Supermarket Campaign Offers Booty, Boobs, Package to Boys

While we think we've seen this campaign before, the onslaught (yes, even we are subjected to that poor girl's plight) of campaign after campaign after campaign has dulled even our heightened sense of advertising awareness. Then again, you all know, when it comes to a certain style of advertising, our senses are always peaked.

more »

Geriatric Egg, Sausage Snail, Bacon Caterpillar Shill Pancakes in A Can

Who doesn't like a nice stack of pancakes everyone in a while? But does anyone really like the messy prep work that goes into making the batter for that nice stack? OK, it's not that bad but since we live in a world on its way to Idiocracy, it's no surprise someone's come up with a better pancake idea.

The Batter Blaster, which, in a nutshell, is pancake batter in a spray can is, as the tagline explains, the "Breakfaster. Organic Pancakes in an instant." We like simplicity. We like organic. We're just not sure pancakes from a can are going to rival those made in the bowl.

more »

HappySlip Promotes Manila Meet & Greet

As part of her trip to the Philippines courtesy of the Philippine Tourism Department, HappySlip is advertising news of her Meet & Greet in Manila at the Mag:net Cafe this February 7. Get on the guest list at happyslip.yehey.com (Yehey! is the Philippine Yahoo!, kind of). The fun and games go down from 11am-3pm.

Seeing as how this is for Philippine tourism and we want to put our best foot forward, it might be a good idea to filter the ads appearing at the end of the videos. Unless FilipinaHeart.com is a proud sponsor...?

Adidas Boost Auckland Marathon Runners With Giant Fan

Here's an interesting extension of Adidas' Impossible is Nothing mantra. During the Aukland Marathon at the 17 km mark, runners could choose to run through lane which was outfitted with what was called the adiBOOST, a giant fan that would put a 50 knot wind at their backs insuring the impossibility of finishing the marathon would be nothing to be concerned with. Nice idea.

Prediction: Firebrand Will Not Exist in 18 (Maybe Even 12) Months

You can look at this Firebrand video promoting its Road to Monday Super Bowl program this week as being somewhat comical in its efforts to portray the insanity in which we all engage regarding Super Bowl ads. Or you can look at it as a lame effort, cheesily produced with the unattainable goal of getting people to actually care about advertising. Of course, if there were any time of year the average Joe would care about advertising, it would be surrounding the Super Bowl.

more »

Allstate Revisits 'Good Hands' Roots in SOLdesignfx Spots

To prep us for our own game day (February 3!), SOLdesignfx for Allstate sent us a parable about an undervalued kicker who wins the game. Oh, and you also get to see the Allstate guy with the soothing voice. We haven't seen him since Allstate got all badass.

Sadly, he isn't featured in the other two ads -- "Statue," where two wankers hold their breath for a bronzed Bobby Bowden, and "Diner."

It's the traditional insurance ad premise: the unexpected can happen. Swaddle your peace of mind in the loving arms of Allstate.

Presidential Candidates Get the Brand Treatment

CEO Alan Siegel of Siegel & Gale put together a manifesto of what brand messages each of the Election 2008 candidates are conveying. Among other things, John McCain is read as the "straight-talking rebel."

Oh, we cannot emphasize how painfully we winced when we heard "The MAC is BACK!" pouring out of New Hampshire. Can't politicans just leave rap -- and any music, really -- alone? Bulworth was a movie, not a career blueprint.

Hillary Clinton, Siegel adds, undermines her "Leading Brand" role by attacking "Challenger Brand" Barack Obama.

How very Coke vs. Pepsi. Just one more reason to avoid frothy drinks and frothy speeches. Read full text below.

more »

Truth Gets Cute, Sings Songs, Introduces MAGIC!

"A Magical Amount," by Arnold and Crispin Porter + Bogusky, starts out like a typical Truth ad: cigarette traps, a bullhorn and a bamboozled-looking group of people. Then a unicorn showed up, and there was singing, and...

Wow, just ... wow. Seriously. Wow.

You really have to watch it. The premise is tobacco companies don't want to kill you, but don't want to prevent addiction either, so there's a "magical amount" of nicotine in cigarettes. But tune out the arsenic talk and the animated oxygen mask, and you'd swear it was a superb cereal ad.

Jay Mohr Follows Vanilla Ice With TurboTax's TaxLaugh

We always new Jay Mohr was an actor. We never really knew he was a comedian (we gave up on SNL long ago and, more recently, never watched Last Comic Standing). Apparently, appreciates his comic abilities and hooked up with him for a video contest called TaxLaugh in which entrants vie for a $10,000 and a chance to open for Mohr prize by submitting three minute comedy vids.

Jay tells us, "Most people think doing your own taxes is hard and being funny is easy. We're out to prove them wrong. TaxLaugh will give comedians the chance to make a name for themselves by making people laugh about something no one likes - taxes."

more »

Match.com Invites Users to Live Out Love Stories

Match.com swears if in six months you don't live out a love story with someone from its site, you can have six more months of free service to make up for it.

Not all tell-worthy stories end happily though. Sometimes you get locked out or hosed -- which, now that we think about it, isn't nearly as bad a fate as this one.

more »