Samsung Delivers Times Square Olympic Goodness

Working for Samsung, Tronic created a dynamic looking video for the brand's Times Square video installation announcing the partnership between the brand and the 2008 Olympic Games. After several animated formations, diffusions and re-formations, the video ends with the digital bits forming the Olympic logo.

Cute Lepers Cure Terminal Boredom. Or Not

Expectations are high when a press release promises, "Cute Lepers will Cure Your 'Terminal Boredom' This Summer!" But there are no lepers, cute or otherwise. It's just some pop band on tour.

Oreo Turns Elevator Into Milk Dunking Machine

OK, this is kind of cool. Using a glass elevator with a giant faux Oreo cookie attached to it that dunks into a faux glass of milk when the elevator hits the first floor, Oreo has done a nice job creating interest with the use of alternative media. Hmm. Anyone feel like Oreo cookies and milk now?

Jamba Juice Disses (Promotes) McDonald's McMuffin

In an apparent effort to illustrate how McDonald's breakfast sandwiches are bad and how Jamba Juice is good, Swirl created a billboard, which it placed directly next to a McDonald's near Penn Station, that shows a McDonald's breakfast sandwich "tied down like a ball & chain...which will obviously make you feel this way after eating" and a Jamba Juice drink with a spring under it. The tagline is "Put the Good in Your Morning."

While there is a "vs." between the two, this billboard seems to say " have a McMuffin and a Jamba Juice in the morning. It's the perfect combination" rather than "have a Jamba Juice instead of a McMuffin."

Men Get Mad in New York Subway

Yea! Mad Men is returning but if you simply can't wait to wallow in the 1960's ad world, you get do so virtually in a New York city subway car, some of which have been designed on the interior to look like the television show. Too bad you'll never get the full effect what with the hundreds of people filling the cars obscuring the view...which could lead to another problem.

Giant Egg Opens to Announce McDonald's Breakfast Hours

As an apparent follow up to their salad billboard, Leo Burnett Chicago has created a giant egg in front of a McDonald's which opens between 6:30AM and 10:30AM, the hours breakfast is served at the restaurant. It's not your average billboard and it. once again, proves the worth of a medium that, while old, still has a lot of flexibility for creative use. See time-lapse photography of the egg opening here.

Automated Language Translation Can Yield Humorous Results

No advertisement for a (human-powered) translation service could possibly do a better job than this image of a sign in China that was produced even though, apparently, the automated translation service used failed epically. For those in China who do not speak English, making an error like this is entirely feasible. After all, if the tables were turned, would an\ English speaking person with no knowledge of Chinese language be able to discern the difference between one hieroglyphic-like Chinese symbol over another?

State Farm Pushes Peace at Hollywood Car Wash

State Farm erected some Chinese Theatre-style installations above a busy local car wash on Sunset Blvd. The vibe is very Mao meets car salesman. Overhead, banners read, "Experience peace of drive."

Hrrm. Going Zen behind the wheel is cool while your car's getting sudsy, but it's a fine line between clearing your mind and falling asleep while in transit. Though if a meditative trance does guide you to someone else's bumper, I have no doubt State Farm will appear at your side, genie-style, with a smile and a very big abacus.

More photos here and here.

Oh Look! It's A Flash Mob Staring at a Ray-Ban Billboard!

Now that Ray-Ban has all but used up its viral video tricks, its now turned to culture jammer Ron English who recently unveiled a giant billboard in New York, part of the brand's Project Colorize campaign. To add to the unveiling, flash mobs (yes, like trucker hats, they go on and on) were organized beneath the billboard to simply look up and stare at the board...while wearing Ray-Bans, of course.

Animal has pictures and a video of a New York Post interview with Ron English

You Mean it Builds Buzz AND Kills Plaque?

Check out the Aquafresh interactive mobile, complete with virtual tooth-brushing games and free teeth cleaning duds.

The only thing that would make it cooler would be if you could step inside a giant mouth and bounce on its big foamy tongue while getting slightly high on a fresh-breath smell.