We suppose the reason we like commercials from other countries so much is because we'd never see them here in the States. Whether it be differing politics, culture, humor or sexual openness, they're always different. Always fun to watch. That's the case with this Dutch commercial for insurance company Centraal Beheer which takes place inside a prison and shows the interplay between a seasoned guard and a rookie.
The thing ends in perfect hilarity but the whole premise is one we'd likely never see in the States simply because, shocker, it would be wrong, dammit, wrong to taunt the "residents" of a prison. The PC police would be all over this one.
Green is hot, with everybody from Lexus to New Belgium promoting environmental initiatives. To keep apace, Ford of Europe launches an interesting campaign to promote vehicles powered by Flexifuel, a fun little term for bio-ethanol.
Sentimentally pinned "For the Next Generation," the effort features images of "ecologically sensitive animals all on the verge of birth," using a motherly touch to remain anatomically correct and imagine the insides of mothers without actually invading animals to create them.
The work is lovely but there's something completely bizarre about using fetuses to sell fuel. Well, stranger pairings have happened. AdCritic.com wryly notes it'll definitely win the hearts of Pro-Lifers.
The campaign kicks off in Sweden.
We dig this new effort by Xerox to get relevant again. Leaping headfirst into Web 2.0, they launch Frugal Color, which encourages "[putting] the fun back into fundamental fiscal responsibility!" It also lends some wise advice -- you don't need to spend money to make money, you just need to look like you do.
To somehow illustrate that, Frugal Color includes a virtual goat, a diversion maker and an acronymator. Weird viral would-be's a la Office Space and The Office are also located at Extreme Offices. The video is so damn funny we watched it three times to get the full effect. (It is one of those nights.)
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Macy's just launched a campaign designed to harness the power of WOM on eight campuses nationwide. The pilot brand is American Rag, and students are the vehicle.
American Rag enthusiasts were chosen as brand ambassadors to promote a contest at their respective schools. As they walk around all ragged-out, they encourage peers to design a print for the brand. The goal is to create foot traffic at Macy's stores located nearby.
If American Rag wants to succeed it would do well to change its name. There's already an American Eagle and an American Apparel, both of which pretty much own the niche Macy's is shooting for.
Plus, something about it makes us think along the lines of Jordache, Mossimo and other hopeful big-brands now confined to big boxes.
But hey, in the end the co-eds will decide.
We were lollygagging on MySpace because apparently we never have anything better to do (this is our second mention this evening) when a funny Citibank ad caught our eye.
To promote its student-targeted credit cards Citi's got this weird campaign with haphazardly drawn college students. In the one we saw, the head of an oft-complimented girl expands until she floats away like a balloon.
The co-ed courting credit cards include Citi Bronze (for Jet Setters), Citi Dividend Platinum (for the Cash Fan) and the Citi MTVU card (for the Rewards Junkie).
We love little characterizations like that. What better way to sniggle us into a frightening APR than to give each one a personality? If we weren't debating Jet Setters or Rewards Junkies we'd probably still be on Rachel or Monica.
Nothing brings people together like the promise of intoxication. Leveraging its ongoing love affair with Anheuser-Busch, MingleNow launches Clink, an "innovative new social networking promotion" where trend-setting adults can upload pictures of themselves enjoying beer.
"Supporting this niche social media outlet where people actively engage in sharing stories and images reinforces the honesty and authenticity of socializing over a beer," says EVP Bob Lachky for the global industry development sector of Anheuser-Busch.
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Don't know how we missed this but back in January, Zima launched a video called Mom My Ride in which three guys at a repair shop give their special version of Pimp My Ride to a minivan. Complete with scratch marks, sour milk, spilled soda, jammed CD player, broken mirror and duct tape, this minivan gets the full makeover. Definitely one of the more ingenious and amusing ways to sell soda....or whatever the hell Zima has turned itself into.
Catch Up Lady points us to what is perhaps the best car dealer promotion we've ever seen. Of course, that might not be saying much as we avoid their marketing like the plague but go with us on this one. Clay Automotive, located just outside of Boston, has created a hilarious but very informative video in which the seven ways car dealers take you are explained. Citing several terms associated with buying a car such as hosed, porked, betrayed, cheated and slammed, a very round man explains how Clay Automotive makes car buying a pleasure buy...yes...undressing. It's a metaphor, of course, for Clay Automotive's opening it all up and hiding it from the buyer. We say brilliant to this one. We just might travel to Clay to buy our next car.
Vancouver agency smashLAB has launched Design Can Change, an initiative that urges designers to become aware of the affect they have on the environment. On his blog, Eric Karjaluoto offers some stunning numbers, writing, "...if you are a member of the AIGA, you take part in purchasing or specifying over $9 billion of printing and paper per year. At the risk of sounding obtuse, I have to say, 'That's a lot.' Let me give you another number: 81 million tons. That's the amount of paper waste you and I helped generate over the past year. How about this one? More than a million. That's how many species are expected to be at risk of extinction by 2,050 as a result of global warming. Another? $11 billion. That's the average cost of climate-related disasters in Europe during the 80s and 90s."
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Yesterday, MTV Latin America launched a new campaign to promote the network's evening series "The Ten Most Requested". The campaign was created by Miami-based creative agency la comunidad, and directed by Jorge Colon of production company Letca Films.
The spots, which were shot in Miami, focus on the top 10 requests a variety of professionals receive while on the job. For instance, in "Surgeon," a plastic surgeon in the midst of operating on a patient recites a litany of his most popular improvement requests - including breast implants, male enhancement, and nose jobs.
There's only so many ways you can talk about a top ten anything and, for us, this is one of the more inventive ones but, as always, we're sure you'll tell us we're full of shit if, in fact, we actually are. And unlike Bob Garfield, we don't claim to have got it wrong only a few times. Check out the three spots here.
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