Chinese Coke Billboard Goofy...Or Not

There's something about Chinese culture that makes relatively snark-free advertising like this Coke billboard possible. Of course we have no idea what we're talking about because we've never been to China. But we do know, or at least we're told, there's a bit more innocent goofiness in the culture that makes this stuff possible. Of course, we could be completely wrong about that notion too.

Super Buff Women Promote Super Buff Phones

OK, we have nothing against people doing all they can to stay in shaped but when women work out so freakishly they end up looking like, well, a female body builder, it's just kinda gross. Call us sexist but everyone's entitled to an opinion including Virgin Mobile UK which has launched Super Buff, a site promoting its "totally buff phones" with help from super buff women. It's all quite hilarious, though. Adland reveals the work was created by 12foot6 and Rainey Kelly Campbell Roalfe/Y&R.

Sony's Street PSP Campaign Getting Tagged, Ragged

While initially it seemed Sony's PSP street chalk drawing campaign in several cities around the U.S. was being well received by some (us), others have dished out a bit of backlash by defacing the drawings and calling for an end to corporations' attempts to co-op the graffiti art form. AdFreak sums up the issue pointing to a rant over at Gothamist, an online petition to stop the practice and street art blog Wooster Collective's collection of PSP street art.

Music Site Mercora Introduces AdWords-Like MadWords

Music search site Mercora has launched a self service, Google AdWords-like keyword advertising program called MadWords. It lets advertisers choose music keywords such as genre, artist or band names, and similar or related artists, so that relevant advertisements are displayed while users perform searches or listen to music on the Mercora Network.

Agency Challenges Current Marketing Methods, Gives Adrants Headache

We're all for forward thinking and innovative new advertising models but Heller Communication Design's old but new "system thinking" model was too much for us to take so we're just going to let you read the press release:

CREATIVE SERVICES FIRM CHALLENGES TENETS OF COMMUNICATION STRATEGIES BY BRINGING SCIENCE AND SUSTAINABILITY TO THE CREATIVE PLAYING FIELD

NEW YORK - Taking a quantum leap from traditional marketing thinking, Heller Communication Design (HCD), a leading strategic design, advertising, and branding consultancy headquartered in New York City, today unveiled the agency's unique new approach to developing successful marketing campaigns for its clients. By adapting the scientific principles of systems thinking to marketing communications, HCD now has the capability to design what will be the most appropriate, success-generating steps for a client's overall communications program going forward

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Ad Says Cheap Flights Kill the Earth

After Art Director Stuart Wilson and Producer Mike Connolly had a discussion about extreme weather this planet has experienced in the last 12 months, the two created a simple spot with a powerful message called SkyOpener and partnered with the U.K.'s Green Party to promote their cause. In the face of declining travel costs, the spot puts forth the notion there's no such thing as cheap air fare as it costs the earth by affecting the ozone layer.

Virgin Mobile's Hot Box Fondling Angels Cause Complaints

As part of a promotion for its Hot Box cell phone, Virgin mobile Canada created some Christmas wrapping paper that shows angels kissing and fondling one another. Ottawa's Alan Dean wasn't too pleased when his 12 year-old daughter was handed some of the paper as part of a promotion following a screening of Harry Potter at the Famous Players Coliseum. Mr. Dean had no kind words for Virgin Mobile marketers telling the Ottawa Citizen, "Somebody had to have their head screwed on wrong to put out a promo like that at a family theater. Even though they said they wanted to hand it out to 18-year-olds, it doesn't matter. It shouldn't have been on the premises." Oddly, we agree. It's just a little sick.

Bruce Willis Says Ad Business More Cutthroat Than Hollywood

While in New York to film the psychological thriller The Perfect Stranger with Halle Berry, Bruce Willis, who plays an ad exec in the film, spent some time with Kirshenbaum Bond & Partners learning the industry's ropes and lingo. After spending a bit of time at the agency, Willis, humorously, commented to Richard Kirshenbaum and Jon Bond, "Wow, this business seems more cutthroat than Hollywood." You got it Bruce. Hollywood is for pussies. Madison Avenue is for tough guys.

Knife Company Offers Gruesome Holiday Gift Ideas

Oregon-based Johnson Cowan Hanrahan in Portland, Oregon has created a Holiday-themed site for its knife client Gerber Blades. The site, like those Holiday calenders with a chocolate for each day in December, offers gift ideas which are a bit out of the norm. Gift ideas range from using a bushy-tailed woodrat as a tree ornament to creating a smoothie out of a Bison to killing a bear to make mittens out of its paws to stuffing a rabbit in a box to make a jackrabbit-in-a-box to using skunk meat to make French-fried skunk. Not unsurprisingly, making these gifts requires the use of a knife. It's sick. It's funny. We like it.

TBS Hosts Funniest Commercial Poll And Show

TBS is, again, broadcasting its Funniest Commercials of the Year show, hosted by Weeds' Kevin Nealon. Visitors to the site can view the spots and cast votes from ten choices then see the finalists on the broadcast December 28 at 9PM. On the list for consideration are Big Pong Broadband, CareerBuilder, Carlton Draught's Big Ad, Dodge Durango's Bathroom Stall, Dr. Pepper's Do Anything, Ikea's Home Delivery, MTel's cellphone shower babe, Nextel's office groove, Science World's conference room facial suckage and the Toyota Vios sea monster ad. Any of yours on the list? Tell us why you should win.