Contextual Fuckery Solved by Actual Humans (Who Knew?)

Now this is cool. We've already got contextual ads. We've already got behavioral ads. But we all know how much fuckery can sometimes come from those automated solutions. Wouldn't it be cool if the content of banners were matched to the content of the page by an actual, intelligent human being as opposed to a garbage in/garbage out, brainless computer?

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Whaddaya Know, a Deliciously Watchable Zune Ad!

Finally a Zune ad we like. It is fun to watch, slightly nostalgic, and smacks a little of springtime (something we need right now because winter is sucking out our souls).

This spot is called Intergalactic Swap Meet. Think Sony Bravia with a dash of Little Deviants (because it's a bit dark, not all pop and Technicolor).

That whole "sharing is caring" thread is present as in the previous spots, but it's not sickening or otherwise objectively lame like in previous efforts (observe hither and yon).

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Agency Full of Ego-Fueled Self-Aggrandizement

Now here's something you wouldn't generally expect to read on Adrants. After all, we're one half horny male ad slut, one half dystopian ad tyrant but when we were pointed to Amalgamated's website as an example of advertising's boys club hubris, we couldn't leave it alone. Yea, the site's been that way for a long time but we're too busy looking at actual work to check out every agency's site on a regular basis.

This site is so over-the-top, too-cool-for-school and testosterone-laden, it makes Mad Men look like an AWNY convention on steroids...uh...progesterone. Who do these guys think they are? Just check out the imagery on the site. Could it be any more packed with stereotypical pompousity? Even setting aside the quaintly anachronistic portrayal of men and women in the office, the whole things reeks of grandiloquent pretense.

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To Find New Flavor, the Dew Launches Dystopian Virtual World

Crowdsourcing meets sci-fi meets a quasi-virtual world in Mountain Dew's exploding head-inducing campaign, DEWmocracy.

Supported by traditional advertising, DEWmocracy paints a dismal future filled with corporate suits that travel in the backs of pick-up trucks, and where high fructose corn syrup is considered a magical elixir capable of overthrowing big brother.

Through the site, the Dew ultimately aims to put consumers on an adventure to come up with its newest flavor and packaging, while grabbing as much marketing data on its brave virtual freedom fighters.

Fresh with ideas from his performance in Battlefield Earth, Forest Whitaker helped entertainment concept firm Protagonist in creating this brave dew world.

Toy Inspectors Plead Their Case in Consumers Union Video

Sometimes people beg and beg and beg us to write stuff. OK, so they don't beg but they are very persistent. Sometimes it works. Sometimes it doesn't. Usually it doesn't. But when the persistent person is also a very nice person, their effort has a much better chance of happening as it did in this case. Of course it helps if what we're being asked to look at is actually good...which is the case with this funny video from Consumers Union.

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Vodafone Transforms Idle Time into Extraordinary Moments

Here's a Vodafone ad by BBH, London. The premise is that Vodafone can turn our accumulated in-between time into something truly meaningful.

We're pleased to say the ad itself surprised us. Not in that ostentatious way where you're like, "Hey, I thought there was sex involved but it was just somebody getting tattooed!" or "Hey, I never would have guessed that sex scene was going to devolve into slapstick comedy about sensitive teeth!"

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Target Learns the Hard Way: Astroturf Evangelism Gets Yo' Ass Skinned

To try building hype, Target started a secret society called Target Rounders. The group is comprised of college kids who earn discounts, CDs and other goodies if they sing the praises of Target to friends and family.

We heard about the group from Rosie Siman, a 21-year-old member of the group and a senior at the University of Georgia. Apparently shit really hit the fan when Target circulated a Rounders newsletter in early October, saying the company would be launching a Facebook group.

Oh, Facebook. All roads, good and ill, lead to you, don't they?

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Post-Beacon, Facebook Still Snooping

Even though Facebook has backed off its Beacon advertising system which many people called invasive, a recent Computer Associates study finds Facebook still snoops into user's affiliate site activity. Computer Associates PestPatrol Research Engineer, writing on the company's blog said, "Facebook is collecting information about user actions on affiliate sites regardless of whether or not the user chose to opt out, and regardless of whether or not the user is logged into Facebook at that time."

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Giant Ass Pisses in Beijing to Create Environmental Awareness

This campaign for the Chinese Greenfamily Youth Association of Environment Protection brings a whole new meaning to the phrase "squat and squirt." Created by Beijing-based Guangdong Advertising, this campaign calls attention to the plight of our polluted planet. Or, alternatively, Chinese people piss in public and they should stop that nasty habit. Whatever. Ass always gets noticed. Even if it is a completely un-bootyliciois, asexual one such as the one in this ad.

Shoe Fetish? Go Shoetube

We heard about this guy at our local mall who, under the guise of shoe shopping for his wife, convinced women to let him examine their shoes up close. Then, while they were primping and posing for him, he'd tear their shoes off and start sucking on their toes.

Eventually, this man was caught.

We're bringing this up because in early '08, Shoetube.tv will be launching.

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