« Last week 10-May-09 | This archive, pg:  1  |  2  |  3  |  4  |  5  | Next week 24-May-09 »

CP+B Auctions Off Summer Interns.

cpb-intern-auction.jpg

We didn't realize pimpin'* was legal in Colorado. But what we've found is if you dress your blatant whoring up like a fun, frothy "intern auction" and do it on eBay, local authorities will happily turn a blind eye.

The lucky bidder who wins Crispin Porter + Bogusky's auction are advised that their wares are "Pickup only." On the cheery up, all funds raised will actually go into paying said interns.

No full-frontal images are available; just ponderous shots of young lithe figures toiling over desks, contemplating whiteboards and self-consciously jamming under oversized headphones.

Recently, French agency Pourquoi tu cours also tried its hand at service-trafficking -- er, creative agency promotion -- via eBay.

more »

by Angela Natividad    May-18-09    
Topic: Agencies, Online, Promotions



MINI Makes Minimalistic Mess

mini_minimalism.jpg

Somehow lots of big, fat, black magic markers versus one slim, green pen are supposed to convey the notion of Mini's minimalism. To us, all it does is make is make a big, confusing mess.

We don't get the logic. The big (bad) black pens help draw the car. That's a good thing. The small (good) green pen annotate what the black pens have built. To us, it look like happy team work. Not the David and Goliath battle MINI would like it to be.

by Steve Hall    May-18-09    
Topic: Bad, Commercials



Nivea Helps Ladies Lose Undies

elvator_miniskirt_south_korea_nivea.jpg

This ad will make you laugh. If it doesn't, you are way too uptight and your standards for advertising excellence are too high. Last week, we had sideways beauty bowling used to demonstrate the smoothing qualities of WAM hair removal. This week, the shtick is decidedly more mundane. Yet, it still works. That is if you like watching a woman with long legs wearing a miniskirt and high heels get off an elevator and walk across a marble floor until...well, just watch.

A hint: It's for Nivea Body Smooth Sensation. And no, it's not a real ad. It's from the South Korean Chosun University ad school.

by Steve Hall    May-18-09    
Topic: Racy, Strange



'Before Guy' That's Enough Out of You.

apple_forrester_nyt_before_after.jpg

We're diggin' Apple's new(ish) banner ad on The New York Times which has PC and Mac in a skyscraper ad to the right of the page commenting on a leaderboard banner at the top of the page which highlights a Forrester study touting Apple as #1 in customer experience as two guys in a hair replacement ad on the left join in.

It's so engaging it's as if news headlines like, "Pakistan Is Rapidly Adding Nuclear Arms, U.S. Says" are just supporting characters in the ever expanding worldwide webisode that is Apple verus Mac.

These sorts of interacting banners are not a new thing. But this effort is among the better ones we've seen.

by Steve Hall    May-18-09    
Topic: Best, Online



Teen Gives Birth on Playground As Students Watch

national_health_service_playground_birth.jpg

Tactic 375 from the book, "How to Guarantee Your Ad Will Get Banned...And Get Seen by Millions" - make an amateur video of a teenage girl giving birth on a Leicester (England) high school field as students crowd around to watch like it's some kind of hair pulling bitch fight.

The clip comes from the National Health Service. As with many "virals," it's unbranded which, as is always the case, makes us wonder, "What's the point?" If you're just going to shock without including any viewpoint, why do it in the first place? Oh right. We can't actually tell people stuff. Then it would be advertising and people hate advertising. So we have to be all sneaky and shit. Hence faux viral clips such as this.

Actually, we should just shut up. Like the reveal of an old school teaser billboard, a branded version of this clip will be seeded later this week.

Created by The Rocket Science Group, the video was seeded by The 7th Chamber Friday and quickly got the boot from YouTube. Predictable, the press are all over it. The Sun. The Guardian. The Leicester Mercury. BrandRepublic.

by Steve Hall    May-18-09    
Topic: Cause, Racy, Video, Viral



Bikini Bowling. Yes, It's Another Strange Japanese Ad

bowling_bikini.jpg

If there's one thing the Japanese appear to be obsessed with when it comes to game shows and advertising, it's attractive women in bikinis. Doing strange things. Like sliding down a bowling alley sideways while wearing a bikini for a Ladies Beauty Bowling competition. All to promote a hair removal product.

Strange as it is, we like this ad but can someone at Ogilvy Mather Japan, the agency which created this ad, please tell us why, if this ad is running in Japan, all the signage is in English and the the voiceover is accompanied by English subtitles? That is, aside from making it easy for us English-speaking ad critics to understand.

more »

by Steve Hall    May-17-09    
Topic: Commercials, Racy, Strange



« Last week 10-May-09 | This archive, pg:  1  |  2  |  3  |  4  |  5  | Next week 24-May-09 »