To demonstrate how global warming will one day turn familiar surroundings into aquarium props, Offsetters suspended lifeboats off the side of buildings and lined Vancouver's streets with water safety gear: life vests under park benches, and a life guard, on duty, in the middle of a promenade.
Efforts included clear "offsetters.ca" labeling. See more of the work on the website.
Nice way to get attention, ignite imaginations and play with surroundings instead of cluttering them. By Rethink.
A guy called James Neate just created a crew, Brandstalkers, whose mission it is to "virally" promote brands it loves -- as opposed to advertising them in conventional ways. (Frankly, "viral" is getting pretty conventional, in use of name if not in outcome. Repeat after me: VIRAL IS AN OUTCOME.) In return, the group takes a small "grant" from the companies it represents.
Its debut effort was for Guzman y Gomez, a Mexican taqueria based in Sydney. It involves half-naked guys and a lot of Sharpies.
Gotta love brand gospel writ on flesh. You can probably gauge the success of the campaign by the number of Japanese tourists it attracted.
Isobar just built a new site for Renault's Kangoo Be Bop -- "a quirky car, filled with space and light." Once you've chosen your country (France or UK), hit "BeFun" and watch the film for some '60s-style frivolity.
Light and loose, bright but easy on the eyes. Very Target, but period-specific. It's like everything the Ford Fiesta wanted (but failed!) to achieve with the love factory.
CollectiblesToday.com is promoting these M&M-sponsored Ashton-Drake dolls as its top Christmas gift this year. Each six-inch "Heavenly Handful" (cringe) sports an M&M's onesie with a matching cap, complete with darling one-liners like "Never let 'em see you melt" and "Sweet on the inside." My favorite, though, has to be "There's a little nut."
Lest anyone try replacing a nearby child's Bratz doll too hastily, this ad takes pains to remind you the collection is to be "enjoyed by adult collectors" only. So keep your grubby paws off, kid; those non-blinking M&M's evangelists are staying behind the glass case, preferably in the living room.
V-v-v-via.
- There are many ways to call attention to breast cancer awareness. This is yet another one which makes an interesting association between the affected body part and the company behind the awareness campaign.
- Wonder what the "born digital" crowd does all day long? Here's your answer.
- Gawker Media's Nick Denton has announced cutbacks at his company and predicts a challenging year ahead in 2009.
- Perhaps due to genuine interest or perhaps to hear how many times Palin would utter yet another soccer mom-ism, 69.9 million viewers tuned in to the Biden/Palin debate, more than the 52.4 million who watched Obama debate McCain.
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So...does strapping a midget...oh, damn, that's not the right word...a little person to the front of a man who then, with the help of the little person, hurls a shot which beats a 1973 record make the man one and and a half times the man he already is? According to Solo Strong beer, the answer is yes.
All of this raises a very important question; Does Solo Strong beer thing midgets, sorry, little people are half as good as "regular" people? Apparently so since advertising is, as we all know, the bastion of truth and enlightened thought, right?
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This soothing video opens on a beautiful but sad scene in which a girl is digging grave for her dead goldfish. The music lulls us into a relaxing mood as a neighbor approaches the girl to offer his condolences but asks here why she's digging such a large whole for a tiny goldfish. At this point, the mood, shall we say, changes quite dramatically. Give it a watch.
Wait. What? There's haircare product in this ad? Damn! All I saw was a pair of colossal boobs bulging forth threatening to explode from the skimpy confines of a cleavage-bearing top. After stuffing my eyes back in their sockets and coming to the realization this was not, in fact, a Wonderbra ad, my eyes finally traveled to the lower right hand corner of the ad where, yes, bottle of Pantene product were displayed.
The ads are said to have been created by MastosGrey in Brazil. Sadly, they look like every other fake ad that employs the massive image/minuscule type approach to creativity. We may never know and, really, who cares. They're fun to look at. Let's just shut up and enjoy ;)
From SelectNY and Anonymous Content comes this new commercial for Giorgio Armani's Diamonds for Men. The ad features Josh Hartnett doing what people like Josh Hartnett do in fragrance commercials; drive classic cars, dress classically, work the crowd at a retro Hollywood event, act like a star and, well, say nothing.
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Is there anything more boring than insurance? You need it but it's one of the most unsexy things in this world. OK, so it's not like it hasn't been done before but this latest ad for Trident Insurance hides nothing and doesn't apologize for anything when, for a full minute and a half, it foists upon us nothing more than a bunch of women in white bikinis jumping up and down while the camera focuses on their jiggling (in slow motion, of course) breasts.
