Madonna Benetton Ad Interestingly Timed With Adoption Controversy

Make the Logo Bigger points us to a new Benetton ad in which Madonna candidly poses with her three children, including the boy from Malawi whose dubious adoption she's actively campaigning to defend. But hey, we're willing to bet at least $1 that one has nothing to do with the other. - Contributed by Angela Natividad

'Appetite for Destruction' ads play on 9/11 Turf

At the corner of Rector and Washington in New York, Giovanni's Atrium has begun a storefront campaign that's generating more attention than restaurant windows usually get. Showcasing "The happiest Happy Hour south of ground zero," its posted menu includes lines like "Hot and Cold Antipasto Table to tantalize your appetite" ... "for destruction?" quips Gawker.

Hey, marketing's competitive in the Big Apple. They definitely got our attention. It's advertising in bad taste, but we can't help but ask ourselves if it's actually bad advertising. - Contributed by Angela Natividad

Sprint Brings NFL Mobile Message to People's Feet

For its client Sprint, Organic teamed with Reactrix Media Network, the company that places those six foot by eight foot interactive floor videos in malls, movie theaters and other public spaces, to develop a new game. In the game, anyone passing by the projection can kick teed up footballs in a virtual football stadium while - this is advertising, after all - Sprint branded images and the tagline, "The Power to Make Every Day Sunday. NFL Mobile, only from Sprint" appears. There's even a Sprint branded blimp in the background. The game ends with a message that urges people to visit the Sprint retailer nearby for more information about NFL Mobile.

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Help Wanted Ad Seeks Salad Tossers

Underscore Marketing President and blogger Tom Hespos sent us this help wanted ad for a sandwich shop which we just couldn't resist sharing with you. While preparing salad is a much needed skill in a restaurant, wording the need for such expertise can, in this case, be a bit misleading.

24 Hits Times Square, Students Hit Road Safety Sign

- On Tuesday, Toyota sponsored the showing of a 2-minute, 20-second trailer of the upcoming season of Fox TV's action-thriller 24 in New York's Times Square where viewers could hear the audio via one of 5,000 radios given away by street teams clad in CTU uniforms.

- More contextual idiocy. Actually, this one is just plain non-sensical.

- Here's an interesting ambient campaign for road safety which, by placing a wall hanging that stick out from university hallways, students where reminded of the dangers of speeding as they walk right into the thing on the way to class.

- Adidas has launched MLSmashups, a mash up of MLS soccer team players and the "hottest local underground musicians." Yea, we didn't get it either.

- Over in Sydney, they're all excited about the upcoming TV1 Stupid Stupid Man show.

- A new book, BOOM: Marketing to the Ultimate Power Consumer -- the Baby Boomer Woman, by brand strategists Mary Brown and Carol Orsborn, Ph.D., argues that marketers focused on the 18-34 age bracket may be missing the most lucrative demographic: Baby Boomer women who are now age 45-60.

- Former GE CEO Jack Welch and Hill Holliday ad agency founder Jack Connors are putting together a group of local business people to make a bid on the Boston Globe..

Paris Hilton Tapped as Ambassador to India

Well no, not really, unless you think vacuous infamy exerts the same social influence as political diplomacy.

*long pause*

She's actually going to appear in an Indian campaign to introduce a new fashion line from Anand Jon, an American fashion designer of Indian descent. Moving on, AdJab points out Hilton's music video was recently banned from Indian airwaves but her sex tape is still widely available for under $2. AdJab adds "I'm not sure what's more embarrassing, having your sex video available to the public or the fact that it costs less than a king size Snicker's bar."

Provocative point. We're sure it won't hurt her modeling career. It might even help. Don't models do dumb shit all the time? - Contributed by Angela Natividad

Denver Pizza Chain Welcomes New York Transplants

Colorado is the new burrough. Denver-based Anthony's New York Pizza has created a bumper sticker campaign that will place stickers in the hands of 500 people who have relocated from the New York area to the Denver area. The list was culled from DMV records and will attempt to make New Yorkers feel right at home in their new mountainous surroundings. See additional creative here.

The Big Pilot's Watch, Available at a Bus Near You

So you're commuting, right, reading a magazine and minding your own business, when you look up and - oh, man - realize you seriously dig the look of that bus strap against your wrist. In fact, you want one really, really bad.

Riders in Berlin, Germany get to try IWC's Big Pilot's watch mid-commute because bus straps have been fashioned into samplers by Jung von Matt/Alster. Neat. - Contributed by Angela Natividad

Magazine's Culture Mixing Campaign Urges Kindness

Sort of like Warren Beatty who, facing racial tension in the movie Bulworth said, "If we all fucked each other, we'd eventually end up the same color," this campaign for Belgian weekly teen magazine HUMO presents a culture mash-up to deliver the message that culture mixing makes everyone nicer. As CoolzOr comments, the poster portion of this campaign didn't last long as teens an college kids "borrowed" them for the bedroom and dorm room walls. The campaign appeared in HUMO magazine itself and as wild postings next to posters for candidates running in an election that occurred earlier this month. Belgian agency Mortierbrigage created the campaign. Three other posters can be seen here.

Bus Ads Pair Up for Dating Site

NZDating.com, New Zealand's "premier internet dating site" according to creative director Chris Hunter, commissioned Draft New Zealand to run a series of ads on complementing buses. "[The buses] are quite often together," says Hunter to Ad Critic. We don't live in Auckland so despite the fact that this would little to rarely happen anywhere else we can think of, we're in no position to argue.

As an afterthought Hunter adds that even if people only see one bus with a nonsensical message it will just "[add] to talkability and word-of-mouth." He may be right. But sitting in traffic behind a bus marked "YOUR MATCH" would fucking annoy us. - Contributed by Angela Natividad