Book Benches Promote Reading In Istanbul

The city of Istanbul is promoting reading with book benches. Benches that look like an open book have been placed around the city and on each bench which carry poems from 18 famous Turkish poets. You can view a larger image of the bench here.

Pepsi Launches Yet Another BBDO Pop-mercial

You've probably seen the new over-the-top Mariah Carey Pepsi spot in which she promotes ring tones and Pepsi in a production very similar to...oh...I don't know...those Pepsi spots from a few years back that took the exact same approach except with Britney Spears. Apparently, Britney wasn't available since she decided to hook up with that Federline dude and has been busy running away from paparazzi who can't seem to get enough picture of her dropping her baby.

more »

Snapple Buys All of Radio Station's Inventory For Two Months

AdPulp points to a New York Times article which details a deal Snapple made with Boston radio station WFNX in which Snapple paid $2 million to be the sole sponsor on the station from Memorial Day to July 4. Under the deal, no other advertiser will be heard on WFNX and its two other station in Maine and New hampshire. The sponsorship will consist of integrated brand messaging including DJ acknowledgment of Snapple's "Summer Free For All' sponsorship, allusion to Snapple tagline by frequent mention WFNX is "playing the best stuff on Earth" and the Snapple "whoosh" sound effect.

WFNX, an alternative station, is probably the only station in the Boston that would touch this but its admirable and something Snapple project agency EMCI President Jay Coleman has wanted to do since 1982 when he was impressed with New York's WAPP going commercial free that summer for a format change. We eagerly look forward to the results of this move.

Little Black Book Keeps Record of Hotties And Axe Booty Tones

Axe is at it again. This time they've launched Booty Tones, ring tones that are matched to 15 hotties, each of which is noted in a black book. It's always a good thing if a girl causes you to write, as on did here, "Can't belive I was able to get out of bed this morning." Check them all out here from the Demanding Diva to the Head Case to The Tease to the Ball n' Chain to the Eager to Please and more.

Soccer Promoted With...Vibrators?

Are we promoting soccer (excuse me, football) or vibrators here? Someone help us out here because we can't read whatever language this story is written in. While it seems a stretch to intertwine the two, we're sure the creative brief for this one was an interesting one. Another image here.

Miele Outdoor Board Looks Photoshopped

Every ad blog today is loving this Mile vacuum cleaner billboard that illustrates the powerful suckage of Miele vacuums with the image of the vacuum cleaner pulling a hot air balloon out of the sky. It's a great looking billboard and a nice concept except we're not sure it ever physically appeared on a billboard. Look closely. The whole thing looks very Photoshopped. Anyone care to comment?

Condoms Are For All Kinds in Portugal

McCann Portugal has created a racy and humorous commercial for The League Against AIDS. In the spot, the benefits of a three, pack, six pack and 12 pack are illustrated. The 12 pack for married couples is the funniest.

Neil French Creates Award Show, Works With A Woman!

With a bit of sleuthing, Ad Age has learned killed-by-blog, women-are-crap, families-are-for-sissies Neil French will launched a new - as if we need another - global award show for print advertising. Apparently, he seems to have softened his viewpoint on women because he's (gasp!) working with a woman, London International Awards Owner and President Barbara Levy, to develop the awards. Due to some URL and business registration information dug up by Ad Age, the name of the awards may be World Press Awards which, oddly, makes it sound like a public relations award show. And yes, as we read the Ad Age article, they're still doing that ad impression increasing, automatic page reload cheating thing. For shame.

Anyway, newspapers and magazine are likely very happy an entity has been created to celebrate their, shall we say, not so healthy industries. No date has been set for the show but Ad Age says a call for entries is expected around September.