For 'Mad Men' Promo, Torke Brings '50s and '60s to Lisbon

For season 2 of Mad Men, Torke dressed a passel of perpetual extras up in period costumes, complete with classic cars from the '50s and '60s. Thus coiffed, they wheeled around Lisbon distributing the "Mad Men News."

Not sold. The effort felt more Grease than Mad Ave., minus an Olivia Newton-John knockoff rockin 'the hotpants. If I were on the receiving end of one of those newsletters, I'd be shocked not to find a yearbook in my hand.

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Lemming Like Lite Lovers Drink Yellow Snow

Yup. Winter is on the way and it's time for the yellow snow joke. It's not like there's anything groundbreaking about this commercial or even remotely original. But, like a fart joke that's been told millions of times, it's still funny. Or at least to a small segment, stereotypically portrayed by marketers who think beer drinkers are idiots and will do anything to drink shitty beer.

Crackberry Addicts Do the Strangest Things to Win A Storm

So the Blackberry Storm is almost out. CrackBerry lovers are salivating. And, of course, there are contests for the crazy people who simply can't wait an extra week or two for the initial buying spree to subside. One entrant in the What Would You Do For A Blackberry Storm contest decided to have the Storm tattooed to his leg. Yea, that's what I want of my leg 50 years from now when my grandchildren see it and ask, "Grampa, you mean they had phones that weren't implanted in your head back then?"

Bright Ones: Alisa Hansen is Socialized

There are a lot of bright people who work in the field of marketing. There are few who stand out for their forward thinking mentality and vibrant outlook on the continuous changes ravaging the space. With the :30 long under fire and marketers flailing about trying to determine what's next, it's nice to know there are few smart people out there who can help guide them through the perils of this sea change.

Alisa Leonard-Hansen works in the New York office of Arizona-based digital marketing agency iCrossing, writes for the company blog and shares her own thoughts on social media (or that fact there's no such thing) on her own blog, Socialized. There, she offers her outlook on social media or, according to her, "the current iteration of the web."

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Cheesy Romance Scene Becomes McDonald's Commercial

Don't you sometimes wish, while watching an over-the-top romance scene in a movie, you could put words in the mouths of actors? Well, now, thanks to McDonald's, you can. Or at least you can see on person's version courtesy of this Rob Tenconi-penned McDonald's commercial from Leo Burnett London.

Come on. You know you fantasize about this every time you see a scene like this in a movie. Don't you? Oh wait, you don't? It's just me? Damn, I really do have some kind of obsessive ad-fueled syndrome. Hmm. Must be the result of trying to read Advertising Age, AgencySpy, Adland, AdFreak, AdWeek, AdScam all while frantically updating my Facebook status, tweeting relevant bits to Twitter followers, IMing with tipsters and swimming in a sea of endlessly updating RSS feeds. Yea, that's it.

Homo Promo. Yes, You Read that Right.

The UK's Gay Times recruited agencies and students to tackle an ambitious project: promoting the gay lifestyle to straight men.

James and Joe, two young creatives from Leeds, competed with Kings Arms Creative, Leo Burnett and iris, among other contenders, to accomplish the task in the manner most sassy. At left is what they came up with: a single dude making a distinctly vaggie shape with his mouth. (The grizzle helps.) Caption: "Anything she can do..."

Nice work. We're about 50% sold. Now let's see a chick make a shaft.

Eyeblaster Recognizes Top Rich Media Titans

Last Wednesday after ad:tech, Eyeblaster recognized six agencies for the best digital ad campaigns of 2008.

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Mountains Big. Go Ski.

Melodramatic narrative and epic "nature's wrath!" scope sets you up for the punchline of DNA's "Geologic." Lest thrill-seekers forget: those treacherous crags rising up to the sky? They are there for the benefit of your skis.

Meh.

By Juggernaut/Santa Monica.

Head, Shoulders, Knees, Toes Pull Heart Strings

You had to go and do it didn't you, Lowe Roche Toronto? Bring us down. Make us feel all emotionally overwrought. Make us feel like we're a loser because we live our happy life without much regard for those who don't have it as fortunate. Force us to watch the lives of others decay in front of our eyes - all within 60 seconds.

To that, we say brilliant. Yes, brilliant. This commercial for the ALS Society of Canada hits hard and dramatically illustrates the life-altering effects of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, more commonly known as Lou Gehrig's disease. In the spot, we see the increasingly debilitating effect of ALS and his family. It's not pretty. But then again, neither is the disease. And that's the whole point.

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Longer Lasting Sex A No No. Longer Bonking OK

AdFreak points to an interesting story about an Australian erectile dysfunction company, Advanced Medical Institute which placed a billboard with the headline "Want Longer-Lasting Sex?" That particular headline didn't sit well with those who believe sex is some sort of disease only to be engaged in for short periods of time and only for the purposes of procreation.

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