Homer Simpson Invades French Rail System

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On April Fool's Day, patrons of France's SNCF train service were greeted by the voice of Homer Simpson, who spouted frothy inanities in lieu of the feminine voice that normally makes arrival/departure announcements.

Eight major stations throughout the country were audio-penetrated by the Duff guzzler. Random prattle included stuff like, "The train from Alaska is waiting on platform 7. Watch out for bears!"

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by Angela Natividad    Apr- 3-09    
Topic: Brands, Good, Guerilla, Social



Swiss Elevator Riders Get Unexpected Skydive Experience

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Swiss Skydive, a skydiving school in Switzerland, commissioned Wirz/BBDO to outfit high-traffic elevators with a vertigo view.

Using branded shots of the city from a dizzying perspective, the objective is to give elevator-riders the sense they're going into freefall. The effort resulted in some free TV and print news coverage, which is always nice.

In an economic climate like this one, we're vaguely sure the average 9-to-5er -- even Swiss ones -- don't need help getting that plummeting-from-great-heights feeling. Their employers probably accomplish that just fine.

by Angela Natividad    Mar-27-09    
Topic: Brands, Campaigns, Good, Guerilla, Poster



Indians Let Cleveland Graffiti All Up on Public Transport

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Heh. The Cleveland Indians invite local natives to "join the tribe" with a series of Brokaw-brokered bus wraps that people can autograph. Neat idea; don't know if it'll generate more loyalty to the Indians, but maybe it'll hike up sales for Sharpie.

by Angela Natividad    Mar-27-09    
Topic: Campaigns, Guerilla, Outdoor, Promotions



KFC Mascot Gets Community Service-Savvy

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When we first heard that KFC Colonels were circulating Louisville and filling in potholes, we had this horrible mental image of street cavities being retrofitted into giant buckets of fried chicken.

The reality behind KFC's road-refreshment project is more benign, if not as nice-smelling. To celebrate its dedication to freshness, KFC plans to re-tar potholes and refresh roads in five major cities across the nation.

Instead of luring stupid-hungry drivers out of their cars with chicken in dangerous places, the filled-in holes will feature a road-stenciled "Re-freshed by KFC." (Temporary chalk, natch.)

Oddly satisfying to see a corporate mascot don a yellow vest and do something for the community. What are the odds we could get Karl Lagerfeld to re-tar roadsides?

by Angela Natividad    Mar-26-09    
Topic: Brands, Campaigns, Cause, Good, Guerilla



Havaianas Blooms, Kevin Spacey for AA, ATL Goes Intramural

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- Ex-Ofsted chief proposes that kids learn social media skills -- Wikipedia, blogging, podcasting, Twitter -- in primary school, alongside other communication skills like handwriting and keyboarding.

- How far would you go for some glacier-fresh Kokanee? As far as the dudes in this spec ad? (Gotta say: the premise is cheesy, but production is clean.)

- Pretty spiffy ATL ad.

- Havaianas footwear in full bloom around Paris. Almost too pretty to stand.

- Fallon Skimmer.

- Take it straight: we fucking hate this execution.

- Kevin Spacey to do Michel Gondry-directed ad for American Airlines.

- Killed Idea alert: "the following ad for Krystal Hamburgers created by the Johnson Group in Chattanooga was killed for fear of 'clown retribution.'" Ever read Jpod? This sorta reminds us of that.



Windex Cleans, PSFK Gets Newsy, G4 Gets Spankvertising

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- "It's so clean you can't even see it." That or it's some really good post-production work.

- Every Monday, PSFK will be syndicating Media Arts Lab's weekly newsletter, Media Arts Mondays, featuring highlights and insights from the worlds of media, culture, and branding.

- Spankvertising! Ouch.

- Mullen is launching the Bread Art Project, an integrated social media effort for the Grain Foods Foundation to raise money for Feeding America. There's a Facebook page and a Twitter account.

- More idiocy from the truth campaign.

- Enfatico pitches Vonage. Now there's an unlikely pairing.

by Steve Hall    Mar-24-09    
Topic: Guerilla



Smoking is Addictive. You Know, Like Gummy Bears.

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The team at Truth is at it again with Infect 2009, flanked by a guerrilla team called the Infectors. In a set of five ads, two charismatic but prickly MTV hosts -- which join Truth in battle -- invade ordinary spaces with 100 Truth warriors at beck and call. Their objective is to illustrate some of the egregious claims tobacco industry executives have made over the years.

See "Gummy Bears." Uh, diggin' how they're still using quotes from the late '90s.

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by Angela Natividad    Mar-24-09    
Topic: Brands, Campaigns, Cause, Guerilla



Sony Ericsson's Free Flowers Hawk Handhelds at Moms

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Last weekend Sony Ericsson converted a number of London-based Carphone Warehouses into floral installations, where mothers could get free flowers in honor of Mother's Day.

The gig was a promotion for the W595 Sakura handset, which Sony's trying to position as "the perfect alternative 'floral' gift for Mother's Day." (The phone's outfitted with a cherry blossom design and is, in fact, quite festive.) It also hired a "floriographer" to school moms and kids alike on what flowers to choose -- and which to avoid -- on this most hallowed of holidays.

Top flowers to pick/avoid are below. For what it's worth, they illuminate the subconscious reason guys are always asking whether we like orchids.

And why would you give someone dead leaves?

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by Angela Natividad    Mar-23-09    
Topic: Brands, Campaigns, Events, Guerilla, Promotions



Just As We Suspected: Aunt Flo Wears Pea-Green Chanel.

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In "A Gift from Mother Nature," a personified Aunt Flo stalks girls in the street and tries passing off a charming gift, suspiciously wrapped in red.

We like how, in the event of total brain density, a disclaimer at the beginning of the ad reads "YOUR MONTHLY GIFT FROM MOTHER NATURE IS A EUPHEMISM FOR YOUR PERIOD." It's like, thanks Tampax, we totally thought Flo was sharing her latest batch of fresh-baked Vegan cookies.

But the appropriately annoying human allegory doesn't just bestow The Curse with playful malice; she also encourages you to buy white dresses and makes tidy, embarrassing personal jokes in front of your boyfriends. It's hilarious when she chases a woman down the street, notices her pregnant belly and goes, "Shoot ... I forgot" -- and waves her away with obvious disappointment.

The video's objective is to show women how they can outsmart Mother Nature, which is the only weird thing about it: I'm not seeing any outsmarting, just a lot of wincing and running-away. Unless Tampax is suggesting we get knocked up at the next opportunity.

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by Angela Natividad    Mar-23-09    
Topic: Brands, Campaigns, Guerilla, Video



Puma Lift Projects Life On Bare Skin

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See the beach girl at left? Her environment -- all the way down to her clothes -- are tricks of the light. This is her, pre-projection.

Shots of underpants-clad people in bare rooms appear in these displays for Puma's ongoing Lift campaign ("Light injected footwear"). Somebody turns an out-of-sight overhead on -- and voila, the more colourful elements of life is projected onto them. Cool idea by Droga5; other campaign credits here.

See street and surf guys. Also see the commercial, where a courting couple projects its desires onto the atmosphere. The song's appropriate in the context of these pieces.

by Angela Natividad    Mar-17-09    
Topic: Good, Guerilla, Outdoor