If your sick of that long-winded account director blathering on endlessly in a pointless meeting about a client's brand vision, mission, essence and position, you might have a little fun sending them a link to Elmo's Potty Time, an Animax Entertainment-created game that, well, teaches people when it's time to stop what you're doing and take a break. Unfortunately when we played the game, we couldn't help Elmo out. See, in one scenario, Elmo is jump roping and he stops to say he needs to go to the bathroom and you're supposed to click any key to help him go. Trouble s, no key worked so the poor guy kept asking until the game let him go by himself. We'd sure like to see the version of that game where you can hold Elmo hostage until explodes all over his friends. Now, that would be funny.
GM's Pontiac division is the next mainstream company to join the one million strong Second Life community with the creation of the soon to be launched Motorati Island where residents can engage all kinds of automotive-related projects such as the construction of racetracks and dealerships where the Pontiac Solstice will be on display.
Just like a weblog, Second Life is becoming the marketing tactic du jour for many marketers. Unlike a weblog, brand activity in Second Life may actually generate sales for brands since, in essence, it's an actual, psuedo-real world with currency that changes hands. We're not sure someone's going to actually buy a car in Second Life for their first life yet but it won't be long before that happens. Second Life could very well become the replacement for that dreaded online "service" brands provide their customers called customer service. While brands' rush to blogging and podcasting didn't seem to net much in the way of revenue, Second Life's focus on commerce, just might become a practical and profitable market for all involved.
Bill Green points us to yet another entry in the increasingly popular Geico Caveman saga. In this latest commercial, our caveman friend is subjected to unfeeling, uncaring news anchors who frustrate the poor guy even further. He's got a nice rant in the middle of the spot though. Bill also tells us there's another clip that appears to be a movie trailer for the campaign. We don't know if these will sell any insurance but we cerainly are entertained by them.
Colorado is the new burrough. Denver-based Anthony's New York Pizza has created a bumper sticker campaign that will place stickers in the hands of 500 people who have relocated from the New York area to the Denver area. The list was culled from DMV records and will attempt to make New Yorkers feel right at home in their new mountainous surroundings. See additional creative here.
Beyond Madison Avenue has examined two recent AIDS campaigns. The first, an LA-based campaign which carries the headline "HIV is a gay disease" is causing a stir but if those causing the stir would just read the body copy, they'd know that's not entirely what the ad's saying. The second, a German campaign, carries a racier tone typical of many European ads and cites, "It's easy to lose your head when your horny." Oh, the double (or is it triple) meaning there is just gold.
We opened our email this morning and found a letter from Stephen King entitled "I Know Scary." We thought, yes, that is true. And then we read on:
Dear MoveOn member,
If I know anything, I know scary. And giving this president and this out-of-control Congress two more years to screw up our future is downright terrifying. Thankfully, this national nightmare is one we can end with--literally--a wake up call.
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While this notion is more myth than truth, Post It has done a nice job offering its services to those of us who just can't seem to remember the name of the person laying in bed with us the next morning.
While fast forwarding through something on the DVR last night, we saw what looked like claymation character so we rewound to realize it was a new commercial called Half Baked from Ben and Jerry's. Its one of four in a series, created by Amalgamated and animated by LAIKA/house, that "claymates" ice cream flavors into characters. Shawn Waite isn't sure he likes the literal translation of the spots but we don't like to think too deeply about the topic of ice cream so we're just fine with their simplicity. If anything, they're quite different than ice cream advertising that has come before. Check the commercial out here, here, here and here.
At the corner of Bloor and Avenue in Toronto, Stella Artois unveiled a gigantic two-ton object called The Trap. At the heart of the monument sits a shining glass of Stella Artois beer. The campaign also features chalk drawings, printwork and a game in which pedestrians try to unravel a virtual maze.
The Trap is in Toronto until Oct 25, after which it'll do rounds of cities like New York and San Paulo. Check out shots of it here. - Contributed by Angela Natividad
So you're commuting, right, reading a magazine and minding your own business, when you look up and - oh, man - realize you seriously dig the look of that bus strap against your wrist. In fact, you want one really, really bad.
Riders in Berlin, Germany get to try IWC's Big Pilot's watch mid-commute because bus straps have been fashioned into samplers by Jung von Matt/Alster. Neat. - Contributed by Angela Natividad
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