You know, we were gonna screen capture this ourselves the other day while we were trolling MySpace for the latest batch of fake/marketer profiles but, well, there's a lot of distractions on MySpace including this True dating service ad. Yes, their ads have always featured barely dressed hotties staring desirously out at you but they might be pushing the limit here with this ad featuring a woman fondling her own breast. What's next, some seductive crotch grabbing? Not that we're complaining or anything.
As part of the Global Fund RED campaign to fight AIDS in Africa, The Independent has been redesigned today by Giorgio Armani and half the papers ad revenue will be donated to the Global Fund ro Fight AIDS. It's all part of the Maria Shriver/Bono-created campaign that aims to urge big business to contribute to the fund in an ongoing manner. The companies already involved are Gap, Converse, Emporio Armania, American Express and Motorola. All those companies have developed RED product lines and a portion of the revenue that comes from sales of those lines goes to the Fund.
Maria Shriver explains the effort telling The Independent, "How do you think Magic Johnson [who has HIV] is still around? He takes two pills a day, which he can get from any drugstore. But those drugstores don't exist in Africa, and millions can't get to the drugs Magic Johnson can get. That's where the RED money's going." So far, $10 million has been raised.
We don't know if this is more contextual buffoonery but we do like the idea of IBM ads surrounding a story about Apple's design guru Jonathan Ive in this BusinessWeek Online story.
Fergie, aka Stacy Ferguson, is getting some help from Retail Entertainment Design which has put together an in-store promotion with retail chain Vanity to promote her new album, The Dutchess. From September 19 through October 23, in-store and online promotions will promote the album as well as offer a chance to win a trip to meet Fergie. Those who have participated in prior Vanity promotions will receive a text message with the offer.
Here's one of the better online ads we've seen in a while. Coming from Y&R Interactive Israel for Logitech, it capitalizes on the fact that when you see video online, you expect to hear sound. With this ad, you don't at first but with each increase of the volume slider in the ad, the guy peering into the webcam gets increasingly more active until he gets blown away and Logitech speakers come into the frame. The ad does a nice job involving the viewer, relating the ad to the product's purpose and showing the product.
Yesterday during lunch, Nathan Burke checked out a promotion on the Volvo website that contained the headline, "Who Would You Give A Volvo To?" So he checked out the site which asks people to submit stories and/or videos about special people in their lives and why he'd like them to have a Volvo. While car manufacturers don't give cars aways every day, the wording of the promotion certainly might lead someone to believe one would be. But, buried deep in the FAQ is this: "Is there a Volvo vehicle being given away as part of the 'Who Would You Give A Volvo To?' campaign? No. The WWYGAVT campaign is intended to make people think about the safety initiatives Volvo has taken in vehicle development and therefore why they would consider a Volvo for the special individuals in their lives."
more »
With a website called Snapalope Hunting Association of America, Crispin Porter + Bogusky has done some funny work for that convenience store oddity, Slim Jim. Is it meat? Is it flavored cardboard? Whatever. We'll let the food magazines figure that out. On the site, comparison charts make it easy to spot a Snapalope, a hand signal guide makes it easier to team hunt the beast, tip on hiding, using decoys, trapping and some ads in which Zoic Studios created the visual effects of the Snapalope.
Earlier this month, we pointed to one of three videos promoting the benefits of the new Windows Live Messenger which touted the benefits of new means of communication over old. Here's the other two along with the original on a fancy little site created by AKQA and produced by Maverick.
Not that this is yet another contextual ad mishap. Then again, maybe it is. It's not obvious this ad is on this page contextually or just normally. Next to an article about Segway recalling 23,500 of its scooters because the wheels can suddenly reverse causing injury to the rider is an apple ad with the PC guy in a wheelchair with casts on both arms and one leg. Actually, this contextual screw up, unlike the Anna Nicole Smith dead son one, is actually brilliant.
There's a social network for everyone and now there's one for highschool athletes called MyStack from teen athlete magazine Stack. Just like MySpace and every other net out there, MyStack lets people create a profile, list intersts, connect with other athletes, upload videos of high school games and create goups based on sporting interests. MyStack also intends to make the site a place for high school athletes and college recruiters to connect. It seems, though, one needs to pay $26.99 per year and receive the magazine to join MyStack.
|
|
