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Natural Women Make Comeback, Joy it Forward, Period Propaganda

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- Hey, little girl, feel better about your period.

- Joy it forward. Every time a beverage uses a happiness synonym that's not "happiness" (as in Happiness Factory), you can reasonably conclude you're dealing with Pepsi.

- "People like it, but they won't buy magazines with large women in them." More story here, props to MTLB for the link.

- Zippo makes branded entertainment leap.

- Intern-on-intern music video mayhem.

- Twitter elevator pitch contest. You have until tomorrow to enter and win a Flip!

by Angela Natividad    Aug-25-09    
Topic: Brands, Campaigns, Magazine, Online, Trends and Culture



British PSA Razes Perception About Mental Disorders

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"Schizophrenic Man Terrifies Kids at Party" is a YouTube piece released by English mental health charities Mind and Rethink under their "Time to Change" campaign. We like how it plays on our expectation of crass amateur video fare to illustrate two important messages:

o That people with mental disorders can function in society
o That retaining the stereotype of the off-the-hinge crazy person is counterproductive for everyone involved

It also reminded us that as kids, we were always screamy-scared about stuff we couldn't see, however facile or harmless said "stuff" actually was. And then, lightbulb moment, it was like hey, tripping out about schizophrenia is kind of like that.

more »

by Angela Natividad    Aug-25-09    
Topic: Campaigns, Cause, Good, Online, Trends and Culture, Video



For that Irresistible Peeling Feeling, Network with These Guys.

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The wtf-is-that at left is actually a business card for AGRIE Paint Services.

It may not look like much, but pull that green tab for one of the most gratifying experiences: peeling electrical tape back from a freshly-painted wall.

Post-peel, here's what you find.

Pocked-sized wonder,* dreamed up by Extreme Group, Toronto.

more »

by Angela Natividad    Aug-25-09    
Topic: Brands, Good, Packaging



Montel's Daughter Promotes Vegetarian Cafeteria Options

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If the children of celebrity chanteurs can draw a crowd to a promo, why not the children of celebrity talk show hosts?

In an ad slated to debut tonight during ABC Family's The Secret Life of the American Teenager, 14-year-old Wyntergrace Williams will urge Congress to amend the Child Nutrition Act to require the inclusion of vegetarian options in school lunch lines.

more »

by Angela Natividad    Aug-24-09    
Topic: Cause, Celebrity, Commercials, Political, Television



Times Tough? Reward Your Stalwart Family -- with Upholstery!

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"It's funny how new furniture has a way of restoring people. Add something special to your home and experience it firsthand."

Awww. Tent cities have hardly folded up and we're already being hawked side tables. The piece at left comes from "Is it Home Yet?", a campaign/sweepstakes meant to bring gunshy spenders back into furniture showrooms.

The World Market Center Last Vegas, a showroom and exhibition space for the furniture industry, is pushing the effort, with help from collaborators like the National Home Furnishings Association and the Western Home Furnishing Association. In addition to a nationwide multimedia push, it will receive still more attention from widespread celebration of "National Home Furnishings Month" -- September, a traditional (but cozy!) period of change.

Note the ornaments of an industry calibrated for battle: a couch that, according to its materials tag, meets or exceeds "comfort and happiness standards"; and a slogan that appears on a rustic welcome mat. You can also expect to be heavily exposed to soft-touch shots of smiling unbroken families, cushy stuffed couches and other timeless accoutrements of the resilient nuclear unit.

more »

by Angela Natividad    Aug-24-09    
Topic: Bad, Campaigns, Online, Outdoor, Promotions, Trends and Culture



Candystand + Facebook; TimeOut Hooks Up; 4Chan vs, the Lord's Chil'ren

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- "The hottest ads on the planet!" Ivan of CreativeBits contemplates the Eternal Mystery: whether sex in advertising sells.

- Candystand leaps aboard Facebook Connect.

- After hurting Toronto's feelings, DraftFCB Coors billboards get pulled.

- TimeOut NY wantsta hook up. Dolla make ya holla? Yeah, baby, yeah.

- More premium Twitter account talk. Some features already in pilot-mode.

- 4Chan attacks the Facebook Christians.

- tweetzi -- another Twitter search site. Results toggling features are pretty saucy though if your eyes ever manage to adjust to thick-ass Courier.

by Angela Natividad    Aug-24-09    
Topic: Agencies, Brands, Campaigns, Social, Strange



Ye Olde Theatre: All Minimalist and 2.0-ey.

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We dig the theatre, especially reworkings of Shakespeare and his frothy contributions to the perpetually-tragic human condition, so these posters for the Denver Center Theater Company hit us in a smushy spot.

Meant to promote a 10-play series targeted to more youthful play-goers, the posters each take a play (Shakespeare or otherwise), then interpret it in contemporary symbology and use a few words to encompass the heart of the drama.

The posters are two-sided. One side is for the imagery and the name of the play; the other side is for the text. At left, the eyeball and the drop of blood represent Othello. The other side reads, "Who can you trust when you can't trust yourself?"

more »

by Angela Natividad    Aug-24-09    
Topic: Campaigns, Good, Packaging, Promotions



Kimono: Smooth Application for Your Head, Not Your Shoulders

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Drawing a comparison between the silky texture of its namesake and its own, uh, "silky smooth sensation," Kimono Condoms dreamed up the print ad at left.

It features two smooth bodies intertwined; the man's arms bears the beautiful ornamentation you'd expect to find on geisha fare. The total effect invites a long linger.

by Angela Natividad    Aug-23-09    
Topic: Brands, Campaigns, Magazine, Poster



Don't Be Fooled by the Desperation; Jack is Not a Nice Guy.

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Australia's ANZ Small Business tapped M&C Saatchi to develop an ad both funny and sympathetic to its target demo: small business owners.

That doesn't sound like tons of fun, so we didn't expect it to be, especially when we saw the length of the clip: 1:40? And in sepia? Why not force our eyes open with steel rods, too?

The spot itself starts out innocuously enough: a suited man is walking down the street, somebody calls his name: "Jack!" He starts to run. As the spot progresses, the variety of people -- butchers, mechanics, a Chinese restaurant owner -- that catch sight of him and give chase increases, adding to the dramatic tension and making way for a few semi-amusing stunt scenes. You lazily wonder what the punchline is.

more »

by Angela Natividad    Aug-21-09    
Topic: Brands, Campaigns, Good, Online, Video



Hottest Body Promo Gets Cool Brush-Off

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Speaking of MySpace, the hot mess at left was recently rejected by the social networking site for being too sexually explicit.

The ad is part of a campaign, "Hottest Body in the World," for Parfums de Coeur's new men's fragrance, Body Heat. It's a contest where users turn in photos, the hottest of which will be used on a Hollywood billboard. (The winner also gets $10,000.)

Featured prominently at center is a screenshot from a :30 commercial that will run across Fox TV stations and on Facebook. It depicts a shirtless man and some hot fawning ... fawns, one of which is edging down toward his waist.

Dot Box, which originated the idea, called the MySpace rejection an "odd development considering MySpace's less-than-prudish reputation."

But we're kinda with @RGA on this one:


Was this ad too hot for MySpace [dramatic pause, raised eyebrow]...or was it not trashy + poorly designed enough?

One ... two ... three ... Discuss.

by Angela Natividad    Aug-21-09    
Topic: Brands, Campaigns, Promotions, Trends and Culture



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