7K Gorilla Run, Absinthe Revisited, Gay Puppy Poems

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- Gay folk write odes to pet pups.

- Folksy new site for Kubler Absinthe. The "Creativity" tab suggests an upcoming CGM effort where people can "contribute to the myth of Absinthe." See videos for preparing mixed drinks. They're cool, and don't you love that background music? Also check out "fact and fiction" and the how-to-drink, which I thought was really neat. By Decon/NY.

- Palin inspires rampant web subculture. So many options! Brings back fond memories of Miss South Carolina.

- Really good resource on getting paid to blog.

- M. M. McDermott is not impressed by Millennials, but he'll cater to them on the Baltimore Sun's hipster spin-off. While reading a stylebook and wearing a nametag labeled "COCK."

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FLY PIZZA Works with the Munchies, Not Against It

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In a stroke of genius, Italy's FLY PIZZA used packages of rolling paper as business cards to promote its night delivery service.

"The initiative was a total hit among FLY PIZZA's customers: they took home smoking paper packages and delivery phone calls increased sensibly," said Publicis/Milan, which hatched the idea after noticing that many FLY customers are young smokers that ostensibly roll cigarettes to "save money." (A cute way of saying the late-night fanbase is probably high off its rocker when the 2am orders start pouring in.)

Research in motion!

by Angela Natividad    Oct- 2-08    
Topic: Brands, Good, Guerilla, Packaging, Promotions



If Fiesta Means Love, then What's a Tesla Roadster?

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I oscillate between being impressed and appalled by the juxtaposition of human tango and car (?) tango in this promo for Ford Fiesta.

"Tango at the Tower" isn't just a random spot; it's footage from a Tower of London event featuring Jodie Kidd and Ian Waite (Strictly Come Dancing), the key dancers in the video, as well as a handful of other celebs: Andrew Castle, Suzanne Shaw, Liz McClarnon, Mark Ramprakash.

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Kid-Shaped Trash Bags Aim to Help Street Kids

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Here's a powerful campaign which calls attention to the plight of street kids who, for lack of other options, sustain themselves by eating out of the garbage. Created by Leo Burnett Hong Kong for the Christina Nobel Children's Foundation, the campaign consists of trash bags shaped to look like kids. The bags were then placed near trash barrels in Vietnam and Mongolia.

by Steve Hall    Sep-30-08    
Topic: Good, Guerilla, Outdoor



Please, Housewives, No Diving in the Fountain of Youth

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For Johnson & Johnson's Aveeno label, Ogilvy commissioned a street artist to create a three-dimensional "fountain of youth" with chalk on pavement.

See a sped-up video of how the drawing was made. It's sorta like watching a Bob Ross segment, except too fast for you to follow and there aren't any "happy trees."

Of late, Ogilvy's totally stuck on this street art thing. See what it did for IBM and Tom of Finland. If it keeps this up, subversive street punks might actually go back to using Sharpies and aerosol paint.

It'll be like the '80s again.

by Angela Natividad    Sep-29-08    
Topic: Brands, Campaigns, Guerilla, Trends and Culture, Video



IBM Battles Carbon with Removable Street Art

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Of late, IBM's been trying to loosen its tie and go a little green. Its efforts so far have been earnest but self-conscious: potentially exciting work dampened by risk-aversion.

For its "Fight Carbon" campaign, IBM gets down with the street artists -- "vandalizing" public areas, then removing its work and leaving those spaces cleaner than when they left them.

In its younger years, IBM was clearly not the rebel in the 'hood.

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by Angela Natividad    Sep-29-08    
Topic: Brands, Campaigns, Cause, Guerilla, Strange, Video



Red Tettemer Pits Light and Dark Meat Against Each Other

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For Hatfield Quality Meats, Red Tettemer built a foosball table where sausage links take the place of soccer players.

The set-up brings a grill to mind, but unfortunately all the sausages are plastic. The game will be used at events and sponsorships.

Neat way to build engagement. Wondering whether it might compel stoned co-eds to try building their own foosball tables out of cocktail links and bamboo skewers. Will trawl YouTube regularly, just in case.

by Angela Natividad    Sep-25-08    
Topic: Brands, Campaigns, Events, Guerilla, Packaging, Promotions



Technicolor Placemats Mark Furniture Store's Foray into Art

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Toronto-based furniture shop Simone Interiors now sells art created by the company owner, Lin Gibson. To promote this happy news, Gibson created a bunch of LP album-sized posters with multicolored bars and stuck them in local store windows -- with no accompanying explanation.

Roger Cullman over at BlogTO has more pictures. He also wonders whether passers-by noticed the installations. Commenters say they did, but nobody knew for sure what the promotion was all about.

"We thought it was one of those new gangs declaring their territory. Obviously, it turns out it was only those hipsters doing their hipster things," ruminated a reader called SCREWFACE.

by Angela Natividad    Sep-23-08    
Topic: Guerilla, Outdoor, Promotions, Strange



Jungle at the Opera, Paddington Bear Poisons Guests, Millennial Girl Destroys America

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- Hyundai and Goodby Silverstein & Partners are breaking up. Yeah, it's such a tragedy.

- Tokyo Agency brought the jungle to Paris's Opera Garnier to promote Guerlain Homme, a fragrance for the testosterone-soaked wild animal in you. That's cool and all, but I wonder if the wrist-spritzing preppies in suits didn't send a mixed message. Merci to in:fluencia for passing this along.

- Speaking of France, one Languedoc vintner launched a saucy new label: Le vin du merde (Shit Wine). For optimum psychological fuckery, serve with dark chocolate cake.

- Childhood icon Paddington Bear sneaks Marmite into egg sandwiches during his birthday party. Surprise! All the guests gasp and gag. Wonderful stuff by DDB.

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Copywriters Cross Country, Surrender Bladders -- for Love of BioWillie

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Copywriters Brian Pierce and Nik Bristow of Fitzgerald+CO/Atlanta are embarking on a wince-worthy mission: following the route of the Cannonball Run, they'll drive across the nation without a single stop. Not for fuel ... not even to pee. (Although I'm sure at some point they'll gracefully pause in order to switch seats.)

All this to promote Willie Nelson's brand of biodiesel, aptly named BioWillie. The mission's been dubbed WillieRun and you can follow the hijinks (of which I'm sure there'll be many) from their blog.

Seriously though, no pee break? I refuse to believe it. You guys have gotta be carrying empty Gatorade bottles or somethin'.

Find out for yourself at their kick-off party, which takes place Sept. 22nd at the XR Bar. More details at the blog link above. And big-ups to Brian Thompson for passing this news along.

by Angela Natividad    Sep-17-08    
Topic: Agencies, Brands, Campaigns, Cause, Good, Guerilla, Promotions