Kids Shame Thailand Adults Into Quitting Smoking

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So this has been out for a while but it is too good not to share. Thailand's ThaiHealth enlisted kids to ask adults (some of which look like kids themselves) for a light for their cigarette. All the adults declined and proceeded to lecture the kids on why smoking is bad. The kids then asked," why do you smoke?", and handed the adults a brochure.

While enlisting kids to help in an effort like this is both questionable and brilliant, one this is clear; the campaign worked. After their encounter with the kids, adults put their cigarettes out and ThaiHealth saw a 40 percent increase in inquiries from smokers who wanted to quit.

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by Steve Hall    Aug-22-12    
Topic: Guerilla



Budweiser Helps Ecuadorians Extend Happy Hour

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So here's a campaign that would never air in America. Why? Because we don't condone binge drinking and beat-the-clock style happy hour boozefests. But in Ecuador? No problem whatsoever.

Y&R Ecuador developed a campaign called Budclock that resulted in the extension of happy hour by one minute for each Budweiser purchased (using QR codes, of course). In theory, happy hour might never end.

Since its inception on May 12, happy hours have been extended by 6,000 minutes

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by Steve Hall    Aug-20-12    
Topic: Guerilla



Slackliner Tightropes Between Two Speeding Volvo Trucks

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We have to agree with AdWeek's David Gianatasio on this one. To "demonstrate the precision and control of the new Volvo FH series truck," Swedish ad agency Forsman & Bodenfors set up a slacklining stunt whereby slickliner Faith Dickey would walk a tightrope between two moving trucks approaching tunnels.

As with other stunts similar to this that attempt to illustrate the superiority of a machine or vehicle, as Gianatasio argues, it's really the skill of the operator as opposed to the technical precision of the machine that truly matters. Volvo could have grabbed two 20 year old 18 wheelers, a pair of great stunt drivers and accomplished the same thing.

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by Steve Hall    Aug-17-12    
Topic: Guerilla



Guy Gets Locked in House For Six Days to Promote Schlage

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To call attention to a brand category no one ever thinks of, door locks, Indianapolis-based ad agency Young & Laramore, from June 23 - 27 held the first-ever Schlage "Key to Strong Challenge," locking a man in a tiny house in downtown Seattle and sending residents on a physical and digital scavenger hunt to track down the key to unlock him for a chance to win a $5,000 Grand Prize.

The event, which is part of a larger campaign which includes TV that launched last month, garnered some hefty exposure for Schlage and, we are told, fueling double-digit sales growth in stores.

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by Steve Hall    Jul-31-12    
Topic: Guerilla, Social



AMC Fights DISH With NYC Zombie Infestation

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As part of its ongoing negotiations with Dish Network which dumped the network from its lineup, AMC has unleashed real-life Walking Dead zombies in New York City posing as EMTs, street workers, cops, pedestrians and hot dog vendors. Needless to say, the stunt scared the crap out of people but also brought a few laughs.

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by Steve Hall    Jul-30-12    
Topic: Guerilla



Window Washer Invites Workaholics to Ultimat Vodka Party

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Employing a unique strategy to pimp its vodka client, Ultimat, Amalgamated hired window washers, spruced them up a bit and sent them up and down the sides of high rises in New York and Chicago with placards urging workers to take a break, work less and join the brand atop the roof for a vodka-fueled party.

Ingenious if you ask us. And quite successful. In just four short days, the video, which as we all know is the meat of the campaign (not the actual stunt), already has over one million views.

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by Steve Hall    Jul-30-12    
Topic: Guerilla



Applebee's Inflatable Dolls Hide Lunch Breaks From Bosses

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Following it's ironic effort to make it hip to eat at Applebee's, the brand is out with a less ironic but questionably practical approach to encouraging more people to lunch at their restaurants. Believing that every cube-caged worker in America deserves to get out of the office for lunch, the brand has launched a line of Lunch Decoy inflatable dolls workers can place in their cube to trick their bosses into thinking they are working through lunch.

The dolls are available for $6.99 and come in both genders and a variety of ethnicities. The effort aims to call attention to the chain's Pick 'N Pair lunch menu. We're not sure the Crispin Porter + Bogusky-created tactic will be as foolproof as the brand would like it to be but it's sure to get a few laughs from the bosses who still possess a sense of humor.

by Steve Hall    Jul-26-12    
Topic: Guerilla, Specialty, Strange



Cows Dance For Ben & Jerry's

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OK so not real cows but a bunch of humans - dance troupe Boadicea, dressed as cows getting their groove on at London's King's Cross Station. Called Supporting Better Dairy, the campaign is a partnership between Ben & Jerry's, Compassion in World Farming and the World Society for the Protection of Animals.

Check out the video below and the accompanying website here. The work was created by Lee Washington.

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by Steve Hall    Jul-16-12    
Topic: Guerilla



No Blouses Rip Open in This Goodyear Stunt Driver Video

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OK. So it's the old "flop them around in a stunt driver-driven car" scenario. Except this time, there's no bulging breasts bursting out of button down blouses. Just regular people experiencing what it's like to ride in a BMW with Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric All-Season tires.

The work comes from GSD&M and was directed by Ben Conrad. In the video, passengers experience all manner of road hazard from oncoming vehicles to stuff faling out of a truck to rain-covered roads and even some winter weather thrown in.

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by Steve Hall    Jul-13-12    
Topic: Guerilla, Video



What Would You Do In Public For A Free Snack?

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It's always amusing to see how far people will go to get something for free. Or, more accurately, what they're willing to do in public in response to a marketers guerrilla shenanigans.

Recently, BBDO Adelaide asked Australians to perform a few tasks - from pushing a button to dancing to kneeling and bowing to "the almighty one" - to receive some treats from a Fantastic Delites vending Machine.

Apparently, this is just the beginning. The video ends with the text, "Did they go far enough? To be continued..." Which basically guarantees we'll be seeing more shenanigans soon enough.

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by Steve Hall    Jul-10-12    
Topic: Guerilla