That's it. That's all there is to this commercial. There's nothing else to write about it other than, perhaps, an analysis of bikini style, breast size or fake or not commentary. And since Adrants is a serious publication covering the advertising industry, not sex, you really don't want want to read about all that, right?
Oh look! It's another video contest! Calling Julia Roy! Calling all art directors, copywriters and other people who just...HAVE TO EXPRESS THEMSELVES or die. The Paley Center for Media, along with Human Giant, have launched A Giant Challenge. Apparently, they don't have enough entrants because the contest started September 13 and it seems they're just getting around to promoting it.
Those interested have until October 10 to submit their masterpiece which should be two minutes or less in length and focus on all things giant...as in big. The press release states, "Video submissions will be judged on comedic value, originality, creativity, quality, and adherence to theme'" which means the judges will just pick the once that makes them laugh the most becasue, well, the videos are supposed to be funny. All the details are on the Paley Center for Media website but it's easy to miss there so just go here. Oh and to watch the video, you have to install a player. WTF??? Maybe that's why no one's entered yet.
Oh, and winners will have their videos highlighted during New York Comedy Week.
Kristen Bell, along with Mark Cuban, Olivia Munn, John Picard, Minka Kelly, Bill Maher, Matt White, Norman Lear, Perez Hilton and others are part of GAP's Vote For campaign. In the PSAs, the celebrities urge people to vote for those who can't, not to stay silent because an individual vote might not matter, to vote green whether or not you are red or blue, to vote for cleaner energy, to spport the troops and other bipartisan messages no one can really disagree with.
It's a nice effort. It's subtle. It's well crafted. And, thankfully, it's miles away from the usual, overtly leftist/rightist approach we see in so many other political PSAs.
Here's a comparison that's never been made before: lack of health insurance is like walking around with your bare ass showing.
May explain why down-and-out celebrities go pantyless so often. Could they be crying for help? "I'm uninsured, please pity me."
By the campaign for Jim Slattery of Kansas, who's running for US Senate.
- Gay folk write odes to pet pups.
- Folksy new site for Kubler Absinthe. The "Creativity" tab suggests an upcoming CGM effort where people can "contribute to the myth of Absinthe." See videos for preparing mixed drinks. They're cool, and don't you love that background music? Also check out "fact and fiction" and the how-to-drink, which I thought was really neat. By Decon/NY.
- Palin inspires rampant web subculture. So many options! Brings back fond memories of Miss South Carolina.
- Really good resource on getting paid to blog.
- M. M. McDermott is not impressed by Millennials, but he'll cater to them on the Baltimore Sun's hipster spin-off. While reading a stylebook and wearing a nametag labeled "COCK."
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by Angela Natividad
Oct- 3-08
Comments (0)
File: Brands, Campaigns, Events, Good, Guerilla, Online, Publishing, Social, Strange, Trends and Culture, Viral
To promote the work of painter brother Marc Dehareng, Belgian 'net junkie Renaud Dehareng launched GrowingBuzz.com. One painting -- and unfortunately, not the most charming one -- was chosen to become "the future most expensive painting in history." To hike up the dollar value, advertisers bid to have their sites represented when users mouse over the art.
Two advertisers have bid since the launch two days ago, bringing the painting's value to ... drumroll, please! ... $11.50. When we clicked on the painting today, it brought us to ProFish-Technology.be, "studies and consulting in aquatic environment."
Neat idea, but the execution lacks charisma.
Decapitate bears, blow Barbies to bits and deflate giant orange balls in Teddy Bear's Picnic, a disturbingly engaging game for Wicked Uncle.
Seems like the kind of game Hugh Grant's character would've enjoyed playing in About a Boy, shortly before getting told off by eight scowling mothers. Those good enough to make the leaderboard get a five pound (the currency) voucher and enter a sweepstakes to win an iPod touch. Generous.
Wicked Uncle helps the hapless "buy the perfect present" without busting their balls or getting bent over in shipping costs. But it's only available for UK residents, so you can relegate this convenience to other fun British stuff you can't have, like Cadbury Almond Apple Banana bars.
Game by TAMBA, which also did that Muck About thing for Match.com.
Philips -- the guys that probably sold you your first affordable TV and DVD player -- have entered the sex toy market with Intimate Massagers.
"For couples to explore and enhance their most intimate relationship together," the website says, in that way where they want you to think "dirty experimental sex!" while pretending to actually be referring to something you and your husband might have considered after deep thought and four intensive marital counseling sessions.
