Designer Benjamin Edgar is responsible for the minimalist packaging behind Boxed Water is Better, which helps bottled-water elitists be more eco by using packaging made from renewable resources.
The, uh, box format that's become so popular with other fine beverages means empty containers can be shipped flat back to a water plant. More flattened boxes can fit in a truck than whole bottles, so emptied Boxed Water containers require fewer truckloads.
Nothing's sexier than a rapidly-shrinking carbon footprint. (Writing that out makes us think of Chinese foot-binding, which is sort of uncomfortable, and probably has more to do with our psychological states than this campaign.)
Last weekend Sony Ericsson converted a number of London-based Carphone Warehouses into floral installations, where mothers could get free flowers in honor of Mother's Day.
The gig was a promotion for the W595 Sakura handset, which Sony's trying to position as "the perfect alternative 'floral' gift for Mother's Day." (The phone's outfitted with a cherry blossom design and is, in fact, quite festive.) It also hired a "floriographer" to school moms and kids alike on what flowers to choose -- and which to avoid -- on this most hallowed of holidays.
Top flowers to pick/avoid are below. For what it's worth, they illuminate the subconscious reason guys are always asking whether we like orchids.
And why would you give someone dead leaves?
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In "A Gift from Mother Nature," a personified Aunt Flo stalks girls in the street and tries passing off a charming gift, suspiciously wrapped in red.
We like how, in the event of total brain density, a disclaimer at the beginning of the ad reads "YOUR MONTHLY GIFT FROM MOTHER NATURE IS A EUPHEMISM FOR YOUR PERIOD." It's like, thanks Tampax, we totally thought Flo was sharing her latest batch of fresh-baked Vegan cookies.
But the appropriately annoying human allegory doesn't just bestow The Curse with playful malice; she also encourages you to buy white dresses and makes tidy, embarrassing personal jokes in front of your boyfriends. It's hilarious when she chases a woman down the street, notices her pregnant belly and goes, "Shoot ... I forgot" -- and waves her away with obvious disappointment.
The video's objective is to show women how they can outsmart Mother Nature, which is the only weird thing about it: I'm not seeing any outsmarting, just a lot of wincing and running-away. Unless Tampax is suggesting we get knocked up at the next opportunity.
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This week in Los Angeles, El Pollo Loco will deluge ABC, CBS, FOX and NBC with a fresh wave of ads -- toting its $0.69 Taco al Carbon, among other cheap fare -- right around primetime.
Don't wince: the campaign's being called Family Stimulus Deals, and El Pollo Loco CEO Steve Carley is front and center. Ads are expectedly political in nature, the kind of work you'd expect to see from a Senate member-to-be, except they shill chicken instead of community roadwork. Funny thing is, for a spread so riddled with shticks the whole thing falls flat.
Sometimes using your CEO just doesn't cut it. And it's a bit late to riff off the Stimulus Plans circulating the Gov like so many pigeons.
See "Gracias," a dubbed Spanish ad, by Ideas; others, including English-language ones, are on the Official El Pollo Loco YouTube site.
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This is the best. This is how brands should build loyalty. This is how flying should be.
We've all heard the mindlessly boring pre-flight announcements airline attendants make prior to taking off. All that crap about putting the tray up, placing the seat in the upright position, properly stowing your carry on, turning off electronic devices and all kinds of other stuff that just makes you want to fall asleep.
Not on Southwest. Not if you have David as a flight attendent. Check out how he welcomes passengers on his flights.
Okay. Let's nail this down once and for all: DO NOT start a lavish, perks-heavy club of people -- in this case, Royal Caribbeans' "Royal Champions" -- whose objective is to plug your company hither and yon without revealing affiliation.
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In an ongoing misguided effort to make itself more appealing to a demo somewhat broader than Euro-philes and homosexuals, Vespa's inked a cross-promo partnership with Paramount to promote I Love You, Man, a comedy about two dudes that "test and stretch the boundaries of friendship in adventure after adventure."
Apparently a lot of those adventures involve a "fun and fuel efficient" Vespa LXV 150, which I guess is somewhat better than the bunk motorbike that served Ernesto Guevara and Alberto Granado so well in The Motorcycle Diaries.
Those inclined can enter a MySpace contest to win the Vespa used in the film. To get involved, you'll have to submit an example of how far you've gone for a friend. Deadline's tomorrow (although we PROMISE you the pressie was sent a mere TWO HOURS AGO) -- and the link, myspace.com/iloveyouman, doesn't seem to be working. This was the closest we could get.
The poster at left is available as a free download on Vespa's website.
Every US kid born in the '80s probably had Where the Wild Things Are read to them at some point. It's an infectious(ly illustrated) story about a kid called Max who likes wearing scary animal costumes and being all growly.
One day, after some horrible little-boy shenanigans, he's confined to his bedroom, where he explores a universe of wild but benign creatures. He is ultimately made King of All the Wild Things.
A few years ago Spike Jonze signed on to make a film adaptation of the book -- one of those things that gives us chills and seems too good to be true. But hey, it's not: at your left is the official poster.
Perfect, right? We thought so too. Though for some reason we always imagine Max with facial hair.
Tagline: There's one in all of us. Film comes out this October. More about it all here.
- Geeks are Sexy interviews Eepybird, the guys responsible for this wild wonder. Oh, and the Diet Coke & Mentos Experiment.
- "Igotapostcard is a continuous project where people practice the art of leaving self-addressed stamped postcards in public places to be picked up and personalized by others, who then return them."
- Headsmack indeedy.
- SXSW thought leader rage. And we're with 'im on this one.
- Young people want more entertaining ads. ORLY?
- LOL. "For every 100 points that the DOW drops within two months after the time of purchase," teesandtats customers "receive $5 dollars off of their purchase."
- Agency in a cardboard box.
- Google ads on iPhone apps. Imagine that.
London's The Viral Factory just hit us upside our delicate craniums with "Extreme Sheep LED Art." You may not be able to wrap your brain around that right away, but it's exactly what it sounds like.
The video, a promotion for Samsung's LED line, is equal parts hilarious, a brainfuck and painful to watch -- painful because it's long and about sheep, a brainfuck because the sheep are being (EXTREME!) shepherded in such a way that they reproduce high art (sort of), and funny because THEY PLAY PONG. USING THE SHEEP.
Grand in its unyielding over-the-toppiness -- brought extreme fishing to mind for a sec -- and reviews on YouTube have been favorable. As always you've got the more eloquent members of the human race arguing over whether or not this was "enhanced" -- or demonstrating superiority with their absolute certainty: "fake as hell."
(*shakes head sadly*)
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