Michelle Williams and Natalie Portman Catfight For Greed Perfume

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Don't you hate the over-produced, over-styled, ridiculously unrealistic fragrance commercial that insist upon portraying life as if it were based solely upon how you smell? Don't you wish, for once, a Fragrance commercial would do something interesting like...oh...show a cat fight between Natalie Portman and Michelle Williams?

Well now your wish, courtesy of Roman Polanski and Francesco Vezzoli, can come true with this spoof commercial for Greed.

by Steve Hall    Feb- 9-09    
Topic: Celebrity, Commercials, Good, Spoofs



The French Make Super Bowl Ad

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Now we know where all the good commercials were during the Super Bowl. In France! Yes, in France. Though typical in the sense it's all about boy uses best friend to appear heroic for hot girl he wants to take out, this Pepsi Max commercial just oozes Super Bowl idiocy. Oh and we mean good idiocy in this case.

Just one problem. How exactly did that octopus get out of the water so quickly? CLM BBDO created.

by Steve Hall    Feb- 9-09    
Topic: Commercials, Good, Strange, Super Bowl 2009



Colgate Gives You Fresh Breath That Turns You On

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The name of this commercial, Naughty Boy, and the tagline, "Fresh breath that turns you on," might lead one to believe Colgate has added some sort of aphrodisiac to its toothpaste. But upon viewing the spot, one wonders if what Colgate, instead, added was some kind of seizure-inducing ingredient. Otherwise, this dude's expression of getting "turned on" is seriously warped.

Rediffusion Y&R Mumbai created the spot.

by Steve Hall    Feb- 9-09    
Topic: Commercials, Strange



Men Don't Always Want Their Equipment to be Bigger

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There isn't much that skeeves a guy out more than alluding to testicular injury and that's the nut this PSA from the Government of Ontario cracks. Calling attention to the apparent return of Mumps, the PSA highlights the isolation required when Mumps is detected and some of the weighty symptoms that con come with the disease.

by Steve Hall    Feb- 9-09    
Topic: Cause, Commercials, Strange



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The Super Bowl Isn't Over Until the Ad Critics Say It's Over

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Ever heard of The BeanCast? It's OK. Neither had we up until a few months ago when this half of Adrants was invited to appear. It's a podcast. Well, a new one is up and it's - surprise - all about the Super Bowl. Yea, we know. It was duller than a newspaper circulation department this year but, hey, it's our job to discuss the ads ad naseum, right?

more »

by Steve Hall    Feb- 9-09    
Topic: Creative Commentary, Opinion, Super Bowl 2009



Quirky Take on Child Abuse May Leave You Feeling Queasy

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Here's a set of prints that go with this child abuse/wedding reception ad by Whybin\TBWA Sydney for Australia's ASCA (Adults Surviving Child Abuse). Each approaches the topic with blithe, discomfiting irony.

You know, it's the kind of thing you'd find funny if it weren't so ... not-at-all.

See greeting card: "You're a special dad (slap, kick, pow!)"
See birthday cake: "Celebrating 20 years since you said I should have been aborted" -- arrow down if you can't see all of it at once.

Collective wince.

by Angela Natividad    Feb- 9-09    
Topic: Campaigns, Cause, Magazine, Poster



50 Reasons to Watch Coraline ... and Worship W+K.

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Coraline Mystery Boxes. Awesome way to personalize the Coraline experience and get bloggers gushing without doing anything super-extravagant.

From what we can tell, the boxes are filled with odds and ends, unique film memorabilia and the occasional skeletal hand -- but presentation makes them completely magical!

Watch with intestine-eating envy while the ASIFA Hollywood Animation Archive opens #37 out of #50 (lotsa pictures too). And Creativity Online has shots of the 50th.

more »

by Angela Natividad    Feb- 9-09    
Topic: Best, Guerilla



In Case You Thought Their Interests Were Limited to Beer Pong and Travel Abroad...

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...White people also like Jewish men and Thai girls. At least that's what Google AdSense told us on StuffWhitePeopleLike.com's "Political Prisoners" page.

All together now: "Contextual advertising FTW!"

by Angela Natividad    Feb- 9-09    
Topic: Bad, Online



Harajuku Lovers Targets Girl Gamers

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Young female online gamers are probably a good market for Gwen Stefani. She vibes kinda like a gamer, and her creepily coquettish Harajuku Lovers label has a decidedly Bejeweled-friendly aesthetic.

Soooo, from January 20 to February 1, Harajuku Lovers partnered with SPIL GAMES to organize an online scavenger hunt on GirlsGoGames.co.uk, a site targeted to casual girl gamers from ages 8-15. Users had to hunt down five different Harajuku girls/fragrances -- Baby, Love, Music, Lil' Angel, and G* -- on HLFragrance.com, then enter codes for each to win a shopping spree at Topshop.

Following up from that, Harajuku Lovers re-skinned GirlsGoGames between February 2 and February 4. Users could watch videos, learn the Harajuku Lovers theme song or play branded games that make it okay to seem jail-baity because everything is animated in pastel and written in bubble letters.

Example: Are you girly and sweet? Don't you just love yourself a pair of Mary Janes? Then by all means dive into Baby.

more »

by Angela Natividad    Feb- 9-09    
Topic: Brands, Campaigns, Games, Online, Packaging, Sponsorship



HR Block Does Oddvertising Thing.

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Because really, three cyclopses and a wheelbarrow of cash should be all it takes to convince you H&R Block is the tax refund brand of choice.

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by Angela Natividad    Feb- 9-09    
Topic: Brands, Commercials, Promotions, Strange, Television



Allstate's Past Makes Prime Ad Opp

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Here's something we didn't know: Allstate was founded in 1931 and has weathered nine recessions.

Taking advantage of this illustrious history in "Back to Basics," baritone spokesman Dennis Haysbert tells dollar-skittish viewers that recession is a cure for frenzied overindulgence. Now is the time to have meals at home, that kind of thing. Later it all ties back into Allstate's "in good hands" tagline.

Work by Leo Burnett and production firm GARTNER.

more »

by Angela Natividad    Feb- 9-09    
Topic: Brands, Campaigns, Commercials, Television