Back? Knee? Head? Butt? Stomach? Gigantic Breast? Vaseline Doesn't Care

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It's a back. It's a knee. It's a head. It's a butt. It's a distended stomach. It's a gigantic breasts. It's a...wait...should we have to work that hard to figure out what a visual is in an ad? Of course not but in this case it really doesn't matter because this is an ad for a skin care product. And back, knees, heads, butt's, stomach and gigantic breasts all have skin. In this ad for Vaseline Intensive Care Cocoa Butter, the marketer keeps us guessing which, when you think about it, is one great way to get people to pay attention to your ad.

by Steve Hall    May-15-07    
Topic: Creative Commentary, Good, Magazine, Strange



Doc Martens: Will Dead Idols Revive Sleeping Brand?

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When a hot rock star dies young, idolatry takes an immortal leap. Hoping to piggy-back this star-crossed love is Doc Martens, who tapped Saatchi & Saatchi, London for this U.K.-based poster campaign.

Fallen stars Kurt Cobain, Sid Vicious, Joey Ramone and Joe Strummer compose the centerpiece of this print and poster collabo.

Writer Andrew Petch tells AdCritic, "We wanted to communicate that Dr. Martens boots are 'made to last,' and we discovered that these idolized musicians wore them. Showing them still wearing their Docs in heaven dramatized the boots' durability perfectly."

Well, let's hope customers think "durability" and not "premature death."

by Angela Natividad    May-11-07    
Topic: Campaigns, Celebrity, Magazine, Poster



7 Eleven Helps Adrants Balance Editorial Coverage

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Thank you, 7 Eleven! Finally, we can feature an ad campaign that objectifies men. Rather than scantily clad women, we have scantily clad men vamping for 7 Eleven in Australia to promote the chain's frozen Slurpee. With gleeful abandon, the men in the ads are given the full beefcake treatment and portrayed as poolboy, pole dancer and maid. Contrary to what one might assume, this reverse double standard-ish campaign was not created by a bunch of giggling female creatives sitting around the conference room table but by five guys at Leo Burnett Melbourne...who probably also giggled madly while sitting around the conference room table. This ought to keep us editorially balance for at least another year, don'tcha think?

by Steve Hall    May-10-07    
Topic: Campaigns, Creative Commentary, Good, Magazine, Racy



Chivalry's Not Dead, Cosmo to the Rescue

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Most of us have done that (transparent) thing where we text a friend and beg them to call with a life-altering emergency so we can ditch a date.

To rid us of the inconvenience of praying for follow-through, Cosmo hosts a call-back service that enables serial daters to pre-set a time for the phone to ring.

Because the ringing effect just ain't fancy enough, you can select the type of caller you want, too.

Consider the potential. This doesn't just make date-ditching easier; it also makes check-skipping more convenient. And it would probably make a unique morning wake-up call too.

The function is powered by Moderati and can be accessed at the mobile component of the Cosmo site. The service costs a dollar and, we suppose, saves you some dignity.

Thanks go out to Snackable Content, who knows how the single do suffer.

by Angela Natividad    May- 4-07    
Topic: Magazine, Mobile/Wireless, Online, Trends and Culture



Nature Loves Crustaceans More than People, Says Biss

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To raise awareness (and hopefully funds) for the homeless, Munich-based magazine Biss disseminates 300 strange little posters and print ads to show nature doesn't automatically grant everybody a place to call home. They are somewhat creepy as expressions cross between homeless angst and something sea creaturish. The layer of slime probably throws us off. Or is that malnutrition?

Copy reads, "Nature doesn't provide everyone with a home. Help homeless by buying this magasin."

See the snail and turtle variations.

by Angela Natividad    May- 3-07    
Topic: Magazine, Poster



Farmers Get Feminine in Winning NAMA Ads

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Agency Yamamoto Moss Mackenzie walked out of the National Agri-Marketing Association Awards with first place for a series of ads they did for John Deere Credit's Farm Plan.

The ads involve burly farmers taking bubble baths and walking decked-out little dogs. The idea goes that the Farm Plan lets them focus on la dolce vida.

It's odd enough that an association for agri-marketing in specific exists. Beyond that, it's entirely possible that the salt of the earth may also be preoccupied with exfoliating.

by Angela Natividad    May- 3-07    
Topic: Agencies, Magazine



This 'My Name is Earl' Ad Stinks

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Concord Litho is helping NBC with a promotion for the May 3 episode of My name is Earl. The promotion really stinks. In fact, it doesn't just stink, it stinks six different ways. It stinks so bad, NBC is going to make people stick their noses in the stink delivered courtesy of TV Guide.

Yes, during the May 3 "Laugh 'n Sniff" episode, NBC will prompt viewers with on-air graphics to rub one of six corresponding numbered boxes on TV Guide's scent card, which will release aromas connected to the My Name Is Earl storyline, including the smell of "a brand-new car," and the chocolaty-creamy signature scent of Oreo cookies who is sponsoring the episode. The stinky ads will appear in the April 30 issue of TV Guide.

by Steve Hall    Apr-30-07    
Topic: Good, Magazine, Specialty, Television



Chubb Can Make Sex Jokes, You Can't

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Copyranter posted this ad for Chubb that sets our '80's sensibilities aflame. He also points out the less-than-subtle hard-on reference, courtesy of handy ol' Urban Dictionary.

Huh.

That's mildly violating but perhaps insurance providers don't have to worry much about throwing double-entendres around and courting a lawsuit. Man, those guys must be good.

by Angela Natividad    Apr-30-07    
Topic: Magazine



Mju 700 is Slim Enough to Threaten Park Ave. Princesses

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Where tech toys are concerned, it's generally granted that thinner is better. Consider the flat screen and the Razr. Bowing to this convention, this print ad demonstrates the Olympus Mju 700 is so slim you can't even see it in profile.

Now would be a good time to toss in a Nicole Ritchie joke but we don't feel sufficiently motivated. We'd hate to belittle the seriousness of appliance anorexia.

by Angela Natividad    Apr-23-07    
Topic: Magazine



Nike Bitchslaps Imus with Big Fat 'Thank You'

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Ad-love is fickle. Shortly after dropping the slanderous Imus, advertisers decide they want him back.

That is, with the exception of Nike, which happens to be a major sponsor of the Rutgers' men and women's basketball teams. Duncans has an exclusive interview with the talking heads that matter, but essentially what happened is Nike released a print ad thanking Imus for reminding us we've still go a long way to go before ignorance is dead.

Typically the tastemakers for victory, postivisim, etc., Nike demonstrates they do even righteous rage better than most. Nice.

Wieden + Kennedy, Portland, put this bad-boy together.

by Angela Natividad    Apr-22-07    
Topic: Best, Brands, Celebrity, Magazine, Social