Microsoft's bing Trashed Before It Even Launches

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Be sure to catch Adrants windbag Steve Hall on the most recent Beancast where Microsoft's new search engine, bing, is given the "seriously does anyone think Microsoft will get it right this time" treatment, social media hype gets a lashing and, once again, the viability of in-game advertising is discussed.

Steve was joined by much smarter industry types including AdWeek's Brian Morrisey and The M Show's John Wall. At least you'll learn something from those guys.

by Steve Hall    Jun- 1-09    
Topic: Podcast



Not All Social Experiments Have to Be on Twitter. Or Facebook. Or Online.

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Ben Muller sent us word of I Got an Envelope, a social art project where people leave empty self-addressed envelopes in random places. The hope is that some (ideally not malevolent) person will come across the envelope, fill it with magical things, and send it back to the owner.

Charming. Or not:

One guy just walked by our desk, peered down at what we were covering, smirked and said "I'd sprinkle coal on a note with the words, 'YOU DON'T BELONG.' Written in lipstick."

Seems disturbingly like he thought that through beforehand.

by Angela Natividad    Jun- 1-09    
Topic: Cause, Good, Trends and Culture



'That's Not a Vegetable, That's a Starch.'

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Gerber shocks parents into submission: In "Really?" parents on the street discover that the "vegetable" consumed most by the average rosy-faced US toddler is ... wait for it ...

French fries!

After this revelation, each Designated Caregiver looked appropriately shocked and appalled. Yeah, didn't see that coming. It's not like we have a nationwide obesity problem or anything.

Visit StartHealthyStayHealthy.com for more "Heart-warming. Thought-provoking. Hilarious!" reality checks.

by Angela Natividad    Jun- 1-09    
Topic: Brands, Campaigns, Online, Trends and Culture, Video



Mullen Heads For Bright Lights, Big City

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Today, Mullen is celebrating its relocation to Boston. The agency has left behind it's posh mansion in the suburbs and opted to do the high (low) rise thing in the city. I've seen the agency's offices in the mansion. Very sweet. I can't wait to see the new digs in Boston and I'll be making a trip to do so in the next week or two.

You can check out all the move goodness on the agency's new website. Agency client New England Aquarium is sending over a penguin to greet the employees and Boston's Mayor Menino was on hand to cut the ribbon.

more »

by Steve Hall    Jun- 1-09    
Topic: Agencies



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It's Not Abuse If It's Consensual. Waivers, Too? Better Still

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For client G4, Hal Riney took a little man-on-man BDSM fun and turned it into skin-crawly bruise-based animation.

Each guy was given a stencil of a character, whose likeness was bruised onto their skin in various creative ways: mousetraps, big rubber balls, ass paddles and the like. (If only mummy and daddy were that creative.)

The bruises were then stitched together in consecutive shots and enlivened by the brain-rending voice of YouTube's The Kid from Brooklyn.

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by Angela Natividad    Jun- 1-09    
Topic: Brands, Campaigns, Online



Peugeot Gets Groove-y on Beautiful Day

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Ooo. How retro. How...dare we say...surprising? So here we have what appears to be your average car commercial during which the vehicle - in this case, a Peugot 3008 - makes its way through some stormy weather. Then the music begins to play. The car's features are highlighted. A woman looks dreamily out the window. It's haunting beautiful. As if it were the pre-crash portion of a horrific drive safe commercial.

And then.

The black surface on which the car drives...turns out to be, well, just watch. We don't want to ruin the reveal. OK, it's not going to be life altering but still.

by Steve Hall    Jun- 1-09    
Topic: Commercials, Good



Saatchi & Saatchi UK Site Hacked. OK, Not Really

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Asa Bailey is up to his stunts again. Claiming to have hacked the Saatchi & Saatchi Uk website. Of course it's all a joke because the site he hacked was http://saatchiandsaatchi.co.uk/, not the real Saatchi and Saatchi UK website.

So why the stunt? Asa has moved his company in right next door to the real Saatchi & Saatchi and wanted to have some fun.Oh, and it's all to promote Cream+, a recruitment company.

by Steve Hall    Jun- 1-09    
Topic: Online, Spoofs



Your 9 to 5 is Noble. And After, There Will Be Beer!

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You, little dish-fitter. You bring us ... Pets Do the Funniest Things. In HD!"

We love the sobering Braveheart feel of "Bowtime," in which downtrodden blue collar men are reminded of their crucial contributions to Life as We Know It -- and the reward that follows once they've rolled their daily millstone uphill.

Strongbow Beer.

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by Angela Natividad    Jun- 1-09    
Topic: Brands, Campaigns, Commercials, Good, Television



There's Only One More Year to Tap the Eighties

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Well, there's at least one good thing about the Geico Kash campaign; it's given the Mysto & Pizzi version of Rockwell's Somebody's Watching Me a big boost with 80,000 downloads each month since the campaign launched in January. And what 80's has-been doesn't like to see a re-birth of their work like this?

The spots? Well, they're OK too. Kash, courtesy of The Martin Agency, continues to randomly appear coming to the aid of those in need of a few extra bucks worth of savings.

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by Steve Hall    Jun- 1-09    
Topic: Brands, Campaigns, Commercials



iGRP: Square Peg in Round Hole or Online Metrics Savior

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Ed.There are those who believe applying old media metrics to new media is like trying to measure water volume with a ruler. Others, such as Adrants guest contributor Lisa Marino, Sr. Director of Sales at RockYou, think standardization across all media is the way to go.

MindShare got it right: GRP is the way to go

Last month, Mindshare announced a move toward measuring online video under a Gross Ratings Points system. Upon reading the announcement, the clear benefits of such a practice resonated, however the concept repeated itself in my mind for the next several days and I couldn't shake it. When this happens there is a more subtle and meaningful "aha" moment coming - it just hadn't hit me yet. Then, the light went on and I realized why this is such an important move - and why I'm such a fan of the decision.

As someone who lives breathes and dies social video distribution, I frequently consume myself with how we as an industry can make the notion of 3 screen convergence a reality. It's is a step in that direction for both obvious and not so obvious reasons.

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by Steve Hall    Jun- 1-09    
Topic: Opinion



Adify Sports the Algo that You Never Dared to Dream Of

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Youthfully charming Adify Media launched two promotional vids to illustrate that extra-special intra-personal something you'll get when your remnant ad inventory is placed in its warm, able hands.

The creative is formatted like eHarmony testimonials. Adify's merits are described in a leisurely, quasi-intimate way as both client and account strategist finish each other's sentences, make silly gestures, touch inappropriately and give each other weird sidelong looks when one coolly mentions having tried other algorithms before.

It's all just creepy enough to pass. Our only complaint is that everybody's already done the service-as-soulmate, let's-all-laugh-at-eHarmony thing, so it's got a mildly uncomfortable two-years-tardy feel.

That's cool though. No idea's original, yeah?

more »

by Angela Natividad    Jun- 1-09    
Topic: Brands, Campaigns, Online, Spoofs



Deconstructing Album Mugs, Twitter on Paper, Gay Marriage Rage Crosses Coasts

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- Personality traits ... of album covers.

- Bring your tweets vintage. (Via.)

- Hope, delivered on the spin cycle.

- Facebook vanity URLs.

- Hulu desktop.

- Porn on Bing.

- Anti-gay-marriage ads hit NYC.

- Boone Oakley has fun trashing agency holding companies on its new website.

by Angela Natividad    Jun- 1-09    
Topic: Online, Opinion, Outdoor, Political, Poster, Social