No H8 Fails to Knock Prop 8 Off Podium

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Last year California passed Prop 8, which bans same-sex marriage within the state. The months preceding its formalization were trying ones for our gay friends in the Sunshine State; one of them even scanned freeways in pursuit of Prop 8 signs to vandalize.

In the months since, the climate surrounding Prop 8's gotten feverish. Fresh faces are leaping onto the revocation boat with the birth of a new campaign, No H8, advocated by duct-taped and facepainted social celebrities like Lacey Schwimmer, Perez, B. Scott, Calpernia Addams and Tila Tequila (at left) -- whose A Shot at Love series was labeled the first-ever bisexual dating show. =P

Yesterday California's Supreme Court released its decision about whether to uphold the controversial law. We found out this morning that it remains intact, which means you can expect a few demonstrations wherever they can be organized. I'm also pretty sure the aforementioned celebs will be tearing the tape off their faces and going on blast.

Worth noting: same-sex marriages that occurred before the ban will still be recognized, but try saying that at a cocktail party full of Evangelicals.

Behind-the-scenes vid for No H8, and more photos, are available at the campaign website.

by Angela Natividad    May-27-09    
Topic: Bad, Campaigns, Cause, Celebrity, Trends and Culture



Cartoons, Creators, Chali 2Na Cross Paths for Adidas

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Jurassic 5's Chali 2Na brings narrative weight and a forceful, poetic pace to "The Inner Workings of a Creator," a deconstruction of NBA Rookie of the Year Derrick Rose.

Rose is frozen in space. Sections of his body are highlighted and zoomed as 2Na describes what makes the wunderkind tick: yo-yo magic, and a Peregrine falcon, among other things. (Seriously though? Falcons don't eff around. See one take a deer.)

Note how Rose's high-top sneaks are targeted twice.* That's because this piece is for Adidas' "Impossible is Nothing" campaign, a nice transition from the Beijing Olympics subset, which was equally epic and also animated, albeit to a totally different tune.

These particular illustrations are by FreeDarko for agency 180LA. See related material at the Adidas Basketball website.

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Danger Mouse Charges Ridic CD Rate; Shouts 'Pirate Away!'

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Piracy's looking pretty good these days, and a handful of popular artists have done what they can to demonstrate they don't support the act of suing music fans that also happen to be flagrant file-sharers.

Radiohead gave away In Rainbows online in '07 on a pay-as-you-wish basis, followed by Saul Williams, whose Rise and Fall of Niggy Tardust gave you the option of paying a $5 support donation. Just recently, Del the Funky Homosapien opted to give Funk Man out at no charge, jokingly dubbing it his "stimulus package."

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by Angela Natividad    May-19-09    
Topic: Good, Packaging, Promotions, Trends and Culture



Lee Clow Battles Gary Vaynerchuk For Future of Advertising

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Mullen Chief Creative Officer Edward Boches, with ten round, blow-by-blow coverage, pits two great marketing forces, Lee Clow against Gary Vaynerchuk, against one another in a battle of the past versus the future. Examining each contender's claim to fame, approach to marketing, book publishing efforts, awards, Google juice, Twitter followers and other qualities, the fight ends in a draw.

Regarding Twitter follwers, Boches writes, "Lee Clow: Zero. Lee Clow's Beard, 19. He's a legend; he doesn't need Twitter. Gary Vaynerchuk: 540,000. You can argue who cares, but round nine goes to Gary."

Regarding quotability, Boches writes, "Lee Clow: "We're not in the advertising business, we're in the media arts business. We're using all forms of media to tell a brand story-and the media is everything a brand does." Huh? Gary Vaynerchuk: "People are always talking about what you're doing now... To me, it's not what you're doing now, it's about where you're going." Round ten goes to Gary."

So which will it be? Good old-fashioned, time-tested advertising or this new-fangled social media shit?

by Steve Hall    May-14-09    
Topic: Agencies, Good, Strange, Trends and Culture



It's Not Prince Charming You Need; It's a Really Good Plan B.

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UK moms reportedly have their panties all in a bunch because of an over-the-counter morning after pill*, Levonelle One Step, that positions itself as "The One."

See ad here. It kinda reminded us of the French AIDS ones except less raunchy -- although there were a few Kodak moments, like when the condom splits over the heads of the sleeping couple, and grinning sperm fly out like a harmless school of fish.

The tagline is simply "Levonelle One Step. The One" -- which some huffy parents argue "trivialises a very important issue" (pregnancy).

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Stop Soot, Non-Biodegradable Barbie, Comment Troll Etiquette

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- Stop soot (by Underground Advertising of San Francisco).

- Big reveal on YouTube HD Camera Trick (kinda neat if you're an optical illusions kinda chap, plus lots of YouTube users got called out). The original video was an effort for Samsung.

- Create your own ville courtesy of Johnsonville, the creators of their own ... sausage.

- When to delete a nasty blog comment.

- Pretty paper dioramas.

- Who'd've guessed: "you guys shoulndt even put something about the barbies... they are NOT earth friendly.."

by Angela Natividad    May-12-09    
Topic: Brands, Campaigns, Cause, Online, Opinion, Trends and Culture, Video



Ben & Jerry's Sniffs Denmark for Fresh Taste Sensation. Comes Up Short.

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In the latest episode of "The Scoop," Ben & Jerry's sends its taste experts to Copenhagen to find a new ice cream flavour.

Watching two middle-aged men nibble salty licorice and marzipan-infused pastry isn't the funnest thing we've ever done. (Though the brief science lesson on Phish Food made a play at being instructive.) And possibly because the banquette was uninspired and the Danes apparently unoriginal (suggested new flavours of ice cream: "chocolate?" "vanilla?" "caramel...?"), Ben & Jerry's wrapped the video by asking viewers to Do the World a Flavour: turn in your own suggestions for new ice cream mashups at benjerry.com.

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by Angela Natividad    May- 7-09    
Topic: Brands, Campaigns, Promotions, Trends and Culture, Video



Scho-Ka-Kola: 'Chocolate Bull' for Energy Junkies with a Sweet Tooth.

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Raisanen Creative does its part for the German economy: bringing much-needed international awareness to Scho-Ka-Kola, a chocolate energy product whose campy packaging has begged for spoofage for years without relief.

The mockumentary is particularly good if you happen to enjoy watching square-rimmed spectacle wearers make douchebag noises.

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by Angela Natividad    May- 7-09    
Topic: Brands, Spoofs, Trends and Culture, Video



'Kingons' Invade Planet for BK Swag Cups ... and Nipples.

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Just in time to ride the hype, Crispin Porter + Bogusky launch this geektastic Burger King spot* with a Star Trek spin.

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Federici Gelato Poses Fresh Temptation to the Pious

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Antonio Federici Gelato just busted out with a print ad campaign where nuns and priests get a little more intimate than the Holy Spirit is comfortable with. Short but sizzling taglines include "submit to temptation" and "kiss temptation" (see variant).

But the UK's Advertising Standards Authority -- which has shafted campaigns for lesser blasphemies -- has apparently never indulged in the sensual magic that defines gelato. The watchdog is investigating the ads now, but that's pretty much a formality: according to the Committee of Advertising Practice, "linking sex or sexualised images with religion may cause particular offence" and "portraying nuns in a sexual manner is inappropriate."

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by Angela Natividad    May- 4-09    
Topic: Magazine, Poster, Racy, Trends and Culture