Google Refuses to Accept Cheney Impeachment Ad

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Flying in the face of its own ad acceptance history, Google has refused to accept an ad from the Northeast Impeachment Coalition and YaliesForImpeachement.org which calls for the impeachment of Vice President Dick Cheney. Writing on Daily Kos, Ralph Lopez reports Google explained its denial of the ad in an email which read, in part,"At this time, Google policy does not permit ad text that advocates against an individual, group, or organization. In addition, this policy does not permit the advertisement of websites that advocate against a group protected by law."

Directly conflicting with that statement are ads currently running on Google that do, in fact, relate to the impeachment of Cheney along with ads that call for the impeachment of President Bush, anti-Bush t-shirts and other ads that run counter to the statement regarding Google's policy against accepting ads which "advocate against a group protected by law."

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by Steve Hall    Nov-18-07    
Topic: Cause, Online, Opinion, Policy



Instead of Buying Gap Gear, Improve Your Vocab for Charity

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An ad-supported page called Free Rice, sent to us by Jamie from Virginia Tech, improves your vocabulary and donates 10 grains of rice to the hungry at the same time. Free Rice is the sister site of Poverty.

So far Adrants has managed to get 30 grains of rice donated. We would've had more by now, but who would have guessed "hardtack" meant "biscuit" and not "thug"? Come on.

And we're not even going to try guessing for "collywobbles."

by Angela Natividad    Nov-16-07    
Topic: Cause, Games, Online



Piers Fawkes Says Change World or Go Home!

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In a less threatening take on the "--or die!" manifesto marketers have become so fond of, Piers Fawkes suggests that if you're not going to go out there and change the world, you ought to just go home.

At the IIR Future Triends '07 conference on Monday, Fawkes gave this presentation -- pointing to Kashi, and that Omnivore's Dilemma guy, as well as other examples -- to illustrate what trendy forms our social assumptions about "going green" take.

"Green is not a trend, it's an issue," he stressed, adding that ours is the best job in the world because we can inspire companies to do good.

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by Angela Natividad    Nov-16-07    
Topic: Cause, Events, Opinion, Trends and Culture



Tree-Hugging Pedal Pushers: Innovate or Die!

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Pedaling to save the world -- or at least fuel advertising -- has endless appeal because we'll probably never run out of human energy or youthful tenacity.

The idea of driving people to oblivion for not doing the right thing (Vote or die!, Funny or die!, Assimilate with Android or die!) is also insanely appealing.

So Google and Specialized give us Innovate or Die(!), a rewards-driven invitation for young engineers to invent eco-friendly, zero-emission machines that operate on human pedal power.

If you're crazy enough to do it, or need to kill time until FlugTag, make a film about it and post it on YouTube by December 15.

Prize for the most innovative submission includes $5K and a Specialized Globe bike. Five runners-up will also get Specialized Globe bikes. We don't actually know what those are.

by Angela Natividad    Nov-15-07    
Topic: Brands, Campaigns, Cause, Online



E.ON Energy Champions Ensures You'll See Janitors with New Eyes

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Here's a fun little game. E.ON Energy Champions is a simple effort by TAMBA in which you have to pick up the trash of careless employees and recycle them in the proper bins.

What makes it tricky is the speed and the stacking of trash when you get too slow, and the wildcard trash bags that could contain anything.

We tried a few times, improved our scores by mere pennies on the dollar, and ultimately decided we like it.

by Angela Natividad    Nov-15-07    
Topic: Cause, Games, Online



Cigs: Good for One Thing and One Thing Only

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McCann Digital in Israel launched a campaign called Sigi Tabak to get Israeli youth to stop smoking.

The accompanying music video, translated from Hebrew to English, depicts a depressed blonde cigarette reminiscing about the man who most recently dumped her. This is a tribute to a local music genre called "depression songs," which we figure is Israel's response to emo.

The cigarette's flashbacks never actually show the guy smoking; rather, he's pushing her on swings and sharing ice cream cones with her.

We'll always have the memories. To be fair, a blonde smoke isn't really someone you want to bring home to mother.

by Angela Natividad    Nov-14-07    
Topic: Cause, Online, Video



Mullen's 'Mullenteers' Assist Hands-On New Orleans With Clean Up

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Even if it finds its way to a press release in a bid for publicity, you can't fault an agency for sending 30 of its employees to New Orleans to assist Hands On New Orleans with the continuing post-Katrina clean up. In partnership with its client, The Stanley Works, Mullen sent 30 "Mullenteers" from its Wenham (Boston) and Detroit office to the city last week armed with Stanley Tools and sixty hands to paint, construct, plumb, roof or anything else that needed doing.

The Stanley Works provided all manner of tools including tape measures, hammers, levels, saw horses, tool boxes, pliers, power staplers, clamps, laser levelers, inflators and mechanics tool sets, all of which will remain with Hands On New Orleans for continuing use.

Nice work, Mullen. So when are you guys moving to Boston? That's what we keep hearing.

by Steve Hall    Nov-12-07    
Topic: Agencies, Cause, Good



League of the Blind Turns 'Blind Calls' into Generous Gestures

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Our name starts with A. So when people we know slam or rub their phones against something, we're often the unfortunate recipients of an accidental call. Because of this, we've heard a lot of conversations we didn't exactly want to hear, including:

- A business acquaintance fight with his girlfriend
- Our best friend having sex
- Something that sounded really painful involving a cat (maybe?) and a bird

To save us from this mishap and help raise money on the side, Belgium's League of the Blind turned this common occurrence into a marketing campaign.

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by Angela Natividad    Oct-26-07    
Topic: Campaigns, Cause, Good



Punching Bag-Shaped Kids Help Illustrate Bully Behavior

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Incredibly, this ad for Highmark by Mullen serves to remind us of two childhood nightmares: the one where we're alone, friendless and talked-about; and the one about the sinister carnival where clowns eat you. (It's the punching bag thing that does it.)

The spot talks about the impact bullying can have on a child's life. The bottom line is to keep communication open with kids so they have somewhere to run when they're hurting.

That new monster "cyber bullying" is also highlighted. Good to know the child safety gurus are keeping up. It only took them 10 years and the advent of Web 2.0 to realize that rumors fly via text message, too.

by Angela Natividad    Oct-24-07    
Topic: Cause, Commercials, Good, Television



Lexus Tells Cautionary Tale in Pop-Up Form

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For its "safest accidents" effort by Team One and a52, Lexus illustrates a series of hypothetical accidents with a life-sized pop-up book and quirky music.

Collisions and street scruples take on a quaint sort of charm when a paper tab slides that slick RX350 to its unfortunate fate. The company's last set of ads for this same message shared this soothing effect, clearing away the result of an accident as if it were only a matter of rearranging the props on a set.

Naturally, the moral of this story is, "The safest accidents are the ones that never happen."

by Angela Natividad    Oct-23-07    
Topic: Brands, Cause, Commercials, Good