iJustine, Karen Get Lost in America With AT&T

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Surprisingly, there hasn't been much press on AT&T's Lost in America, a Wal-Marting Across America-style (sorry, Justine) travel blog program fronted by Justine Ezarik, a.k.a iJustine and Karen Nguyen. For a few months now, the pair have been "lost" in America and exploring Alaska, Austin and Chicago.

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Like, OMG, Chelsea OMG Goes to London!

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OK, so like. Oh My God. Wait, what? Like, scratch that. We, like, can't even, like, fake the lameness of Chelsea Puck, the bimbo, like, fronting a Bebo web series called Chelsea OMG which, like, has the American airhead in London, like, acting all stupid and, like, shit.

Sure. Chelsea's full of bubbleheaded cuteness and we'd definitely hire her as an intern at Adrants. If only to have her in videos, like, OMGing about ads and, like, stuff. But, like, OMFG, she gives us a headache! Check out all her video goodness here as well as on YouTube. Especially endearing is her Cloverfield-like freak out at the London Bridge and her Palin impression.

As pseudo bimbos go, we much prefer the cheerleader bimbo who did several videos to promote the move, The Comebacks. But we still wouldn't kick Chelsea out of...oops...sorry, that's disrespectful.

by Steve Hall    Nov-18-08    
Topic: Online, Social, Video



VeeV Spikes Vodka, Sprint 2-Point-No, Lessons Learned from Motrin Mayhem

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- Yesterday's news: Pepsi shafts BBDO for TBWA. BBDO held the account for nearly 50 years.

- After a year and a half of fumbling at the throne of Yahoo, CEO Jerry Yang exits stage left.

- Wieden + Kennedy scores the Nokia Nseries account, worth about $150 million. Lowe London held it before.

- VeeV, an acai-based spirit with delusions of grandeur, brings you The End of Vodka, complete with vodka bots. The site's goal is to show users how much superficiality vodka's introduced into our lives over the course of the past decade. Yeah. If by superficiality you mean lasting friendships and insta-forgiveness.

- "Is this Miley's fault? Ugh, she wouldn't know a legendary jazz man even if he walked up to her and shot cocaine into her neck."

- Sprint's web 2.0 clusterfuck.

- Big Takeaways from the Motrin crisis. (How is it Motrin gets shut down but this goes on undeterred?)

by Angela Natividad    Nov-18-08    
Topic: Agencies, Brands, Campaigns, Online, Opinion, Social



Motrin Mania Ignited on Twitter, Mad Moms Mobilize

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This is one of those thing's that causes one to scream, "Oh for fuck's sake!" Or better yet, "Jesus, fucking Christ!" Why the harsh language? Because, yet again, America has lost its sense of humor and has gotten its underwear up its crack over an innocuous Motrin ad which pokes fun at babywearing. For the uninformed, babywearing (yes, there's an actual Babywearing week) is the art of carrying your child in a sling. You've seen plenty of moms and dads with a child slung around their bodies as if the baby were yet another MacBook Pro.

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by Steve Hall    Nov-16-08    
Topic: Brands, Opinion, Social, Video



Digital Designers Face Off in Intel's Digital Drag Race

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Ingredient brand Intel has decided to dip its toes in the lemming-filled waters of marketing nirvana, otherwise known as social media, with Digital Drag Race, a competition which pits professional digital designers against one another mixed with a consumer-generated aspect for non-professionals.

Launching November 17, a collection of professional designers will spend 70 minutes on a computer powered by the brand new Intel Core i7 Extreme Edition Processor using Abobe Creative Suite 4 to create a 17 second motion graphic using supplied assets; video, music, vector images. The content of the videos are to center on the themes of power, speed and innovation.

After each race, judges will select competitors with the best final product. The first two digital drag races will be unveiled on the Digital Drag Race site on November 17th, after which site visitors will be able to view and vote for their favorite designs.

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by Steve Hall    Nov-14-08    
Topic: Brands, Consumer Created, Promotions, Social



Dear War Veteran: You Are Not Alone

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A new campaign from BBDO and the Ad Council for the Irag and Afghanistan Veterans of America reminds people the one percent of Americans who put their life in harm's way for the other 99 percent should not be left alone when they finally come home.

The campaign includes television, print and a social networking site which offers returning veterans the chance to connect with fellow soldiers and work towards re-entering society.

by Steve Hall    Nov-12-08    
Topic: Online, Social, Television



Swarms, Headaches and Pirate Booty.

- Catch a ride, not a cold with Tylenol's free rides.

- Herds and swarms oh my, check out The Nature of Marketing from Chuck Brymer/CEO, DDB worldwide.

- Toyota drives faster pussycats, faster.

- You know you want to: Get your face on an EA Sports cover in Times Square this weekend.

- Does consumerism make us crazy? Sure. Maybe. I dunno. You decide.

- Pirates need booty juggling too.

by Bill Green    Nov- 7-08    
Topic: Social



Obama Ignites Souls -- and Dancing Feet -- of Manhattanites

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I was fresh into university when California governor Gray Davis was ousted. In what I shortsightedly conceived to be the most politically significant moment I'd be destined to see in my lifetime, Arnold Schwarzenegger replaced him in Sacramento. I felt seized by the fever of the time, and vowed to always remember what it was like to be passionate about the pulse of government.

That was just a handful of years ago. Today my mind is filled with watershed events that vastly eclipse that first taste: a mortgage crisis, the dramatic collapse of hulking financial institutions, and a black Presidential incumbent pitted against Hillary Clinton for the Democratic ticket, then against another woman -- Republican VP candidate Sarah Palin -- for the right to walk with proprietary pride across the vast square footage of the White House.

Last night, a handful of ad:techies learned the results of the November 4 election over a dinner hosted by Susan Bratton, the DishyMix queen bee. I sat between social medialyte Dave Evans and a well-traveled guy called Roy. We ordered duck gizzards and spun casual, but slightly taut, conversation.

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by Angela Natividad    Nov- 5-08    
Topic: Campaigns, Industry Events, Opinion, Political, Social



British Air Shows Facebook Wonderful Tool For Ignoring Employees-Until They Use It to Track Them Down For Complaining on Facebook.

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As Dumbass proved, Big Brother, Black Helicopters and now your boss all watch what you do on Facebook. Depending on your POV, British Airways employees either went too far or not far enough. Tired of having their complaints go unaddressed, they complained on Facebook about management and customers. (Customers I could see. You ever deal with the general public? Yeah, you know what fun that is.) But... how far is too far?

Anonymous posts about poor working conditions are one thing, calling out your boss and insulting the people you get paid to serve is another. Complicating things further, does British Airways have a right to go after employees for complaining about a legitimate gripe? Does any employer have a right to take action against an employee based just on their online comments, especially if the employer is the one creating those working conditions? Lotta questions there.

What say you?

by Bill Green    Nov- 5-08    
Topic: Social



Encumbent Avatars, Undecided Coffee Cups, Crocheted Shotguns

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- Obama/McCain WeeMees! OhMG kyoooooot. Diggin' how the page reads, "Invite the presidential nominees to your Room." So naughty.

- Speaking of politics, that half-hour Obama ad pulled in an average household rating of 21.7. The top market was Baltimore, where it averaged 31.3.

- Still undecided? Sport it on your coffee cup. $10 says at least five election canvassers will make a beeline for you within minutes of exiting 7-Eleven.

- Zap bugs with Honda. Reminds me of a Stargate SG-1 episode where these giant bugs would prick you, then turn you into an egg sack.

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