 Not The Real Board A private dormitory near the University of South Florida in Tampa is capitalizing on the high hormone level of college students to increase occupancy rates. Making us wish we were back in college, Fontana dormitory has placed a billboard showing a bare chested man between two hotties in wet nightgowns with the headline, "Shower with friends -- by choice." The dorm has placed another large billboard in front of the building showing a guy pressed against a girl in a nightgown with the headline, "It's better at Fontana."
The campaign is part of a competition to rent rooms to students. Other dorms have gone with the more conservative route of scholarship sweepstakes, membership at fitness centers and free use of computer labs and game rooms. Which dorm do you think is going to get the most applicants? Ed. If anyone has pictures of these boards, send them in.
While addressing members of the International Association of Jesuit Business Schools, on ethics in business and advertising during a mass in Loyola, Spain, Vatican official Archbishop John Foley said the evils of advertising make people believe "having is more important than being." Foley offered three principles to counter the temptations of advertising. - "being is better than having"; "each person must be treated with respect"; and "work for the common good."
He commented or the moral dilemmas business people face each day while trying to weigh the importance of the business with the importance of family and individual. Foley wasn't completely down on advertising saying it can provide "honest and ethically responsible competition which contributes to economic growth, to the possibility of choice, and to authentic human development, to wider knowledge, lower prices and, usually, to more jobs."
UFJ Tsubasa securities illustrates how important it is to have a good partner with this Ninja viral video. There's tools in finance and there's tools in fighting. Make sure you partner with one who knows how to use the tool properly.
Pandering to the Neanderthal needs of men, online travel agency Lastminute has launched an advergame called Bikini Bounce in which players can avail themselves of the trampoline like qualities of the female breast to bounce and catch floating beach wear and win points towards a trip to Kos. Found on Adverblog.
Call it lightvertising or mountainvertising, Kraft-owned Swiss chocolate manufacturer Milka's intends to shine it's purple corporate colors on Germany's highest mountain. Predictably, environmentalists hate it but Milka's is moving ahead with plans to illuminate the 9,600 Zugspitze peak with 140 purple lights for 40 minutes on July 3rd. Apparently the brands colors are so recognizable, Milka's actually expects to see some return in this stunt. Thanks to Adrants reader Steve Portigal for pointing this out.
Long time Subway spokesperson Jared Fogle, who famously lost 250 pounds while eating only Subway sandwiches, is returning in a new $60 million ad campaign which will focus on childhood obesity. The ads, funded by the Subway Franchisee Adverting Fund Trust and created by Fallon Worldwide before it was fired by Subway, will air on national and local television.
Mike Mason thinks walking into an oversized beer can to relieve oneself might be more fun than entering a standard, portable toilet. He's taken that thought and turned it into a business, called MediaCan, which intends to sell advertising on panels that wrap around portable toilets. Mason hopes to attract the attention of major "can companies" such as Anheuser-Busch, Pepsi, Coke and perhaps pharmaceutical companies marketing pills in a bottle.
Mason thinks the approach will be welcome as well as humorous. Unfortunately, those in the industry are not quite sure they agree. Word from Anheuser-Busch said MediaCan "is not an idea that fits with the image of our brands." Boston-based alternative ad agency President and CEO Adam Salcuse said, "Marketing now is all about being relevant and creating a positive experience. I'm going to go relieve myself in a Budweiser can? That could be a problem."
While no one enjoys the proliferation of advertising, covering those blue/green/brown plastic excuses for a bathroom could be a good thing - except for that damn smell. Not good for brand association.
Actor and Comedian Whoopi Goldberg has been fired as spokesperson for Slim-Fast for some sexually explicit comments she made about Bush's bush - or something like that - at a recent Kerry fund-raising event. The GOP didn't take kindly to it and neither did Slim-Fast. Kerry seemed fine with it saying Goldberg's jokes and jokes by other comedians at the event "conveyed the heart and soul of our country."
At a recent BloggerCon event I attended, Advance.net President & Creative Director Jeff Jarvis led a group discussion on weblogs and other forms of media dubbed Citizen's Media. In a nutshell, control of media is in the midst of being passed from big corporations to average citizens. Jeff has prepared a roadshow presentation which he has taken to Diamler Chrysler, BBDO and Organic. If you wish to stay ahead of the curve on this watershed shift in media creation for corporation to citizens, I urge you to contact Jeff and have him make this presentation to you. You can reach him at jeff@buzzmachine.com.
Singer and actress Ashlee Simpson is the newest addition to the growing line of Candie's girls. Simpson, who currently has a reality show on MTV, a hit single and an album releasing next week, will appear in a Fall ad campaign for the footwear maker. She follows Kelly Clarkson, Jenny McCarthy, Destiny's Child and Ashanti who have all been Candie's girls.
Of her participation in the ad campaign, Simpson said, "I'm excited to be a Candie's girl. Candie's always does tongue and cheek, very funny advertising and they have a great sense of humor. The ads are always sexy and this is actually the first sexy photo shoot I've done."
As part of the deal, Simpson will perform a live concert for Candie's customer and make in-store appearances. A good move, perhaps, to distance herself further from her big sister's shadow but not enough for some.
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