Agency Uses 'Creative Juices' In Promotional Campaign

Vancouver agency smashLAB has out their creative juices, somewhat literally, to use in a new self-promotional campaign. The print campaign, with the tagline, "Our Creative Comes From Within," features images of colorful body fluids from puke to snot to well, view the campaign to see the other two. We're not quite sure what kind of clients a campaign like this will attract but, hey, more power to smashLAB for trying.

Shocker: Boobs Promote Advertising Week

In an ironic twist, the industry that is currently attempting to regain cred among, well, everyone, the advertising industry recently launched an ad campaign to promote Advertising Week using the oldest trick in the book: sex. Created by DDB Worldwide, the ad, which promotes the industry's upcoming Advertising Week in September pictures a faceless woman with in a red bra and black top with her breasts bulging outward and the copy, "Advertising. We All Do It," positioned directly beneath the woman's cleavage.

Predictably, many are up in arms over the ad citing it as sexist, moronic and tired. All true but, then again, when has sex ever been in danger of not selling something. Whether it's to titalate guys or to piss of women, sex-laced campaigns featuring scantily clad women whose breasts are spilling forth, uncontrollably, from of their tops unquestionably draw attention and get the media to write about it, thereby, accomplishing a campaigns primary goal of awareness despite negative reaction.

Indicative of the spineless nature of industry, neither the client nor the agency are stepping up to the plate in reaction to this ad with both sides referring inquiries to the other as if the ad were a pair of skid-marked underwear.

Bring sanity back to the saga, Bartle Bogle Hegarty Global Chief Marketing Officer and Director of Advertising Week Cindy Gallop told Ad Age, "I see the campaign as funny and entertaining. Advertising is something we all do without thinking. The fact is a woman opening an extra button on her blouse for a date is a very regular occurrence." You go, Cindy!

Media Falls For Viral Hook, Line, Sinker

Intended to look like a bunch of fellow employees helping a 31 year old, un-married co-worker find a date by placing a billboard and creating an accompanying website, the effort, created by Lindon, Utah-based logo design company LogoWorks turns out, apparently, to be a LogoWorks recruitment campaign as indicated by the DateLance website copy which reads, "You don't have to DateLance to meet Lance. You can work with him," followed by, surprise, a link to the recruitment section of LogoWorks. Also indicative this is marketing ploy is the DateLance.com disclaimer mice type which reads, in part, "You may not use DateLance.com if you 1) do not have a sense of humor 2) fear rejection."

Humorously and the the unmitigated glee of LogoWorks, hundreds of news organizations took the bait and reported the story straight singing the campaign-induced "guy needs date, friends help with kooky campaign" tune. Even the Washington Post ran the story, headlined, "Friends Mount Billboard for Bachelor."

Big Bulge Garners Wistful Curiosity in Condom Ad

With barely legal curiosity and longing, the young girl in this ad dreams of the day when a very large Durex condom will come between her and the ripped prince's burgeoning bulge her eyes wistfully yearn. With the headline, "One day you'll wish you had a Durex condom," the ad hearkens early innocence and an "I wonder what that would feel like" eagerness only experienced early in life.

Some might label the ad overly racy or a poor attempt at humor but they would be wrong. The ad is extremely honest conveying natural human desire and sexuality which, all too often, are portrayed with snickers, avoidance and censorship.

GAP Launches Dressing Room Viral

The GAP has created a site, called "Watch Me Change," on which visitors can play dress up and dress down with virtual models whose body size, facial features and clothing can be customized to suit an individuals taste. The model then does a little strip tease, goes in the the changing room and emerges, dressed as the chosen clothing. Of course, it has the whole send to a friend thing so we guess we have to call it a viral of sorts. It's mildly entertaining.

Sub-Zero Launches Microsite For Massive Refrigerator

To explain a list of features more intricate than those found within a nuclear submarine, refrigerator maker Sub-Zero has launched a microsite displaying things inside its new, 800 pound PRO 48 you never new a refrigerator needed. From LED lights that illuminate food to retracting crisper lids to slide out food drawers that can double as oven pans, the only thing missing from this fridge is a built in garbage disposal that automatically eliminates food past its expiration date.

Technology Could Kill the Media Buy/Sell Relationship

With the increasing automation of the media buy/sell relationship, there has been a shift towards forcing a square peg in a round whole when it comes to a buyer gleaning information from a media seller for consideration as part of a media program. It's only natural to try to streamline the process but when it eliminates viable media properties, simply because the media property can't fit its (very worthy) square peg sell into the buyer's myopic, square buy hole, that's a very bad thing. And, seemingly, it's all done, not without merit, just to get all potential media vehicles on the same proverbial playing field so the buyer can then compare them using the same set of metrics. Well, an apple isn't an orange and it never will be but apples and oranges are both, still, food worthy of consumption.

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Ogilvy PR VP Needs Liver Transpant

Ogilvy PR Worldwide VP Shari Kurzok, 31, who is getting married in two months needs a liver transplant in the next few days or she will die. Last weekend, she was admitted to New York University Medical Center and, within 24 hours, was told she needed the transplant. If you can help with a liver transplant referral, call 877-223-3386 or email liverforalife@yahoo.com. Potential donors must be blood Type A or Type O.

Billboard Begs Lindsay Lohan to Call Radio Station

Minneapolis radio station KDWB has placed a billboard asking Lindsay Lohan to call into the "Dave Ryan in the Morning" show, apparently, because she is in the area filming the Robert Altman film, "A Prairie Home Companion." It seems morning man Dave wants a piece of Lohan just like Altman got here. Image courtesy of Flicker user uberculture.

Australian Brewer Launches 'Freaking Huge Big Ad'

Australian brewer Carlton Draught, a division of Foster's, has created and amazingly different, brilliantly funny beer ad, called "It's A Big Ad," that, while poking fun at the beer ad category, and advertising in general, gets its message across quite effectively. If anything, it gets points for just being different.

The ad was filmed in New Zealand and produced in Australia by Plaza Films. Sydney-based Animal Logic, the company that worked on the Matrix movies, did the special effects. The agency was George Patterson Partners.

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