Wellington Zoo Offers Climactic Valentine's Day

wellington_zoo_valentines_day.jpg

Unless you want the rest of your co-workers to think your having a bit of afternoon delight in your cubicle, you might want to turn the volume down or wear earphones before viewing this climactic commercial from Wellington Zoo courtesy of Saatchi & Saatchi.

The blissful exuberance is all to promote Valentine's Day at the zoo which has put together a 17-plus night out including gourmet treats, a live band and, of course the animals. There's no word on whether or not the animals will "perform" during the festivities.

by Steve Hall    Feb- 5-09    
Topic: Commercials, Good, Racy, Video



Crispin Porter + Bogusky to Lay Off 60 Employees

bogusky.jpg

Oh no! Say it ain't so! Even Uber-agency Crispin Porter + Bogusky is facing tough times and has had to reduce its staff of 900 by 60. Katie Kempner, VP of communications sent us this statement.

"In response to the current economic climate, advertising budgets are being reduced in virtually every industry. On a comparative basis, CP+B's business is doing well but we are not immune to the constriction of the economy. Our two main responsibilities are to our clients and to our employees. And in order to most prudently manage our business, we have
take the difficult step of reducing our staff by 60 of our 900+ employees. We do not anticipate any further staff reductions. These are extraordinary times and we hope that we will not have to do this again."

Well, there you have it. Best wishes to all. Getting laid off sucks and there's no other way to put it.

by Steve Hall    Feb- 5-09    
Topic: Agencies, Bad



ESPN's 'Homophobic Fist Kiss' Lays Fist Bump to Rest

shaq_espn_fist_kiss.jpg

Ah...the fist bump. That manly expression of...well, who the fuck knows? The whole fist bump thing is stupid, awkward and dumb. And has become even more so since Agency.com's Subway video.

It has nothing to do with homophobia, as some have dubbed it when called a "fist kiss" in this Shaquille O'Neal and Mike Breen ESPN commercial, rather everything to do with some men's odd desire to appear "yo, dude" cool or something. It's just dumb.

more »

by Steve Hall    Feb- 5-09    
Topic: Cause, Celebrity, Commercials, Opinion



'June Cleaver seeks Ward for her Beaver.'

red-tettemer-cleaver.jpg

You haven't had Valentine's Day until you've trawled this year's array of hawt Red Tettemer singles. After picking one you like, open up Outlook and reel that booty in. RT doesn't even charge a contact fee.

Don't email the two-for-one special though; he's ours.

by Angela Natividad    Feb- 5-09    
Topic: Agencies, Good, Online



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

YouTube as Casual Gaming Platform?

youtube-street-fighter.jpg

On this especially idle morning, @tim_nolan invited us to partake of YouTube Street Fighter, brought to you by Patrick Bolvin.

Give it a whirl. The game enables you to interact by sending you to a new video every time you take an action, like picking a character or choosing to kick or block.

It's a fractured and disjointed experience, and you'll probably only play it once, but it brought to mind that Wario Land: Shake It! thing and reminded us that even when you think you know a medium, some innovative mind will turn it into something totally different -- opening opportunities for both the medium to evolve, and for creatives to take advantage.

more »

by Angela Natividad    Feb- 5-09    
Topic: Consumer Created, Games, Online



Guard Your Loins! This Video Will Gay You

gay-alpha-thumb.jpg

Responding to political insinuations that homosexuals "effectively advertise, glamorise and recruit people" to their lifestyle, a handful of creatives used their downtime to develop a tongue-in-cheek recruitment campaign for la vie en gay.

"The Gay Alphabet" is all Sesame Street-inspired eightiesness, cheerfully ticking down an alphabetical list of all the things that WILL MAKE YOU GAY. So yeah, that one time you went out in chaps and confessed to loving Kylie Minogue to a dude who later grabbed your ass? That marked your fall into Sodom -- and one day you will learn to love it.

more »



Comcast to Luddites: GET READY (for __________).

seniorcitizenwpigtails.jpg

A year and a half ago, a survey was taken pegging seniors as among the most likely to be negatively affected by the upcoming digital TV transition. This crucial trivia wiggled its way into last-minute marketing campaigns with understandable urgency; Adrants reader Rebecca reported getting the ad at left in her mailbox.

"Get Ready for the Digital Transition on February 17, 2009, with FREE Basic Cable," it says. For those that weren't paying attention the first time, an eye-catching balloon tactfully adds, "GET READY BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE!"

more »

by Angela Natividad    Feb- 5-09    
Topic: Cable, Direct, Events, Strange



'Look at that Detailing. That is a Sweet Ride, Right There.'

ikea-pax-canada.jpg

Last week we reviewed a St. Lukes ad for IKEA's PAX wardrobe, which wordlessly depicted women being jostled about in an ongoing quest for safe haven.

In response, zig sent us its take on PAX. "Garagetalk" airs in Canada and was adapted in Germany. The vibe's completely different, but it still ties PAX to women and our apparently insatiable need for ambient shoe space.

Easing a friend into her PAXed-out closet with a casual "Welcome to the Jane-zone" (wince!), one chick shows off her wardrobe space with the attitude men adopt over modded "bachelor" garages. In case you miss the cues, concluding text wryly reads, "Men have the garage. Women have the PAX wardrobe."

more »

by Angela Natividad    Feb- 5-09    
Topic: Brands, Campaigns, Commercials, Packaging, Television



nu-kitchen's Wordplay Sets Stage for Its Dishes

MLRNuKPrntDevourRVSD72.jpg

These ads for nu-kitchen were pitched to us as eye candy for ex-English majors. Each has a tagline served up on a white plate -- innocuous at first, then you read the copy and your head starts bobbing subconsciously with the iambic meter.

See:

o You click, we cook, we deliver, you devour. (At left.)
o Knock knock. Who's there? Orange-chile tilapia with black forbidden rice.
o Gourmet delivery. Comfort food price.
o Click once. Eat happily ever after.

Each plate is furnished with a dish description in smaller text ("biscotti with dark chocolate dipping sauce," "espresso glazed pork with peruvian purple potatoes"). Outside the entree, there's a prominent promo: try three meals free.

more »