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Workshops to Ease Social Media Migraine

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Twitter got you stressed? Facebook got you exasperated? The social graph got your blood pressure up? Sick of your client/your agency blathering on endlessly asking/telling you about social media? Then you should check out a couple of workshops offered by J.A. Jones Consulting.

The workshops are designed to address two common barriers to entry in social media: understanding how to use the increasing number of tools and understanding social media etiquette to personally connect with audiences online.

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by Steve Hall    Feb-26-09    
Topic: Industry Events, Social



You Don't Have to Quit, but At Least Leave the Building.

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With help from Cactus, ONE Step focuses on protecting the health of young children by encouraging smoker parents to go outside before lighting up.

The narration is soothing and the message doesn't direct smoking wholesale, although the smoke dragons and flesh-eating ravens -- which malevolently circle and eventually engulf the kiddies -- make things just uncomfortable enough.

We'll step outside, and we don't even have kids. Though this doesn't provide a gameplan for what to do when little kids walk by, but hey, those ones aren't yours.*

More on this at raisesmokefreekids.com.

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by Angela Natividad    Feb-26-09    
Topic: Campaigns, Cause, Commercials, Television



CNBC Wants Your Eyeballs

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CNBC does the financial thing by day but they get all "original programming" at night. To let people know, they've launched some Woods Witt Dealy & Sons-created, program-specific ads to hype the shows. With the headline, "Show Me the Money," one ad touts American Original: Westminster Dog Show, a backstage look at the inner workings of the $43 billion pet industry. PETA?

Another ad carrying the ever-appropriate headline, "Demolished," examines "how the American dream became a nightmare" in a show called How the American Dream Became A Nightmare. Hmm, now that sounds like some seriously depression-inducing programing.

But, hey, we gotta face facts. Pet shows are stupid and the American Dream does not mean everyone should own a home.

See both ads here and here.

by Steve Hall    Feb-26-09    
Topic: Cable, Campaigns



Fictional DIRECTV Rival Seeks to Euthanize -- Er, Youthenize -- America

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DIRECTV reminds us all of its relevance (...?) with help from fictional rival Cable Corp Inc. In this latest installment of boardroom bumbling, Cable Corp decides to battle DIRECTV with a new tagline: "Get Youthenized!"

Enter creepy puns. By Deutsch/LA.

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by Angela Natividad    Feb-26-09    
Topic: Brands, Campaigns, Commercials, Television



Trusted Voice Used to Herd Generation Next into Higher Ed

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CollegeClickTV.com hopes to encourage more kids to get a college education -- and possibly get into football? -- by broadcasting soothing pro-college messages, spoken by President Obama, on network TV.

Hear everyone's favourite political personality wax poetic about the merits of an education -- and football -- while a static image reads, "And now a message about... COLLEGE ...the best investment that you can make." CollegeClickTV's URL appears at the end of each clip.

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by Angela Natividad    Feb-26-09    
Topic: Brands, Campaigns, Commercials, Television



There is Nothing SFW About This Image.

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At left is the decidedly safe top corner of "Flesh For Fantasy (Girl #5)", an art print with an anatomical surprise smack-dab in the middle. See the whole thing here (N!S!F!W!).

It's part of an exhibit called Talk Dirty to Me, which is composed of pieces depicting sexual language and/or imagery.

This Hearts on Fire covered news of the exhibit in a manner neither lewd nor naughty, although you've still got the issue of a vagina staring flagrantly back at readers. Glam Media, which sells ad space on the site, didn't take to it and requested that the blog remove the image for the sake of "family brand" advertisers whose names may be sullied by appearing alongside it.

But hell, being in the industry he's in (ours), the author decided that in lieu of taking it down he'd post his entire email exchange with Glam instead. You can see that here, along with another arty sex shot and two more digital copies of the offending lips, just for the hell of it.

Way to stick it to the (ad) man, you stalwart blogger you.

by Angela Natividad    Feb-26-09    
Topic: Events, Opinion, Promotions



Because Why Shouldn't People Be Able to Swing from Your Message?

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Not much to see here, just more bus handle advertising. Zhenda Import and Export, a Chinese firm, swears these are "characterized by novel design, comfortable holding, firmness and long Timeliness." Mostly though, we want to grab one with both hands, swing backward and kick a supervillain in the chest.

Check out somewhat more product-relevant bus handle advertising.

by Angela Natividad    Feb-26-09    
Topic: Outdoor



It's Like 'Honey, I Shrunk the Public Servants!'

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OLSON/Minneapolis promoted NSF International, a certification company that certifies things like bottled water and appliances, by depicting tiny laborers working tirelessly around your kitchen gear. (Just imagine if the shoemaker's elves were actually firemen, and they were deeply concerned about the quality of your saucepan.)

See:

o Water Patrol
o Multivitamin Cop
o Saucepan Firefighters

Campaign tagline: "Live Safer." Catch it in magazines like Parenting, Cooking Light, Men's Fitness and Health. There'll also be an online component that extends beyond sending emails to ad sites.

by Angela Natividad    Feb-26-09    
Topic: Magazine



OMG! An Agency Won Some Business!

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Fallon informs us they've been placed on Nestle Beverage's agency roster and will begin work for the client immediately.

Nestle Beverages VP Alfonso Gonzalez said, "From our earliest meetings Fallon brought insight and understanding to the new world of beverage marketing. Fallon seems to have a grasp on today's consumer who expects more from a brand than a simple transaction. We expect Fallon to create value beyond brand communications."

You go, Fallon.

by Steve Hall    Feb-25-09    
Topic: Agencies, Brands



Man Seeks Credit for 'Hyundai Sunday' Stroke of Genius

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On Super Bowl Sunday Hyundai launched "Angry Bosses," an ad that depicted corpos all over the world angrily shouting Hyundai! in various states of aneurysm-inducing rage.

At the end, a calm voiceover goes, "Win one little award, and suddenly everyone gets your name right. It's 'Hyundai', like 'Sunday'."

Never mind the screamers in the video. That last line, "It's 'Hyundai', like 'Sunday'," has incited the righteous indignation of at least one man, "Bernard in CT," who believes the idea of rhyming "Hyundai" with days of the week was his idea.

And damnit, he deserves the cred for it.

Letter and ad below.

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by Angela Natividad    Feb-25-09    
Topic: Brands, Commercials, Opinion, Television



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