Adrants Will Resume Regularly Scheduled Programming Thursday

We've been busy in Las Vegas at Affiliate Summit. Combine conference craziness with Las Vegas antics and it becomes, to say the least, difficult to find time to write. But we'll be back in full force Thursday.

Just consider this a commercial break. This is, after all, advertising, right?

Affiliate Summit West Kicks Off With Foursquare Foolery

The first night of Affiliate Summit is always an enjoyable one primarily for two reasons. It's the first time you get to re-connect with industry mates you haven't seen in a while and you don't have to get up early the following day because the conference doesn't start until noon.

This year Shawn Collins and Missy Ward, founders of Affiliate Summit, opened registration early at 4PM to those that arrived Saturday could get the whole badge pick up thing out of the way. There will be over 4,000 attendees this year. We took advantage of early registration and scored our badge at 4:05PM. We ran into the wonderful Amy Rodriguez from Affiliate Summit who, along with Shawn and Missy, made our conference visit possible.

After a much-needed nap and registration were out of the way, it was time to visit the iBar in the lobby of the Rio. There, we hung with the buy.at team, Missy Ward and Michelle and Loren Feldman of 1938media fame. Thesis creator Chris Pearson was there as well.

Then it was off to dinner at Buzio's with Michelle and Loren. For most of dinner, we talked about the pros and cons of foursquare. So much so, the two of them, who had been holding out, decided to sign up. Then the fun began. We all engaged in a bit of foursquare fuckery for the fun of it. What, you ask is foursquare fuckery?

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adidas Meets Star Wars on Street Corner

Where in the world would you expect to see Darth Vadar and the Stormtroopers hanging out with Snoop Dogg, David Beckham Calle 13 and Neil Armstrong? In a new Sid Lee-created commercial for adidas, of course. The new spot celebrates the launch of the brand's Star Wars sneakers and apparel. It's culture clash-licious.

Minnesota Lottery Turns Rat Race Into Hamster Race

Aiming to identify with a certain rodent humans use to describe a world of repetitive monotony, Colle+McVoy has tapped another rodent to show us just how fun playing the lottery can be. And how much of a relief it can be to the rat race of life.

In seven new commercials the agency employed hamsters to live out human-like scenarios we're all familiar with. The office grind. Office drudgery. Overly talkative tea guest. See them here.

Grasshopper Commercial Aims to Combat Ad Skipping

It's no secret people use and love their DVRs. And, according to virtual phone company Grasshopper, 70 percent of TV watchers fast forward through commercials. They also claim those who do fast forward through commercial pay more attention to the center of the screen when they do so.

To combat ad skippage, leverage the center screen focus and yet another claimed fact human brains are able to process images and advertisements moving 20 times faster than normal without sound, Grasshopper created a commercial which places its mascot, Gary, in the center of the screen. He doesn't move during the entire commercial so if the ad is being fast forwarded, the viewers will see a constant image.

See the spot, which debuts Monday, here.

Dear E*Trade, Your Babies Are Getting Tired

Yes, the E*Trade babies are back. Well, it's a different baby this year because, you know, babies grow and last year's baby isn't a baby anymore. Two new ads will debut during two NFL playoff games on Saturday, January 16 -- the first during the NFC divisional playoffs on FOX at 4:30pm ET, and the second during the AFC divisional playoff game on CBS at 8:00pm ET. A third "Talking Baby" advertisement will debut on CBS during Super Bowl at approximately 6:28pm ET.

You can check out the two commercials here. Sadly, there's nothing special about these commercials. The shtick is getting old. Even the babies "shocked face" is lame. The creators could of as leave had a little more fun morphing the little guys face into something that actually resembled shock. Hopefully, the Super Bowl version of this campaign is an improvement.

First Lady Michelle Obama Asks Americans to Support Haiti

Furthering the efforts to raise money for Haiti following the recent earthquake the country experienced, First Lady Michelle Obama appears in an America Red Cross PSA asking American to donate.

"I was eager to join the Ad Council and the Red Cross to launch this call to action in the wake of this week's devastating earthquake," said First Lady Michelle Obama. "The people of Haiti are struggling just to survive. And every one of us has the power to help."

The PSAs encourage audiences to go to www.redcross.org or call 1-800-RED-CROSS. On cell phones, viewers can text "HAITI" to 9-0-9-9-9 and $10 will be given automatically to the American Red Cross.

We've done it. Have you?

ABC, CBS, FOX and NBC Television Networks, Clear Channel Communications, Comcast, CNN, Headline News, TBS, TNT, TruTV, Cartoon Network, Sundance Channel, IFC, Tribune Television Stations, Discovery Networks, Hallmark Channel, Lifetime Networks, Fox Networks Group and Sinclair Broadcast Group will all donate airtime for the PSAs.

FBI Debits Billboard in Times Square

Today the FBI has launched an electronic billboard in Times Square which will share with the world the FBI's Most Wanted. The effort was originally launched with 100 billboards in 23 cities across the country. Working with Clear Channel Outdoor, the agency now has access to 1,500 billboards in 40 states. The FBI has used billboards to catch criminals since 2007 and reports 30 cases have been solved as a result of publicizing fugitives.

Die Hard Powers Reggie Watts

Back in the day, DieHard commercials used to go to great lengths to illustrate how long their batteries lasted. In one such illustration, they left a car frozen on a lake to see if it would start. In a more recent commercial from Y&R Chicago intended to reach a younger audience, we see beat boxer Reggie Watts powered by the Die Hard Platinum battery perform for a bit. The battery powering Watts and all his equipment then starts a car.

Given that the only real power Watts is using here is for a few lights and a small, tabletop amplifier, the spot feels weak and doesn't really illustrate the staying power of the battery very well.

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Seriously? Boston Still Thinks the Yankees Suck?

If you're a Red Sox fan, you might like this three-spot spec campaign. Or, after viewing, you might not want to admit you're a Red Sox fan since all this campaign does is paint you a sore loser. You did beat the curse a few years ago, after all. Lighten up.