The ad at left (via) features two people in the throes of said responsible counseling activity. They appear to be composed of waves and heat. A banner on the website uses parts of this wave/heat illustration to describe how the ergy, rock-shaped massager will fill you with "feel-good" chemicals and boost your immune system.
Variations come in "intimate," "warm intimate" and "intimate dual" -- two massagers sitting inside an oyster shell. Looks like Lelo finally has a rival!
In a stroke of genius, Italy's FLY PIZZA used packages of rolling paper as business cards to promote its night delivery service.
"The initiative was a total hit among FLY PIZZA's customers: they took home smoking paper packages and delivery phone calls increased sensibly," said Publicis/Milan, which hatched the idea after noticing that many FLY customers are young smokers that ostensibly roll cigarettes to "save money." (A cute way of saying the late-night fanbase is probably high off its rocker when the 2am orders start pouring in.)
Research in motion!
"Spoken Word," a Guinness ad, just debuted in Jamaica. It is pretty, and mystical, and it even takes a shot at being uplifting. "Reach for greatness," it concludes, shortly after a melodic spoken word artist -- whose words turn wisps of time into wings on his back -- fades from view.
Substantial but casual. Kind of like Guinness, actually. Between the lines, it suggests drinking isn't confined to drunks, co-eds or singles pursuing carnal intrigue.
By Saatchi & Saatchi/London and production firm Shilo/Hanharan. Music by Human.
Patsy, a little potato-faced woman, doesn't know how to talk to her kids about drugs. But she knows that she should, so she finds ways to unearth drug use in ways they won't expect: ambushing them in the shower, patting them down mid-embrace, and stripping labels off the family's prescription pills. (Don't ask. I was clueless about the logic of that.)
In the end, well-meaning Patsy only alienates her kids and bamboozles her husband into accidentally taking female hormone pills. (No labels on the drug bottles, remember?) The moral of this story? "Don't be a Patsy."
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In what is sure to prompt all manner of debauchery, Chevy is bringing back its Aveo Livin' Large promotion to college students. this in time in the form of the Chevy Aveo5 Livin' Large College Cab. Students on six college campuses are filmed in the back of the Aveo5 College Cab as they go to class, the dorms or to parties. They then have seven days to get as many people to view their video as possible. The most viewed video from each school will compete in a final round of competition where the students in the video with the most votes at the end of the five days win brand new Aveo5s of their own.
- Obama Girl does Sarah Palin.
- I miss Dunkin' Donuts' trippy ads and definitely don't like the new, slow, plodding Uphill Battle Hill Holiday has just launched.
- Strawberry Frog's Brazil office has picked up the Quaker Oats account in Mexico.
- Content sharing company Gigya has scored Series C funding of $11 million bringing their total VC sore up to $23.5 million.
- If the Sex Pistol's Johnny Rotten can end up in a commercial, any celebrity can. Not sure this is necessarily a good thing though.
- YouTube is getting into the post-roll video advertising thing.
When it come to conference booth babes, usually the rule is the more curvaceous the better. For Brunner Digital, the flatter the booth babe, the better. Highlighting and app they created for a client that allows a PDA to exchange information with a laptop for the purposes of real time interaction, the agency created 2D booth babes and booth dudes for its booth at the Interact 08 conference.
At the conference, visitors were able to mashup the company's logo on their PDAs, see what other people were doing with the logo and then print the finished work out on a t-shirt. Of course, Brunner Digital's Ernie Mosteller wanted to make it perfectly clear his agency does not think booth babes are two dimensional people.
There's a Flickr album of all the 2D goodness here.
Pandora is my new friend. It's TD Banknorth's new friend too. VIA, TD Banknorth's agency, realizing the growing popularity of the music service that lets people created customized music stations, launched a pandora tuner takeover unit for the bank.
In support of the bank's iPod promotion, VIA created a custom TD Money Mix Tape with a selection of "currency-themed" music from the likes of Radiohead ("Dollars and Cents"), The Beatles ("Money"), Pink Floyd ("Money") and the Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs ("Rich"). There are 82 songs in all.
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New friend and blogger for elasticpath's Get Elastic blog Linda Bustos just published an article entitled How to Find an Online Reputation Manager. In the article, she highlights Andy Beal's book, Radically Transparent: Monitoring and Managing Reputation Online, which serves as a training manual for companies concerned with getting a handle on and participating in online communities and conversations about their brand.
With the proliferation of every conceivable manner of online communication and the dramatic change it's made to the old school rules that govern who, in theory, is supposed to have the ability to publish news and opinion, brands have to take a very different approach in how they influence their brand's perception.
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