Because Even the Big Guns Slip Sometimes

This online ad for Cleatskins starts out like a typical sportsgear spot: adrenaline-pumping music, bad-ass sports star, epic narrative. It all seemed very made-for-TV.

And then the end happened, and then I laughed, because this is the kinda stuff you can do on the 'net that you can't risk doing on television. Unless you're Budweiser.

Produced by Kamp Grizzly for agency UXB.

Nebraska Princess's YouTube Debut, Little Big Planet's Qu'ran Faux Pas, Hummer Dummer

- Make magazine offers Twitter support. Hey, neato.

- Wayne Wang's The Princess of Nebraska premiered on YouTube last Friday. Which brings up the usual "dawn of a new era?" questions.

- Ecast MixMaster helps decide how best to get you trashed.

- O noes, kids and search and porn.

- Little Big Planet alienates Muslims. I would never have guessed.

- The essence of blogging.

- Do you dare mess with someone else's Hummer -- even for love of advertising? Good luck and godspeed.

ObamaPalinMcCain Mania Fodder For last Minute Travel Club

Keta Keta, creators of such classics as Make Love, Not War, Holy Land, Koolanoo and hair loss drug Propecia are out with an election parody for LastMinuteTravelClub. Throughout the video, in which Obama, McCain, Palin, Clinton and others dance around Jib Jab-style, "Product placements" appear for LastMinuteTravel.

Hey, can you really blame anyone for latching on to this train wreck?

Power and Environment Come Together Blissfully on Beach

There's no reason those who are one with the environment and those who are one with muscle car-style power can't come together in blissful harmony. Created by Montreal-based PALM Communication, this Volkswagen TDI commercial brings together two people in a seemingly unlikely match to illustrate there's no reason power and the environment can't co-exist.

Now if only the "drill, baby, drill" people and the "yes we can" people would engage in a massive group hug. Only in advertising are such unlikely matches made possible.

OMG! Axe Leaves Boobs Behind, Focuses on Product Benefit

Just when you think every last idea for selling deodorant has been done, Axe comes up with yet another. In a nod to earlier work centered on a guy who sweats like a fire hydrant, Axe has launched Canadairman, a dude who, because he sweats so much, is used as a means to extinguish a raging fire enveloping a residential area.

On the site, the campaign is extended to widgets, mobile, wallpaper and, of course, a Facebook page.

Your Creativity Should Shine Through Squash.

Last week Ice Tea Productions sent a pumpkin and a carving kit to about 450 agency creatives. The lucky fools were tasked with carving that most creative of pumpkins. (Extra points if you do it during office hours. Well ... no, not really.)

Once finished, send a shot of your magnum opus to gina@iceteaproductions.com. Entries will be accepted until October 29th.

A panel of ad industry judges will decide on the best pumpkins. Winners could receive a $100 gift certificate to a restaurant, or a $100 shopping spree at Bloomingdale's, or a massage, or tickets to a concert, or a gift certificate to Starbucks, or any other paper voucher lying around unused in Ice Tea Productions' coffers.

Oh, you could also get Nike sneakers.

Photo credit: Sandsational.

Terry Tate Tackles Palin, Twitter Fundraises, Pepsi Trouble BBDO

- Terry Tate make a triumphant return taking down Sarah Paling for failing to answer a simple question.

- Last week, Amanda Mooney organized the first Twitter-based fund raising event. $180 was raised through $5 donations fo The Susa G. Komen Foundation.

- BBDO appears to be getting the push side from Pepsi which has given a portion of its three year, $1.2 billion advertising to Arnell which will redesign the Pepsi logo and packaging.

- If you're Hooter and your in Vegas, this is what you do to boost business.

- Creeping is wrong.

Contemplating Parenthood? Brooke Shields May Change Your Mind

At left is the baby I made with Johnny Depp, courtesy of the Routan Babymaker3000.

The babymaker's part of a broader Volkswagen Routan campaign featuring Brooke Shields. You've probably seen the ads where she barrages expecting couples with questions about why they're having babies "simply for the love of German engineering." (I didn't really get this at first, but after sitting through the mocumentary, I completely understand: people are having babies so they can buy minivans! Of course!)

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Sometimes, I Guess, the Scars Make the Man

MasterCard's "Priceless" is one of those campaigns you wanna milk as long as possible: it makes a statement about what people value, and potential variations are endless.

But the "product, price tag; product, price tag; sentiment = priceless" formula has gotten stale. And unfortunately for MasterCard, competitors like Visa and American Express have taken advantage of its stagnation to launch their own heart-wrenching commentaries on society.

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Apple Pokes Fun at Vista's $300 million Advertising Budget

Not one to sit idly by while its nemesis gets a $300 million makeover, Apple is out with two new commercials, one of which directly comments on the amount of money Microsoft is spending on its current advertising campaign. In the ad, we see PC divvying up Microsoft's budget allocating the lion's share to the ad campaign and a minuscule amount to fixing Vista's problems.

Mac comments on the seemingly illogical allocation which causes PC to think for a minute before he reallocates in a manner not quite expected by Mac. It's pointed commentary on the all too common viewpoint advertising can cure all ills.

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