Speeding Tickets Re-Imagined, Macy's Cleans Slobs

- Speeding tickets suck. Here's a fun way to re-imagine the whole thing into a game that can make you money.

- Macy's recruits Martha Stewart to give fashion tips to a bunch of slobs.

- Bojangle's Restaurant has selected Boone Oakley as its new agency of record.

- Sony tours the world in 80 seconds.

Phallic Food Pimps Sexual Efficiency

You have to wonder if any of these ads are even real. They all look that same. Large image with a tiny logo and no copy. They all end up on Ads of the World. They all have proper credits. Of course, it couls just be that everyone in the world except us Americans realize no one give s s hit about copy ans all they can handle is an image that tells the story.

Oh wait. That's the entire point. With so many different spoken languages over seas, it makes perfect sense to go with the simple, language-agnostic approach. But of course you knew that all along, right?

Anyway, here we have lurking vegetables waiting to pounce on any form of hotness that pesents itself. All to promote something called a "sexual efficiency ring." See all the ads here.

Hmm. Where's the cause group on this one. Those women look positively terrified

Qualcomm Explains Butterfly Attacks

Here's the follow on to that butterfly attack videos. Qualcomm holds a press conference to explain the attacks and what they have to do with the company's interferemetric modulation technology..whatever that is. Anyway, give it a watch. Live the secondary news scroll at the bottom of the screen.

AdAge Selects New Ad Review Critic: Me

We Love Our Adrants Gig

This may come as a surprise (in fact, it was a surprise to me) but after a long, hard decision making process I've decided to accept the role of Ad Critic at Advertising Age, where I will report directly to Editor Abbey Klaassen. Klaassen was kind enough to let me break the news here.

I started my career in advertising reporting nearly nine years ago, blogging from a swanky McMansion in Boston where the interns, clad in plaid, pleated minikirts would bring me my coffee at nine and my Old Fashioned at three. After having been layed of one too many times, I decided to forgo agency life and all the trappings that came with it and, instead, toil in the hand to mouth lifestyle as a burgeoning ad blogger. Well, what with all those plaid, pleated,miniskirt-wearing interns, it hasn't been all bad. From there it was an upward climb towards Bob Garfield-like infamy. The two of us have had our fair share of words over the years but Advertising Age realized it was time for a change. Recently, Garfield announced his abdication of the Ad Critic throne after 25 years of service.

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Fiverr the New Playground for Cheap Marketers, Money-Hungry Agencies

I will come up with a slogan for your website or product for $5. I will hold up a message on time square for $5. I will submit your site to all major search engines for $5. I will print screen your company logo on a t-shirt and wear it for a week for $5. I will consult your business on search marketing for 30 minutes for $5. I will design a custom web banner for your business for $5. I will write a memorable tagline for your business for $5. I will do a voiceover for your podcast/website/business for $5. I will design your Business Card for $5.

Well I won't but hundreds of fiverr members will. fiverr is a site on which people promise to to things for $5. And it's as simple as that. Browse. Click. Buy. If you need some simple, ad-related tasks done, this site is definitely worth a look.

And if you're an agency looking for the opportunity to wildly mark up costs to reap a ridiculous profit, this site is most definitely for you.

Travelocity Gnome Joins Chatroulette

Chatroulette, a random video chat service that's similar to speed dating, now has the Travelocity Gnome jumping aboard the chat-fest. It's not the first brand to try the service. French Connection did that early last month.

Travelocity agency McKinney mans the gnome who holds up signs with various messages including "This would be more fun if we were in Rio." Hmm. How long before some enterprising hacker invents an "auto-next" feature so everyone can avoid chatting with a brand while they are busy having cybersex (remember that term?)?

Regarding some people's natural inclination to work sex into every media form, Travelocity's Joel Frey told AdWeek, "If we run across that type of person we're not going to engage we him. We'll leave it at that. It's something that's a concern with a new and different form like this. As long as we're being disciplined, we can overcome that and keep it to conversations with people who should be thinking about trips."

So here we have a yet another new "social media" service and within months, brands are all over it. Is this a good thing? Is there a place for brands on Chatroulette? Do people really want to chat with a brand? Thoughts?

Publicitair Launches World's First Ad Supported Airline

And...here we go. The first April Fool's joke of the day. "Former pilot and regular air traveler" Mark Terry-Lush, Renegade Media founder, has launched Publicitair, the world's first free passenger airline. The operation will be funded completely by advertising.

The release wants marketers to know, "Every surface of the aircraft, inside and out - from the tailfin to the in-flight entertainment - is available for branding."

Terry-Lush explains his approach, saying, "With BA strikes, airlines going bankrupt and budget airlines charging to go to the loo, it's clear that aviation business models are floundering. Passengers are getting a raw deal, so we've put our 20 years media industry experience to the test and created the world's first advertiser-funded airline."

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