Homo Promo. Yes, You Read that Right.

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The UK's Gay Times recruited agencies and students to tackle an ambitious project: promoting the gay lifestyle to straight men.

James and Joe, two young creatives from Leeds, competed with Kings Arms Creative, Leo Burnett and iris, among other contenders, to accomplish the task in the manner most sassy. At left is what they came up with: a single dude making a distinctly vaggie shape with his mouth. (The grizzle helps.) Caption: "Anything she can do..."

Nice work. We're about 50% sold. Now let's see a chick make a shaft.

by Angela Natividad    Nov-11-08    
Topic: Brands, Campaigns, Magazine, Poster, Publishing



Eyeblaster Recognizes Top Rich Media Titans

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Last Wednesday after ad:tech, Eyeblaster recognized six agencies for the best digital ad campaigns of 2008.

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by Angela Natividad    Nov-11-08    
Topic: Brands, Campaigns, Industry Events, Online



PomX Advertising, Levi's Plays Dirty, Rebuild the (Grand Old) Party, Saved by Zero Hate Poll

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- You know you wanna browse through Barack Obama's flickr.

- Make the Logo Bigger taps his own top 25 influential bloggers to spit knowledge on Pepsi's blogger outreach effort.

- GOP taps social media to rekindle its fire.

- Levi's to agencies: want our business? We want your internal invoices.

- PomX break room sheep go "What the fu-uuuck?" for "maximum wakey-wakedness!" Via.

- CEOs in ads = company death rattle.

- Rate your hate for "Saved by Zero."

by Angela Natividad    Nov-10-08    
Topic: Brands, Campaigns, Commercials, Online, Opinion, Political, Strange



Garfield Dubs Palin An Ignoramus, All-Stars Awarded, ad:tech Revisited

- Meet the new Art Diector's Club president Doug Jaeger in a new Reel Split podcast.

- AdWeek's 23rd Annual Media All-Stars Awards issue is out. Initiative Chairman and CEO Richard Beaven was named Media Executive of the Year.

- Relive (or live for the first time) ad:tech New York by listening to this BeanCast podcast during with AquireWeb President Al Gadbut, The Martin Agency' David Vogeleer, host Bob Knorpp and myself discuss the show's highlights.

- Claiming iCrossing raided staff and clients, Agency.com had filed for damages of $19.5 million against the Omnicom shop.

- Bob Garfield stirs up a shit storm for calling Sarah Palin an ignoramus in his review of the McCain campaign.

by Steve Hall    Nov-10-08    
Topic: Campaigns, Industry Events, Opinion, Podcast



Calling All Skibunny Nuns.

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Print ad from TBWA/Oslo for Kari Traa sportswear-outdoors and in. The copy reads 'Wear for nuns and knockouts,' although I'm guessing you don't see many knockout nuns on the slopes. Looking at it, I was trying to figure out if they were going for some kind of skipole tip as bodypart thing, but, nah, it's just a nice, ski, rack. (Ouch. Here all week people. Well, almost.)

by Bill Green    Nov- 8-08    
Topic: Campaigns



White House Says Get High, Buy Burritos.

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Via the Marijuana Policy Project comes this new campaign from the department of outgoing White House drug czar John Walters. Released this week, it likely hoped to counter the recent public opinion regarding marijuana decriminalization in Massachusetts and medical marijuana in Michigan. From a design POV, I love it. Great spin on ads I grew up looking at in comic books for things like Sea Monkeys. As for the message, Bruce at MPP goes on to wonder why agency McKinney would do ads on one hand that support anti-drug messages like this, and on the other, have Southern Comfort as a client. Snarky reply? I agree. Someone obviously got high before making those SoCo spots. Non-snarky reply? It's advertising. Ethics left the discussion a long time ago. As Alex Bogusky sums up perfectly: We're mercs for hire--we'll go after anyone.

by Bill Green    Nov- 7-08    
Topic: Campaigns



The Organ You Have in Mind Is Not the Organ You'll Get Inside Her

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Like a sledgehammer, this Duval Guillaume-created ad for Belgium's Organ Donor Foundation bluntly deflates mens' egos and, like a reality slap upside the head, manipulates them into realizing the rigid organ they have in hand isn't the one which will do this woman the most good.

As Adland writes, "thanks for that lesson in truth in advertising Duval Guillaume."

And as we'd say, Cruel, cruel and more cruel!"

But we'd also say," Simply brilliant."

by Steve Hall    Nov- 7-08    
Topic: Campaigns, Cause, Good, Magazine, Racy



90,000 Locals Can't Be Wrong. Can They?

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New work from Lowe NY for Aruba Tourism has a sassy new tagline: 90,000 Friends You Haven't Met Yet. I mean, really, it's Aruba. How hard is THAT place to sell: "Aruba-definitely better than where you are now." Anyway, the work features comic Lewis Black as well as a host of locals who went for the peace-and stayed for the huts!

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by Bill Green    Nov- 6-08    
Topic: Campaigns



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



Denis Leary Wants You to Get The F... 150.

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Reprising his trademark mile-a-sec rant thing, Leary handles VO duties for Ford's latest F-150 campaign. (No clip yet but you can preview some of the effect here.) Instead of focusing on hype and outrageous stunts like Dodge and the other Manly Truck Brands, this one's about Movable Type Lite and product benefits. Except that, uh, they're going to do head-to-head stunts hyping the differences between them and their competitors. (You can go to the other part of the site for outrageous stunts like Dodge and the other Manly Truck Brands do.) It's not a bad approach though, considering Toyota's been running Ford's playbook when it comes to truck campaigns: Bold type, Tonka color schemes and everyday scenarios that Joe the Plumber would love. One small thing: For a campaign that's supposed to "pull-no-punches" and center on unrivaled capabilities, why not at least post the campaign on YouTube?

by Bill Green    Nov- 4-08    
Topic: Campaigns