Quicken Loans Does YouTube Etch-A-Sketch Lebron James Thing

Quicken Loans and the Cleveland Cavaliers have partnered with George Vlosich who claims to be the "world's greatest etch-a-sketch artist" to produce a video in which Vlosich creates an Etch-A-Sketch portrait of LeBron James. It took Vlosich five hours to create the drawing but don't worry, the video is presented in time-lapse so you can witness the wonder in just three minutes.

Social Media Campiagn Killers Exposed

We don't know what's worse; having to slog through no less than eight pages just to read one article or having to endure the annoyance of trying to figure out which ad banner was auto-playing audio so we could turn it off the read the article in peace. All of this on a site that should now better: iMediaConnection.

Anyway, distractions aside, marketing consultant BL Ochman has written a concise, illustrative and educational article about social media, the brands that have excelled at it and the brands that have failed miserably. Citing famed failures such as the Edelman-created fake Wal-Mart blogs, Microsoft's supposed "bribing" pf bloggers with free Vista-equipped laptops and Sony's fake PSP blog, Ochman slaps brands upside the head for their idiocy.

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News Does CGM, Agency.com Staffs Up, Pirates Pornified,

- Cynopsis reports, "ABC will test the hour-long user generated news show i-Caught for six weeks from August 6 in an attempt to get the YouTube generation interested in TV news." Great. More fake news.

- Agency.com has begun to restaff its management void. Joining the San Francisco office as president is Jordan Warren most recently with Eleven, a 50 person agency he started seven years ago.

- The porn film Pirates is hitching a ride on the Pirates 3 publicity train.

- George Parker keeps us updated on the continuing Julie Roehm saga discussing her recent suit against Wal-Mart.

Naked has launched a blog that includes aggregated content from employee's online places and spaces.

- Even as online video grows exponentially, television viewership has not decreased.

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Bouncing Breasts (Yes, Still) Used to Sell Stuff

Well, our diatribe against the objectification of women in advertising didn't last long. Now we've got bulbous, bouncing, bikinied breasts helping explain the many meanings of the Australian term "mate." It's all to promote the Australian barbecue club www.aussiebarbie.com.au . And about getting people to submit their own videos explaining the versatility of the word. And about a girl in a cleavage-bearing bikini spouting all sorts of steak grilling double entendres suck as thickness, the effect of cold, proper use of oil, heat and more.

Maybe we should just give up pontificating about the objectification of women in advertising and just sit back and enjoy it.

Losers Generate, Thoughts Advertise, Cannes Bingoed, Reebok Pukes

- We all know about consumer-generated content. Well, now we have loser-generated content.

- First there was Voicevertising. Now there's ThoughtVertising. On eBay, no less!

- Bored? Want to go to Cannes but can't? No worries. Forget that ego-fest, stay home and play Cannes Contenders Bingo and you decide who should win. Screw the judges.

- If Reebok really did make running easy, why would they feature a guy puking in an ad about running easy?

- Lowe is blogging about its "everything you ever wanted to know about the digital world" gathering

KFC Saves Money, Debuts CGM-Powered Commercial

Here's that new KFC spot that will debut during tonight's American Idol. If you recall, it's the spot that's made up entirely of consumer-generated content found on YouTube and MySpace. Hmm. Way to keep that production budget down, guys.

Pure CGM Celebrated, Influenced CGM Trashed

Factory Publishing is promoting a Triumph Motorcycle-sponsored computer-generated online graphic novel called The Many Worlds of Jonas Moore which stars British actor Colin Salmon. Viewers and musicians are being asked to participate in the storyline by creating their own adventures and submitting their own soundtracks for the show.

In a tandem effort we're not completely clear on, Factory Publishing has created two videos that trash media and ad agencies involvement with consumer generated media somehow labeling them unnecessary middlemen. While it's true some agency managed consumer generated media campaign have resulted in work that's far from pure CGM, these videos paint agencies as a sort of Hitleresque evil which stunts the growth of unadulterated CGM.

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Save That Super Bowl Money And 'Lemon Your Widmer' On Video Site

Now here's a much better way to promote your beer brand than stupid million dollar Super Bowl commercials that do nothing but tell stupid jokes and make women mud wrestle while wearing tiny bikini. OK, so that might be just a small bit fun to watch but we bet Widmer Brothers is getting a lot more mileage out of their YouTube-style site that features video of "lemoning their Widmer. Watch guys putt a lemon into a Widmer, launch a lemon from a slingshot, drop a lemon into a Widmer from a pinata.

Beer. Lemons. Video. People with way too much time on their hands. We say perfect.

Lynx Mynxes Select Ultimate Lynx Player Finalists

Back in April, Lynx launched its Bom Chicka Wah Wah Rally flirting contest which asked guys to send in videos displaying their best flirting techniques. Well, the finalists have been selected by a team of Lynx Mynx Girls and you can view them here. It's no wonder most guys still can't get a date.

CGM Ad Company Recruits CGM Experts to Improve CGM Campaigns

XLNTads, a sort of network that brings together people who like to create stuff (CGM) and brands interested in tapping that expertise for their advertising needs. While sounding a bit like a cheap way for marketers to get ads made, they are approaching social and consumer generated media the right way by involving those who are in the thick of it. They have formed a Creator's Advisory Board, which includes such famed CGMers as Kevin McNalty to make sure the marketing minds at XLNTads are in tune with the segment.

As a run up to its official July launch, the company is hosting a contest which will award $5,000 to the person who develops the best campaign to promote XLNTads itself.