Music Video Promotes Clio's

Our friends over at the Creative Liberation Intelligence Organization are at it again with a promotional music video to, one assumes, drum up more entries for this year's Clio's. Back in early December 2005, the group launched a very spy-like website using all manner of spy metaphor to create awareness of the Clio's. Take a look and let us know what you think.

TV Becoming Unnecessary Appliance for Advertising

The NFL has announced it will place all Super Bowl ads airing this weekend on its video on demand NFL Network, on NFL.com and on Sprint phones. Budweiser will optimize its five minutes worth of ads for the iPod and make them downloadable from Budweiser.com. GoDaddy, of course, has been pushing its ads online for years. Pepsi will have BrownandBubbly.com. Burger King will have the Whopperettes. Who needs an actual television anymore?

Naomi Campbell, John Malkovich Star in Pirelli Long-Form Ad

In the works since last year, tire maker Pirelli will, in March. release The Call, a 10-minute video, created by Leo Burnett and set in the Vatican, starring John Malkovich who plays a priest and Naomi Campbell who plays the devil. Using the power stuggle between good and evil, Pirelli claims the film, directed by Antoine Fuqua, will be a metaphor for the company's "power is nothing without control" tagline. The film will be released exclusively online and receive promotion through online, print and television.

This is Hollywood-style, celebrity-powered ad is sure to give Russell Crowe plenty of ammunition to further castigate celebrities for selling out. That said, if we, as an industry want better ads, we have to tap better talent. Big names bring a sea of eyeballs and getting noticed in today's media environment is becoming an impossible task. Granted, Malkovick, though a superb actor, isn't A-list in terms of popularity and Campbell, while very popular, is no Malkovich in the acting department but together, they just might bring some notoriety and sales to Pirelli and its sleepy, commodity-like category of automotive tires.

Ad Blogger to Appear on 'Today Show'

George Parker, who writes the Adscam and AdHurl advertising blogs will appear on NBC's Today Show tomorrow, Tuesday, sometime between 7A and 10A. Parker will discuss the impact of the Internet and other newer forms of advertising have affected newspaper advertising effectiveness and revenues. Parker should know what he's talking about as he's been in the business for over 30 years, worked for many agencies and is currently writing a book entitled, "Entrepreneurial Advertising."

MSN Launches 'ESP Billy' to Promote New Messenger

To encourage use of its new version of Messenger, MSN has launched a promotion, created by Fallon, called ESP Billy, a microsite with episodic videos featuring ESP Billy, a white trash online psychic played by Ricky Jay who communicates with his clients through MSN Messenger video chat. There's a pilot episode that introduces the characters, and then three interactive episodes where the user can decode the fate of the main character, Travis, but choosing an ending based on ESP Billy's predictions of the future. The catch to the promotion - and the entire point of the promotion - is the three videos can only be viewed using MSN Messenger for which a convenient download botton is provided. The pilot episode, which, itself, is quite good, can be viewed in a browser. The online element will be supported by print and online media beginning in a couple of weeks

Viral Advertising Archive Launched

While there's plenty of places to search for and look at viral advertising, Viral HQ has gathered together an expansive collection of viral ads and categorized them by name along with the brand they were created for. Like many other viral accumulators, Viral HQ also has plans to offer seeding and tracking services. While hosting virals is a great way to sell other services, Viral HQ has done a respectable job of gathering together a huge collection. That said, it needs a search feature so virals can be found based on the brands as well as the name. Currently, it's just an alphabetical directory.

CareerBuilder Chimps Attack Your Inbox

CareerBuilder just can't give up those chimps. They're in ads, They,re on the website. Now they're going to be in your email if CareerBuilder has its way. The job site has launched a five step, create-an-email microsite, called Monk-e-mail, on which visitors can pick a chimp, dress it up, give it something to say, preview it and send it to a friend. It's humorous enough nut just not as funny as that Wedding Crashers Trailer Crashers thing.

MySpace Jumps Shark With Nude Playboy Pictorial

Certainly, it was destined to happen sooner or later. Afterall, if Playboy goes after Wal-mart hotties, they're sure to see better luck with hotties found on MySpace given that most can't seem to post a fully clothed picture if their life depended on it. Playboy is seeking "the sexiest women of the MySpace community to pose for a nude Playboy pictorial." The only requirement, of course, is that the girl must be hot and at least 18 years old. No doubt, Playboy will receive millions of submissions for this and will likely be its most popular "Girls of..." issue ever.

Celebs Join Hilary Duff to Promote Kohl's Candie's Line

Back in June, we noted Hilary Duff would become the face of Candie's. Perhaps because the poor girl's just not quite weighty enough to carry the role herself, Candie's has decided to add a few more celebrities to heavy up its campaign adding "Entourage" and former 'The O.C.' star Samaire Armstrong, "EuroTrip" hottie and "Ice Princess: sweetie Michelle Trachtenberg and relative newcomer Crunk & B artist Ciara. The celebs will appear in TV, print and online ads to support the roll out of the brand in Kohl's stores.

New Soccer Shoe Launched With Karaoke Choir Competition

Japanese footwear company Onitsuka Tiger, known as ASICS in the States, has launched an online karaoke game, Lovely Football, in support of the company's new football (soccer) shoe Injector DX. On the site, the Onitsuka Tiger National Choir performs and after viewing the competition, visitors can sing along with the choir karaoke style and enter their performance in a contest to win a pair of Injector DX or other Onitsuka Tiger goodies.