IKEA Improves New York Bus Shelters

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Curbed has noticed the recent bus stop installations that IKEA has placed around the New York City area making the bus a thing someone might actually want to use to get from point A to point B. Now if they could only do the same thing for cabs.

UPDATE: Deutsch, which created the campaign, informs us, "In preparation for Design Week in NYC, IKEA teamed up with Deutsch to make 'everyday fabulous' for New Yorkers. With more than 650 different experiences during this 5-day, city-wide guerilla marketing event (including padded park benches in Union Square, oven mitts in the #6 train, bus shelters designed for comfort and flair and doggie bowls for our four-legged friends) IKEA proves that good design can make every day even better."

Check out this page for some very cool images of the effort.

by Steve Hall    May-22-06    
Topic: Good, Guerilla, Outdoor



MasterCard Leeches Off Florida Hurricanes For 'Priceless' Campaign'

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In a move that could be described as both the display of good corporate behavior as well as a cheesy effort to leverage natural disaster for corporate gain, MasterCard is lending its "Priceless" campaign to the state of Florida for use in a combined campaign to persuade Floridians to make sure they're ready for hurricane season. On the good corporate behavior side of the story, MasterCard will donate the cost of a print ad campaign in four Florida markets to deliver the hurricane preparedness message. On the not so good corporate citizen side of the story are the lobbying efforts MasterCard may have implemented to get Florida Governor Jeb Bush to sign into legislation a bill creating a tax holiday from May 21 to June 1 on all purchases. Hmm. Lower taxes. Higher purchases. More charge card usage. More money for MasterCard.

by Steve Hall    May-22-06    
Topic: Bad, Brands, Campaigns, Good



Hardee's Disses Sex For Talk In New Ad

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If you can believe it, Hardee's has released an ad without a woman trying to stuff a bunch of straws into her mouth, without a woman writhing atop a mechanical bull and without Paris Hilton slathering herself with soap. nope. Just a bunch of guys talking with their mouths full. Typical.

by Steve Hall    May-19-06    
Topic: Commercials, Good



Test Determines Inferiority of Agencies

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Brooklyn agency The Brooklyn Brothers has created The Inferiator which, by asking you to answer a few questions, can tell you inferior your agency is to theirs. We're guessing every outcome is going to name your agency inferior. It's simple enough to check out.

by Steve Hall    May-18-06    
Topic: Agencies, Good, Strange



Homosexual Finds True Love In Aids Awareness Campaign

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TBWA France created this AdForum top five AIDS Awareness video clip in which the life of a man is chronicled from boyhood to manhood as he become aware of his homosexuality, suffers from homophobic attacks and, ultimately, finds love. The clip was created to combat a decline in condom usage among homosexuals over the last few years. It's goofy. It's quirky. It works.

by Steve Hall    May-18-06    
Topic: Commercials, Good



Dead Man Gets Buried With His Lawn Mower

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Here's a strange spot for Viking, a French company that makes lawn mowers. In the spot, an old man dies while mowing the lawn but just can't part with his beloved grass cutter. Apparently, it's supposed to highlight the longevity and reliability of the thing. Hmm. Who knows.

by Steve Hall    May-18-06    
Topic: Commercials, Good, Strange



Symantec Releases Second Safety Town Video

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Symantec has released the second video in its Safety Town series that follows the travels of a man who had a fraudulent charge made to his credit card. In this episide, the man, Steve, tracks down the store where the fraudulent charge was made and gets a lead on where the card user may have gone. Oh, and he gets rid of the ugly yellow bathrobe. Night Agency created the work.

by Steve Hall    May-18-06    
Topic: Good, Online



Gillette Launches NoScruf Viral Campaign

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It seems Boston's Digitas has been busy creating a Geocities-like site for Gillette called NoScruf. NoScruf stands for National Organization of Social Crusaders Repulsed by Unshaven Faces, a group ,headed by apparent swimsuit model Terry Tarentelli, that is sick and tired of the unshaven, male scruffy look. In a sort of protest, women on the site appear unshaven with hair on their legs and under their arm pits. There's a couple films that document the movement. The site is purposefully designed to look like crap and just like Geocities sites of yesteryear, there's broken links, cheesy graphics and really bad typeface. It all kinda makes you want to go out and by a really good razor...from Gillette, of course.

by Steve Hall    May-18-06    
Topic: Brands, Good, Viral



42 Below Delivers Vodka to Keith Richards In Hospital

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Those jolly 42 Below vodka folks don't miss a chance to capture publicity and this time they did it with the aid of Rolling Stone's Keith Richards who ended up in an Aukland hospital after he fell from a coconut tree in Fiji while the band was in the are for a New Zealand concert. While Richards was in the hospital, 42 Below sent cricketer Dion Nash and a woman dressed like a nurse to deliver a few bottles of vodka to Richards. Photo op and planted publicity ensued. Then, of course, the company made an ad in honor of Richards and the event.

by Steve Hall    May-18-06    
Topic: Good, Guerilla



Paris Hilton Lookalike Gets Ocean Spray Colonic

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While Paris Hilton suddenly appears to have grown boobs, she's still waif thin and perhaps this Australian commercial for Ocean Spray explains why. In the ad a friend tells a Paris Hilton look-a-like that colonics are good but Ocean Spray is better. Hilton sort of gets the message but doesn't quite know through which orifice the Ocean Spray should be consumed. Also, the spoof was apparently created before Paris switched her catch phrase to "that's sexy."

by Steve Hall    May-17-06    
Topic: Celebrity, Commercials, Good, Spoofs, Television