We have no idea how long this has been around but Adrants reader Steve Poland tells us he saw a text ad on Google which read, "Help save the crab. Gil the MySpace crab lost his job. Sign the petition to get him back." The ad linked to SavetheCrab, a site that pleads for people to sign a petition so Gil can get his job back after having been fired for apparently saying "I pinch" too many times in Honda Element commercial which can. of course, be viewed on the accompanying MySpace page. Eesh.
- If you're interested in what other people make for a salary, here's yet another place to find out.
- CBS is piloting several billboards that beam information about its prime-time lineup to Bluetooth-enabled mobile devices.
- Commercial Alert isn't happy with PBS's decision to solicit ads for its kid-focused websites. The group's director, Gary Ruskin says, "This is a betrayal of parents and children across the country. PBS has forgotten its mission, and is selling our children to the highest bidder. PBS President Paula Kerger should be fired immediately."
- Design Observer lauds design guru Helmut Krone.
- Here's an interesting map showing the global domination of the Starbucks and McDonald's brands.
- Japan has un-banned a nude/pregnant poster of Britney Spears from Tokyo's subway system. Officials originally thought it was "too stimulating" for young people.
- Oh please. Can we just stop with the slap a log on the baby's head thing?
Adrants reader Sanj sends us an image of wanted poster wild postings which promote the beginning of the second season of the FOX series Prison Break. It's actually a really good show.
Two Finnish guys, Michael and Maesky, from Make It Real Sports think the 145 million gamers (their number, not ours) the world over, more players than any other sport, should have representation at Cannes MIPCOM and have announced their own call for entries of a sort. They're asking people to send in videos lauding the importance of virtual sports as compared to real sports. They'll take the top four videos and their creators to Cannes MIPCOM, all expenses paid. They're goal is to shop the videos as fodder the creation of a gamer-based television show. English is obviously not their primary language so go easy on them if and when you visit the site.
Because it's hard to believe anyone would be stupid enough to think a sandwich bag filled with fake weed was real on a Prime TV billboard in New Zealand promoting the Showtime series Weeds and try to steal it, this "surveillance" video released on YouTube just seems like another planned social media promotion. Not that that's a bad thing but we just wonder about the intelligence of those in this video. The video shows people trying to pull weed-like substance out of the big bag affixed to the board and ends with "$429 Reward. To the stoner who ruined our Weeds Billboard: please call 021 682526 to return the missing buds. Please." Oh wait, those stupid people are paid social media actors. Silly us. How could we have thought otherwise? Oh wait again. This is supposed to be funny. OK, now we're laughing.
OK. Think Mentos. Think Doublemint Twins. Think Mr. Charmin. OK. Got it? In the right mood? Now you're ready to view this new cheese-fest campaign from Duval Guillaume celebrating the return of Bazooka Bubble Gum. It comes complete with TV commercials (which you can see on the website), a music video by Brooklyn-based music group Tha Heights, a website, online, events and viral marketing. The campaign centers on the song, originally called "Choo'n Gum" recored by Teresa Brewster in the fifties, which has, for years, been popular with summer camp girls who changed the lyrics to "Bazooka-Bazooka Bubblegum." Since we never went to a girls summer camp - other than to sneak in once to visit that cute girl we wished we'd had the nerve to ask out when camp was over - we've never heard the original song and we have no idea how cool or uncool it was and, well, is. Any camper girls out there? Let us know.
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Apparently in acknowledgment that every method to sell bubble gum has been done to death, Toronto-based agency Youthography chose to go with a decidedly different approach for its client Bubblicious. Celebrating the gum's pinkness, the spot gets a bit orgasmic with the stuff in that odd. nonsequitor sort of way. Print accompanies.
Attempting to capture the "real life gaming experience of the new Xbox 360, Sydney agency Lava Communications created a commercial centered around the world's largest water balloon fight on Cooge beach in Sydney for a commercial. It looks like the shoot was a lot of fun and, yes, it does end with the proverbial "people forming letters" skycam shot. Still, we like it.
As part of a new campaign which will included magazines and TV, Cadillac's new agency, Boston-based Modernista, will also use wild postings in several metro areas in an attempt to get its jiggy back and reel in some new demo segments the automaker is calling "alphas," move-ups" and "hot moms." Recent research the company did revealed many people younger than the typical Cadillac demo were familiar with the Escalade, likely due to its hip-hop status and appearances on HBO's The Sopranos, but didn't know the company had any other relevant vehicles. To address the desire to retain existing older customer while bringing in new, younger customers, the campaign will bring on a little attitude, highlight the insignia and explain the model line-up. The campaign breaks in August.
Facts and figures were prevalent in this ad"tech Chicago 2006 TV 2.0 panel with Denuo SVP Tim Hanlon and Points North Partners Founder Peter Storck. Both spoke of the dramatic changes TV is undergoing right now and where they thought it was heading. Storck began with a numbers-heavy presentation that revealed many insights from various studies about the use of TV and the DVR:
1. 33 percent want TV-like features of their PCs
2. 15 percent want them on their cell phone
3. 46 percent use their DVRs to skip commercials
4. 58 percent use their DVR to record programming
5. 35 percent use their DVR to pause live TV
6. 49 percent use their DVR every day
7. 63 percent use it once a week
8. 55 percent fast forward through commercials
9. Interestingly, 15 percent use thir DVRs to rewind and watch commecials
10. 42 percent use free video on demand
11. 59 percent use the DVR to access free local information
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