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Carvel Ice Cream Advergame Might Get the Kids Grounded

carvel-cookiepussteroids.jpg

"Honey, what are you doing in there? You've been on the computer all afternoon."

"Playing CookiePussTeroids!"

".......What was that?"

"Mo-om, I'm saving Cookie Puss from getting a faceful of cone!"

If that's not sufficiently crash-worthy, "CookiePussTeroids" is also spelled wrong.

by Angela Natividad    Jun-27-08    
Topic: Bad, Brands, Games, Online, Promotions, Strange



Devo Sues McDonald's, Starch Engages, Colt 45 Dubbed Too Cool

devotoy.jpg

- Musical group Devo (yes, apparently, they still exist) is suing McDonald's for making Happy Meal dolls in the band's likeness.

- Wanna hop on the "engagement" bus and whip out some cool "engagement" figures during your next client presentation? Then check out Starch's new engagement index, a buzzword-worthy combination of the organization's "noticed" and "read half/some" metrics.

- As only George Parker can, Yahoo's recent re-organization is characterized akin to the way Queen Victoria characterized the inevitability of rape.

- AgencySpy reports, "AS just got another tip that "at least 2 ECDs and a bunch of lower level creatives have gotten the axe today" at Doner. This can't possibly have anything to do with Minute Maid. No, you think? That was quick."

more »

by Steve Hall    Jun-27-08    
Topic: Brands, Commercials, Research



Karl Lagerfeld Donned the Yellow Vest. Why Not You?

lagerfield-road-safety.jpg

When they need to promote a drab or tiresome message, French creatives always know what buttons to push: the really, really shallow ones.

At left, Chanel's Karl Lagerfeld encourages pedestrians and motorists to wear yellow safety vests with the following message (big merci to desedo for translating): "It's yellow, it's ugly, it doesn't go with anything, but it could save your life."

Thank you, Lord Lagerfeld. I will never complain about my bicycle helmet or plump orange swimming vest ever, ever again.

The effort is part of a French government safety campaign. As of July 1, the vest and reflective triangle will be mandatory for drivers and cyclists.

Wince. No wonder they enlisted The Karl. It sounds unforgivably tasteless. Oh, the sacrifices you make in the name of life.

by Angela Natividad    Jun-27-08    
Topic: Campaigns, Cause, Celebrity, Magazine, Poster



A-B Ditches Energy Bevs, Sleepers Solicited, IDA Seeks Airwave Rejects

megabang-sexgod.jpg

- It Didn't Air is another awards show that aspires to tickle the creative babies that were too ugly or flawed to make it into waking life. Strictly for radio ads -- and only $75 to enter!!

- Anheuser-Busch is going to stop selling energy drinks. Which is probably wise, because tipsy + hyper = high likelihood of Death by Freak Accident. Typically on a train track.

- Mega-Bang turns bald, bearded, nearsighted men into repetitive sex gods. Also, check out his bathrobe insignia. It's a phallus. With an orbit.

- Mattress Firm is looking for the most sleepless person in America. The winner gets a new mattress and a free consultation from a shrink -- er, sleep expert. To enter, write an essay or submit a video, though I think the latter's preferred because that's what all the cool kids do.

by Angela Natividad    Jun-27-08    
Topic: Brands, Campaigns, Events, Online, Promotions, Spoofs



Boys Will Be Boys And Boys Will Get What Boys Deserve

AE_ritz.jpg

OK. Guy with acquired class along with hot girl enters Ritz Carlton pool. Guy with born and bred class approaches and the one up-manship begins. Both men devolve, as many men do where a beautiful woman is concerned, into classless buffoons. In the end, the right one wins.

It's the next "film" in a series from the Ritz Carlton and American Express.

by Steve Hall    Jun-27-08    
Topic: Brands, Good, Video



City Trees Transformed Into Carrots to Promote Farmer's Market

CarrotWrap-2.jpg

Here's a bit of ambient street work for you. To promote a local farmer's market, Portland, Oregon-based Owen Jones & Partners placed plastic linings in the shape of carrots around the bottoms of several trees on a city block. In addition to the linings which make the trees look like carrots, the agency also placed placards over the antennae of automobiles throughout the city making them look like scrumptious barbecued vegetable skewers.

by Steve Hall    Jun-27-08    
Topic: Good, Outdoor



Barnes & Noble End Cap A Religiously Sexy Mashup

endcap__sex_city_barnes_noble.jpg

John Kreicbergs was in his local Barnes & Noble the other day and walked past an end cap that caught his attention. At the end of one of the aisles was a display for Sex and the City. Pictured was Sarah Jessica Parker in a low cut top but that's not really why Kreicbergs noticed the end cap. In an odd sort of juxtaposition, the display caps the end of the Christianity section of the store.

It's not that religious people never think about or have sex, it's just that it's likely not the first thing on their mind when seeking a book on the topic.

by Steve Hall    Jun-27-08    
Topic: Point of Purchase, Strange



Become a Cop -- or Even a Lawyer! -- All with a Flip of that Burger

westwood-college.jpg

Denver-based Cactus put together this promotional video for Westwood College, a vocational school for, you know, vocations.

Way better than those crap Western Career College ads (whose only legacy is this drunk guy). And if you find it tough to take degree recommendations from a guy in a diner uniform, sit tight: he changes clothes.

More creative here. One tagline we liked: "Go from making a living to MAKING A LIFE." Smooooth.

by Angela Natividad    Jun-27-08    
Topic: Brands, Commercials, Good, Online, Television



Duracell Salutes the Everyday Obvious

sliced-bread-duracell.jpg

New Media Strategies just debriefed us on Museum of the Obvious, a campaign that showcases obvious inventions.

I dig the virtual museum, but the online videos are way too long. This might be because New Media Strategies believes that "on the internet, speed kills." (Really?)

Nice use of the Duracell theme music, though. See:

o Sliced Bread
o Pre-Charged Rechargeable Batteries (the actual Duracell product!)
o Oven Mitt
o Football Helmet

by Angela Natividad    Jun-27-08    
Topic: Brands, Campaigns, Online, Video



MySpace: Movin' On Up, With Love from Cartier

cartier-love-myspace.jpg

With help from TEQUILA, Cartier built a MySpace page to showcase its latest collection, "Love by Cartier."

"How far would you go for love?" This question appears across creative and in artist interviews. For a coveted Love bracelet, expect to go pretty far: $1000 or more. Get this: you have to fill out a form to get any pricing information.

Tracks come courtesy of Lou Reed, Grand National and Marion Cotillard, among others. Download 'em at the Cartier Love website. I tried, but didn't like the process. The form is too much work -- Cartier likes everything just so -- and the site controls the download. So I missed the tiny "33%" at the bottom of the screen and closed the browser.

Way to go.

Cartier's MySpace goes live in the US, UK, France, Hong Kong, Japan, Italy, Switzerland, Spain and China. Here's to hoping users feel more passionate about 18k-gold love than they do about credit card debt.

by Angela Natividad    Jun-27-08    
Topic: Brands, Campaigns, Online



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