Geek Genes and Victorious Spirit Meld in Nike/Evra Spot

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For Nike, Manchester U soccer player Patrice Evra unzips his AW 77 hoodie and bares a vintage-style tee that reads EVRA THE GAME.

This marks the opening for a pixellated retro-gamer race to the finish, with Evra as Player 1 and each match a daunting new level. You've got the occasional zombies and giant men, but ultimately Evra defeats all and surpasses even the France level, at which point you're met with the campaign heading: THE GAME IS NEVER OVER.

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by Angela Natividad    Oct- 1-09    
Topic: Brands, Campaigns, Celebrity, Good, Social, Video



Gecko Evolves, Comics Skinned, Turkey Hyped, Dentistry Delivered

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- The Geiko Gecko tries to steal some limelight from Judson Laipply in a remix of his The Evolution of Dance video.

- Feeling creative? Like to make comic strips? Into proper skincare? Then you just might love ExpressYourPOW, a make-your-own comic strip thingy from Kiehl's Acai Damage-Repairing Skincare.

- Feeling hungry? Like to eat healthy? Into turkey? Then you just might love the new Jennie-O-Turkey Store campaign.

- Feeling poor? Like to participate in contests? Into good dental care? The you just might love the 1-800-DENTIST smile makeover contest.

by Steve Hall    Sep-29-09    
Topic: Brands, Promotions, Social, Spoofs, Video



Town Uses Billboard to Promote Facebook Page

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Billboards. You've heard of them. You've probably created for them or crafted a media plan including them. You've driven by them. You've chuckled at the cheesiness of some of them and appreciated the brilliance of others.

Sadly, no one talks about billboards any longer. But they're still out there and they still work. So why are we talking about the lowly billboard today? Social media, of course. After all, social media is the only thing anyone cares about these days, right?

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by Steve Hall    Sep-28-09    
Topic: Outdoor, Social



Koch Talks, Julia Jokes, Hilton Goes Mad, Halo Extends

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- Former Mayor Ed Koch tells us why New York's Presbyterian Hospital should be considered a national treasure and funded as such. Munn Rabot created and Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer David Hume Kennerly directed.

- Tired of annoying acronyms and abbreviations brought on by the pop culture of cell phones and instant messaging? So is Jul3ia. Irritated with social networking sites taking over your life? So is Jul3ia. Don't remember the last time you actually saw the sky or went outside? Neither does Jul3ia. (Go easy. It's a friend's daughter.)

- Hilton HHonors is offering members a Live Like a Mad Man Sweepstakes to win a trip to New York to be wined and dined, made over by the show's stylist, as well as receive their very own autographed script by booking the "Mad Men" rate at any Hilton hotel.

- The extended Halo 3 trailer.

by Steve Hall    Sep-28-09    
Topic: Cause, Promotions, Social, Spoofs, Video



Yawn. Brand Hires 'Social Butterflies' For Paintgasm

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Does anyone miss the days when ads just told you what the product did and why it might improve your life? Of course not which is why we have silly ideas like this paintball fight which, like the Sony Paint effort, is supposed to hype the fact the Samsung Corbis phone is full of color. Well, not like a TV but it's available in a lot of different colors.

Four social media elite types were selected and given the task of recruiting as many online friends as they could in a 24 hour period. They'd them assemble the friends to participate on one of four teams which would pummel each other with paint.

And yea, that's really it.

by Steve Hall    Sep-28-09    
Topic: Social



Little Debbie Does Dallas (No Really. It's Part of the Promotion)

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OK so now we know why those silly little Smart cars exist. They're really not good for much and look like they'll blow over in the wind but cupcake maker Little Debbie has a use for them. The brand is launching a new cupcake and, along with a Facebook page, a 125,000 carton cupcake giveaway, a mobile tour, a Twitter feed, a YouTube channel, a Flickr photostream, event marketing, TV spots and blogger bribes..,uh...blogger outreach, will giveaway two Smart cars.

Se the spots here.

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by Steve Hall    Sep-22-09    
Topic: Events, Guerilla, Mobile/Wireless, Promotions, Social



Oh Look! A Twitter Promotion! Wow! So Cool!

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Yawn.

Marketing agency I Spy is working with book retailer Waterstone's to launch their first "Twinterview," an interview to promote the launch of the TV duo's Ant & Dec's new book.

The comedic duo, Geordie, will take-over Waterstone's Twitter account (@waterstones) for one hour today at 3pm to promote their new autobiography, "Ooh! What a Lovely Pair: Our Story." Ant & Dec will answer live questions from fans and pre-Tweeted questions to the Twitter hash tag #AntnDec.

The Twitter campaign is supported by a YouTube-hosted video of Ant & Dec answering questions posed by Waterstone's customers. "What you want to know about Ant & Dec" goes live (click here to view) today.

by Steve Hall    Sep-17-09    
Topic: Social



BFGoodrich Goes Social With Nation of Go

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For those who are into driving and obsessively cataloging their excursions social media style, BFGoodrich has launched Nation of Go. Created by The Martin Agency, the site lets people map and share their travles, upload and geotag photos, connect with professional drivers and all kinds of other driving-related obsessions.

And who knew this comes from a company that makes the most basic and boring of automotive parts, tires.

Hmm. It's kind of like Foursquare for driving enthusiasts, right?

by Steve Hall    Sep-16-09    
Topic: Brands, Social



Sadly, Creative Director Won't Eat Shorts. Happily, Agency Wins Account

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Back in March of this year, Captains of Industry Creative Director told the industry in a video he'd cook and eat his shorts if his agency didn't win a solar energy account by the end 2009. Happily, Ted doesn't have to eat his shorts as his agency recently won the Alteris Renewables account.

In yet another video, we see Ted prepping his shorts for consumption by adding all manner of marinade and spice to the shirts and then tossing them on the grill. But, as he meticulously sets the table for the dreaded feast, ted gets a call from the agency informing him Alteris has signed on as a client.

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by Steve Hall    Sep-15-09    
Topic: Agencies, Promotions, Social



ad:tech Chicago: Sharpie, Ben & Jerry's Squeeze Merit Out of Social Media Sphinx

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My last ad:tech Chicago session was the Social Media Industry Forum, presented by Geoff Ramsey of eMarketer.

The sesh had a festive air for many reasons, not least that it was Ramsey's birthday. ad:tech's Warren Pickett burst in near the end to furnish him with candle-lit cupcakes.

But the company was also lively: we had a frothy, sometimes cynical and perennially candid band that included Digital Marketing Manager Katie O'Brien of Ben & Jerry's, President Rick Murray of Edelman Digital (which does interactive stuff for B&J's), PR/Social Media Manager Susan Wassel of Sanford Brands (here to rep Sharpie), and Digital Strategist Akash Pathak of DraftFCB, which worked with Wassel to bring life to Sharpie's label.

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