Not All Social Experiments Have to Be on Twitter. Or Facebook. Or Online.

envelope-fragile.jpg

Ben Muller sent us word of I Got an Envelope, a social art project where people leave empty self-addressed envelopes in random places. The hope is that some (ideally not malevolent) person will come across the envelope, fill it with magical things, and send it back to the owner.

Charming. Or not:

One guy just walked by our desk, peered down at what we were covering, smirked and said "I'd sprinkle coal on a note with the words, 'YOU DON'T BELONG.' Written in lipstick."

Seems disturbingly like he thought that through beforehand.

by Angela Natividad    Jun- 1-09    
Topic: Cause, Good, Trends and Culture



At Least Derek Beckles Isn't in These Truth Commercials

truth_fake_interview.jpg

In a new Arnold-created campaign, truth did some fake job interviews with real people. The interviewees were asked questions by a trained actor who posed as a recruiter. The whole thing was recorded by a hidden camera. In the interviews, the actor slides in a few tobacco-related facts and questions just to see how the interviewees react. The results are mildly amusing. Take a look at the spots here.

by Steve Hall    May-29-09    
Topic: Campaigns, Cause, Commercials



Kid Rock, Jim Beam Let Loose for Cherry Bourbon ... and Operation Homefront.

kid-rock-horrors.jpg

This June Kid Rock kicks off the Red Stag, part of a promotional partnership with Jim Beam for its new cherry-infused Bourbon.

It all goes down on the 14th, when Kid Rock serves as Grand Marshall of the NASCAR Sprint Cup's Lifelock 400 Race. Jim Beam will sponsor Kid Rock's 2009 Rock N' Rebels tour, and together, via Operation Homefront, both brands will raise funds for emergency aid, moving help, computer programs and care packages for the underprivileged nationwide.

"I've been drinking Jim Beam and singing about it my whole career, so when they approached us it was a no-brainer," said Kid Rock, who makes plen'y more sense than crazy-ass Gene Simmons did when he became the face of Dr. Pepper Cherry.

more »



No H8 Fails to Knock Prop 8 Off Podium

tila-tequila-prop-8.jpg

Last year California passed Prop 8, which bans same-sex marriage within the state. The months preceding its formalization were trying ones for our gay friends in the Sunshine State; one of them even scanned freeways in pursuit of Prop 8 signs to vandalize.

In the months since, the climate surrounding Prop 8's gotten feverish. Fresh faces are leaping onto the revocation boat with the birth of a new campaign, No H8, advocated by duct-taped and facepainted social celebrities like Lacey Schwimmer, Perez, B. Scott, Calpernia Addams and Tila Tequila (at left) -- whose A Shot at Love series was labeled the first-ever bisexual dating show. =P

Yesterday California's Supreme Court released its decision about whether to uphold the controversial law. We found out this morning that it remains intact, which means you can expect a few demonstrations wherever they can be organized. I'm also pretty sure the aforementioned celebs will be tearing the tape off their faces and going on blast.

Worth noting: same-sex marriages that occurred before the ban will still be recognized, but try saying that at a cocktail party full of Evangelicals.

Behind-the-scenes vid for No H8, and more photos, are available at the campaign website.

by Angela Natividad    May-27-09    
Topic: Bad, Campaigns, Cause, Celebrity, Trends and Culture



Denver Egotist Takes Stand Against Brand Molestation.

cheapotle-campaign.jpg

"The big, fat, silver torpedo that is the Chipotle burrito is as iconic (in this city, anyway) as an Absolut bottle or a Converse shoe," lauds the Denver Egotist, bringing to mind billboards that have taken us by surprise more than once.

"So what better way to start off a brand new campaign than to ditch the thing you're most famous for in favor of a bland, new Taco Bell-styled menu and some insipid value statements that are saturating the market in this shitty economy. Oh, and how about a new logo, too? Something that could sit nicely on the shelf at Target with the other Archer Farms produce?"

more »



Possibly the Best Climate Change Awareness Video Ever

cannes-lions-douchebag.jpg

Cannes Young Lions competition entries for client Oxfam Great Britain have been mixed -- and the stuff we've seen has been wince-worthy, running the "Horrors!" gamut from complete mundanity to gratuitous panty-dancing violence.

That all changes with "Douchebag Pie," arguably the greatest climate change awareness ad for Generation: YouTube ever created.

And if it singlehandedly brings the word "douchebag" to the French lexicon, then all the better.

more »



Custom Kicks Share Carbon Footprint Stories

cckids-thumb.jpg

There's this cute little "climate change art group" called The Canary Project, which in turn is working on something called Green Patriot Posters, which looks to me like kids marketing climate change awareness in various ways.

Look: they have billboards! And adorable little tennis shoes!

The cute custom sneaks are the work of students at McCormack Middle School in MA, which were encouraged to express their knowledge of their carbon footprints on a pair each. The sneakers now appear in associated billboards along with the tagline: "The Kids at McCormack School know their CARBON FOOTPRINT. What about YOU?"

Peruse more earnest little posters, or make your own, at the website.

by Angela Natividad    May-21-09    
Topic: Cause, Consumer Created, Guerilla, Outdoor, Packaging



Dance, Girl, Dance. Die, Girl, Die.

dancing-hutch.jpg

This is madness, thick and black, I Know What You Did Last Summer-style.

To spread Oxfam's global warming awareness message, and as (yet another) entry to the Cannes Young Lions ad festival, some dark-humoured cat put together this creepy piece of work.

Ooh, it's getting hot in here. Like a seedy American Apparel ad, some dancing hutch starts peeling off her clothes. And suddenly...

more »



Yep, That Would Be a Yardstick.

oxfam-climate-change.jpg

For the Cannes Young Lions Ad Contest, Y&R Interactive/Israel/Mizbala entered a video on behalf of Oxfam Great Britain. All it does is drive climate change-conscious users to the Oxfam YouTube page -- kind of a cheap prize after sitting through virtually nothing of entertainment value and then clicking -- actually clicking! -- on a button embedded inside the video.

Fail.

more »

by Angela Natividad    May-20-09    
Topic: Cause, Events, Industry Events, Video



Red Cross Helps Downtrodden Stand On Their Own

croix-rouge-francaise.jpg

Fubiz drew our gaze to this short film for the French Red Cross. Panning over different landscapes, it depicts Red Cross members lifting sufferers of various torments to their feet.

As the backgrounds change, so too do the people, which left us with that warm "connected" feeling: we're all both victim and healer sometimes, and in that regard, nothing divides us from anyone else on the planet.

The tagline was equally stirring: "L'homme est fait pour rester debout" -- or roughly, "Man was made to stand upright."

Work by TBWA\MAP; music by sayCet.

more »

by Angela Natividad    May-20-09    
Topic: Cause, Good, Video