Indiana Jones Cranks Up With Teaser Trailer

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Bruce Willis did it. Sylvester Stallone did it...twice. And, as we've all been anticipating, Harrison Ford will attempt it May 22. Check into a nursing home? No way! These "old" dudes are still making films and people are still watching them. OK, so maybe not as many people as back in the day but still.

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by Steve Hall    Feb-19-08    
Topic: Celebrity, Video



The Golden Ducks to Honor Oddity in Advertising

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Oh it's about time. Well, apparently it was three years ago when The Golden Ducks were launched. The Golden Ducks honor the weird, the strange, the head scratchers in advertising. The ads that make you go, "Huh?"

This year, the event has been expanded to included more categories such as the Decoy, The Duckling, The Quack and others. Here's the full list of awards which will be bestowed upon the creators of such ads that are, well, less than good.

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by Steve Hall    Feb-19-08    
Topic: Good, Industry Events



Holiday Inn Celebrates the Goofiness of Its Guests

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Hmm. On the one hand, it makes perfect sense for a brand's ad campaign to mirror the essence of the brand. On the other hand, if you're Holiday Inn, you might want to shoot a bit higher. Alas, Holiday Inn chose to properly reflect the douchenozzles (thanks, George) who frequent the place.

In these four spots (1, 2, 3, 4) from Fallon, the agency followed research which found almost half of all business travelers say they've been "picked up or hit on" in the morning. And, 14 percent of those went on to form romantic relationships. In the commercials, we see a group of business people eating breakfast at a Holiday Inn buffet. Stupid jokes and awkward buffoonery ensue. And the announcer dares to close each spot by saying "check out the new hot bar in town." Really.

by Steve Hall    Feb-19-08    
Topic: Brands, Campaigns, Creative Commentary



Bennigan's Wants You to Release Your 'Inner Leprechaun

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Inner Leprechaun? Inner Leprechaun? WTF? Inner Leprechaun? Seriously. OK, it's a little funny but Inner Leprechaun? Well, apparently Bennigan's, a chain of Irish-themed restaurants living in the shadow of Friday's, think people need to get the inner leprechaun on, forget about those healthy blender drinks and rush out to one of the chain's establishment for a nice high calorie, fat-filled meal.

Anyway, the ad points to a site on which you can create Lepregrams (which AdFreak's David Gianatasio thinks sounds too much like the not so warm and cuddly word "lepergram"). little leprechaun-themed messages you can send to your friend. There's other goodies to play with too but Inner Leprechaun?

by Steve Hall    Feb-19-08    
Topic: Bad, Brands, Commercials, Social, Strange



Study Finds Mac Users Self-Centered, Validation-Needy, Etc.

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"Are you self-centered, arrogant or conceited? Do you have a strong need for recognition? You must have a Mac, according to new research."

The above video says people with an open personality (eh?) are 60 percent more likely to own a Mac.

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by Angela Natividad    Feb-18-08    
Topic: Brands, Trends and Culture, Video



Hey, Check Out the Heavy on that Clicker.

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According to a comScore study commissioned by Starcom and TACODA, online ad clicks aren't as demographically diverse as your deluded CEO thinks.

80 percent of them come from only 16 percent of online users. They are generally young, underpaid and male. You know, like the dev dork of yore.

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by Angela Natividad    Feb-18-08    
Topic: Bad, Online, Trends and Culture



Exopolis Exhausts Our Defenses with Barrage of Mixtapes

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Remember that Exopolis V-Day mixtape from, like, 2006?

Spurned on by disdain like any loyal adolescent, the agency's made another one. Songs are preceded by an intro from Exo's enigmatic 11-year-old masher-upper. ("I'm Gone" has a really good one about Go-Gurt, and "I'll Kill Her" has an even better one about how flowers are actually plant vaginas.)

This year's hits include "I'll Be Your Mirror" by the Velvet Underground & Nico, "Nicotine and Gravy" by Beck and "Too Drunk to Fuck" by Nouvelle Vague.

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by Angela Natividad    Feb-18-08    
Topic: Agencies, Good, Online



Why Not Use Moving Steps to Illustrate Variety?

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Fresh Creation sent us this neat take on escalator advertising, a model that's been hurtin' for creativity pretty much since its inception.

The ad is for Juice Salon. Each descending step reflects how a different hairstyle can change your appearance. Neato.

by Angela Natividad    Feb-18-08    
Topic: Good, Guerilla, Promotions, Video



More Squirrel Pity with an Eco Tint

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Because we all love a dire-straits squirrel (1, 2, 3), consider how you're robbing one of house and home the next time you get a paper bank statement.

Yeah, that's right. THIS DISMAL ALTERNATIVE FUTURE IS TOTALLY YOUR FAULT.

Anyway, the video was produced by Flow Creative, which felt compelled to do more green stuff with its spare time besides twist fluorescent bulbs into the break room.

Great, guys. Good to know you didn't waste your man-hours doing something silly like planting trees, saving the wetlands or collecting cans. We'll be sure to spread the message far and wide.

by Angela Natividad    Feb-18-08    
Topic: Agencies, Cause, Online, Video



Bah. A Brand is a Brand is a Tattoo is a Brand is a Brand.

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"IF ANYONE KNOWS SOMEONE STUPID OR GREEDY ENOUGH TO REALLY TURN THEIR BODY INTO A PERMANENT LOGOFEST, LET US KNOW AND WE CAN MAKE THIS IDEA A REALITY," bellowed the Indonesian arm of TBWA\global in our email this morning.

Puh-lease. We see this kind of thing all the time. (Seriously, though. Check out the chick who wedded her flesh to Xanga.)

Give our generation a couple decades more, and at the very least we'll all have Apple on our asses and Google ... elsewhere. (As if it's not our most intimate friend already.)

by Angela Natividad    Feb-18-08    
Topic: Agencies, Human, Online, Strange, Video