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Windowsdvantages to Serve Ads At Xtreme Cybermania 2005

Gamers who attend the Xtreme Cybermania games held May 27-29 at Chicago's Navy Pier will, while watching playing and watching video games, will be served ads on the sides of gaming video displays. The ads will be served by Windowsadvantages's ADSN Player & Scheduler Solution. Likely to be as effective as ads in chat rooms where chatters are far more interested in important info like asl rather than ads, the ADSN-served ads will appear in 15 second intervals.

UPDATE: Allan Olbur from Windowadvantages notes we neglected to realize it's not necessarily the gamers playing the games who will see tha ads but the thousands of speactators in the arena watching the games on the large monitors. We apologize for our temporary lapse in intelligence.

by Steve Hall    Mar-18-05    




DJs to Become Pepsi Shills

Capitalizing on the hip hop lifestyle, now more popular in white suburbia than within urban settings (come on, let's be honest), former record executive Rene McLean, now CEO of marketing agency RPM, will, for Pepsi this Summer, recruit top urban DJs to serve as "soda Ambassadors" promoting Pepsi products with on air mentions, club mentions, block parties, photo shoots, specialty mix tapes and other intertwined co-branded cross promotions. Somehow, "Yo, mah twixter hommies, let's crunk out with Fiddy's off the hook Candy Shop brung on by da phat cracker Pepsi posse," just doesn't seem like it will go over very well. But we'll keep our fingers crossed for Rene.

by Steve Hall    Mar-18-05    




Reebok Set to Launch 50 Cent Commercial Tonight in Europe

Controversy has been swirling about rapper 50 Cent's appearance in Reebok's mcgarrybowen-created global ad campaign. Some say it glorifies gun violence. Reebok says the spot, debuting tonight in European cities, is just "edgy." The purpose of the campaign is said to celebrate authenticity and individuality. While the spot might not glorify violence, it most certainly does nothing to suggest it's a bad thing.

View it here and decide for yourself.

by Steve Hall    Mar-18-05    




'God Speaks' Ad Campaign Returns

Baby Got Book

The anonymous "messages from God' billboard campaign that appeared six years ago is making a return. This time, it's not anonymous.

The DeMoss Group and the Outdoor Advertising Association of America are behind a new outdoor campaign they call, "God Speak." The billboard campaign will include the headlines, "The real Supreme Court meets up here," "As my apprentice, you're never fired," and "It's a small world ... I know ... I made it." Even in this day of pop culture, celebu-insanity, God and religion seem to be making a comeback. Though it was banned by many stations for its reference to the church's acceptance of the gay lifestyle, The United Church of Christ has been running a television campaign. There's even Dan "Southpaw" Smith who's promoting his church with the wildly entertaining "Baby Got Book" video.

by Steve Hall    Mar-18-05    




Gap Retires Sarah Jessica Parker, Joss Stone Debuts in Spring Campaign

The New Gap Girl

Though it seems like it was just yesterday that Sex And The City star Sarah Jessica Parker joined the Gap ad campaign, she's now been cast aside in favor of the younger, supposedly closer-to-Gap-demo, singer Joss Stone.

We know everyone has a serious case of ADD these days but a little consistency in ad campaigns wouldn't be a bad thing. After all, it worked quite well for Frosted Flakes with Tony the Tiger and for Maytag with those Maytag guys. Oh but wait, we're talking about the psychotically multitasking, ferociously fickle, OMG GTG crowd. Expect Joanna Levesque to appear in the Gap's Fall campaign.

by Steve Hall    Mar-18-05    




American Airline's Leg Room Promise Comes Back to Bite

Four years ago when American Airlines decided it would remove seats from all the planes in its fleet to make more legroom, it launched a big "More Room Throughout Couch" ad campaign touting it to the world.

