Ad Babe Britney Spears Returns As New Candie's Girl

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For years, we wrote about Britney Spears here on Adrants. It was almost obsessive. Then...she met Kevin Federline and, well, things changed. No longer was she the darling of global marketers but rather fodder for Perez Hilton, Jezebel and The Superficial. It hardly seemed appropriate to mention her antics here on Adrants so we didn't.

Apart from her ill-conceived appearance on the MTV Music Awards and her recent campiagn for her Hidden Fantasy fragrance, Spears has been all but absent from Adrants for three to four years.

While we're not going to label her return as the new face for Candie's Only at Kohl's triumphant, it's nice to see the girl back in the world of advertising. Yes, she never really left but you do have to admit she did take quite a hiatus.

The deal, which puts Spears in Kohl's 2009 print, TV, online and in-store efforts. ties Britney's sponsorship role to her concert tour which kicks off March 3. And there will be all kinds of Candie's pink along for the ride in the form of VIP pink carpets and lounges.

Tonight, Spears' "First Look" tour video will debut exclusively on the Candie's website.

by Steve Hall    Mar- 2-09    
Topic: Brands, Celebrity, Events, Sponsorship



Yawn. 'Much-Anticipated' Dairy Ad Disappoints

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Much-anticipated? Seriously? Yes, that is how this new commercial, Arm Wrestling, for the British Columbia Dairy Foundation is being touted. Part of the BCDF's Must Drink More Milk campaign, the DDB Vancouver-created cinema ad pits one big arm against two smaller...but milk-drinking arms. The outcome is predictable.

Thankfully this is bit one of 14. One hopes at least one of the yet to be seen 13 is actually "much-anticipated."

by Steve Hall    Mar- 2-09    
Topic: Bad, Campaigns, Cause, Commercials



There is No Nudity in This Christina Aguilera Perfume Campaign

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When a campaign has the tagline, "Sometimes it's all you need to wear," some would assume the imagery accompanying the tagline would involved a degree of nudity. One would usually be right but not this time.

For a recent ambient campaign Tel-Aviv agency Mizbala did for Christina Aquilera's new perfume in Israel, the agency placed tens of thousands of clothes hangers with perfume samples attached around Tel-Aviv.

While we're sure someone cold have taken this down the more crass road of, say, nude models prancing around the street with vials of the pefume hung from their necks, we're guessing the hanger approach was a lot cheaper, much easier to manage and a bit less potentially offensive to some.

Here's a video highlighting the campaign.

by Steve Hall    Mar- 2-09    
Topic: Celebrity, Guerilla, Promotions



'Teenagers' Convince Teenagers to Drive Slower

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Every possible method of convincing young people to drive slower and more carefully has been done. Everything from light humor to horrifically gut-wrenching emotional manipulation has been put to use. Does any of it work? You'll have to ask the statisticians for the answer to that questions.

In an update to the Ad Council's Youth Reckless Driving Prevention campaign, Y&R New York is out with four new commercials which involve the goofball "teenage friend" joining a threesome in a car and, through different tactics, convince the kids to slow down. They're quite tame compared to many of the more extreme examples we've seen.

One might say they were lame but they are so ingratiatingly squirm-inducing, they just might keep people's attention long enough to garner at least a tiny bit of consideration.

by Steve Hall    Mar- 2-09    
Topic: Campaigns, Cause, Commercials



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FetchBack Gets Its 'Fetch' Back With Keyword Retargeting

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OMG. Is that not the lamest headline referencing the lamest movie in which the lamest FTW-wannabe vernacular is beaten to death? But hey, every time retargeting company FetchBack makes an announcement, the Mean Girls simply have to come out and play.

So what's the big announcement? Wait, does it really matter? We got to write our pithy headline. Can't we just move on to the next story? Oh wait, you really want to know? OK so here it is.

more »

by Steve Hall    Mar- 2-09    
Topic: Tools



Cute Community Manager + Robust Social Site = Panasonic Playground

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Panasonic, with help from Crayon, has launched Living in HD. In a promotional video on Facebook, LiHD community manager Kate Dickman highlights the reasons for joining which include "meeting cool, new people [like her], uploading your pictures and videos and getting comments on them."

The site is also a place to ask questions about Panasonic products and learn about new ones. The big sell, though, is Kate's urging viewers to apply to become an LiHD Family which, much like the Nikon blogger outreach program, will give a bunch of Panasonic products to people to try out, share with others and offer feedback.

On Living in HD, there are hundreds of videos from both regular people and Panasonic describing various products, which ones might be best for you and how to get them installed. It's, as the tagline say, "your HD playground."

by Steve Hall    Mar- 2-09    
Topic: Consumer Created, Social, Video



Viagra's 'Couple' Touches Us Where We Least Expect It

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Everything about Viagra makes us laugh. We all know what it's for (and spam has ensured that we never forget!), but the ads are never really about doin' The Do -- they're always about love and intimacy, which in this jaded world is a lot like taking the sluggish scenic route to the same destination.

So, fingertips at the ready, we watched "Couple" with the full intention of taking the piss out of it. And get this: we couldn't. Because it moved us.

Yeah, we're embarrassed too.

more »

by Angela Natividad    Mar- 2-09    
Topic: Brands, Campaigns, Commercials, Good, Television



Midea AC: Pretty and All, but a Bit Too Bright for Comfort

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Household appliance firm Midea tapped Transistor Studios and Ogilvy/Shanghai to promote its compact air conditioning (AC) product line.

"Dream" depicts a sleek, energy-efficient AC that self-repairs, senses changes in the environment and apparently morphs like the space ship in Flight of the Navigator.

That's exciting and all, but the skeletal arms and single eye had us picturing HAL, poring over us as we sleep, breathing frosty air onto the hair on our necks before spiriting us into cruel oblivion.

more »

by Angela Natividad    Mar- 2-09    
Topic: Brands, Campaigns, Commercials, Television



Dude ... We're Not Even Gonna Go There.

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Found this gilded treasure on a community dating site called Datingish.

The CTA alone was sufficient to leave our ears ringing with bad Bangkok jokes, but a quick visit to the website, Thaikisses.com, drives users to still other exotic destinations: Chinesekisses.com, Filipinokisses.com, Latinlove.org, and -- wait for it! -- Ladyboykisses.com.

There's somethin' in the grab bag for everyone!

by Angela Natividad    Mar- 2-09    
Topic: Bad, Online



Tums: Not Animal-Tested, But Probably Animal-Friendly...?

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Tums manifests its antacid magic in "Angry Bear," where the aforementioned animal steals food, overeats and goes back in for one more score: the Tums.

There's something about the sight of a bear, far-off and out of decapitation range, that totally numbs us to its potential malevolence. It's like, "Aww, look at the bear eating all the pizza. Look at the bear breaking the watermelon. Look at the bear getting the Tums for its tummy."

You kind of want to curl up around it and fall asleep while it's lying against one of those gutted cars, nursing a food hangover.

more »

by Angela Natividad    Mar- 2-09    
Topic: Brands, Campaigns, Commercials, Television



Department of Energy Compels Kids to Lose Their Excuse

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To make kids act more energy-smart, the Department of Energy launched Lose Your Excuse, a painfully cute website* that encourages engagement and boasts a 10-step energy "action plan" to download.

Two quirky little ads drive traffic in its direction. Each features a kid getting caught in a lie about why s/he hasn't become more energy efficient. (I know that vibes like the Spanish Inquisition, but the execution is feel-good and funny).

more »

by Angela Natividad    Mar- 2-09    
Topic: Campaigns, Cause, Commercials, Television