Durex Brings Us Sounds of the Season

OK. So they're not really sounds of the season and they're not really sounds you can listen to at work which...is OK, right? Because no is at work this week. Sadly, for the poor souls who are, starp on your earphones before you give this Durex commercial a view. And don't worry about the video portion. It's all text.

The ad was created by Shanghai-based Exis.

Nigeria Gets Real Money From Fake Email Spam Scam

So Mother decides to give away $10,000 as a Christmas gift this year. Rather than spreading it across several clients and charities, the agency cooked up a promotion that resulted in a fake email spam that offered the money to the first person who responded with their bank account information. One person actually did.

Mother then traveled to the office of one Theo Delaney and handed the man the $10,000. In a humorous twist, Delaney turned around and gave the money to the Nigerian charity Forward Nigeria. The knowing reaction of the Nigerian woman is priceless.

Prisoner Escapes, Launches Facebook Page

In other social media news, Facebook is now a means through which an escaped criminal can taunt police while on the lam. Yes, it's true. Craig Lynch escaped from Hollesley Bay Prison on September 23 and launched a Facebook page with an image of himself sticking up his middle finger and posts that talk about where he is.

Don't you love social media?

Olympic Hotties Do Stupid Luge Stunts For Nestle

It's the fake (or not) viral thing again. Just as Kobe Bryant jumped over a moving Aston Martin and did a jump shot over a pool of live snakes, we have 2008 Olympic gold medal gymnast Shawn Johnson (damn, she's cute) and 2006 Olympic gold medal speed skater Apolo Ohno stunting for Nestle.

In a Team Krispies versus Team Chocolate battle, Johnson does a back flip over a moving bobsled and Ohno skates down a luge. While the stunts look very real, the likelihood the handlers behind these two would ever allow them to be put in this sort of danger is highly unlikely.

Fake or not? Who cares. It's marketing.

Trees Hugged, Toys Wind, Mistletoe Cam'd, Magazine Futured

- Got a holiday wish? JWT wants it.

- Want so sexy Twitter analytics? Here's yet another tool for you to drool over. Check out Colle+McVoy's Squawq.

- Are you a Tree Hugger? Then you'll love this. Send a Christmas/Holiday eCard to as many people as you want - and the cost to you is nothing. For each card that's sent, Tesco will donate 5p to the Woodland Trust with the ultimate aim of planting 300 trees!

- TuB Gin, the bootlegger-themed premium gin created and distributed by Philly-based indie creative shop Red Tettemer and Colorado-based Peach Tree Distillery, has announced The TuB Gin Film Shoot Out.

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Sick of Elf Yourself? Try Santa's Snow Globe

Elf Yourself! Elf Yourself! Elf Yourself! Sick of the annual OfficeMax insanity? Then you'll love this little game from Studio Tiga called Santa's Snowglobe. You get to pummel the elves with a snowstorm, shake them silly or have a reindeer kick the crap out of them. Glee.

British Teens to Explain What's Really Going in the Country

Because children's causes are always a good thing, at 15:10 on Christmas Day, British teenagers will deliver a message to the nation. 'The Teens' Speech' will features 13-19 year-olds from various backgrounds and classes and will give the adult population their perspective on the state of things in Britain.

From Poke London, the film will debut on the front page of MySpace, but there are already many video submissions from teens already on the campaign website.

Maybe the teens can explain to the rest of the world why the country still has a Queen and royal family. Oh right. The tabloids would be out of business if there weren't such silliness.

Without Environmental Concerns There'd Be No Musicians

So, according to this campaign from TDA Advertising for Patagonia's 1% for the Planet, musicians would be nowhere if it weren't for environmental causes. There'd be no beaches on which musicians could build their multi-million dollar palaces; there's be no "socially-charged anecdotes" to share at dinner parties and if musicians had no purpose, we all have to listen to music meant for massage therapists.

With POP, print and online, the campaign promotes a 40-song CD from musicians such as Jackson Brown, Mason Jennings and Jack Johnson who donated their work pro bono. All proceeds from the sale of the CD will go to the charity.

Hairy Back, Speedo, Bikinis. The New Agency Pimpage

When someone writes, "this new site has to be experienced rather than explained," our first reaction is, whatever, dude...it can't possibly be any better than all the other sites that get sent in with the same commentary. But this one from Denver-based Factory Labs is a bit different. And, you do have to experience it to get it. Don't expect to arrive and find the standard portfolio or anything.This is all about (oh God, are we going to say it?) experiential marketing.

The Red Cross Pops The Salvation Army

Now here's a store you don't expect to see at the mall. Like a steamroller crushing old-school Salvation Army bell ringers, The Red Cross has popped up a store in an upscale shopping center in Madrid. Created by Leo Burnett Madrid, the store contains pseudo books that contain bookmarks that remind people their contributions help make the story a happy one.

Many Spanish celebrities from Real Madrid's Álvaro Arbeloa and Ruben de la Red to gymnast Rafa Martinez to actor Miguel Hermoso showed up for the store opening. The store took in record breaking donations over its first weekend. It'll be up through the month of December.