Budweiser Makes Good with Crowntown, Though We're Not Quite Sure Why

Blurry red squiggles are infected with wit in an episode of Budweiser's weird new Crowntown TV effort. We don't totally get it and even entertain the thought that it might be blinding us slowly, but we can't seem to stop watching. It doesn't help to wonder what passers-by must think as we snicker irrepressibly in front of a monitor of what looks like wiggly Rorschach testing units.

BMW Encourages Anticipation for Magic Do-All Something-or-Other

Web Strategiest points our noses toward something a-brewing in Germany. We're not really sure what this thing is as the teaser seeks not to explain but to bewilder and confuse, but with our powerful deductive logic skills we conclude it's some shape-shifting magic widget that will equip Ultimate Driving Machines with Bluetooth, MP3 players, GPS and possibly the ability to sprout wings, fly and slay enemies with lasers from 100 meters or more.

The promo is appropriately called Anticipation On Approach and the slick German masterminds hope to keep us guessing until mid-January. Although we think we'll give our brains a rest and stop thinking about it right now. We're fairly sure that in a year or two whatever fascinating doodad they plan to bless us with will be stock in every new vehicle that slides off the conveyor belt.

Gawker Ad Campaign Urges Skinny, Late Train-Causing Girls to Eat

The Silly Girl points to Gawker's cure for the raft of New York city skinny girls who, for years, have been causing trains to be late because they pass out from lack of feeding themselves: a new ad campaign. Speaking as bluntly as more ad campaigns ought to, Gawker's ad is headlined, "If You See Something, Eat Something" with body copy that reads, "Look bitch, we don't care how skinny you need to be by the time your Hamptons share starts, we just want to get to work. Sweet Christ, why don't you just drug yourself thin like the rest of us? For fuck's sake." Now that's an ad that didn't get needlessly ruined by lengthy approval processes.

Eau de Emo Draws Mascara-Stained Tears

Ad Freak tips us off on this dandy little spoof for emo cologne which, with its drama-filled mod vibe, skinny ties and stars of ambiguous sexual orientation, assures emo lovers everywhere that if it isn't enough to bleed emo out of your tortured wrists you can always leak it out of your very pores and accost innocent bystanders with emo aura.

We don't even have to smell it. The very thought makes us want to cry.

Monster Works at Finding Work by Asking Why We Work

Asking for consumer opinions and airing them as ads is super trendy, and Monster hops on the clue train with Monster Works for Me, a campaign running on just about all iterations of traditional media to ask us why we do what we do.

Created by Brand|Content out of Boston, it "recognizes the multiple reasons why people work and the passion that drives them," says agency CEO Doug Gladstone. "In short, no matter what you do, or what you'd like to do, Monster has the tools and resources that can help you find the right match, so you can be successful at whatever you pursue."

While we can't claim it pulls much creative weight it certainly moves the long-dormant Monster in the right direction as people are more interested in what they have to say than what companies have to say anyway. And it definitely helps to play mirror. So cheers to Monster.

Top Secret Ford Ad Not So Secret

AdFreak wonders if this "top secret" Ford Ranger ad which popped up on YouTube yesterday will make an appearance in this year's Super Bowl and whether or not it is even intended to run in the U.S. We think not. Predictably, the YouTube user that uploaded the video is new and the video is the only one in the member's profile. The member is also from Portugal which means the ad could be a commercial emanating out of that country or it could mean nothing at all. One commenter notes the truck's steering wheel is on the right side, a pretty clear indication this is a non-American ad. And the tagline at the end of the ad, "Make Every Day Exciting" is one we haven't seen before. Guess we'll just have to wait for the press release for more details.

Oh, and can we stop with the ridiculous pickup-truck-in-peril scenarios that, clearly, no truck could ever escape from without massive damage or water-induced stalling? But wait, it is kind of a cool ad isn't it?

Hotpants + Cleavage + Wal-Mart Git 'R Done For Country Singer

If you're into the whole cowboy-up, redneck, git 'r done scene and want to assume Danny Griego's new Wal-Mart Girls single is just a marketing ploy by his record label, Miramonte Records, to get his new album into Wal-Mart, you just might like this music video (does not seem to work with Firefox) featuring the sort of Wal-Mart girls you will certainly never see in an actual Wal-Mart. Except for the ones that dolled themselves up for Playboy. Ad Age couldn't help themselves.

The video aired twice as an ad during last week's Independence Bowl and is said to be a ploy to boost consumer demand at Wal-Mart forcing the overtly conservative retailer to allow hotpants and boobs onto their CD racks. Of course, the record label denies it's a ploy, Wal-Mart has distanced itself but did say it may carry the album if demand warrants.

Dog Training Ads Don't Have to Be Borring

Now isn't this much better than some "only $19.99 a month" small space ad in the back of K9 Magazine or in some obscure local newspaper? We certainly think so. And, apparently, so does the dog.