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First Ad Industy Rock Band Party A Success

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Let's just blame the lateness of this on the hangover. Last week, Fuel Industries' Sean MacPhedran, Oddcasts's Emily Twomey and Desedo's Michael Hastings-Black hosted Rock Band Night, the first of a monthly series of parties for the advertising industry. The party was held at the home of Oddcast's president with over 100 attendees.

Newscastle provided the beer. The hosts' expense account provided mixed drinks and party goers provided the music with their own Rock Band soundtracks. As they say, fun was had by all. Check out the pictures here.

The location of June's party isn't set yet but as soon as it it, you'll hear about it right here on Adrants. And from the success of the first, it looks like we'll need a bigger place next time.

by Steve Hall    May-28-08    
Topic: Industry Events



Where Design's Concerned, Sharp Slices Pretty Dull

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Design agency Sharp Communications is using temporary tattoos to promote how it "seamlessly blends HIGH OCTANE CREATIVE THOUGHT WITH BLUE CHIP STRATEGIC RIGOR." (Yeah, it was written just like that.)

The tats are objectively horrible. See the other two in the text below.

more »

by Angela Natividad    May-28-08    
Topic: Agencies, Bad, Guerilla, Strange



In 2083, Tennis Players Will Sport Cups on Their Faces

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For Lacoste's 75th anniversary, French agency CRM Company Group imagined what tennis players will look like 75 years from now.

The answer: sort of like RoboCop, except with digital banner ads in their shoes. (RoboCop would never stand for that.)

See movie here. Afterward watch Gestures, the story of Rene Lacoste and the energetic, ardor-rich and glamorous brand* that would one day grace the body of, I don't know, Kanye West.

Thanks in:fluencia for the tip.

more »

by Angela Natividad    May-28-08    
Topic: Brands, Campaigns, Online



Did Anybody Notice Starbucks Covered Up its Nips?

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Honoring the demands of faint-of-heart schoolteachers, Starbucks draped hair over the nipples of its original mermaid logo, which currently appears on coffee cups to promote the new Pike Place Roast.

Advertising Age has Before and After images of the redesign. It also said one of Starbucks' current PR problems is the "widespread misperception" that the logo swap is permanent.

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by Angela Natividad    May-28-08    
Topic: Bad, Brands, Opinion, Promotions



Scion: It's Love or Loathing, No In-Between

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In an ad for the xB called Pendulum, Scion quite startlingly demonstrates it does not give a damn what you think.

Given the car's sheer ugliness (that pumpkin shade ain't helping), whoring for mainstream acceptance would have been a depressing uphill fight. Instead of trying to hide its blunt features, Scion made them the draw. And the ad suggests it isn't afraid of strong feelings, whatever they are.

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by Angela Natividad    May-27-08    
Topic: Brands, Campaigns, Commercials, Good, Television



Got an Opinion? Get a Camera. Now You're in Political Advertising.

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Contributing to the idea that anything the zeitgeist has to say must be useful to The World At Large, SaysMe.tv lets would-be propagandists air political ads on the cheap.

For anywhere between $35 to, I don't know, close to $100, you can air your own ad on a network in your area. (Provided you live in Philly, Raleigh, Indianapolis or Charlotte. But hey! More coming soon!)

The results, oddly enough, are really dull attempts to look like the stuff already on TV. Even promising titles like "You Don't Know Bama" left me with going, "Hmmm. NEXT!"

Come on, zeitgeist. Pull out a rabbit.

by Angela Natividad    May-27-08    
Topic: Online, Political, Trends and Culture



Oh, What Kids Would Write if They Had the Chance

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Trendhunter drew my attention to Tikatok, a social network that enables kids to design their own books. Books can be viewed online and purchased as hardcovers or paperbacks for about $20 apiece. Trendhunter says it "could be a great gift from kids to their parents."

That is, assuming kids only ever produce happy stories. Titles on Tikatok currently include The Food Pyramid that is Alive, The Nervous Basketball Star, A Dark Deep Pipe, and The Ballerina Who Wanted to be Beautiful.

I'm sensing a little melancholy there. (Especially where dark deep pipes get involved.)

It's just a matter of time before books are published bearing not merely titles but retributions waiting to be hashed out when the wee author is college-aged. My bets are on Daddy's Magic Bottle, Why Does Teacher Cry Before Class? and The Little Bully that Could.

by Angela Natividad    May-27-08    
Topic: Online, Publishing



Zappos Catches You with Your Shoes Off!

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Through SecurityPoint Media, advertisers can buy ad space in airport security bins throughout the nation. Sony, Kyocera, Rolodex and Zappos have leaped at the chance to welcome your shoes, traveling coat and gutted laptop bag onto their witty little messages.

"With shoes in hand, it's the perfect instance to remind them they've been meaning to make time to buy a new pair. Why not Zappos?" said senior marketing manager Andy Kurlander of Zappos, whose bins say peppy things like, "Need a new case for that laptop?" and "Place shoes here. Buy shoes here: Zappos." (Come on. You knew that one was coming.)

more »

by Angela Natividad    May-27-08    
Topic: Guerilla, Outdoor



Billboard Bloodied, Monuments Mammary'd, Furniture Assed

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- Saatchi & Saatchi did a wicked billboard execution drenching the street and a few cars with blood to promote Kill Bill.

- Apparently in Mexico, it's not looked upon kindly to promote a destination using a naked model painted with historical landmarks.

- OK, whatever. Bed. Old Guy. Furniture. Hot Ass. Watch.

- Whoa! Was that an ass in my face as I sleepily made my way to the subway? Yes, my friend, indeed it was. And it was in Tokyo...where this sort of thing is, well, just normal.

- Sometimes an ad works against itself.

by Steve Hall    May-27-08    
Topic: Outdoor, Racy, Video



Polaroid Comes to Aid of Pervy, Digitally Illiterate Uncle, Doting Gramma

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You've got to hand it to Polaroid for this one. Or, not. Hey, we all have tons of photos on our phones that either get shuffled off to iPhoto, Picasa, some other such photo management software or they just never leave the phone. So what do you do when your digitally illiterate, overweight, receding hairline (think Verizon Dumb Dad) uncle wants a picture of you in your new, snug fitting bikini? Well, you run the other way, screaming "Perv!" at the top of your lungs, of course.

But when your sweet, doting, digitally illiterate grandmother wants a picture of you in your prom dress before you jump into the limo with mini-McDreamy and your friends, you Bluetooth a few shots to your Polaroid PoGo, print out a picture and hand it to Grammy to cherish. After all, there's a lot of you to cherish. Why not share?

by Steve Hall    May-27-08    
Topic: Good, Video



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