It seemed like such a good idea in theory.
For client Borders, design studio Firstborn created the Gift Squad, a site that aims to make gift-choosing easier but feels more like a horrifying attack by the characters adults find soothing for children but that actually populated our nightmares.
We dug the idea of an elf-chat. That could work. But Gift Squad asks a bunch of confusing and seeming unrelated questions generated by nothing that appears to be human. And along the way you're bounced across five other vapidly-happy "experts" (the nutcracker, the teddy bear, etc) on this quest that's starting to feel like the search for the holy grail - and all you want is for some human being playing elf to say "I know what to get your mom! She'll love a box of truffles from Borders! Would you like to order now?" or something similarly simple.
Do we ask so much?
You have to love the simplicity of this Lynx promotional email containing the subject line "100% off women's clothing." Upon opening the email, the only this you see is a naked (with the appropriate body parts covered) specimen of female perfection who peers out at you with a look you can only hope to ever see in real life. It's a witty play on words that gives nod to the long-running notion portrayed in past campaigns that wearing Lynx gets you the girl.
Remember Alan Becker's neat video about creative gone awry? Atom Films just published the sequel: Animator v. Animation II. It's arguably better than the first as the stick actually escapes his template, wreaks havoc on the desktop, breathes fire and duke sit out with AIM and the Firefox logo.
The ending may either disappoint or grant closure, but there's definitely room for a bad-ass third installment. Unleashed on the world at large? Can't wait.
There just aren't many words that come to mind when describing this animated promotional piece from ID Branding, Ride Studio and Omatic Design called Save the Fat Man. Sick, twisted and weird might be a few though. Puking polar bears, orgiastic elves and cannibalistic gingerbread cookies are just part of the fun.
If you're a guy and you're feeling a bit down and dejected this holiday season or if you, man or woman, know a guy who is, Jenna is here to lift your/their spirits. Adrants reader David Shrager created a little site called Your Perfect Girl, that lets you enter your friend's name, what Jenna is supposed to like about him, what they will talk about at dinner, what your friend does for work and how the message will end. A video then plays and Jenna, with her intoxicatingly sweet voice, takes the friend out for the night. Possessing a fantasy-addled brain, this is the stuff we love. Be kind to your friends this year. Send Jenna.
UPDATE: Jenna loves us....really loves us:-)
To honor the titans who paint their chests, dye their hair and live by the free throw during March Madness, Coke bestows a chance to take part in their human bracket or hit the Final Four in Atlanta with their Most Devoted Campaign.
Demonstrate your own love of the hoop by telling a story about college basketball or March Madness in general. It might help to paint your chest and scream. For our part we find the idea of being in a human bracket unappetizing and would rather sit in the way-way-back, act surly and throw shit in peace.
Bozell created this collaborative holiday card for clients and friends, inviting others to upload holiday photos onto the site. Bozell will make a donation to the Salvation Army for every image posted.
We hope they are donating something little like pasta beads or walnuts because there are quite a few photos on here already and more coming, we expect. Some are quite cute but it makes us feel funny looking at the holiday memories of strangers. Didn't Robin Williams do something like that in One Hour Photo?
- The holiday videos keep pouring in. This first pair are by Animax. Here's a Peanuts spoof with a crying tree, and a Santa-style King Kong where the victim is a gingerbread girl. Note flying banana on image at left. How do you not love that? We're not sure. We don't know what to feel anymore.
- If you're more into bad pick-up lines and the immortal stereotype of the douchey ad guy, please believe you will enjoy this holiday song by Ignited Minds. Because it's not a happy holiday until you're reminded at least several times how slimy people can be who find themselves in your line of work. Unless you are that slimy individual.
- And how often do you get to dress your CEO like a tree, subject him to a walk of shame and pelt him with paintballs? This video is really almost art. Thank you White+Partners for realizing a fond dream we've all had at some point.
The festivities draw ever nearer.
Yes, there is an actual medical ailment called "mouse rage syndrome," The term was coined by the Social Issues Research Centre in the United Kingdom which recently conducted a study of 2,500 web users who were found to exhibit negative cardiac function, profuse sweating, altered immune and nervous system function and, yes, "mouse rage" defined as furious clicking and bashing of the mouse.
Guess what causes the syndrome? Fat Flash sites, poorly designed sites, bad navigation, pop ups, banner ads, unnecessary graphics and just about everything else our industry foists upon the helpless public who only want quick access to the relevant information they need and have no need for "site loading..." bullshit or sites that look great in a presentation but perform like a turtle crossing the road when launched. Wake up and smell the consumer, people. We want them to be our frinds. Not our enemies. Make nice.
For Snakes on a Plane we witnessed what a forum can do when they really like you. For Tom Green we might see what a forum can do when you're teetering over the edge of sanity.
Post Freddy Got Fingered (among other tribulations) it would be an understatement to say Tom is upset with his fans. Since the cancellation of his short-lived MTV show he has little hope that his months-old internet efforts will do much better.
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