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It's Better to Travel in Groups

penguins_delijn.jpg

While convincing people to travel in groups - ie. on the bus - probably wouldn't go over too well in America what with our automotive obsessions and all but Duval Guillaume, for Flemish transportation company De Lijn, hopes to convince the Belgian Dutch otherwise.

The agency, like many others, employed the use of cute cuddly animals to make their point. In one commercial, a firefly realizes many lights are better than one and in another, a group of penguins foil a killer whale's attempt at having breakfast.

by Steve Hall    Feb-16-09    
Topic: Commercials, Good



WB Catvertising for Fear 2 Video Game

fear2-black-cats.jpg

On Friday the 13th, Warner Brothers corralled a bunch of black cats together, covered them in Fear 2 swag and let them loose in London.

The object was to catch the attention of superstitious pedestrians as they avoid sidewalk cracks and ladders and whatnot.

Nice way to get attention. From your target demo though? Ehhh.

Off-topic, is it possible to train a cat to walk in a leash? Huh. Guess so.

by Angela Natividad    Feb-16-09    
Topic: Brands, Guerilla, Promotions, Strange



Steve Hayden, Jimmy Wales to Keynote ad:tech San Francisco

Jimmy%20Wales_web.jpg

At ad:tech San Francisco, set to take place at Moscone West April 21-23, Wikipedia Founder Jimmy Wales and Ogilvy Worldwide Vice Chairman Steve Hayden will be the lead keynote speakers.

"In January of 2001, Wales started Wikipedia.org, the online encyclopedia that anyone can edit, and in mid-2003 Wales set up the Wikipedia Foundation, a non-profit organization based in St. Petersburg, Florida, to support the Wikipedia.org site."

Steve%20Hayden_web.jpg

"In 1994, Ogilvy asked Steve to join the agency in a newly created role: the ultimate "Brand Steward" for the IBM global account. While leading IBM's advertising renaissance and global brand renewal, Steve played a key role with other Ogilvy clients including American Express, Kodak, Motorola, Dove, Cisco and SAP, in addition to participating in many new business development efforts. These contributions earned him awards and recognition for the company. In 2002 Ogilvy was named AdAge's Agency of the Year. "

Wales will speak Tuesday, April 21 at 9 AM. Hayden will speak the same day at 5:30 PM.

by Steve Hall    Feb-16-09    
Topic: Industry Events



Fans of Don Pasquale, Nescafe and the Bellagio: Rejoice!

nescafe-geysers.jpg

Boy do we have a spot for you. Nescafe's "More Beans, More Taste" features "over one tonne of beans," shooting into the air a la the Bellagio Fountains, to the tune of "Che interminabile audirivieni" from comic opera Don Pasquale.

The weird thing is, for something with all that going on, it just kinda falls flat. Maybe it's because watching dancing water isn't that fun in the first place, and is really only marginally so in person. Or maybe it's because it's Nescafe.

more »

by Angela Natividad    Feb-16-09    
Topic: Brands, Campaigns, Commercials, Television



Adrants Launches Facebook Group. Will Anyone Care?

adrants_facebook.jpg

Ya know, it's not like anyone ever does anything after they join a Facebook group, right? Seriously. How many Facebook groups do you belong to? Can you even remember? When was the last time you left a comment or even visited one of your groups? Are Facebook groups lame or do they serve a purpose?

I suppose you could call the "launch" of the Adrants Facebook group an experiment designed specifically to answer these questions. There's already AdGabber so who needs and Adrants Facebook group? Hmm. I guess we'll find out.

by Steve Hall    Feb-14-09    
Topic: Social



Pepsi Wishes Everyone A Happy Valentine's Day

pepsi_valentines.jpg

Some people love Valentine's Day. Some people hate it. Some brands pay hipster musicians to make Valentine's Day messages that riff off their billboard campaign. Others don't. Which category Pepsi falls into is unknown but, hey, does it really matter?

For those who love Valentine's Day? Happy Valentine's Day. Knock yourself out.

For those that don't, there's always Hotel for Dogs...or the dump.

by Steve Hall    Feb-14-09    
Topic: Brands, Consumer Created, Good, Video



Modernista Promotes Own Layoffs, Continental Advertises Crash

modernista_layoffs_google.jpg

- Oops. Modernista!'s crazy website which isn't really a site but an application that points people to other sites that have written something about the agency is now finding it's "site" touting the agency's recent layoffs.

- Oops. Continental Airlines plane crashes. CNN writes story. Continental Airlines ad shows up right beside story. Classic contextual advertising fuckery. When will someone figure this shit out?

- Oops. The fake Denny's Nannerpus ad is better than the real...uh...originally fake Nannerpus ad. Confused?

- Oops. Overstock.com is selling Illusion's rape simulation video game.

- Oops. The economy sucks. Everyone's drinking. Everyone's having sex. But ads still suck.

by Steve Hall    Feb-13-09    
Topic: Bad



Cannes Wants Young Lions to Walk With Real Lions

young_lions_time_rule.jpg

Well, at least the lions aren't humping Draft/FCB-style in this new Cannes Young Lions campaign. Like a lion in the wild who is the master of his domain, the Young Lions are a force to be reckoned with.

They ain't taking no shit but they do use chop sticks to eat their prey.

It's Time to Rule, young creatives. Don't Settle For Scraps. Show everyone what you've got. But do it before February 25 which is the deadline to register for the competition.

The campaign was created by Chicago-based Bagby.

by Steve Hall    Feb-13-09    
Topic: Industry Events



Diet Coke Grabs Hilary Duff For 'Style Series'

Hilary-Duff_hair_flip.jpg

Hilary who? Oh right. Hilary Duff. Remember her? The child starlet everyone was flipping out over a few years ago for losing so much weight she turned into a skeleton? Well, she's hooked up with Diet Coke (hmm, not a good sign?) and will appear during the brand's third Diet Coke Style Series February 17 at the Reuters Studio in Times Square.

Along with fashion designer Christian Siriano, supermodel Heidi Klum and former Glamour West Coast Editor Rachel Zalis, Style Series will follow Duff, who we dubbed "the new ad babe in town" six years ago," as she makes her way through Mercedes Benz Fashion Week and interview her about her music, fashion and upcoming role as Bonnie in Bonnie & Clyde

Siriano will share his latest fashion with a runway show. Klum will talk about her Heart Truth Red Dress Collection Fashion Show. And Zalis will interview the pair prior to the show.

And here we thought it was Pepsi which was obsessed with celebrities.

by Steve Hall    Feb-13-09    
Topic: Celebrity, Events



Iron Maiden Lands in Austin For SXSW

iron_maiden_flight_666.jpg

Are you an Iron Maiden fan? Who the hell is Iron Maiden you ask? Well, do your homework or just move on to the next story. For those who care, you can get another glimpse of the heavy metal band in action in Iron Maiden: Flight 666, a documentary premiering next month at the SXSW Film Festival.

Wait, what? Adrants writes about advertising, right? Not movies. Well yea but since a lot of you are going to be in Austin for the Interactive portion of SXSW, we thought we'd give you something else to do once you tire of panel babble, keynote pontification and too much free booze.

by Steve Hall    Feb-13-09    
Topic: Celebrity, Industry Events



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