VeeV Spikes Vodka, Sprint 2-Point-No, Lessons Learned from Motrin Mayhem

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- Yesterday's news: Pepsi shafts BBDO for TBWA. BBDO held the account for nearly 50 years.

- After a year and a half of fumbling at the throne of Yahoo, CEO Jerry Yang exits stage left.

- Wieden + Kennedy scores the Nokia Nseries account, worth about $150 million. Lowe London held it before.

- VeeV, an acai-based spirit with delusions of grandeur, brings you The End of Vodka, complete with vodka bots. The site's goal is to show users how much superficiality vodka's introduced into our lives over the course of the past decade. Yeah. If by superficiality you mean lasting friendships and insta-forgiveness.

- "Is this Miley's fault? Ugh, she wouldn't know a legendary jazz man even if he walked up to her and shot cocaine into her neck."

- Sprint's web 2.0 clusterfuck.

- Big Takeaways from the Motrin crisis. (How is it Motrin gets shut down but this goes on undeterred?)

by Angela Natividad    Nov-18-08    
Topic: Agencies, Brands, Campaigns, Online, Opinion, Social



Motrin Mania Ignited on Twitter, Mad Moms Mobilize

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This is one of those thing's that causes one to scream, "Oh for fuck's sake!" Or better yet, "Jesus, fucking Christ!" Why the harsh language? Because, yet again, America has lost its sense of humor and has gotten its underwear up its crack over an innocuous Motrin ad which pokes fun at babywearing. For the uninformed, babywearing (yes, there's an actual Babywearing week) is the art of carrying your child in a sling. You've seen plenty of moms and dads with a child slung around their bodies as if the baby were yet another MacBook Pro.

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by Steve Hall    Nov-16-08    
Topic: Brands, Opinion, Social, Video



Digital Designers Face Off in Intel's Digital Drag Race

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Ingredient brand Intel has decided to dip its toes in the lemming-filled waters of marketing nirvana, otherwise known as social media, with Digital Drag Race, a competition which pits professional digital designers against one another mixed with a consumer-generated aspect for non-professionals.

Launching November 17, a collection of professional designers will spend 70 minutes on a computer powered by the brand new Intel Core i7 Extreme Edition Processor using Abobe Creative Suite 4 to create a 17 second motion graphic using supplied assets; video, music, vector images. The content of the videos are to center on the themes of power, speed and innovation.

After each race, judges will select competitors with the best final product. The first two digital drag races will be unveiled on the Digital Drag Race site on November 17th, after which site visitors will be able to view and vote for their favorite designs.

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by Steve Hall    Nov-14-08    
Topic: Brands, Consumer Created, Promotions, Social



Dear War Veteran: You Are Not Alone

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A new campaign from BBDO and the Ad Council for the Irag and Afghanistan Veterans of America reminds people the one percent of Americans who put their life in harm's way for the other 99 percent should not be left alone when they finally come home.

The campaign includes television, print and a social networking site which offers returning veterans the chance to connect with fellow soldiers and work towards re-entering society.

by Steve Hall    Nov-12-08    
Topic: Online, Social, Television



Swarms, Headaches and Pirate Booty.

- Catch a ride, not a cold with Tylenol's free rides.

- Herds and swarms oh my, check out The Nature of Marketing from Chuck Brymer/CEO, DDB worldwide.

- Toyota drives faster pussycats, faster.

- You know you want to: Get your face on an EA Sports cover in Times Square this weekend.

- Does consumerism make us crazy? Sure. Maybe. I dunno. You decide.

- Pirates need booty juggling too.

by Bill Green    Nov- 7-08    
Topic: Social



Obama Ignites Souls -- and Dancing Feet -- of Manhattanites

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I was fresh into university when California governor Gray Davis was ousted. In what I shortsightedly conceived to be the most politically significant moment I'd be destined to see in my lifetime, Arnold Schwarzenegger replaced him in Sacramento. I felt seized by the fever of the time, and vowed to always remember what it was like to be passionate about the pulse of government.

That was just a handful of years ago. Today my mind is filled with watershed events that vastly eclipse that first taste: a mortgage crisis, the dramatic collapse of hulking financial institutions, and a black Presidential incumbent pitted against Hillary Clinton for the Democratic ticket, then against another woman -- Republican VP candidate Sarah Palin -- for the right to walk with proprietary pride across the vast square footage of the White House.

Last night, a handful of ad:techies learned the results of the November 4 election over a dinner hosted by Susan Bratton, the DishyMix queen bee. I sat between social medialyte Dave Evans and a well-traveled guy called Roy. We ordered duck gizzards and spun casual, but slightly taut, conversation.

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by Angela Natividad    Nov- 5-08    
Topic: Campaigns, Industry Events, Opinion, Political, Social



British Air Shows Facebook Wonderful Tool For Ignoring Employees-Until They Use It to Track Them Down For Complaining on Facebook.

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As Dumbass proved, Big Brother, Black Helicopters and now your boss all watch what you do on Facebook. Depending on your POV, British Airways employees either went too far or not far enough. Tired of having their complaints go unaddressed, they complained on Facebook about management and customers. (Customers I could see. You ever deal with the general public? Yeah, you know what fun that is.) But... how far is too far?

Anonymous posts about poor working conditions are one thing, calling out your boss and insulting the people you get paid to serve is another. Complicating things further, does British Airways have a right to go after employees for complaining about a legitimate gripe? Does any employer have a right to take action against an employee based just on their online comments, especially if the employer is the one creating those working conditions? Lotta questions there.

What say you?

by Bill Green    Nov- 5-08    
Topic: Social



Encumbent Avatars, Undecided Coffee Cups, Crocheted Shotguns

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- Obama/McCain WeeMees! OhMG kyoooooot. Diggin' how the page reads, "Invite the presidential nominees to your Room." So naughty.

- Speaking of politics, that half-hour Obama ad pulled in an average household rating of 21.7. The top market was Baltimore, where it averaged 31.3.

- Still undecided? Sport it on your coffee cup. $10 says at least five election canvassers will make a beeline for you within minutes of exiting 7-Eleven.

- Zap bugs with Honda. Reminds me of a Stargate SG-1 episode where these giant bugs would prick you, then turn you into an egg sack.

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Dawn Whips Out the Jazz Hands ... and a Spongy Casanova

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Dawn Hands Have Talent is a UGC contest to promote Dawn Hand Renewal, a dishwashing soap that "improves the look and feel of hands in just five uses." The site also includes a special offer for the soap and a dancing hand game you can play.

The image at left is from an entry titled "Handtasia," though I much prefer the vivacity of "Fingerlina."

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Pepsi Unveils Packaging to 'Digital and Social Media Influencers'

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Today, Pepsi, with strategic help from Edelman, reached out to 25 "digital and social media influencers" with three separately-shipped packages. The first contained five cans representing logo design from 1898 to 1950. The second contained five cans representing logo design from 1962 to 1998. The third contained (yes, you guessed it) the newly launched can design - six of them full of actual Pepsi.

Accompanying the final shipment was a DVD highlights of the company's 110 year history including the debut of the new logo and packaging across all product lines. You can watch the video here.

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by Steve Hall    Oct-27-08    
Topic: Brands, Packaging, Social