Treehugger sent us news that the ad at left, which depicts a Volkswagen Polo Blue Motion chained to a bike rack, violates EU law by failing to disclose fuel consumption and CO2 emissions data.
And it isn't just the one piece. All creative from VW's current campaign, which promotes its "environmentally friendly technology," is being challenged by the Association for Protection of the Environment and Nature of Germany (BUND) as illegal under the above stipulation.
Not to say the VWs aren't actually fuel efficient; apparently, though, you can get your wrist slapped for not making it clear enough. Weird world.
Right-slap on the back of the current issue of UC Berkeley's California magazine is an ad for an officially licensed Cal Berkeley Gillette Fusion Power Razor. (That's the one with five blades for your most comfortable shave.)
Feeling nostalgic? Pick the right alma mater Gillette for you!
Damn. They're just giving those licenses away.
- Hit the honeys where it hurts. Effort by the Association of Women Against Genital Mutilation.
- Stitch up a rosebud. Because where our ladyparts are concerned, we just love ourselves a flower pun. Effort by Amnesty International, variant ad at Copyranter.
Now that you've been primed, here's some reading on female circumcision. (Because while the image of a dirty blade in new panties might make my eyelid twitch, it doesn't really tell the whole story.)
What satisfies a hungry woman? Not the muscle-bound napper at left. Shredded Wheat with Strawberries, on the other hand, might give sex-starved Wifey a run for the money.
The ad comes straight out of next month's Real Simple and is brought to you by Post, the come-hither cereal company with plenty of other other colon-friendly choices. Tempting. But will they make us breakfast in bed?
When they need to promote a drab or tiresome message, French creatives always know what buttons to push: the really, really shallow ones.
At left, Chanel's Karl Lagerfeld encourages pedestrians and motorists to wear yellow safety vests with the following message (big merci to desedo for translating): "It's yellow, it's ugly, it doesn't go with anything, but it could save your life."
Thank you, Lord Lagerfeld. I will never complain about my bicycle helmet or plump orange swimming vest ever, ever again.
The effort is part of a French government safety campaign. As of July 1, the vest and reflective triangle will be mandatory for drivers and cyclists.
Wince. No wonder they enlisted The Karl. It sounds unforgivably tasteless. Oh, the sacrifices you make in the name of life.
To promote yet another limited edition vehicle, the xD RS, Scion went all Hot Lava. The subsite -- produced by SolutionSet -- features a bubbling volcano with a gray xD RS in the foreground; an explosion of lava makes it that wild red-orange color we love so much.
I find the bubbling noises comforting. They remind me of this one time we cooked a rabbit alive, invented some nifty rhymes, and put a curse on Bob Dole.
See print variant with vehicle specs. Beyond magazines and the 'net, expect to see "smoking" billboards, and street teams clad in flameproof uniforms, all from the fancy folk at ATTIK.
And while you contemplate getting an xD RS before all 2000 run out, see previous efforts for the limited edition xB Series 5 and Scion tC.
Today, not more than a few hours after word of George Carlin's death spread across the internet, this atrocity arrived in the Adrants inbox:
"Today, we learned of the passing of comedy great George Carlin, an unintentional champion of freedom of speech.
Over the years, the discussion of WHAT CAN BE SAID on TV has raised eyebrows, and court gavels. From "period" to "pregnant," how are companies talking to their audiences these days and how has it changed since years before.
An editor at [redacted] is available for commentary on this new media culture, including:
more »
- John McCain souped up his logo. Bystanders are skeptical. UPDATE: McCain did not change his logo. The new one comes from a third-party vendor. The Under Consideration blog apologizes for the confusion.
- For its 50th anniversary, The Marketing Society launched 50 Golden Brands, which will celebrate 50 "hero brands" for the past 50 years. Contenders include eBay, Virgin, Perrier and some weird thing called Fairy Liquid.
- George Parker taught me a new word: Adverati. He also handpicked the ugliest pictures out of Advertising Age's Cannes party post and put the subjects in a more engaging light. And by "engaging," I mean "fluorescent."
- Rocawear and Boost Mobile launched a mobile campaign. Amobee is serving the ads. The campaign is about overcoming adversity. It's also about scoring discounts and disseminating unique and motivating Jay-Z lines like "I will not lose."
more »
- Repeating successes at One Show and the Clios, Uniqlo's "Uniqlock" (agency: Projector) won the Cannes Cyber Grand Prix. "Year Zero" for NIN (agency: 42 Entertainment) took Best Viral; "Sol Comments" (Mediafront Oslo) won Online Advertising.
- Gawker chose Gorilla Nation to sell its ads in Canada. The deal is exclusivo, no word if it's multi-year.
- Diggin' R&R's Tarot-style print campaign for the Rio Suites Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. Adfreak isn't sold, though.
- WeMix and VoodooVox enable anyone to "drop a flow" (THEIR WORDS! NOT -- MINE!) from their phones and broadcast them. Ludacris is sponsoring. More cringey self-laud: "VoodooVox is the leading In-Call Media revolution." What does that mean?
- MTLB is upset about PETA, the one-sidedness of 30 Days (esp. the carnivore-meets-vegan episode), and changing people via persecution instead of supplying appealing alternatives to destructive lifestyles.
by Angela Natividad
Jun-19-08
Topic: Agencies, Brands, Campaigns, Good, Industry Events, Magazine, Mobile/Wireless, Online, Opinion, Poster, Television
Having previously exploited the latent tripper and pastel-lover in unlikely motorcycle buyers, Royal Enfield finally hits 'em where it hurts: love of mother.
From the pressie: "The campaign is based on a big social truth that most Indian men are 'mama's boy'."
The campaign: "Leave Home" for the Thunderbird Twinspark, by Wieden+Kennedy.
The prints:
o Revolution. One man's trajectory from baby to slacker to biker.
o Kid. This is supposed to be a man in the womb, but at first it just looked like a naked guy doing sit-ups in the dark. Which I guess might be another reason to "leave home."
Mama's boys can expect to be outed this month in all major Indian auto and lad mags. Retailers are advised to keep tissues and milk out of reach.
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