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Watch This Ad Business Insider Says Will Make A Nation Cry

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I'm not sure this Business Insider headline, "All Of Britain Has Waited An Entire Year So It Can Burst Into Tears In Front Of This One TV Commercial," accurately captures the story but it will certainly get you to read the story.

While the commercial in question, British retailer John Lewis' annual Christmas commercial, The Hare & The Bear, is certainly sweet, we think it's more likely to bring a smile than a tear. But to each his own. We aren't judging. We do like the commercial. Which, to be fair, is, in fact, judging when's all said and done.

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by Steve Hall    Nov- 8-13    
Topic: Commercials



In Thailand, Vacuuming is an Art Form

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When we think of vacuum advertising, our minds are often filled with images of mom rushing to clean up after her children have run through the house with thier muddy boots on. Or James Dyson intoning some feat of technical wizardry. But in Thialand, it's an art form.

Well, at least when Saatchi & Saatchi Thailand hook up with Thai artist Chalit Nakpawan. In the ad, we see Nakpawan seeming create art with vacuum. Of course, you will come to realize the whole thing was shot in reverse and he's actually vacuuming up a masterpiece he created previous. All to demonstrate the fact this particular Electrolux vacuum is some kind of dirt trash compactor. Which is just weird.

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by Steve Hall    Nov- 8-13    
Topic: Commercials



When There's a Banana on Your Swing and A Monkey on Your Ass, You Need Kvass

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What's the best cure for a hangover? Don't let yourself be misled by all those organic concoctions that do nothing but make you smell funny. No, the best cure for a hangover is more booze. Just ask the experts, the Russians. Admittedly well known for getting their epic drink on, they have a product called KBAC/kvass which is created by the fermentation of flour and malt and results in a beverage with 1.2% alcohol, just the right amount to take the edge off a hangover.

Or so we are led to believe in this Red Pepper-created commercial. Because after all, this method is akin to fighting fire with fire which, wait a minute, firefighters actually did employ this as a fire fighting tactic so maybe drinking more booze in the morning is all good. OK. Sounds great to us!

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by Steve Hall    Nov- 8-13    
Topic: Strange



If You Eat This Taco Bell Triple Steak Stack, You Will Be 'Three Times the Man'...In Bed

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Guys, answer me this. I mean really. If Taco Bell said you would be three times the man if you ate its Triple Steak Stack would you waste that increase in manhood on a pick up basketball game or would you immediately make a booty call to your favorite lady and share with her your triple-sized manhood?

I mean, really. The answer is simple, isn't it? Be honest.

Props to Deutsch LA.

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by Steve Hall    Nov- 8-13    
Topic: Commercials



Fallon London Probably Didn't Want to Clean Up After This 'Messy' Cadbury Ad

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Fallon London created a beautiful holiday-themed ad for Cadbury Dairy Milk in which an entire neighborhood is neatly clad in wrapping paper. On Christmas morning, all the kids come out and go crazy unwrapping the neighborhood. After tossing paper all over the place, they finally tackle a snowman figure which is wrapped and filled with Cadbury bars.

Awesome. But we sure wouldn't want to clean up after this mess. Or after that Sony Bravia Balls ad. Or any Sony Bravia ad for that matter. Maybe we should dub this not-so-new form of advertising wastevertising?

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by Steve Hall    Nov- 8-13    
Topic: Commercials



Advertising People Love Bourbon, Porn And Muting Ads

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Lowe Roche took it upon themselves to dig into the likes of advertising types. What did they come up with? Advertising people drink nine times more bourbon then the average person and they watch porn 1.7 times as much. Booze and porn. Yea, they pretty much sums up the ad world, doesn't it?

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by Steve Hall    Nov- 6-13    
Topic: Agencies



How Video Can Increase Conversion Rates

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Since the advent of YouTube, and even before, online video has become (or most certainly should become) an integral component of every marketer's tool kit. Why? Because people are visual, they like to be entertained and when they want the answer to a question, they don't want to work too hard to get it. Video delivers on all three fronts.

Check out video usage stats from comScore, eMarketer and Internet Retailer and six ways you use video on your brand's site to improve ROI here.

by Steve Hall    Nov- 6-13    
Topic: Research, Video



7 Reasons Brand Blogging Beats Online Advertising

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A little over a decade ago, blogging was something done by individuals, certainly not big brands - or brands of any size, for that matter. Flash forward to today; everyone's blogging. Yes, individuals and upstarts are still hard at work sharing their opinions, but major news organizations and brands have jumped on board, realizing the many benefits of blogging.

While brand blogging grew in popularity, traditional online advertising has been waning in both popularity and effectiveness. Oh yes, we have programmatic buying and DSPs, but that's a bit like one computer speaking algorithm to another. The net result is still an ad banner and, barring a few exceptions, that approach simply does not work any more.

Adrants Editor Steve Hall, writing for Central Desktop, has put together the top seven reasons a blog post is beneficial to marketers and why brand blogging is a vast improvement over traditional online ad units.

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by Steve Hall    Nov- 5-13    
Topic: Weblogs



Yawn. Oh Wait. Not Yawn! Model Falls Down Manhole, Strips to Underwear, Lands in Marks and Spencer's Wonderland, Loses Clothes Again, Goes to Oz

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OK, that ridiculously long, search engine-unfriendly headline pretty much tells the story but it is, indeed, a magically crafted one. And it has Helena Bonham Carter! Along with the Alice in Wonderland theme, there are touches of Little Red Riding Hood, The Magic Carpet (with a hot guy), the Wizard of Oz and...Helena Bonham Carter.

The model is question is Rosie Huntington-Whitley and the work was created by RKCR/Y&R for Marks and Spencer. Enjoy.

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by Steve Hall    Nov- 5-13    
Topic: Brands, Celebrity



The Definitive Guide to Corporate Blogging for Marketers

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Blogging. For one contingent of marketers, pumping out posts on the company blog is their favorite part of the day; an opportunity to muse about industry news, highlight their product, and release creative fuel that is otherwise bottled up. For other marketers, blogging is the chore in the way of getting "more important" work accomplished. In other words, writing daily posts is an endless nuisance, like listening to "The Song That Never Ends."

Consider why you should be a member of the former group:

  • B2B marketers who use blogs generate 67% more leads per month than those who do not.
  • B2C companies that blog generate 88% more leads per month than those who do not.
  • 92% of companies who blog multiple times per day have acquired a customer from their blog.
  • 57% of companies with a blog have acquired a customer from their blog.
Download this whitepaper, The Definitive Guide to Corporate Blogging for Marketers, from Bridgeline now to ensure your brand is maximizing its blogging efforts.

by Steve Hall    Nov- 5-13    
Topic: Research, Social



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