We all get save-the-kids! mailers, and most of us have received the kind with the nickel or the quarter enclosed, for added effect.
But it never occurred to us how stupid this approach is until The Denver Egotist pointed it out:
If your envelope line reads "A Nickel Could Save A Child's Life!" and you not only enclose the aforementioned nickel, but spend a few more of them popping it in the post, you've just fucked yourselves and the importance of the message.
For those of us that have already passed precious shekels to a charity, it really leaves you wondering how much of that cash was recycled as nickels for the trash heap. But who knows, maybe this works, and we've been doing ourselves a great disservice by hoarding for retirement. What's that proverb? It takes money to make money?
When you're cruising through your inbox to rid it of the few items your spam filter missed, pointless newsletters you never signed up for, Nigerian-style scams (which, sadly, still make their way through) and shockingly unrelated press releases and you stumble up one featuring an image of a woman bent over with her head in a box and wearing nothing more than heels, and underwear, you do sort of pause and wonder, "Huh? What the hell is this for?"
OK, that was a long sentence. Anyway, this email is from The Observer's Very Shop List and it's all about improving your summer wardrobe with a visit to Rue La La, a "a private two-day sales boutique of the most desirable designers at 30-80% off retail prices."
Have at it.
Last night was the ceremony for Radio, Media and Outdoor -- not very exciting stuff, but you get a chance to review highly localized work you wouldn't otherwise be exposed to. Always good to remember what ad life is like outside internets.
Here are the Grand Prix winners for each category. Hopefully by now I don't need to tell you where to go to see the full list of oversized bookend recipients.
For RADIO: Net#Work BBDO/Johannesburg wins Grands Prix for "Dancer," "Dog" and "Ferret" -- three radio pieces for Virgin Atlantic Airlines, South Africa. Wanna hear? Listeny-listen.
For MEDIA: JWT Japan/Tokyo scores for "Kit Kat Mail 2009" on behalf of Nestle's Kit-Kat.
For OUTDOOR: TBWA\Hunt\Lascaris Johannesburg wins Grands Prix for "Fight the Regime," "Cheaper than Money," "Trillion Dollar Billboard," "Z$250,000,000" and "Wallpaper" -- on behalf of The Zimbabwean. The campaign's objective was, in great part, to demonstrate the ridiculous rate of inflation affecting Zimbabwean currency as a result of the current regime.
We covered one execution in which trillions of Zimbabwe dollars were used to wallpaper a billboard. Trillion dollar bills were also used as flyers. See the rest of the work; if you're curious about the roots of Z's current political situation, read some colourful background.
So Knob Creek, due to demand for its bourbon, is running low on supply and is at risk of running dry before its next batch is ready in November. Rather than bottle the next batch before its full nine year maturity, the comapny has turned its lack of product into a promotion. A sick joke of a promotion but a promotion none the less.
We've been sent all sorts of goodies from marketers in the mail. Sadly, most are of the throw-a-way variety. This is most certainly not the case when it comes to liquor, unless you consider pouring the product down one's throat throwing it away.
more »
-->
Adam Rifkin is trying to promote his new movie, Look, an examination of how pervasive video surveillance cameras have become and the sometimes shocking footage they capture. The movie's producers intended to mail postcards with scenes from the movie and the copy "Will you be watching? May 5, 2009" on the back.
One of the postcards carries an image from the movie which shows a man having his way with a woman in a storage closet. Technically, there's no nudity but the Post Office has called the promotional piece "obscene" and won't allow it to be mailed.
more »
A year and a half ago, a survey was taken pegging seniors as among the most likely to be negatively affected by the upcoming digital TV transition. This crucial trivia wiggled its way into last-minute marketing campaigns with understandable urgency; Adrants reader Rebecca reported getting the ad at left in her mailbox.
"Get Ready for the Digital Transition on February 17, 2009, with FREE Basic Cable," it says. For those that weren't paying attention the first time, an eye-catching balloon tactfully adds, "GET READY BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE!"
more »
Who says Twitter is a worthless web 2.0 time waster with absolutely no redeeming value? Were it not for Twitter, USA Network's Burn Notice would have escaped...um...notice thereby depriving many (well, at least one) of its many enjoyable aspects; a local native gone Hollywood, the dude from those horrifically campy Evil Dead movies, Sharon Gless who rocked the 80's with Cagney & Lacey and the adorable-turned-impossibley-hot Gabrielle Anwar. Oh, and then there's the plot which, well, doesn't really matter because these four actors would be good in anything.
more »
You know method: people against dirty? We love how their ad copy is always a little provocative, but not so saucy that you can point fingers and go, "HEY, that's DIRTY!"
We opened our emails this morning and found ourselves face-to-face with this promotion for method's latest "Bathroom Buddies": le scrub + little bowl blu. (You know, like your favourite song!)
Suddenly tag-team toilet cleaning time seems ... sexy. And strangely mod.
With help from Stink and TBWA\China, Psyop put together "Together" for Adidas and the '08 Olympics. Tagline: "Impossible is nothing." It's very Nike, with a little power-to-the-people in concentrate.
Victory, meet China.
Remember the "flash" or index cards you used to remember spelling words in grade school? Now they're pegged to a key ring and proffered by Thumb Cards for a future in promotions.
Well, it's not the worst idea we've ever heard (toilet paper rolls? Branded college-ruled looseleaf?).
|
@adrants
@adrantsjobs
|
