Just Don't Try and Use Them, People Will Stare at You.

Stare with scornful rue too. TDA Advertising & Design out of Boulder, did some guerrilla signage designed to turn streetlights into pneumatic tubes. At first, you're probably going, why posts? But shhhhh, chill. It works in the context of the campaign theme "Mobile banking. Available everywhere."

Remy Martin Talks to You. From INSIDE YOUR HEAD.

I kinda got a kick out of this demo for Audio Spotlight,* a technology that enables the user to transmit messages from a set of speakers to your skull. From as far as 20 meters away, the person using the device can target individuals and whisper secrets (and ad messages) only they can hear.

Gawker's Joshua Stein is less amused by the effort. He was totally blindsided by the technology, which targeted him on the streets of New York for a Paranormal State promotion.

Gotta say, it is in fact some creepy shit -- not to mention invasive. But hey, that won't stop Remy Martin from using Audio Spotlight to add an intensely personal element to its billboards in Chicago, LA, NYC and Atlanta.

So watch out. The cognacs will be coming at you from that most sacred of temples: "inside the brain-house," to seize an expression from Joshua.

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Mercy Corps Saturates NYC with Starvin' Marvins

When I saw the words "You can't eat sympathy" in the ad at left, the concept of world hunger came second to the memory of chunky kids in high school that eat their feelings. (Oh, come on. You watched Mean Girls, didn't you?)

But nah. It's Mercy Corps' Action Center effort to make people more aware of world hunger. If you're living in New York, you've probably noticed people walking around with body paint that makes them look skeletal. That's agency Household Name's way of telling you to think on hunger over lunch.

Also see World hunger just got a little closer to home.

Marketers Enjoy Insta-Promotion by Breaking World Records

Witness with envy as the world's largest beach ball -- 36 feet across -- alights upon a throng of Dallas citizens, hands high over heads like children with a giant parachute.

"that is fuckin incredible lol," gushes one of the more eloquent viewers on YouTube.

The ball, a promotional effort by Carnival Cruise Lines, set the world record for largest beach ball last Sunday. Witnesses to the historic moment were treated to live music, free food and cruise giveaways by Senior Cruise Director John Heald.

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DARE's Manifesto Returns to Haunt You -- in the Form of Wheatpasted Coffin Nails

Colorado's Department of Public Health and Environment uses the image of a coffin nail to declare, "The Cigarette is Dead!"

"Today, cigarette smoking has not only become passe due to all we've learned about its health effects, but, plainly speaking, it's become a difficult behavior to keep," gushes a press release with the undaunted conviction of a fourth-grade graduate of DARE.

"The days when smoking was socially acceptable are over!" (Zeal added by us.)

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Show Your Dawg You've Got His Back.

Under the wince-worthy tagline "Fix your dog, it's all good!", the ASPCA uses graffiti to encourage pet owners to spay or neuter their animals. See the bad-ass pitbull variant.

The campaign targets black and Hispanic inner-city male dog owners, which will probably smirk, or maybe dolefully shake their heads, when they see the earnest posters on the streets of New York. But since this is a friendly effort to encourage proper furry-friend-stewardship -- and not a lamesauce rap promotion for Taco Bell -- maybe they'll cut the ASPCA some slack.

Put together by Tampa-based Pyper Paul + Kenney.

Asics Shine in Giant Lite-Brite

Lori Kanary, an artist known for cobbling pictures together out of Lite-Brite, was recently commissioned to build the world's biggest Lite-Brite image -- a garishly-coloured Asics shoe.

Impressive. Though part of me is just relieved Asics didn't reach for the graffiti artists, which are making a tidy living off shoe labels experiencing crises of brand relevance. The other part of me is resentful of how, as a kid, I never even got to touch a Lite-Brite.

This time could be different, however. Splashlight Studios will be exhibiting the Asics Lite-Brite, starting with New York, for the next six months. Think there'll be guards around it?

Obama Goes Green. No, Not That Kind of Green

Hyping Obama in the "battleground state" of North Carolina, BooneOakley has launched a guerrilla campaign. The agency printed decals of the Obama sunrise logo, each, at a diameter of 9.25 inches, sized perfectly to fit over the green circle in a stoplight sign. Of course, it's all supposed to mean "GObama."

As of this week, the decals have begun to appear on street signs throughout the states of North Carolina and neighboring Georgia and Virginia, placed by agency staff and by friends. Additional decals are available at no charge from GObamaNC.com.

Not overly concerned with the potential illegalities of such a stunt, BooneOakley President david Oakley said, "Well, it's not like we're putting them on actual stoplights. We don't even know anyone with an SUV tall enough to reach that high."

Hmm. Tell that to the police when they knock on your door, David;)

Crumpler Tries its Hand with Toilet Paper Advertising

For the record, we think Crumpler's* Paint By Numbers toilet paper rolls -- in a stall near you! -- are totally rad. (Read the colour key!)

With that said, the effort lit a spark in us that ignites every time we see yet another brand trying to do something with toilet paper. Like the occasional outbreak of insanity, every few months somebody pitches us with some TP-oriented thing that they're sure will bring ruminations of their genius to public stalls everywhere. See examples one and two.

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Meijer Brings Headless Horseman to Waking Life

Last Friday a headless horseman galloped eerily across Chicago's building facades. The night marauder rode for four hours between the Loop and Wrigleyville.

Who woke him up? Meijer, which gave people a chance to win $1000 if they texted the company directly upon seeing the apparition. Flyers were distributed to prime people for the sighting; and whenever the van projecting the Horseman stopped or idled in traffic, the horse would rear its hind legs and flash the message: text Meijer for a grand.

A purported several hundred texts arrived over the course of the four-hour campaign. Dubbing it a success, the street team plans to repeat the work this Friday in Cincinnati.