If you're not yet sick of us writing about ad:tech, we're going to make you even sicker by pointing you to 183 more images of what's really important about ad:tech: the parties. Ariel Waldmen of Shake Well Before Use lugged around a big ass professional camera that put our lame but cool little Casio Exilm to shame. Here's the album where you can see Datran bar dancers, vamping hotties, people who like to lift up co-workers, bartenders who wish more people were at the party, fools who take pictures of people taking pictures of them and human flesh expressing itself on the dance floor.
While we didn't make it to Lindsay Mure's AdFemme party, a first for the organization, we did peruse a photo album of her ad:tech event which 150 or so attended. The party featured Emily Mure & Band whom we assume is Linday's sister. It looked like a good time and we hope she forgives us for calling her gorgeous.
Today Jim Donald, CEO of Starbucks, rang the NASDAQ opening bell. This marks the company's 35th anniversary and the start of holiday festivities at all stores, which will be decorated in big-bright red.
Awesome. Now is there any way we can talk them out of that naked 35th anniversary mermaid that got teachers all pissed off? We're not prudes or anything but it's seriously not cute. - Contributed by Angela Natividad
There's been some longtime discomfort about Happy Feet, a penguin-centred love story that whored it out behind the scenes with any company willing to toss bills in its direction. (Seriously. It has a lot of sponsors.)
Among its largest suitors - er, sponsors is Roche, seeking to promote its spankin' new anti-flu drug Tamiflu. This is the first liaison ever between a pharmaceutical company and an animated film.
Roche just launched a campaign for a site called Flu Facts. Incestuously, Happy Feet penguins on billboards refer families to Flu Facts and Flu Facts in turn refers back to Happy Feet. There's even a zip code function in which you can find out if the flu is in your area.
Which area isn't it in? Guess if penguins need Tamiflu then we all do. - Contributed by Angela Natividad
Yesterday's Advertising Industry Diversity Job Fair and Leadership Conference held at NYU's Kimmel Center had 300 conference attendees and 500 job fair attendees. In on of the panel discussions Deutsch Art Director Carlos Fernandez put things in perspective when he informed the audience advertising ranks 356 on a list of 357 or so industries ranked by diversity and comically wondered if industry number 357 involved wearing sheets. Although he didn't quite mean it literally, Draft/FCB EVP Director of Integrated Marketing Larry Evans spoke about the industry's chemistry and how those considering joining the industry must learn the ropes or risk having "the white cells spit you out."
 The conference opened up a much needed dialog on diversity in advertising, a touchy subject no mater how you slice it or camouflage it. There were many fascinatingly eager students in attendance and several experienced industry insiders willing to answer attendees questions and offer advice on how to crack the ad industry. It was encouraging to see the throngs of students who took the rare opportunity to speak face to face with successful advertising people who very willingly answered the endless list of questions asked. Business cards were handed to students. Interviews were set up and, hopefully, jobs will ensue.
We were pleased to be part of this event and to enable the conversation. We hope to host more conferences on the topic in the future as well as, perhaps, in different cities across the country.
Peter Moore, VP of entertainment and devices at Microsoft, says he'd like to target moderate gamers who haven't yet cashed out $400 for the Xbox 360. And he's decided the best way to do it is through that new MSN video service, which will be gleefully littered with gamer-oriented brands: "I guarantee you that if I had three more weeks (before the launch), I would have 15 logos up there," he said, referring to the logos of companies formally affiliated with Xbox.
And then he rubbed his hands together, laughed maniacally and ate another baby. - Contributed by Angela Natividad
Today at 11 EST, the Word of Mouth Marketing Association announced Dell would be the first company to adopt the organization's Ethics Adoption Toolkit which companies can use to create their own word of mouth ethics policies and then share them with employees, vendors, and consumers.
From he release, "The Ethics Adoption Toolkit includes all the elements that companies need to make word of mouth marketing ethics an official policy within their organization -- including sample letters, contracts, press releases, and more. They are all customizable and can be modified to suit individual companies' needs and priorities."
Dell? Weblogs? Ethics? Ballsy move considering the computer maker's less than pleasant relationship with the bloguverse.
Yes, we are the first to bring you behind the scenes "stealth video" footage of Tiger Woods in a shoot for the soon to be released 2008 Buick Enclave. Our "insiders" leaked this very secretive video exclusively to Adrants only moments ago so you too could share in the glory of a spontaneous fart joke! It doesn't matter who took the Senate this week. Tiger Woods made a fart joke, "someone" videoed it and "someone" sent it to us hoping it might get some Lonelygirl15-like YouTube action.
In reaction to an apparent country-wide disdain for Apple's Mac Guy in its current campaign, the company will not ask Mac Guy Justin Long back for the next iteration of the campaign. Calling the Mac Guy a "smug little twit," Slate ad critic Seth Stevenson think Apple is "parodying its own image while also cementing it." This is what passes for big news in our industry. Next
As it turned out, there were quite a few parties Monday night at ad:tech. Most were small affairs or private company company cocktail/dinner parties. iMediaconnection's Masha Gellar and I seemed to be on the same path visiting a party for German ad serving/email marketing company ADTECH who recently opened a U.S. office, a party celebrating the tenth anniversary of Internet marketing and training company Laredo Group and the Adotas ad:tech VIP dinner.
The ADTECH party was held on the 43rd floor of the Hilton hotel and while I don't know much about this company, I can say the representatives from the company were some of the nicest people I've met in the business. The Laredo Group party was held at old school Friar's Club where very old men passed food and reacted appropriately when one person said he didn't want one of those penis in a blanket things. You had to be there.
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If for some odd reason you can't get enough of reality TV with actual human beings, get your fill in cyber-world. Now you can join Big Brother Second Life.
We were trying to decide whether it would be as funny to watch little digital people act like total morons in real-time and we concluded that, based on how much excitement there was when people found out Sims could have sex, yes, this concept will probably do just fine. - Contributed by Angela Natividad
Reporters without Borders released its 2006 list of "internet enemies," comprised of countries that stifle free speech. Placeholders include China, which reigns supreme in 'net surveillance and censorship and blocks "subversive word strings."
Cuba was also a mainstay. Private internet connections are banned. To get online Cubans visit public cafes, universities and computer clubs. These networks trigger the police when subversive keywords are spidered.
Egypt was a new inclusion for 2006. While they don't do much censoring, several bloggers were recently arrested for rallying for democratic reform. Other bloggers are regularly harassed and websites can be closed if they're suspected of threatening national security.
And apparently the US ranks 53rd in terms of press liberty in general. Finland is #1. But do the Finns actually have anything interesting to report? They're not really big "conflict" people. - Contributed by Angela Natividad
Apparently a major incentive to owning a Compass is creative license to sing real badly. Make your own musical avatars and wreak havoc everywhere you go with such cult classics as "Borderline" and "Hey Mickey" while your moody-looking Compass bobble-head nods cheerfully to something people wouldn't even cry to.
Yeah. We know. You're dying for a Compass now. - Contributed by Angela Natividad
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