Subscribe to RSS

Office Freakout Outed, Soup Gets Cocky, Sarkozy Smoked, Renetta Denies Obama-legiance

cock-soup.jpg

- David Griner of AdFreak reveals the promotional origins of that one office freakout video. You should thank him; it involved interpreting Russian. (Well, no, not really.) Also, Angelina Jolie is a factor. Collective ooOooOooh.

- Traffic scores the $185 million Mitsubishi account. Meanwhile, the Michelin Man gets cozy with TBWA\Chiat\Day. Awwww.

- Beef and vegetable not doing the job? Treat yourself to cock flavoured soup mix. Just like mama used to make.

- France's Le Figaro was given promotional access to As if Nothing Happened, the latest album by Carla Bruni, the only First Lady we've ever seen naked. Her musical interpretation of Nicolas Sarkozy: "You are my junk. More deadly than Afghan heroin. More dangerous than Colombian white ... My guy, I roll him up and smoke him." SRSLY?

- Renetta McCann is "not joining the Obama campaign -- in any manner." Well, Renetta, Peter denied Jesus not once, not twice, but thrice. That didn't make them any less chummy.

by Angela Natividad    Jun-11-08   Comments (2)    Bookmark and Share     
Topic: Celebrity, Packaging, Political, Promotions, Strange, Trends and Culture, Video

Search Engines Sipped, Hitler Plays Hillary, Boston Gets Fish-Faced, Charney Pushes Package, Hello Kitty Gets Stuffed

google-classic.png

- FunAdvice mashed up top search engine and soft drink brands, under the premise that search engines today inspire us the way colas once did. Hrm.

- Hitler plays the fated Hillary in this emotional Nazi interpretation of the Clinton/Obama nominee race. The best part is when he shouts "The DNC has thwarted my destiny!" while the women tremble in his midst. It wasn't as funny as Hitler Gets Banned though.

- Legal Sea Foods' "Fresh Fish" ads piss off the easily-rattled Bostonians. The MBTA decided to pull the ads after Green Line workers took offense to them. (Some ads said things like "This conductor has a face like a halibut." Touchy much?)

- Penis advertising gets you everywhere. Especially if you're Dov "The Colonel" Charney. Horrors.

- Build-a-Bear Workshop is partnering with Sanrio to let kids build Tropical Hello Kittys. "Tropical Hello Kitty's sun-kissed look is perfect for summer and we're certain that she'll be a big hit," says Dave Marchi of Sanrio. But will that sun-kissed pelt betray her age?

by Angela Natividad    Jun- 9-08   Comments ()    Bookmark and Share     
Topic: Brands, Campaigns, Celebrity, Online, Packaging, Political, Poster, Spoofs, Strange, Video

Joy Division Sponsors Zune, Twitterati Defects for Plurk, Facebook Seeks Ad Feedback, John McCain Tells War Stories

john-mccain.jpg

- Maybe inspired by Apple's limited-edition U2 iPod, Microsoft is releasing a limited-edition Joy Division Zune.

- Expect downtime from Twitter when Steve Jobs takes the floor at WWDC.

- Speaking of Twitter, a lot of fed-up users are defecting to a fancy new site called Plurk. Plurk enables users to follow conversational threads, and encourages use with "karma" points and little gifts. Also, the colors are soothing.

- Facebook has launched an ad feedback feature.

- Filipinos aren't the only people featured in creepy dating ads.

- John McCain: put Obama in office if you want. But hey, if you do, EXPECT APOCALYPSE.

by Angela Natividad    Jun- 9-08   Comments ()    Bookmark and Share     
Topic: Brands, Campaigns, Celebrity, Commercials, Online, Packaging, Political, Sponsorship

Watch Out for that Hair; It Could Kill a Small Mammal

sanjaya-nationwide.jpg

Hoping to milk the star (?) for all his worth, Nationwide has released behind-the-scenes footage of its ad featuring Sanjaya Malakar. Shot in India, footage depicts the American Idol castaway singing in the face of a firmly shut door (what a metaphor!). You'll be pleased to know Sanjaya's hair is as wack as ever.

Nationwide loves a talented media whore, and Sanjaya certainly fits the bill, so it was just a matter of time before the two found each other eventually.

To learn more about his partnership with Nationwide, read a recent Sanjaya interview.

by Angela Natividad    Jun- 1-08   Comments ()    Bookmark and Share     
Topic: Agencies, Campaigns, Celebrity, Commercials, Specialty

Sharon Stoned, Donuts Dunked, Whites Whacked, Coors Coursed

trumpgirl.jpeg

-Dior has dumped Sharon Stone as spokesperson for comments she made about China while at Cannes: "I'm not happy about the way the Chinese are treating the Tibetans because I don't think anyone should be unkind to anyone else. And then the earthquake and all this stuff happened, and then I thought, is that karma? When you're not nice that the bad things happen to you?"

