Pic: Hoag Levins, Ad Age
Perhaps too cheap to do it the right way on the back of dollar bills as USA Networks did in January, San Diego based Boodle, an online coupon service, is pasting stickers on the backs of $4,000 worth of quarters to be distributed in Minneapolis. According to Boodle parent company Consumer Networks CEO Leslie Howe the quarters will be dropped in areas where "employed people" go. Though, in a strange, sort of anti-nice guy statement, Howe says she hopes homeless people are not the ones that pick up the quarters. Unsuprisingly, the campaign is from those witty, uber-pop marketers Crispin Porter + Bogusky, creators of the Subservient Chicken, Mini Cooper Robot Car, Ugoff, and Dr. Angus.
Most likely you don't know Madpony Kristin but give her ten years and you may be voting for her. Kristin used to write a blog called Madpony on which diary'd her life as a college student along with her highschool sister, Lauren. The two mastered the fine art of making shopping for shoes and eating at Sonic a finely crafted literary indulgence. If you are having illusions of two bubble-headed bimbos blathering on about life's inconsequentials, you should consider checking yourself into a hospital and getting a head transplant. There is fame in the making here.
Writing a "How I Spent My Summer Vacation" piece on Tony Pierce's Busblog, Kristin, a summer intern for Oklahoma congressman Dan Boren, provides biting commentary and humorous insight into the political process. Writing about being asked to deliver some papers to Boren's office and after being shuffled from one miniscule task to another, Kristin wrote, "Eyeing the fax machine, I decided not to state the insanely obvious and use this little errand as my ticket out of further office humiliation."
With her allusions of political intern-grandeur reduced and her first hand experience of politics' definition of common sense, Kristin found enjoyment in the oh so hip-cool world of advertising by assisting with the filming of one of Boren's television commercials. While much of her involvement in the filming of the commercial centered on gophering breakfast ("a wide array of artery clogging treats") and lunch for the crew, Kristin did at least get to sit in on the pre-roll planning of the commercial as well as an end of day discussion about the overall campaign direction to which she contributed suggestions and insight which she says will be "used in the final versions read and seen by thousands of people."
Kristin, a sorority girl with style and a bent for copywriting, also put her skills to work on a poster campaign for a pre-election party. Kristin wrote, "The day before the election, I was also granted the task of creating fun and imaginative posters for the election watch party. With such gems as 'He's DAN-tastic' and 'I'm a Boren Again Democrat,' I felt my glitter covered creations clearly stated to the world my vital place as campaign intern." OK, maybe she should stick with politics but you've got to applaud the effort. Then again, her's are better than most political taglines and headlines. At least they're fun.
Whether it's her political convictions that win out or her unique copywriting skills, we're likely to see either President Madpony or Madpony Avenue in our future.
Unfortunately and to the sadness of many, in mid-June, after two years, Kristen has stopped publishing the Madpony weblog saying it had reached its inevitable end it was beating a dead horse. We await the launch of her next creation.
German authorities have banned supermodel Claudia Schiffer from filming a TV ad for a mail order company on top of Zugspitze, Germany's highest peak. Apparently, some inflatable props for the ad where thought to somehow defame the national landmark. The spot will now be filmed on the tree-hugger safe patio of a cable car station part way down the mountain.
Here's what is supposedly a leaked video of what the new Batmobile will look like in next summer's Batman Begins. Video and pictures at this link. Via ThatsJustNotRight. Underground promotion at work.
Disney has launched a new line of computers that look like Mickey Mouse and come loaded with an armada of blocking software sure to eliminate kids from all but the Sesame Street and Barney websites. It's not the kind of computer the average teenage boy or girl will want to use given the condition of their hormones at that particular stage of life but this introduction is a good thing - a very good thing - for young kids and parents of those young kids. Many of the things we look at and the reasons we use the Internet are certainly not for kids and the crap that is out there (here?) is not for the eyes of little kids. Let us grownups have our fun. Kids will find it no matter what but maybe this will slow them down just a tiny bit.
This viral clip making its way around is using the winning "streak" of a football (soccer) team to promote the Sun's Dream Team football game. Using the tried and true strategy of female nudity, the clip is right on target with the game's players.
We're very sorry we can't seem to get off the "big boobs in advertising" thing today but they just keep popping up. This billboob in Caracas, Venezuela is creating urgency among citizens to vote yes in an August 15 recall vote against President Hugo Chavez. He's being asked to step down.
We don't know how effective the billboard will be in terms of urging people to vote but it's sure effective at creating another sense of urgency. With the word "yes" ballooned from the model's mouth and the word "yes" spread across her mammoth breasts combined with the alluring unbuttoning of pants, the message sure sounds like an invitation for another, much more exciting, urgency-related activity.
Poor Keira Knightley had to have her boobs expanded for the movie poster promoting her starring role in King Arthur. For Selma Blair, who appears in the upcoming John Waters film A Dirty Shame, that will be, as you can see, unnecessary. Apparently, her role in the movie is that of an exhibitionist. No suprise given what she's got to show off. And no, she didn't go out and get a gigantic boob job for the movie. It's just the wonders of water and balloons. Here's another picture. And another. View the trailer. It's Waters' usual weirdness.
Redesigned only five times in 51 years and available this fall, the 2005 Chevrolet Corvette will makes it marketing debut during the Summer Olympics in a 60 second commercial directed by Guy Ritchie. Filmed to the tune of the Rolling Stones's "Jumping Jack Flash," the spot will follow the daydream of a boy as he imagines himself racing through the streets of New York. Work was done by Campbell-Ewald in Warren, Michigan. Adrants has an exclusive sneak preview of the spot. More images here.
In this week's MediaPost Out to Launch column, Amy Coor calls our attention to a unique outdoor campaign for Monster that ran in New Orleans. The campaign launched with a teaser board that read "Billboard Painter Wanted" for a week then a real human painter was hired to stand in front of the board handpainting it with the headline changed to "We got this guy a job." Even better, since one human billboard painter can't paint continually 24 hours a day, three other messages will be posted while the painter takes a break: "Went for more paint. Be back soon," "Went to grab some jambalaya" or "Be back bright and early." Fantastic use off the medium.
Other campaigns of note covered in Coor's column include Gillette which launched a TV spot featuring Xzibit, rap artist and host of the MTV show Pimp My Ride; Ann Taylor with a 50th anniversary campaign shot by Annie Leibovitz, a Gap campaign featuring Sarah Jessica Parker, Jada Pinkett Smith, Jessica Alba Lenny Kravitz, New England Patriot Tom Brady, and actors Michael Vartan, Josh Duhamel and Peter Krause with ads appearing in InStyle, Vanity Fair, Vogue, Lucky and W; a new Old Navy television campaign and TCBY which is launching a campaign promoting is yogurt and challenging Americans to lose one million pounds.