Now, years later, the revenue strapped airline has been forced to put all the seats back in thus reducing legroom. Not a very smart decision once it made that initial promise. Competitor United Airlines is jumping on this opportunity launching a $20 million campaign poking fun at American Airline's reneging on its earlier promise of more legroom.

One of United Airlines ads says, "Fly American and you could kick yourself. Literally." United launched the campaign to make sure the public understands American no longer has more legroom than United.

by Steve Hall    Mar-17-05    




American Apparel Ad Campaigns Dance With Porn

With its underaged, porn-like amateur models, America Apparel makes Abercrombie and Fitch seem like a G rated Disney movie. Since its inception, the "sweatshop-free" apparel designer has used nubile young girls with pouting faces, come-hither looks and "do me" spread legs in its ads and catalogs.

In a lengthy article sent to us by Adrants reader, Sanj, in Now Toronto by Adria Vasil, the pros and cons of this racy approach are examined. From those who feel the company degrades women to those who feel the presence of porn is simply part of every day life, Vasil speaks with American Apparel Founder and photographer Dov Charney who responds to his detractors, saying, "They're old-thinking conservatives who are repeating false arguments or arguments that may have been true 30 years ago based on a context of social, cultural and political dynamics of another era. But right now, the women in the photographs and young adult women today I think celebrate the aesthetic of our advertising." American Apparel seems to ask a big question. Is there anything really wrong with celebrating sex and the sex appeal of women? Opinions on sex range from it being purely for procreation to it being an enjoyable recreational activity. Advertisers have danced across that spectrum since the first ad was invented and there seems to be no firm answer. Society seems to accept violence as entertainment but shys away from sex as a form of entertainment. We don't think the question will ever be answered but we do know that sex is more about life and violence is more about death. You choose.

by Steve Hall    Mar-17-05    




'Life Aquatic' Director Directs Coke's Dasani Commercial

For those who loved the quirky Bill Murray film, The Life Aquatic, directed by Wes Anderson, they will be able to see the director's work again in a new commercial, directed by Anderson, for Coke's Dasani bottled water debuting next week.

The ad, budgeted at $1 million and created by New York agency Anomaly which won the $20 million account last August, will air in prime time and in CBS's NCAA basketball playoffs. Gabriel Sherman, writing in New York Observer has the whole story here.

by Steve Hall    Mar-17-05    




BITE TV to Unleash Amateur Interactive TV On Canada

Launching April 1 (not a good day to be taken seriously guys) Canada's BITE TV promises something special in the realm in interactive television: to actually be interactive rather than the poor excuse for interactivity seen to date from other television and cable companies.

BITE will feature wireless downloading and PC or mobile chat-to-screen.

It offers viewers the opportunity to submit their own video content including make-your-own television ads. Advertisers can showcase their brands in formats from 5-second spots to, short form, branded blocks that enable the viewer to personalize the spots with their own content.

Short form content can also focus entirely on a brand.

BITE will also launch BITE ME, its live interactive program in coming weeks. At that time, viewers will be given the opportunity to interact live with the hosts and amongst themselves.

"BITE will discover, air and stream thousands of individual creative masterpieces that are currently being produced and those that have perhaps lacked visibility due to a shortage of distribution opportunities," Elliott says. "Thousands of producers, directors, actors, animators and college and university students aspiring to be filmmakers now have a short form channel in BITE."

In a way, it's taking the Citizen's Media/Blogging approach to television. Acknowledging that, there will be plenty of crap content but there will also be a few gems in the mix and, because of that, some bright, new talent may be discovered.

by Steve Hall    Mar-17-05    




Mondavi To Sponsor 'Sideways' DVD

Fox Searchlight's Sideways may have intoxicated moviegoers and helped sales of pinot noir soar, but the Oscar-nominated film didn't do it with the help of any promotional partners. That's changing with the release of the DVD which will be sponsored by Mondavi. The tie in will promote ten different Mondavi wines.

by Steve Hall    Mar-17-05    




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