Yes, there is an actual medical ailment called "mouse rage syndrome," The term was coined by the Social Issues Research Centre in the United Kingdom which recently conducted a study of 2,500 web users who were found to exhibit negative cardiac function, profuse sweating, altered immune and nervous system function and, yes, "mouse rage" defined as furious clicking and bashing of the mouse.
Guess what causes the syndrome? Fat Flash sites, poorly designed sites, bad navigation, pop ups, banner ads, unnecessary graphics and just about everything else our industry foists upon the helpless public who only want quick access to the relevant information they need and have no need for "site loading..." bullshit or sites that look great in a presentation but perform like a turtle crossing the road when launched. Wake up and smell the consumer, people. We want them to be our frinds. Not our enemies. Make nice.
It's sad we even need an ad campaign to tell people how to take care of their babies but that's the mission of a current New York City transit campaign for the city's Administration for Children's Services and Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (mental hygiene? that's a new one). Unfortunately, there are idiots in this world that do need to be told some very obvious things about caring for a baby. Trouble is, this campaign seems to confuse more than educate - well, at least to those mentally hygiene-challenged types.
Ironi Sans sent us this video clip of two of the campaign's subway cards placed next to each other. The first reads, "Don't Leave Him Alone." The second reads, "It's Safest For Him to Sleep Alone." That sort of "education" is sure to make a mentally hygiene-challenged person's logic loop explode which is quite the opposite, we're sure, of the campaign's intent.
For Snakes on a Plane we witnessed what a forum can do when they really like you. For Tom Green we might see what a forum can do when you're teetering over the edge of sanity.
Post Freddy Got Fingered (among other tribulations) it would be an understatement to say Tom is upset with his fans. Since the cancellation of his short-lived MTV show he has little hope that his months-old internet efforts will do much better.
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You'd think Jolt wouldn't have to try hard to be grassroots considering they survive on high school hearsay about the soda's cracklike qualities. Yet somehow here they are, failing at the fresh-faced amateur game. The video, enthusiastically entitled "There's a new king in town!" really says it all. But if you need a bigger clue, here's a cut out of Jolt PR email:
"I am here to share a video created by a bunch of college kids in the spirit of the season and in appreciation of Jolt- the most highly caffeinated beverage in the universe!"
We've all seen them before. Those videos and commercials that begin with some odd or strange action and follow it through until the end at which some kind of payoff is provided making the previous :59 worth one's while. Unless you can speak "reindeer" and some sort of joke is being told, you'll waste a full :60 watching this Deutsch holiday video.
Leo Burnett held out for a while. Digitas held out longer. But, today, Publicis Groupe announced it will acquire Digitas for $1.3 billion or $13.50 per share. We're sure George Parker will have a lot to say about this one.
Ana at Spare Room is none too thrilled by indie restaurant Burger Fuel's shot at viral notoriety, but we admit we were amused in a dark sort of way.
Order the White Christmas combo for 330 grams of Coke - that's right, Coke. In a cup, not on a mirror. Don't be fooled by the razorblades in the viral or the powder-dipped $100 bill in the ad - neither are actually included. We'd shake our heads and go, "Oh how trashy," but then again, we're the home country of Hooters, which isn't exactly a conservative haunt either. And anyway, any restaurant Pablo Escobar admonishes us to visit must be okay.
Oh we just can't pass on featuring one of our favorite, over-the-top Bond girls Zena Onatop aka Famke Jansen who is appearing in a "Be An Angel For Animals" PETA ad. Famke and PETA want us to be nice to dogs this holiday season. The ad, shot by Andrew Southam, was unveiled at an event yesterday in LA at Runyon Canyon Park. So don't crate your dog when you go to the inlaws for Christmas this year. Call Famke and I'm sure she'd be happy to come over and watch your dog.
We don't need to tell you PETA prefers animals to people. South Park established that and everything South Park says is true. But why they need to defecate on the holidays by creating trite little would-be virals about reindeer trampling Santa, we'll never know.
Dissatisfied with a fantasy about the gift-giving saint underfoot, they took it further still by turning the song into a masturbation fest about how awesome PETA is for, among other things, its clever use of busty naked women to rail against animal exploitation. (See our equal opportunity coverage here.)
If you happen to dislike PETA, join us in grabbing your forehead with disdain. And if you happen to dig the hell out of what they're doing, be happy. Look at all the publicity they get from us.
Sparked by a handwritten note marked "How do you ask a Ninja for a free hug?", Twist Image disseminates its take on the holiday card, which is less holiday card and more video collage of happy 2006 moments. Some inclusions: the "free hugs" guy, the live-action Simpsons intro, Animator v. Animation and the viral OKGo treadmill video.
Lee Hopkins claims this is the best Christmas card he's ever seen. While we think those are strong words, we're inclined to agree, and not merely because they remembered to include Ask a Ninja (which automatically grants all-star status). We wish the cats at Twist an equally happy holidays.
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