Marriott Unveils Billboard Concert

Hotel Chatter tells us Marriott Hotels has unveiled mSpot, a combined live billboard/musical concert billboard, in New York's Times Square. The board promotes what the hotel chain calls its "hip new room design" and will feature appearances by musical acts Ciara, Marc Broussard, Antigone Rising and Collective Soul along with a wedding held behind a glassed in section of the board. The "board" will be in place for four days.

Billboard Muffin Crushes Car

AdPulp points to a billboard for shopping site Bloom which shows a pan of muffins, out of which, one has fallen and crushed a car beneath. Now that's creative!

Ford Launches Talking Ad Campaign

Ford Belgium has launched a speaking ad campaign, called Ford Miracles that, well, speaks. And we're not talking about TV or radio. Created by Ogilvy Belgium and consisting of outdoor posters and customizable e-cards, the ads say, well, something. We don't really know what because we don't speak French or whatever language is spoken in Belgium. The campaign site even has a live webcam that is mounted to one of the posters to monitor viewers reactions. It's a bit spooky.

Intelligence-Challenged Outdoor Company Mounts Poster Backwards

There seems to be rampant idiocy running through the outdoor industry these days as indicated by this image sent to us by our blunder-busting brand bluecoat, Bucky Turco. Following Viacom's placement of a McDonald's billboard directly below that of a childhood obesity board (though one person says it could be a PhotoShop job), Van Wagner Outdoor, in New York City, has placed a poster, at 1st and 19th, backwards on a phone kiosk. Perhaps intending to reach passing drivers as they look in their rear view mirror, the poster is an ad for Tim Burton's new Corpse Bride movie.

UPDATE: Van Wagner says, in Comments, it was an act of vandalism, writing, "we know it was vandalism because when OUR guys (yes, a Van Wagner employee) went to rectify the problem, they came to find all the bolts and the diffuser had been stolen from the unit. It's a ridiculous act of vandalism, as most are, but it was vandalism nonetheless." That said, debate continues to rage in Comments as to the validity of this explanation.

LeTigre Rips Back Off LaCoste

American-based LeTigre, makers of those preppy Tiger-emblazoned shirts is having fun with a street poster campaign which shows a tiger ripping into the back on an alligator (crocodile for detail freaks), icon of French-based LaCoste, another pretty shirt brand. It seems both these brands are making a comeback but neither will ever achieve the popularity both had back in the 80's which you can now marvel at by watching FOX's Reunion - at leasts for a few episodes as each episode moves ahead one year.

Sharapova Mobile Billboard Supports Canon Wall Postings

OK, then. So that's how those tennis balls got embedded in the brick wall we saw a few days ago. The tennis star is driving around on a mobile billboard, ready to attack the next, unadorned wall with a rapid fire collection of tennis balls.

Bangkok Subways Slathered With iPods

This absolutely beautiful iPod wrap on several Bangkok Mass Transit System subway cars makes one wonder why we don't see more of this kind of advertising in the states. Of course, there are only a few advertisers who could be trusted to create artwork that wouldn't end up looking crass and cause the urger to puke while riding to work but America's subway could sure use a little beautification.

Viacom Outdoor Plays Joke On McDonald's

Either a serious case of spiteful humor overcame the Viacom posting crew or human stupidity, as it so often does, reared its uneducated head with this odd placement of a McDonald's billboard directly beneath a childhood obesity billboard. All we say is thank God for the proliferation of digital cameras so we can revel in the oddities and wonders of advertising.

Outdoor Campaign Teases

We know sex and advertising are great bed partners but add teasing into the mix and you've really got everyone's attention. Here's an out door campaign running in Chennai, India which, on one board has an image of a sultry looking female next to the headline, "I did it once a week, now I do it almost every day!" and on another has an image of an innocent, eager looking woman next to the headline, "I was anxious to start with, now I can't wait to do it." Some sort of pro-sex campaign? Of course not you dirty little ones. It's a campaign promoting a 30 minute Xpress work out at health club chain, Fitness One. Other images here and here.

Virgin Express Places World's Longest Billboard

Adland reports Virgin Express has, at 1,100 meters, has placed the world's longest billboard. It stretches from Kaiser-Wilhelm-Gedächtniskirche to the Zoologischer Garten. Adland says the copy reads, "you can fly from Berlin to Brussels as from 41 Euros." 660 miles. Just how long did it take to erect that thing?