Erect Nipples in Wet T-Shirt Redeem (OK, Not Really) Bad Ad

Ad Age Creativity loves it. Buzzfeed (Copyblogger) hates it. We're in the middle somewhere. The premise weakly conveys the product benefit. The lead up is interminably long. The choice of music is questionable. The pay-off is unfunny.

But the spot does contain boobs with full-on erect nipples in a wet t-shirt. So it can't be all that bad, right?

But will it last given our hatred of the nipple?

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Make Up May Hide Abuse but It Doesn't Make It Go Away

This message from UK-based Refuge features YouTuber Lauren Luke, who normally posts instructional make up videos, teamed with BBH London to create a powerful anti-abuse message. In the video, we see Luke calmly instruct viewers how to apply make up to cover up after a "rough time." Subtle, but very powerful.

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Girls Bicker Over Walrus-Like Boyfriend in New Skittles Ad

This new Skittles work from DDB Chicago further convinces us that if aliens ever do make a pit stop on earth during their interstellar escapades, they'll quickly toss the human race off as a mentally-challenged tribe of misfits in need of a few more millennia of cognitive development to be worthy of our own interstellar wings.

After all, who in their right mind wouldn't think that after watching this commercial in which a couple dumbed-down, Zooey Deschanel-like girls squabble over the identity of their walrus-like boyfriends and whether or not one's looks determine one's inner being. Deep stuff.

Of course, this being advertising - whether or not aliens can recognize the difference - we all get pass to just laugh and appreciate the true oddity of the creative mind behind this work.

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Five Places to Look For Your Brand's Story

This guest article is written by Jim Signorelli, CEO of StoryLab Marketing in Chicago and author of StoryBranding: Creating Standout Brands Through The Power Of Story.

Finding your authentic brand's story is not a luxury for the touchy-feely. Given our overloaded channels of communication and the general lack of trust (and boredom) with advertising messages, finding your brand's true emotional core and expressing it through your brand's story is a must.

But first, you must know what you're looking for.

If you ask any storywriter, "what are you trying to say through your story?" chances are you will get some expression of their worldview or values. If you ask the same question of a marketer, you might get something that resembles a unique selling proposition or what is now commonly referred to as an elevator speech. Brand stories are something very different than elevator speeches, and far more powerful.

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