Kid Rock, Jim Beam Let Loose for Cherry Bourbon ... and Operation Homefront.

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This June Kid Rock kicks off the Red Stag, part of a promotional partnership with Jim Beam for its new cherry-infused Bourbon.

It all goes down on the 14th, when Kid Rock serves as Grand Marshall of the NASCAR Sprint Cup's Lifelock 400 Race. Jim Beam will sponsor Kid Rock's 2009 Rock N' Rebels tour, and together, via Operation Homefront, both brands will raise funds for emergency aid, moving help, computer programs and care packages for the underprivileged nationwide.

"I've been drinking Jim Beam and singing about it my whole career, so when they approached us it was a no-brainer," said Kid Rock, who makes plen'y more sense than crazy-ass Gene Simmons did when he became the face of Dr. Pepper Cherry.

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Cloak-Clad Zidane Stalks the Barcelona Spark

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Dressed like a refugee from the Slytherin arm of Hogwarts, ex-French soccer captain Zinedine Zidane pursues the truth about Barcelona player Lionel Messi, who "runs like sparks fly, like flint on stone."

Zidane melodramatically narrates the tale while brandishing a lighter, which he eventually passes to another shadow-shrouded man -- his Jedi master? -- after failing, albeit in his first attempt, to verify whether the "legend" is true: that Messi's talents are the result of a nasty childhood accident involving dislodged telephone pole wire and electrical shock.

(*shakes head, bemused*)

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by Angela Natividad    May-29-09    
Topic: Brands, Campaigns, Celebrity, Commercials, Television



Smuin Brings Grit and Glamour to Ballet

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Creative for the Smuin Ballet Company is all over BART right now, and every time we come across one of the pieces we can't help but stop and stare for awhile.

One of the biggest problems with ballet is it's traditionally classified as a "high culture" pursuit, which gives the dance some cachet, but also shuts potentially innovative new young audiences out.

Hoping to level this barrier, agency Evolution Bureau positioned Smuin as a ballet group that dances on the razor's edge. Each piece has its own tagline, beginning with "Ballet but...", and the ballerinas are double-exposed over some human element of pop culture manifested in their dancing.

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by Angela Natividad    May-28-09    
Topic: Brands, Campaigns, Good, Outdoor, Poster, Promotions



Benadryl Zeroes in on Malevolent Pollen-Producers

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God, what a spot. For client Benadryl, JWT/London mashes up footage of nature violently spewing out pollen, seeds and whatnot to the equally-violent sounds of modern warfare.

And as my nostrils clogged and my single pinkish eye watered in sympathy, I realized that's exactly what this is: War.

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by Angela Natividad    May-28-09    
Topic: Brands, Campaigns, Television



Pringles Molds Non-Edibles in Its Own Image

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"Shaped for nothing else" is the premise behind this Pringles campaign, illustrated by Grey/Hong Kong with print imagery of objects bent into the shape of a Pringles crisp. In addition to the warped ping-pong table at left, feast your eyes on an unplayable vinyl record and a rubbery china dish.

"Simple, efficace!" gushes one commenter on fubiz. No better way to say it than that.

You know what's neat about Pringles? Its brand persona may be a little square, but it never mistakes itself for young flashy frat brands like Doritos. When all else fails ad-wise, it falls back on old faithful: its unique shape, which is part of the fun of eating them, one after the other, until your lips sting from the seasoning and you mildly hate yourself, because hey, you just ate a gigantic tube of chips.

by Angela Natividad    May-28-09    
Topic: Brands, Campaigns, Good, Magazine



Hitler Serves Rasayana Tea.

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Ben Kunz over at Thought Gadgets drew our obliging eyes to the latest manifestation of Hitler. This time it's for Rasayana, the anti-stress tea.

It might be overstating it to suggest Hitler would've been a totally different dude if he were more of a tea drinker, but you never know. At least one blogger has suggested to us that clutching a hot beverage generally makes you nicer.

More pretty pictures at Ads of the World.

by Angela Natividad    May-27-09    
Topic: Brands, Campaigns, Magazine, Poster, Strange



Walk-In Fridge or Subservient Icebox? Heineken Pushes Both.

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Heineken follows up its ultra-popular walk-in fridge spot with "Walking Fridge."

The end result is much the same -- frosty rows of Heineken nestled in ice, swathes of men screaming like little girls -- but the premise slightly different: instead of getting a walk-in fridge, one brand-new homeowner gets a miniature fridge that brings beverages to him on little mechanical legs.

It's like Wall-E for the hopped-out blue collar set. Agency: TBWA\Neboko with production company CZAR.NL.

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by Angela Natividad    May-27-09    
Topic: Brands, Campaigns, Commercials, Television



What Is It About Mini-Meat that Causes Endorphin Attacks?

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Jack in the Box's mini sirloin burgers ad has compelled at least two of our local friends to actually try the wee bready buggers. Every time it hits the TV, somebody within proximity has a cuteness explosion and shrieks something to the effect of "The COWS are MINI! Because the BURGERS are MINI!", their pupils all dilated and whatnot.

It's weird. But we conveyed a similar reaction when we watched South Park's "Fun with Veal."

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by Angela Natividad    May-27-09    
Topic: Brands, Campaigns, Commercials, Good, Strange, Television



Depressed Dog Simulation Hits Chilean Bus Shelters

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Unwitting public transport users were treated to a depressing sight at some bus stops in Chile: a simulation of emaciated, depressed dogs peering out of cages, one side of which is actually the bus shelter wall.

The video below demonstrates the effort drew a crowd of gawkers and photo-snappers. Whether it earned any of those sad oily mutts a home, however, remains to be seen.

Work by TBWA\Frederick, Chile for an adoption program sponsored by Pedigree, whose kibble our dogs have consciously avoided since the early '90s. You know what'd be a real buzzkill though? A pet shelter desktop widget, like San Diego Zoo's panda cam, which we listlessly stare at between blogs.

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by Angela Natividad    May-27-09    
Topic: Brands, Campaigns, Outdoor



Gawker Media Acquires BooodCopy. No, Really. It's True!

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Yesterday, we mentioned Gawker Media announced the acquisition of the blog BloodCopy. We also mentioned it had to be a joke. Well, it is and it isn't. The long-running blog is part of a Campfire-created campaign for HBO's True Blood. Since it's inception, BloodCopy has kept in-story, increasing its fanbase of vampire culture lovers and show fans.

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by Steve Hall    May-27-09    
Topic: Campaigns, Promotions, Publishing, Strange, Weblogs