Mentos Isn't The Only Thing That Makes Soft Drinks Explode

Apparently this Sprite commercial was banned in Germany though it's listed as spec work on YouTube. But let's not get bogged down with details. No. Let's just enjoy the explosively effervescent glory the man and woman share together in the ad.

Levi's Goes Forth, Toilet Taunts, Nissan Fails, Paddy Power Sexifies

- We really like this America-themed Levi's commercial, part of a recently launched Wieden + Kennedy-created campaign for the brand.

- Giant toilet mascot for Denver Water runs through a fountain and scares off kids. What has advertising come to?

- Someone spent a lot of time and effort to examine a Nissan Hypercube promotion in Canada during which the creators "took their hands off the wheel and major details were overlooked."

- Paddy Power Poker Pro Spray will make you very very sexay!

- Toshiba launched a series of Young & Rubicam Brands-created 'reality' webcasts in which two all-American towns: Boring, Oregon and Normal, Illinois will compete to see which town's residents can use Toshiba technology to become the more exciting place. Filming will take place with video postings on MySpace beginning Monday, July 27th.

- When we think of sneakers, we think of hyperdive-powered intergalactic space vehicles. Don't you? Well Under Armour does.

- There's a time and a place for humor.

Would You Work on A Brand That Could Cause Death or Blindness?

Last month we mentioned former Y&R CD James Othmer would publish a new book in September entitled ADLAND: Searching for the Meaning of Life on a Branded Planet. Today he sent us a video he, along with Y&R Art Director Kleber Menezes and composer Joey Spallina, made which asks some very important questions about the kinds of accounts a person in the advertising business would choose to work on.

It's an insightful examination of how a person's personal beliefs and political affiliations can sometimes take a back seat to what's required of the person while at work.

Meatloaf Sings For A1

So A1 Steak Sauce is having a singing contest. People can submit videos of themselves singing about how much they love A1 Steak Sauce. Even Meatloaf (the singer, not the meat) is in on the act belting out his famous "I Would Do AnyThing For Love." ballad. Except, in this case, he'd do anything for A1.

It's sort of funny. But sad also. We'd love to see Meatloaf return to his Bat Out of Hell glory days but that sort of greatness usually only comes around just once so we'll just have to settle for an A1 commercial.

Durex Makes You Horny

To the tune of some strange ABBA cover a used Durex condom package floats past several people igniting their passion and magically putting them in the mood for some saucy action. Of course, the commercial ends with a scenario insuring Durex has covered all it's bases, sexually speaking.

Twitter Testing Contextual Advertising System

Following leaked revelations Twitter will take in as much as $20 million or so per month by the fourth quarter of 2010, it appears the company is testing a new contextual advertising system that will target ads to people based upon the contents of their tweets.

Saul Hansell of the New York Times tweeted yesterday he's apparently in on the test and will have more to report at a later date.

Inline contextual advertising on Twitter might not be such a bad thing. If it's relevant. If it's not too frequent. And if it actually serves a person's needs. Time and testing will address that but one thing is clear. Either through fees, ad revenue or some other source, Twitter does need to start making money. Even the best services can't live on VC money indefinitely.

Twitter, of course, states all this leaked information is inaccurate and unofficial. But, there may be a reality TV show in the works called Final Tweet. Seriously. That has to be a joke.

Did You Really Mean 'French Me' Or Was Your Mind in Another Gutter?

OK. What do you really think was on the mind of the copywriter when he can up with the tag, "French Me" for the latest Hardee's outing which features a bunch of French maids posing and primping to, oh yea, sell us some French Dip Thickburgers?

Yea. Exactly.

Dog Flames, Jackson Flames, Mentos Flaps

- This is just too WTF weird not to share.

- For the first time in 25 years! Footage of Michael Jackson's hair catching on fire in the Pepsi commercial. Chilling.

- The old Mentos ads (the Freshmaker ones) were great. The new ones, not so much. But they are kind of funny.

- Want to know where the Oscar Mayer Weinermobile is? Just visit Brightkite which the company is using to let people know where to spot the 27 foot long hot dog.

- This is stupid.

- Check out ad:tech's new virtual conference series. The first one is August 4.

Dinosaurs Attack Billboards For Creation Museum

We love this new billboard campaign for Petersburg, Kentucky-based Creation Museum, a "70,000 square foot museum brings the pages of the Bible to life." This particular campaign appears to promote the museum's Dinosaur Den.

Interestingly, and unlike many other museums, the Creation Museum touts the idea of natural selection versus evolution and downplays the "molecules-to-man" line of Darwinian thinking. Or at least that's how we interpret it.

The billboard campaign itself is perfect. After all, what do you think a dinosaur would do if a billboard got in its way?

Jayde Nicole Dons Lettuce Bikini For PETA

PETA grabbed Playmate of the Year Jayde Nicole for their latest Go Veg effort. In celebration of National Veggie Dog Day (only PETA can come up with this stuff), Nicole, along with another lettuce-clad hottie, gave out free veggie dogs outside Capitol Hill yesterday.

Hmm. We've seen this lettuce bikini thing before. Wonder who created the idea first. Oh and before you all go slinging agency names around like a sandbox full of kids fighting over a plastic shovel and screaming, "mine! mine! mine!", we're quite sure old-school cavewomen - or maybe even Eve, herself - can lay claim to the invention before anyone had an inkling of the word "advertising".

Sadly, Obama Girl didn't make an appearance with the Giuliani Girls for an all out catfight.