Something About Target Makes Consumption So Sexy

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'Tis the season for back-to-school, and Target hits the notes without once going flat. In its latest spot, two roomies meet for the first time, shake hands, then dance their asses off to Calabria by Enur. Sometimes they're battling; other times they're totally in tandem. Meanwhile, they manage to magically decorate their oversized room.

Sassy stuff though. Tagline: "Be happy together, design together, save together. At Target." But it could also have been "West Side Story, meet Conspicuous Consumption. Now wiggle away your differences."

Think the happy together signals the birth of a new cover song? The Turtles had kind of a Target vibe going on, and it'd make a nice transition from Hello Goodbuy.

by Angela Natividad    Aug- 8-08   Comments (3)    File: Brands, Campaigns, Commercials, Good, Television AddThis Social Bookmark Button   

Dr. J Takes His Dr. Pepper on the Rocks

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Dr. J puts a little throwback spice into Dr. Pepper with "Drink it Slow" by Deutsch/LA, part of Dr. Pepper's just-launched campaign, "Trust Me, I'm a Doctor."

In the spot, former basketball player Julius Erving -- your homie Dr. J -- encourages users to drink Dr. Pepper slowly, to better savor its 23 flavours. "Hey, I get it, 'cause half my life's been in slow motion," J adds. Cut to a sound bite of his dunking triumphs as he lobs an ice cube, slow-mo-style, into a faraway glass. I like the little kick he does.

Kelsey Grammer will to appear in a future spot as Dr. Frasier Crane. I'm hoping they also use Doogie, but it's doubtful since Old Spice already stole that thunder.

A younger Dr. J also appeared in a Converse spot this year.

by Angela Natividad    Aug- 8-08   Comments (2)    File: Brands, Campaigns, Celebrity, Television AddThis Social Bookmark Button   

Don't Worry, It's Not a Real Ad.

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Probably inspired by the Eva Mendes nipple drama, Adrants reader Brian Guth sent us this billboard idea for the "Got Milk?" campaign.

The text: "You should know that milks [sic] nine essential nutrients make for one irresistible body!"

Before I saw the picture up-close, I thought it was a shot of flowing milk , which would have made for a neat foreground against the clouds in the sky. But nah, it's just another nipple.

by Angela Natividad    Aug- 8-08   Comments (1)    File: Outdoor, Spoofs, Strange AddThis Social Bookmark Button   

Sneak Peek into the ad:tech Chicago Press Room

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Here's a wee throwaway video I took in the ad:tech press room, which is where we hole up from morning 'til the first party of the night.

Featuring Brent Terrazas, Steve Hall and Really Loud Guy Who Asks for Business Cards and Puts You On Annoying Mailing Lists.

Seriously. He doesn't even ask for your name. It's just "Miss, got a business card? I HAVE A NEWSLETTER."

by Angela Natividad    Aug- 8-08   Comments (5)    File: Industry Events, Opinion AddThis Social Bookmark Button   
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Email 3.0: Smiling Into HAL's Eye

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While ad:tech Chicago's "The Role of Email in a Web 3.0 World" was mostly theory, I liked its feel-good flow. Moderator Christopher Marriott of Acxiom Digital got panelists comfortable without making viewers feel like they were sitting on the outside of an inside joke. It's a rare and beautiful skill.

Marriott acknowledged it was late in the day and told us up-front that the panelists were debriefed on his questions beforehand. As a result, he said, they came laden with slides to answer three major questions:

1. How might the nature of email change as it goes more completely cross-platform?

2. Can email coexist with the semantic web (web 3.0) ... or co-opt it?

3. What role will The Consumer play in creating web 3.0 email?

Before we get too deep down the rabbit hole, let's define web 3.0.

more »

by Angela Natividad    Aug- 8-08   Comments (0)    File: Industry Events, Online, Opinion AddThis Social Bookmark Button   

Adidas Joins the Free-Music-Giveaway Club

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For its back-to-school campaign "New School of Thought," Adidas Originals went all hipster and whatnot. The company partnered with trueAnthem to create a widget that gives away free music by Ultraviolet Sound and 30 percent discounts on Adidas Originals gear. The widget also includes short Adidas audio ads mixed by the band.

The street-sassy shoe brand joins Converse, Gap, Cartier and even Vanity Fair in disseminating free MP3s to the masses.

Why this might be smart marketing: if iTunes listeners switch Coverflow on, listening to your track will expose them to your marketing message, along with the album art. And if the campaign music's been uploaded onto last.fm, then last.fm users expose their friends to your brand when they listen to your track. So go stimulate those white earbuds, you go-getters, you.

by Angela Natividad    Aug- 8-08   Comments (0)    File: Brands, Campaigns, Celebrity, Good, Online AddThis Social Bookmark Button