- Psst. "Dunkin' Donuts is one of our sponsors."

- New York's tourist campaign has been dubbed too white and misrepresents the ethnic make up of the city.

- That Coors Light Perfect Pour dude is back with even more goofy pour stunts that are...OMG...like, so totally unbelievable.

by Steve Hall    May-30-08   Comments (4)    Bookmark and Share     
Topic: Brands, Campaigns, Celebrity, Trends and Culture

50 Cent Gets Online, Pop-Ups Go Bollywood, Safe Kitty Sex Promoted, and Crocs Trot the Globe

pop-up-india.jpg

- Crocs launched a travel site, Cities by Foot. Designated Crocs-wearers explore cities like Denver, New Orleans, San Francisco and Vail. Every once in awhile you get a close-up shot of their feet.

- This guy travels to India to remedy his PC pop-up problem. Hijinks ensue. My favourite line: "Just tell them to unplug it, and PLUG IT AGAIN!" Cut to the song.

- Apparently 50 Cent is social media savvy.

- The British government tries scare tactics to keep kids away from knives. They also plan to give out postcards featuring mutilated body parts.

more »

by Angela Natividad    May-29-08   Comments (2)    Bookmark and Share     
Topic: Brands, Campaigns, Celebrity, Consumer Created, Online, Product Placement, Promotions, Spoofs, Strange

Stand Up to Cancer Gets 'We Are the World' Celebu-Treatment

psa_caffleck.jpg

Not usually a fan of weepy PSA's for cancer, this one from non-profit Stand Up to Cancer directed by David Fincher and voiced by Sydney Poitier caught my attention if only to make sure I could pick out all the celebrities that pop up in the ad. Sydney Poitier, Christy Turlington, Susan Sarandon, NYC Mayor Mike Bloomberg, Morgan Freeman, Lance Armstrong, Keanu Reeves, Tobey Maguire, Casey Affleck, and Jodie Foster are in there. Can you spot more?

more »

by Steve Hall    May-29-08   Comments (1)    Bookmark and Share     
Topic: Cause, Celebrity, Good, Television

Weezer Wired, Hulk Whored, Philly Punks Out, Billboard Butters Up

ironman-advert.jpg

- Wired interviewed the director of Weezer's Pork and Beans music video, which is a whiplash-inducing tribute to 'net-ebrities.

- Apptera promotes The Incredible Hulk to callers who request information on Iron Man.

- I Can't Believe It's Not Butter! launched a site called Now We Know Better. Scroll over the vintage homemakers to see them magically turn into ... modern homemakers! The site's a dream destination for daytime TV addicts: game shows, girl talk and margarine.

more »

by Angela Natividad    May-29-08   Comments ()    Bookmark and Share     
Topic: Campaigns, Celebrity, Creative Commentary, Mobile/Wireless, Online, Outdoor

Sanjaya is Back! In A Nationwide Insurance Commercial

sanjayamalakar_ponyhawk.jpg

Following in the footsteps of Fabio, MC Hammer and Kevin Federline might be considered a dubious career path, then again, who thought KFed would come out of the Britney Spears nightmare on top (or at least looking a lot better than Britney)? Next in line for the feature role in a Nationwide Insurance 'Life Comes At You Fast" commercial, filming today in India, is none other than Mr. Pony Hawk himself, Sanjaya Malakar.

Yup, Nationwide wants Sanjaya to help the company reel in some South Asians who, according to Nationwide, have the highest annual income among the U.S. Population.

more »

by Steve Hall    May-27-08   Comments (6)    Bookmark and Share     
Topic: Brands, Campaigns, Celebrity

Heroes' Hayden Panettiere Saves Whales With eBay Promotion

hayden-panettiere-heroes1.jpg

Hayden Panettiere, star of NBC's Heroes and whale lover, has signed an endorsement deal with social site Zude and Shopit to sell clothes and raise money for Save the Whales Again, a Whaleman Foundation and Animal Welfare Institute campaign to "create awareness about the industrial slaughter of whales and dolphins."

The effort is getting added awareness with promotional placement on the homepage of eBay which points to a branded eBay page for Save the Whales Again.

As part of the promotion, an auction is being held to raise money with the winning bid (bidder plus five friends) getting tickets to a celebrity fundraiser held at Eva Longoria's Beso restaurant and a whale watching tour with Hayden in the Channel Islands.

by Steve Hall    May-27-08   Comments (3)    Bookmark and Share     
Topic: Cause, Celebrity, Online

follow-us-on-twitter-bird-160.jpg
    @adrants
    @stevehall