Tearing the chapter in irony out of theTruth.com's tattered playbook, Crowell Advertising brings us Fight the Ugly, home base to a lame-duck action figure named Smokerman.
Um, diggin' the 'stache.
See ads in which the action figure, stopping often to catch his breath, tries saving trains or disarming plastic bombs. The spots -- prepared for the Utah Department of Health -- will air during morning cartoons, where hopefully they stop kids from smoking as opposed to, oh, making the puff-puff seem fun.
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.
Probably because the bulls-eye has more brand cachet than she does, Christina Aguilera's paired up with Target to promote Keeps Gettin' Better, a premature greatest-hits album buttressed by a handful of mediocre new tracks.
The ad features Aguilera in superhero Target garb, breaking through comic book frames like a cross between Frank Miller's Sin City and a less saucy version of Britney Spears' Toxic. It's infectious, mostly because Target knows how to play with the colour red. But it took a coupla watches to positively ID the once-ultra-visible pop diva.
Keeps Gettin' Better is available exclusively at the big-box. Possessed of timeless classics like Genie in a Bottle, Dirrty and something called Genie 2.0, we (don't) highly recommend it.
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"I'm a PC ... and I love the slimming effect of a purple striped shirt."
That's the profound kick-off to "Real PC," one of the :30 TV spots being cobbled together with clips from Microsoft's Upload Your Own 'I'm a PC' Ad! campaign. I saw one last night and winced; what is it about this effort that rings so painfully desperate? See more here.
These user-generated variants manage to be just as quirky and random as the originals, with a little amateur-vid spice tossed in. One guy at ad:tech's Millennial panel said he finds these ads more "democratic" than Apple's snarky but irresistible "Mac vs. PC" spots. He's not wrong; they definitely reek of The People's OS. For whatever that's worth.
Let's just hope Crispin didn't produce them on a Mac this time.
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Ad gigs, that is. But hey, if Richard Simmons is still gettin' 'em, there's hope for any and all, not least the Black Sabbath veteran who pre-dated emo with his slick ebony angst.
Under the banner "make yourself heard," Samsung demonstrates how the QWERTY keyboard on its Propel handset makes everyday communication easier for Ozzy, who -- face it -- has always suffered from some degree of misunderstanding.
This mirthy delight is brought to you by Leo Burnett and production company MJZ.
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Melodramatic narrative and epic "nature's wrath!" scope sets you up for the punchline of DNA's "Geologic." Lest thrill-seekers forget: those treacherous crags rising up to the sky? They are there for the benefit of your skis.
Meh.
By Juggernaut/Santa Monica.
- Dear HR, please help Jetpacks.
- Danny G. says Circuit City ignores what might have helped them.
- George Parker finds someone to admit why they work in advertising.
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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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This half-hour Obama spot aired on eight networks during prime-time last night. (Sorta like the Presidential debates ... except with just one candidate.)
It's slow-moving and demagogic, with the distinct vanilla flavor of Christian family TV, but Obama's honeyed tone is soothing, like a lullaby. As an added bonus, it's oddly devoid of plumbers named Joe.
"I didn't get a church-related feeling, but my wife loved the wheat," said colleague Michael Kimsal when we discussed the ad this morning. "We then watched the pundits afterward, and half of them loved the wheat too."
Building on that hard-up plebe vibe, Adrants reader Olivier was all, "Felt like Grapes of Wrath II at times."
For year two of the Detroit Institute of Arts' "Let Yourself Go" rebrand, Perich Advertising + Design tapped Head Gear Animation/Toronto to produce two spots:
o In "Son of Hatman," Hatman takes his son to the museum. Seeing the art makes them part of it.
I once saw a Tales from the Darkside episode with a similar premise: a guy on the lam runs into a museum and prays to be hidden inside a peaceful painting of a fisherman. But because he spends his prayertime looking at a picture of Jesus being crucified, that's where God puts him. Oh, horrors.
o In "Thinker," a stumped writer leaps off his perch and hits the DIA for inspiration.
Writer's block hurts, and while I'm sure forking over $8 to see other people's masterpieces must help, I find it hard to believe he didn't try drinking first. It's the path of least resistance. Cheaper, too.
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