Altoids Unveils Sindy in Google-Powered Search Game

You know how much we love games. Find Altoids' Sindy in a game built right into Google Earth. We were never superkeen on Carmen Sandiego, but Sindy probably won't have trouble inspiring a chase.

Nice to see Altoids is over its frightening identity crisis. We salute you, Hal Riney WDDG (oops, sorry about that, guys).

United Colors of Benetton Returns From Dead With New Campaign

The United Colors of Who? Oh, Benetton. Sorry. It's just been years since we've seen anything from the clothier. In fact, we figured they went out of business but no. They are back and this time they are taking on the cause of domestic violence. Each ad stylishly coordinates their clothing line's colors with the bruises on women's faces to drive home the message. Damn. Did we just say "drive home the message?" Sorry, we thought we left that in the conference room years ago after realizing a message can't actually be driven and that saying stuff like that makes one appear to be an idiot. OK so maybe mobile billboards are an exception but we digress.

Benetton is back and they have a message. And as a bonus, maybe the campaign itself will deliver its own version of violence in the form of a slap upside the head of fashionistas who are more concerned with how they look than the plight of women around the world. Damn, that was bitchy.

UPDATE: Surprise, surprise. They're fake. Yawn.

Absolut Brings Back the Miller-Inspired Pillow Fight

As part of its departure from focusing on the bottle, this new TBWA\Chiat\Day-created commercial for Absolut Vodka examines a world which appears to be ruled by Pam Anderson and her fellow bikini-clad pillow fighting babes of yesteryear. During a standoff between shield bearing police officers and protesters, an altercation far different than those 60's-style, Abbie Hoffman-like riots new age historians are so fond of showing occurs. Whether Absolut is the cause or the solution to this unrest is unclear but the spot sure looks like it was fun to shoot.

Suicide Awareness Campaign Sends Multiple Messages

Well here's some interesting commentary on stereotypes and suicide. As a hooded man approaches an elderly man who has just parked his car in a deserted rooftop parking lot, the elderly man cowers in fear the hooded man is about to mug him. Instead, the hooded man passes him by and heads for the edge of the rooftop as the elderly man realizes the ongoing scenario is much different that what he initially assumed. The spot is part of a British campaign calling attention to the fact suicide claims the lives of three men each day.

Liven Up Your Boring Presentations With...Skin

If you've been in this business for any amount of time, you've sat through your unfair share of mindless meetings during which dense data is pointlessly pontificated to the point of insanity-laced frustration. Half way through the presentation you want to jump on the presenter and beat them to a bloody pulp for stealing yet another hour you'll never get back. This presentation from Good Magazine might also cause you to jump on the presenter but with entirely different motivations.

more »

Spoof Provides Douche Cologne to Douchebags

Left by a commenter in yet another story about Axe and their hate-to-love-it, love-to-hate-it Bom Chicka Wah Wah oddity, comes Douche Cologne, that, if the marketer and the agency conveyed the truth about Axe users, would become the next ad campaign for the brand. Poking fun at everything from pop collars, striped shirts, bottle service, house music, Scarface lovers, shirtless MySpace pictures, Abercrombie and Diesel, this spooftastic piece of hilarity sends all the metrosexual wannabes home to their mothers.

Yes, Johnny, The Yellow Pages Do Still Exist

Though it's hard to believe, people, apparently, still use the yellow pages. Or at least yellow pages publishers would certainly like people to.Or maybe it's just an Israeli thing. Young & Rubicam Israel sends us these outdoor boards which continue the endless creative twists that yellow pages categories offer for fodder. From circumcision to couples therapy, this campaign still finds humor in a decidedly boring category. See all the boards here and a TV spot here.

Smart, Snarky Audi Ads Leave Watchers Feeling Dirty

Based on its last pair of efforts (1, 2) we decided that ad-wise, Audi's getting pretty - and flippant too, a quality that's lost in luxury car ads that get by on status alone.

Venables, Bell & Partners, San Francisco and production company OUTSIDER USA got together to continue the trend with a couple of new spots.

Moments for the Audi TT plays the tease with meaningful moments cut tantalizingly short, smugly signifying that while you can't get much done in .02 seconds, you can at least change gears. Really, really fast.

Parking is a spot for the A4. The action and length betray an unmistakable fuck-you to marks like Lexus, which features parking assistance technology.

In the world of high speed and hot bumpers, Audi's positioned as the innocuous-chick-turned-hot-bitchy-babe, and everyone wants to like her anyway.

Hillary Explores Theme Song Options, Almost Smiles Once or Twice

Hillary, who for the 2008 presidential campaign is pushing viral in a big way, recently invited would-be voters to help her pick a campaign song.

Here she discusses the results and even sort of invites people to laugh at her, except with Hillary one never feels comfortable laughing about anything.

If we were Hillary we'd play the Darth Vader theme everywhere we went and act really pompous (think Xerxes, 300).

Hit the Hillary Clinton website to find out which song won. It probably wasn't the Darth Vader theme, but that would have cost way too much anyway. Sanjaya's looking for a gig, though.

Solar-Powered Billboard Tells Cautionary Eco Tale

Oh, how exciting. DraftFCB, Toronto has solved the energy crisis, having harnessed the power of sunlight to fuel this billboard. (We always knew agencies could do more than push product.)

Developed for the World Wildlife Fund, its water levels rise when the sun hits it. Text reads, "Ocean levels are rising faster than ever."