern at Naked Communications and the agency's client is Contiki Tours. On his first day, intern Gavin Chimes was ambushed with agency sending him on a surprise trip to Europe; first stop, Amsterdam.

The agency will be documenting his entire Contiki Tour, a company that offers travel tours for 18-35 year olds, so as to share the experience from the vantage point of an unsuspecting traveler. Any other agencies want to offer up a better intern program?

by Steve Hall    Jul-25-08    
Topic: Agencies, Brands, Good, Promotions, Video



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