Gold Industry Signs Marketing Deal With Joss Stone

The World Gold Council has signed a deal with Joss Stone, recently seen in GAP ads, to appear in the group's "Speak Gold" ad campaign. A four-page spread, shot by fashion photographer Patrick Demarchelier, will appear an October Conde Nast Fashion Rocks supplement inserted in Conde Nast Traveler, Glamour, Lucky, Self, Vogue, Vanity Fair and W. In the ad, Stone will be decked in Italian jeweler Di MODOLA's gold jewelery collection.

Librarian Fantasy Promotes Librarian Bar

As male fantasies go, right up there with school girls clad in plaid skirts are librarians dressed as though they were too busy reading to finish dressing. New York City's Library Bar created an ad that maximizes this fantasy in a way that aligns nicely with the brand. Oh, screw that marketing blather. They dressed their hot bartenders up in sexy librarian-wear to attract drooling men incapable of resistance. The ad features Erinn and Elizabeth who both work at Library Bar.

Radar Magazine Parodies 1968 Muhammed Ali Esquire Cover

Radar magazine's Maer Roshan has brought legendary adman and cover designer George Lois out of retirement to design the issue's September/October issue, on sale August 16th. The cover will be a riff on the 1968 Esquire cover Louis did with Muhammed Ali.

When Lois saw Radar writer Kim Masters' investigative piece on Tom Cruise and his relationship with Scientology, he was reminded of the April 1968 Esquire cover which showed Ali as Saint Sebastian. Louis convinced Ali to pose as a martyr, wounded and near death but still holding on. Back then, Esquire's editor Harold Hayes was deluged with angry letters and the cover was denounced on the Senate floor. But now, with everything a parody of its former self, a new parody will grace the cover of Radar with Tom Cruise appearing as Ali did on the April 1968 cover.

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OK Magazine Launches With Red Carpet Paparazzi-fest

Like Paris Hilton in the center of a paparazzi frenzy, everyone buying a copy of the new OK Magazine was treated to their own, personal paparazzi shoot. To promote the launch of its new magazine, OK turned a New York City newsstand into a red carpet event. Everyone who went up to buy a copy of the just released celebrity magazine (do we need another?) was treated to cheering fans, paparazzi and onlooking tourists

Enjoyment of Sound Likened to Enjoyment of Female Form

Somehow equating automotive sound system components to female body components, this ad for Toyota and Pioneer certainly grabs attention. flickr user Barrybar points to the copy on the back of the ad, which he graciously translated, that pumps up the suggestive nature of the ad. Citing the directions from which one can enjoy quality sound, the copy eludes to directions from which one can enjoy female components: "from above, from below, from the middle, inside, from the front, from behind."

Magazine Product Placement Yields Hush-Hush Hilarity

On her arrangement with several magazines to use images of Lexus vehicles in editorial, Lexus VP of Marketing Deborah Wahl Meyer told Ad Age, "I'm not talking about pushing anyone to do this We highly respect what a journalist and editor do. We're not talking about crossing any boundaries that are well established." Clearly, the simple act of asking certainly crosses the line. It places journalist in a compromising position. They have been influenced whether they decided to go along with the request or not. Don't worry. We haven't turned into a myopic infant. We know this stuff been going on forever but slowly and surely the line between editorial and advertising is becoming obliterated. Uninfluenced, independent commentary is becoming increasingly difficult to find.

As evil as this may sound, people still have brains, whether marketers realize this or not, and they will adjust to this blurring of reality. Though, it's just not something that needs to be there in the first place. Lending a bit of humor to this magazine product placement trend is the hilariously clandestine, hush-hush attitude both sides have taken on as if knowing which publishers and which marketers are in bed together is as important as codes to detonate a nuclear device.

Big Bulge Garners Wistful Curiosity in Condom Ad

With barely legal curiosity and longing, the young girl in this ad dreams of the day when a very large Durex condom will come between her and the ripped prince's burgeoning bulge her eyes wistfully yearn. With the headline, "One day you'll wish you had a Durex condom," the ad hearkens early innocence and an "I wonder what that would feel like" eagerness only experienced early in life.

Some might label the ad overly racy or a poor attempt at humor but they would be wrong. The ad is extremely honest conveying natural human desire and sexuality which, all too often, are portrayed with snickers, avoidance and censorship.

Nike Brings Kobe Bryant Back to Ad Campaign

For the first time in two years, following his arrest for alleged rape, Kobe Bryant will appear in ads for Nike which will appear in Sports Illustrated. "There is no change in Kobe Bryant's contractual status with Nike. Kobe's inclusion in promotional material for the Huarache 2K5 footwear product is consistent with such Nike endorsement agreements. Nike agrees with most NBA observers that Kobe ranks among the very best players in the NBA, and his training and preparation are key elements of his game," said Nike spokesman Rodney Knox.

Wendy's Joins Food Fornication Ad Trend

While this one isn't as blatant, another fast food marketers seems to want people to fornicate with its products. First, McDonald's ran a banner campaign with the headline "I'd Hit it." Now, Andrew Teman points to a Wendy's ad for its Chicken Sandwich which contains the headline "Do a Spicy Chicken Sandwich. Now, we all know there's an association between food and sex but we're not quite sure fast food falls into the category of mood-altering quisine.

De Beers Co-Ops Botticelli In Campaign

In a recent ad campaign, diamond giant De Beers has modeled their advertising after Botticelli. The ad currently appears in the July issue of Town and Country. It appears as a spread with this image on the left hand side. For fun, the full Botticelli image is here. Thanks to Adrants reader Christopher Peterson.