Anti-Advertising Efforts Backfire, Cause More Advertising Overload

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The human brain is an amazing thing. It does so many complex things with complete ease. Luckily, one of the things it does is filter out, according to some, is the up to 5,000 advertising messages a city dweller sees each day. This is a very good thing. Because if the brain weren't able to filter out the incessant onslaught of advertising and consciously processed each of those 5,000 daily messages, it would explode quickly sending the owner of that brain to the nearest mental institution.

In some respects, advertising is a never ending cycle of idiocy. People ignore ads so marketers just create more. People block ads so marketers just come up with more methods to circumvent that blockage (just wait until you see the DVR-proof side and bottom bar ads the nets will soon implement).

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by Steve Hall    Jan-17-08    
Topic: Cause, Opinion, Trends and Culture



PETA Advances Vegetarian Viewpoint With 'Road to the Greenhouse'

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Rather than the road to the White House, PETA gives us its Road to the Greenhouse which gives us candidates such as Selery Clinton, Fruity Giuliana, Broccoli Obama, Dijon McCain, John Breadwards, Mike Huckelberry, Spread Thompson and more. Predictably, the questions to the candidates deal mostly with diet and the advocation of a vegitarian lifestyle. Still, it's funny.

by Steve Hall    Jan-11-08    
Topic: Cause, Good, Strange, Video



Gawker Eschews Ad Networks For 'Non-Ad' Gawker Artists Ads

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Gawker Media, publisher of the famed Gawker, Defamer, Lifehacker and other blogs, has, over the years, experimented in various ways with generating advertising revenue. One of the tactics they put in place a while back was to forgo the use of ad networks to fill its unsold, remnant space and, instead, offer it to artists with its Gawker Artists programs.

Gawker Artists is a collection of Gawker-published artists who benefit from the wide reach of Gawker Media blogs, gaining awareness they'd otherwise have to pay for. You see, Gawker Media doesn't charge for the ad space or for the artist's appearance on in Gawker Artists website.

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by Steve Hall    Jan-11-08    
Topic: Cause, Tools, Weblogs



Green Freaks Climb Stairs Everest-Style

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Apparently because even elevators are no on green freak's naughty list, we are now blessed with a lengthy dramatization of ascending three flights of stairs Everest-style. Please.

by Steve Hall    Jan-10-08    
Topic: Cause, Video



iPod Central in Teen Pedestrian Death Campiagn

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While Apple certainly isn't going to like this campaign, Sydney's police department felt it necessary to call attention the the apparent epidemic of teenagers dying while crossing the street, unable to hear oncoming cars because they were using an iPod.

by Steve Hall    Jan- 8-08    
Topic: Campaigns, Cause, Good, Magazine



GEICO Gecko Gets Talky with Otter and Jellyfish

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GEICO supports wildlife conservation. Not convinced? Watch the gecko have a heart-to-heart with an otter and a jellyfish, courtesy of the Association of Zoos and Acquariums.

The gecko shtick never gets old. We're glad GEICO didn't lose sight of that in the face of its neurotic caveman's mushroom cloud popularity.

Catch the gecko in the flesh at the San Diego Zoo's Children's Zoo from January 5-February 17. You'll meet a few real geckos, and a big fake one too. (The GEICO mascot, that is.)

by Angela Natividad    Jan- 8-08    
Topic: Brands, Cause, Commercials, Good, Television



Obama Girl Declares Love For Adrants

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It's not often one of the hottest women on the planet creates a personalized video just for you but that's exactly what our fave political babe, Obama Girl, did for us today. In the video she calls for a return to values, honesty and patriotism. She then says when it comes to reading about advertising, it's critical she reads Adrants. OMFG. We think we just fell in love!

OK. Fuck that "we" shit. I think I just fell in love! Amber Lee goes on to say Steve Hall is "the kind of American we can all aspire to be." I'm not sure that's true but I'm not going to argue with someone as nice as Amber Lee Ettinger. Thank you, Amber Lee. Thank you, Ben. You both rock.

See all the Obama Girl videos here.

by Steve Hall    Jan- 7-08    
Topic: Announcements, Cause, Celebrity, Good, Video



PETA Rides UGC for Big In on Open Apps Craze

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Loath to miss out on the open applications hype but too lazy (or busy hunting?) to build one, PETA is hosting a contest for people keen to develop a Facebook or OpenSocial app promoting PETA or its campaigns. (Does striptease State of the Union mean anything to you?)

"Remember: We're PETA, so don't be afraid to be racy, provocative, shocking, or even controversial if you want to," the contest info reads.

Winners get a $500 Apple gift card, which can get you an iPod touch or one-fifth of a 17-inch Macbook Pro. Entries due Jan 25 so if you're really into animal salvation, or just hate the crap out of KFC (which is as good an incentive as any), you better get crackin'.

by Angela Natividad    Jan- 7-08    
Topic: Brands, Cause, Online, Promotions



UK Energy Firm Bears Green Cross for Local Laud

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To draw eyes to its eco-friendliness, UK-based energy company EDF put together this Frankenstein's hide of an ad. It includes cuts from Thunderbirds and The Wombles, and bits of speeches by John F Kennedy and former President Clinton.

The last frame reads, "This commercial is made from recycled film clips." It was put together by Euro RSCG and includes a hazy adaptation of Kermit the Frog's "It's Not Easy Being Green."

Preach it, you long-suffering recycler you.

We can't wait for the day that Kermit song is adapted for albino animals. Won't be long now.

by Angela Natividad    Jan- 7-08    
Topic: Campaigns, Cause, Television



Obama Girl Says Bush Is So Lame

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In a new video from our friends over at Barely Political, our fave video girl, Obama Girl and her friends take on President Bush hotly pointing out his lameness all while wishing everyone a happy holiday season. Bush might be lame but the girls sure aren't.

by Steve Hall    Dec-21-07    
Topic: Cause, Video