Starbucks kicks off the holidays Pay it Forward-style by disseminating cheer on chilly city streets. Baristas hand out movie tickets and other small gifts on the condition that the recipient has to do something nice for someone else.
The campaign includes a "cheer pass" that tracks how far the "chain of cheer" has gone. Participants are encouraged to visit It's Red Again to share holiday stories and create greetings. The site is hosted by an awkward-looking man who personifies Starbucks' quirky intellectual vibe. It's also ridden with clever recommendations about holiday coffee blends and seasonal cakes.
CEO Jim Donald says they're interested in the qualitative results of the campaign and admits there aren't any of the usual tracking methods attached to it. (It begs the question - how often does anybody really track anything?) We look forward to seeing how many chains get generated. - Contributed by Angela Natividad
Copyranter points out the continuing whackiness of the Bowlmor Lanes ad campiagn but goes step further and suggests some new copy the campaign might wish to consider. From "Knock down pins and get knocked up!" to "He'll be putting more than fingers in the hole," Copyranter does his own version the the Priceless fill in the blank thing. Check it out.
In a poster campaign for Moog Music, the company's ability to digitally re-produce real world sound with its effects technologies is visually represented in a poster campaign which "plugs" Moog technology into original sounds emanating from a sizzling sausage, the crack of a billiard ball, snapping bubble gum and the sound of breaking china. See all the posters here.
Oxfam America has launched an online gift catalog called Oxfam America Unwrapped on which atypical donations such as a camel, goats, sanitations systems, coffee mills and cows can be made. Each person who makes a donation receives a card representing their donation and the money goes to Oxfam America to fund its worldwide efforts. It's a nice representation of what donations can actually achieve.
To promote its mixed martial arts December 2 pay-per-view event, entertainment company Bodog is introducing the BodogFight Red Light Fight series, mini fights that will take place in the back of flat bed trucks which will drive around New York City and several California cities. Complete with round card holding Bodog Girls, fighting will commence each time the truck stops at a red light. It ought to make for some interesting entertainment but we feel sorry for the girls in bikinis who, by November 19 when the promotion starts, could face some less then pleasant temperatures at least in New York. We'll be watching for them though.
UPDATE: If you want a sneak peak at a prototype of the truck, click here.
Advergirl, recently back from some sort of job-imposed exile, points to a direct to consumer drug commercial we can only wish to see in the United States. Free of law suit-induced medical blather ruining half the commercial, this ad tells the story of a Finnish "headplayer" who fell from fame due to headaches only to return with help from headache-reducing Pamfol 500. Much better than those four hour erection ads.
Here's an interesting little piece about the meteoric struggle between the animator and the animated. Apparently it's #4 among the most viral videos du jour so there must be a lot of creative tension in the air.
Aw, hurting for inspiration that doesn't put up a fight? That's what conferences like ad:tech are for. You can't very well hallucinate alone. - Contributed by Angela Natividad
This demonstrates that it is both possible and gratifying to make your telemarketers feel violated.
Scamp tipped us off. He thinks the clip is about the importance of having a strong tone of voice. If by strong tone of voice he means being able to slide into an invasive Deliverance-style redneck state then we agree. - Contributed by Angela Natividad
Brentter points us to an ad for Volkswagen's Touran. A theme park-style ride simulates the journey from bachelorhood to fatherhood with sinister wax or clay dolls. The trip ends in a pretty place with birds chirping and a Touran which is supposed to make you feel better about the whole transition. We're not sure that's how it works, in part because the Touran doesn't exactly look like a blast, but it's a likeable ad nonetheless.
The spot was directed by H5 of RSA/Little Minx for Agence V. - Contributed by Angela Natividad
Siemens jumps on the advergame bandwagon with Stain Art. The object is to stain a shirt with a sadistic palette that includes babies, chocolate, grass and eggs. Soil is especially fun. The best shirt gets put in an ad and the winner receives a Stain Removal washing machine.
Interesting idea. What would be even better is if your shirt got replicated with all those disgusting ingredients and the guy from Cheer appeared at your front door to wash it in a Stain Remover washing machine, which he then gave to you along with a magically clean shirt. - Contributed by Angela Natividad
