HSBC Puts Subcultures in a Tank for Local Critique

In this collabo between Cunning and JWT, passers-by can text opinions about paparazzi and fitness fads in exchange for the chance to win a digicam or gym membership.

We've seen the live mannequin thing before and while it never ceases to be creepy we like the execution of the idea here. It has the potential to be comically obnoxious which off-sets the creepiness. And guess who this is for? Our opinion-courting friends at HSBC. Aww.

Fake Sony Blog Re-Uploaded, IQ Interactive Sings

- Verizon's Giant's Stadium text message contest suffers from bad "can you hear me now?" reception.

- Looks like the pre-holiday layoffs are rolling in. Time Inc. just laid off 27 from its consumer marketing unit reports MediaWeek.

- If you just couldn't get enough of the fake Sony PSP blog, The Consumerist saved the entire site and reuploaded it to humiliate Sony even further.

- coBRANDit's Owen Mack attended the recent Word of Mouth Marketing Association conference in Washington DC last week and created several video interviews.

- IQ Interactive singing heads sing Christmas carols.

- Who knew? USA Today says the wise-ass Windex bird commercial was the most-liked ad in 2006.

- AdMashup, the site that collects submitted ad mashups was featured in the 2006 Advertising Age Book of Tens.

Identity of the Burger King Revealed!

For a long time, everyone's been wondering who's really behind that freakish looking Burger King mask. OK, so we're the only ones wondering but has anyone seen Jack Kevorkian lately? The euthanasia dude seems to have disappeared. Oh wait, is he in prison? Anyway, we think we've found him along with the true identity of the Burger King.

HSBC Makes Good with Ambiguous Tat Ad

This HSBC ad out of Singapore demonstrates what may be a successful attempt to re-brand a stodgy, almost rotary old player into something more contemporary. An interesting choice, though it begs the question which, between "traditional" and "trendy," is actually the positive and the negative. Smart not to paint either option in a bad light. A hat tip to the old boys - at least they know a message is only as good as its interpretation.

Some Feel DDB Berlin Copied Idea For VW Frog Ad, Want Apology

Some time ago, Danish comedians Wulffmorgenthaler created a comic strip that showed a frog being carried away by a fly stuck to his tongue. Earlier this year, DDB Berlin let loose a Volkswagen commercial that showed yes, frog being carried away by a fly stuck to his tongue. The usual pissing match has ensued. Some think DDB should apologize. See the strip here. Watch the ad here. What do you think?

Ad Age Readers Commend Roehm Firing. Adrants Readers Not So Much

Hey, wait a minute Ad Age. We did our survey first and it was a split decision. Oh wait. You have all those old, conservative readers and we have all the cool new kids. Now we get why the survey results differed. It seems Adrants readers enjoy working with Julie Roehm-ish drama more than Advertising Age readers. Eighty one percent of Advertising Age readers feel Wal-mart made the right move in firing Julie Roehm. What's that they say about research? Oh wait, we don't want to nullify out own survey results now do we?

Wal-Mart Fumbles Post-Julie, Loses GSD&M

Looks like the belle of the big-box ball is losing suitors. GSD&M President Roy Spence states, "I want to thank Wal-Mart for inviting us to re-pitch the business. I have decided to decline. We helped build Wal-Mart from $11 billion in sales to $312 billion. We declare victory [...] and we are moving on."

January marks the end of the 20-year relationship and GSD&M is apparently stoked "about the prospect of chasing retail accounts that Wal-Mart's business long kept the agency out of."

GSD&M remain mum on all that Julie bullshit but there's little doubt the issue is an unsavoury contributor to the slicing of the cord.

Finalists from the previous review still running for the red-hot $580 million account include Ogilvy & Mather and Interpublic's Martin Agency. Roy's image at left courtesy of AdAge. - Contributed by Angela Natividad

Petition Says Marketers Start Christmas Promotions Too Early

Whether she's trying to drive readers to her blog or develop business for herself doesn't really matter. What does matter is Lotus Child's (yes. apparently, that is her real name) effort to stop marketers from beginning their Christmas promotions too early. Claiming promotions beginning in November and October are just too over the top, Child has created a petition called Take Back the Holidays. So if you think we're getting overzealous with our Christmas advertising plans, head over to the petition and check it out.

Sara Lee Skin Care Campaign Releases Bravia-Style

Sanex, the Sara Lee body care brand (wait, don't they make frozen cakes?) is working with PR agency immediate future to release a European commercial Sony Bravia-style. The agency has set up a site that will follow the creation of the ad which involves "over 100 bodies imitating skin cells." We've been promised updates as the campaign develops and we'll share them with you, good or bad because, as you know, criticizing something can be as much fun as praising it.

UPDATE: Oops. Someone forgot to tells someone something. The ad's already out. So much for the sneak peeks. It aired in Denmark in November. We'll still share any goodies regarding the production of the ad if they are of any interest.

Survey: Industry Undecided On Julie Roehm

Given available facts, when queried on their opinions about whether or not Julie Roehm should have been fired from Wal-mart, the industry is clearly undecided and split right down the middle. Based on a survey of 509 Adrants readers, 250 think she should have been fired and 259 think she should not have been fired. Hardly conclusive and, well, hardly relevant either. It's just interesting to see where the industry sits on this issue.