Amber Wins Survivor, Rob Asks Her to Marry Him

At the "Survivor" finale in Madison Square Garden, Amber gets the million but Rob Proposes and she says yes. True love or Rob's last strategic angle? And that's not even the surprise they've been teasing.

Editor Just Discovers TV Stations Make Money From Advertising

New York Daily news TV Editor Richard Huff says a new women's shaving product commercial running on New York 1 News from BikiniTouch crosses the line of decency. He says the "closeup of a woman's groin, along with a finger pointing to the privates, is going way, way overboard." Actually, that sounds a bit delicious. OK, maybe it's a bit much to zoom in on a stubble-infested crotch but women need to know about these products. What better way to sell the product than to show how it works.

Huff's also upset New York 1 is making money off the commercial explaining it's a direct response spot. Mr. Huff, no matter what type of commercial it is, the television station will make money. Did you think TV stations aired ads out of the goodness of their heart?

Thanks to Adrants reader Charley Brough for pointing this gem out.

Sloggi Butt-Wear Launches Best Butt Contest

French lingerie maker Sloggi has teamed with car-maker Daewoo in this Netherlands contest where women with the hottest asses can win a new car. Those blessed with perfect curvature can submit a photo of their string-clad back side to the Sloggi contest website which is then ranked according to some pseudo-scientific backroom method which probably consists of a bunch of horny old men salivating over asses they'll never come close to in real life. But hey, it's fun. Via Adland.

Fox Can't Tease CNN on Billboard, Throws Legal Fit

A billboard under contract by FOX from Boardworks Outdoor Advertising and directly across from the Atlanta offices of CNN is in the news again. The board currently reads, "Come Home Connie. CNN Needs You." Now, FOX wants to post a board that reads, "Now That CNN's Ratings are Gone With the Wind, Our Work on This Board Is Done. We Love You Atlanta. Brought to you by your friends at FOX News Channel."

Boardworks is refusing to put the copy up and FOX is throwing a fit. It's an odd fit though because they are threatening to sue the past owner of the board, Camfaux, not the current owner, Boardworks. Did FOX legal forget to check that little ownership detail before sending a threatening letter to Camfaux which reads, "Should you choose not to put up the billboard immediately, we will consider all options available to us, including, of course, legal options." Somebody call the FOX fact checking department.

Mom's Want Advertisers to Leave Their Kids Alone

With angry baseball fans saying no to the "here today, gone tomorrow" "Super Man 2" Major League Baseball sponsorship and the recent formation of the Mother's Council, consumers are renewing their battle against advertising. After all, two makes a trend, right?

The Mother's Council seeks one on one, parent to parent meetings with top agency executives and industry groups to implore them to think twice before launching campaigns targeted to children. The group will not engage in uppity legal wranglings nor government regulatory issues but appeal to the moral fiber of industry execs. Oh wait, there's no moral fiber there - see this story.

Mother's Council sponsor and Director of the Motherhood Project at the Institute for American Values Director Enola Aird said, "We have no desire to demonize anybody. All we want is to engage the ad industry on its own terms. Though a valiant effort, Aird is in for quite a bit of double-speak and broken promises as industry executives placate the organization's wishes one day and bow to the power of the almighty dollar the next.

Angry Baseball Fans Cause Cancellation of 'Spider Man 2' Sponsorship

Just one day after announcing a sponsorship deal that would plaster "Spider Man 2" imagery all over Major League Baseball playing fields, the League has cancelled the sponsorship in reaction to an outcry from fans. Ad Age has more here.

Advertising Professionals Not Concerned With Morals

A recent study found, unsurprisingly, that those who work in the advertising industry fail to see the ethical ramifications of their work and choose not to discuss the moral implications of their work. While the study, done by University of Texas Associate Professor Meme Drumwright and University of Notre Dame Marketing Professor Patrick Murphy, focused on the morality of the advertising profession, Drumwright said, "Our thinking is that the problem extends to other industries as well." Comforting. At least we know we're in good company with the rest of the world's morality-challenged executive slime.

Sprint Listens to Kids in New Ad Campaign

In a new Sprint PCS ad campaign, the wireless company attempts to explain the various rules of cell phone calling plans to a bunch of kids who, of course, react with confusion. It's Sprint's way of letting consumers know they feel their pain and they have a solution. That solution is the new Sprint PCS Fair & Flexible Plan which automatically adjusts a customer's plan based on usage maximizing the customer's savings. The work was done by Publicis & Hal Riney of San Francisco and will include radio, newspaper, magazine, collateral, direct mail and online efforts.

Nike Launches New York City Scavenger Hunt For Air Force-X MID

On Friday, Nike's Operation 6453 begins. It's a scavenger hunt set in New York City that combines SMS short codes with an on-foot search for 16 poster locations throughout the city. Entrants must send a blank SMS to short code 6543 (NIKE) to receive registration instructions. At the registration site, a map will indicate the general location of the posters then an SMS short message sent by Nike to entrants will alert players to the cross streets of the latest posting. Once players spot the posters, they send a short SMS message back to Nike which registers the time they saw the poster. The shorter the time between the poster's posting and players' SMS response, the higher the score. There will be four postings per day. At the end of the four day period, the players with the highest scores will win a limited edition version of Nike's Air Force-X MID designed by legendary NYC street artist, Stash. Runners up will have a chance to purchase the shoes at an exclusive pre-launch event.

What Really Matters: Two Days At The Groton School

A Ticket to the Game of Life

Activity on Adrants has been light the past couple days and now I will tell you why. About four miles from the posh, suburban offices of Adrants lies the spectacularly gated, storybook world of The Groton School. Entering the campus through an imposing brick and iron gateway, one is thrust into a world experienced only by a privileged few. Having lived in Groton for six years, I've passed through that gateway several times for various reasons, mostly to visit the art camp my wife runs during the Summer, but today and yesterday, I passed through them for a very special reason - to proctor Advanced Placement exams for the privileged few who will be the future leaders of our world.

The pressure to succeed for these students -and all students - can be all-consuming. In the middle of the Calculus exam one girl's calculator batteries died. I saw a look of despair and horror cross her face as she raised her hand frantically to get my attention. As I neared her desk, she was shaking and almost crying. The pressure revealed. Luckily, I had seen another student who had a set of extra batteries lying atop his desk. I walked quickly over and asked if he would let another student use his batteries. He said yes. I grabbed them and hurriedly walked the batteries back to the girl who placed them in her calculator. As she looked up and thanked me, her expression shifted dramatically to one that looked as though I had just plucked her from the deck of the Titanic the moment it went under. I guess, in a way, I did.

Sitting the "Schoolhouse" where the exams are held, I felt as though I was trespassing on the hallowed grounds of the most successful and privileged people in the world. Beneath a magnificent, exposed beam ceiling and busts of well known historical figures placed around the room's edges are embossed wooden panels listing the names of each year's graduating class from 1886 to 2003. It's quite impressive.

Say what you will about the prep school stereotypes but succeeding at a school like The Groton School can propel one into the Ivy League of colleges and into the upper echelons of our business-driven culture. Granted, a prep school education and a college degree does not define the person but it can most assuredly be instrumental in placing one in the top consideration set for a much sought after position in the cut-throat game of life. For me, it was fascinating to witness a small part of that preparation for the game.