HBO Uses Google Maps to Plot 'The Sporanos' Series Events

For its client, HBO, New York-based Deep Focus is using Google Maps on The Sopranos website to map locations of fictitious events that have occurred during the series to help viewers get ready for the show's March debut.

Absinthe Positioned As Ultimate Panty Remover

Writing on Customer Experience Strategy, Karl Long wonders if this promotion for Absinthe is aligning itself too closely with date rape. While alcohol has always positioned itself as a social lubricant, the imagery on the landing page of this promotion with the image of a woman covering her crotch and the tagline, "the ultimate panty remover," sends a much stronger message.

Long questions the approach writing this promotion seems "to have taken the position that absinthe could be the new 'Roofy' with this recent campaign. Now I say they 'seem' to have taken the position, but this may be one of those unfortunate marketing choices, that seemed like a good idea in the pitch meeting, but in the cold hard light of day, sounds far worse than intended." Perhaps crossing some sort of line here, the campaign and the tone of its landing page do take on a bit of a humorous, cheeky tone so maybe there's benefit out doubt to be given here.

BT Launches 'The Great iTunes Giveaway' Promotion

BT has launched a promotion called The Great iTunes Giveaway which promises customers 500,000 free songs and 10,000 music videos from iTunes. Each day until March 10, BT will give away 15,000 songs and 300 music videos and on Fridays, the company will give away an additional 10,000 songs and 300 videos. The promotion is open only to BT Broadband customers

Playboy Pulls 'Upskirt' Trick With Promotional Mirrors

Creative Criminal, a blog based in India, reports Playboy has installed branded floor mirrors at the entrances of malls, movie theaters and stores and warns women might want to be careful walking past said mirrors. Or a certain "upskirt" crowd, this'll certainly get attention.

Mary-Kate And Ashley Olsen to Front Badgley Mischka Fashion Campaign

Perhaps in an effort to dispel their dowdy look and to get fashion critic Richard Blackwell to lay off dissing the pair, Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen have signed a deal with designers Mark Badgley and James Mischka to represent the label in an upcoming ad campaign. The ads, photographed by Gilles Bensimon in the Presidential Suite of the St. Regis Hotel in Manhattan,, will grace the pages of Vanity Fair, Vogue, Elle and InStyle beginning with April issues. The collection is said to be a bit more colorful then the sister's usually drab outerwear.

Adrants Invites You to Take Its Readership Survey

It's been a year or so since we've formally asked you to offer us input on how we do things around here and to tell us a little bit about yourselves so we can help insure the ads on the site are as relevant to you as possible. After all, no one wants to see an ad for a microbial cell culture clarification device on Adrants when all we care about is advertising. So please take a few short minutes to answer this 15 question survey so we don't burden you with unnecessary messages about medical devices no one knows anything about.

Adidas Goofs, Gives Sponsored German Team Belgian Colors

In a blunder of not so small proportions, Adidas, which is sponsoring German biathlon and nordic combined skiers, mixed up the country's proper colors and provided the team with caps in Belgium's black, gold and red colors instead of Germany's proper black, red and gold. Nothing like having to wear another country's colors while competing in the Olympics nor have the entire world see a sponsorship get screwed up..

Dutch 'Glamour' Promotes Spring Fashion Issue With Stiletto Run

To promote Glamour's first spring fashion issue in the Netherlands, BSUR Concepting has developed what is sure to be an extremely funny event; the Glamour Stiletto Run. The event, part of a broader campaign which includes television, print, online, viral and buzz, will take place March 9 in an Amsterdam shopping district where women will race 75 meters in high heels. BSUR plans to take over the as yet undetermined shopping spot for an hour and award the winner with 10,000 Euros. Now that's a promotion to be seen. You can view the promotional site and commercial here.

Small Hardware Store Takes On Home Depot With Quirky POP Campaign

Never let it be said that only Home Depot can have all the fun when it comes to home improvement. Pfau's Hardware in West Hartford, CT thinks it's got the goods as well and isn't afraid to say so in a POP campaign. The best of the four posters, created by Avon, CT-based Adams & Knight Advertising, reads, "Nobody will ever reminisce about going to a massive home improvement center with Dad on a Saturday morning." See all four posters here.

MySpace A Haven For Sex, Not For Advertisers

Writing on Adotas, Pesach Lattin describes how he spent some time on MySpace and within minutes was able to find sexually related forum discussions between grownups and teenagers. Lattin writes, "MySpace is a buffet for any pervert looking for easy targets" and outlines how easily it is for anyone to access and partake in explicit activity on the site. Doing some digging Lattin found a group called Lesbian Passion in which 14 year old members were listed right next to 55 year olds and some discussion centered on which members have had sex with each other. He found other forums where adults and children were talking about having sex with each other in supposedly private but easily accessible forums. Lattin also found a public forum called "Bears" in which members were discussing having sex with young boys accompanied by photos, some of which were nude.

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