Here's a distraction that's sure to derail your workday. In the interest of going simpler, Candystand gives us Jetboost, a game where all you have to do is make the little jetpack-wearing man jump as high as he can.
Each level lasts just a few seconds, which strangely makes you want to do a bunch. Oh, the marketing magic of bite-size.
Addictive. But then again, shiny objects usually are when you have something more important to do.
Keep the volume down if you're in your cubby hole -- er, cubicle. To note, we've long since stopped noticing what candy is advertised - but, foreseeing this, Candystand since began forcing users to sit through a short ad while the game loads. Those clever candy peddling rogues.
Selling underwear is usually a no-brainer for some companies. You make it sexy, you make it provocative, you dress it all up and get some pretty people to trounce around in it, or - worst comes to worst - you find really fruity mascots, like Fruit of the Loom.
We can't think of a major underwear brand that fails to be interesting in the same way that Hanes does.
And this isn't a recent thing. They've always kind of sucked.
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At first, we were ready to cast aside this little online "game" for Steape Travel Translators but the more we clicked, the more we laughed. Who knew French dining could be so humorous? Who knew translation was so important to getting a good meal? Who knew ordering desert could result in an alien attack? Indeed.
The music on this new Candystand game, dubbed KickFlip, is annoying as hell but unavoidably catchy. Like the interns who will undoubtedly be blowing office hours playing it, its single set of lyrics keeps chanting, "I want to skaaaa-ya-yate."
There's also an Extra ad that precedes the game in which a guy who looks suspiciously like an ad douche sticks some gum in his mouth and starts dancing under the transfiguring power of strobe. It physically hurt us.
The bitchy thing about Candystand, which has long exhausted its welcome in the Adrants annals, is their advergames are actually really good.
Take this new one called Fire and Ice. With unique characters and quirky music, the game still manages to bring us back to the Super NES days, jumping over turtles and malicious red owls while trying to sate an endless lust for floating coins. We can't trash something we just blew half an hour playing.
Our only problem with it is it lacks that classic Mario speed-running feature. Do you hear us, advergame gods? We want a speed-running feature.
Here's a fun time waster for marketers sick of the daily pitches they receive from agencies. With old school-style gaming technique, you can annihilate those incessant pitches as the enter your office and disturb your day. There's nothing more to it. Well, except for that mini-skirted flight attendant who welcomes you to Moosylvania's world. And yes, it's all just another agency pitch.
Microsoft and EA have just joined forces to create a dynamic ad platform for sports games on the Xbox 360 console and PCs. This means that next time you strap up to play Madden, the sponsorship banners and other ads you see will change.
In a way, this is kind of an improvement on reality. Can you imagine playing your favorite sport -- in the middle of Times Square? It's a dream for the overstimulated, possibly LSD-addled mind that hoped to become Joe Montana but never got past JV.
Madden 08, NASCAR 08, NHL 08, Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 08, and Skate will feature the dynamic ads at outset. Non-Xbox and non-PC variations will go on wearing the static versions.
Ars Technica is bummed because this new stream of income doesn't mean a less expensive purchase for gamers. Yeah, sometimes it sucks to be on the receiving end.
Now this ought to be good. If you were even remotely considering attending the ad:tech conference at Navy Pier in Chicago July 31-August 1, there's something that just might solidify the decision for you. We've all been to various industry events and parties where, for whatever reason, co-workers eventually find themselves on some stage doing some strange thing providing endless humor and enjoyment for everyone in attendance. And, no, we're not talking about Arnold's Boston office pole dancing at a recent Christmas party. Though it might be interesting to see what all the booths babes would do if a giant pole appeared in the middle of the exhibit hall floor.
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It's obviously not the real thing, but we're having fun with this new game Heat Fighter, a variation on the classic Street Fighter, created for Nestea by Lowe Roche, Toronto.
Players can be customized and the game has all the basic moves you'd expect in a fighting game, though the challengers (Solar, Cole and Mercury) don't seem super-challenging.
The little Nestea superchargers are a nice touch. We are actually kind of feening for some iced tea now.
After deluging us with Candystand-specific fun and games, the makers of the Wrigley's games have started a microsite for UK-based Airwaves gum. Check out Airwaves Pro.
It boasts user interactivity features, content sharing and laggage galore.
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