Hello Kitty is the ultimate licensing whore. Her oblong, be-ribboned visage has been plastered onto everything from toasters to credit cards to vibrators -- er, massagers -- to brassiere.
Now you can find the world's most ubiquitous cat in your Happy Meal. Through February 26th, McDonald's is stuffing them with one of eight Sanrio watches.
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Cenergy/East Aurora recently put together "In the Game," a triage of spots for the Pitsburgh Penguins. Each depicts a Penguin fan testifying to the degree of his/her loyalty in random, occasionally inappropriate places.
Once in awhile the characters toss in a statement meant to make them relatable to tech users, like "I will sign off Facebook!" and "I will ask complete strangers to check their PDAs!"
Each breathily concludes, "...because no matter where I am, I'm in the game." Around this time you're supposed to be so into the Penguins that you wanna buy tickets, so a cinematic voiceover invites you to visit pittsburghpenguins.com.
We're not convinced sports fandom is really an impulse-buy kinda thing. And the fans are so ordinary that the incentive to follow them into Penguinsville is totally lost. Probably would've been a better campaign if the camera eye focused on the unique merits of the team and players; less so on three forgettable groupies.
Ads below.
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Exciting news from the fashion annals of Jeremy Dante: Katie Holmes of the Scientology set is the new face of Miu-Miu, succeeding French actress Vanessa Paradis, and joining a list of other screen stars better known for what they do during off-hours, like Drew Barrymore and Lindsay Lohan.
We've never been very impressed with Holmes and had planned to lash her with our whippiest whip, but the rose-hued imagery gave us pause. It appears she's finally shedded that mealy Dawson's Creekishness -- indeed, even gracefully eclipsed her polarizing husband and choice of faith -- and become a reserved but seductive little lady. (The work also feels less forced than Madonna's stuff for Louis Vuitton.)
We're almost giddy with like of her.
See what 1620 pennies can become -- in the span of 30 seconds! Ain't technology somethin'.
This time-lapse video is for the Million Penny Project, a group that takes up various causes (its current darling is homelessness) and solicits donations from local businesses.
The result of the short film -- an image composed entirely of pennies -- was displayed at a Miami bus stop last month to promote "Pumped for Change," an effort to raise $10,000 worth of pennies.
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Continuing Asics' campaign/pop culture tribute "Made of Japan" for Onitsuka, Amsterdam Worldwide developed "Zodiac Race," a by-land-and-sea battle between future members of the The Jade Emperor's Zodiac Calendar.
In the Chinese (!!) legend, Rat wins by riding the Ox. The turnout's no different in this vid, which is all manga'd out and about as fun as watching Wii Mario Kart (as opposed to playing it). Also, for some odd reason the dragon just flies around, doing inexplicable good deeds.
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Last week we reviewed a St. Lukes ad for IKEA's PAX wardrobe, which wordlessly depicted women being jostled about in an ongoing quest for safe haven.
In response, zig sent us its take on PAX. "Garagetalk" airs in Canada and was adapted in Germany. The vibe's completely different, but it still ties PAX to women and our apparently insatiable need for ambient shoe space.
Easing a friend into her PAXed-out closet with a casual "Welcome to the Jane-zone" (wince!), one chick shows off her wardrobe space with the attitude men adopt over modded "bachelor" garages. In case you miss the cues, concluding text wryly reads, "Men have the garage. Women have the PAX wardrobe."
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These ads for nu-kitchen were pitched to us as eye candy for ex-English majors. Each has a tagline served up on a white plate -- innocuous at first, then you read the copy and your head starts bobbing subconsciously with the iambic meter.
See:
o You click, we cook, we deliver, you devour. (At left.)
o Knock knock. Who's there? Orange-chile tilapia with black forbidden rice.
o Gourmet delivery. Comfort food price.
o Click once. Eat happily ever after.
Each plate is furnished with a dish description in smaller text ("biscotti with dark chocolate dipping sauce," "espresso glazed pork with peruvian purple potatoes"). Outside the entree, there's a prominent promo: try three meals free.
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Last year the California Milk Advisory Board started casting for a new cow to star in future campaigns. Guess the entries thus far haven't been mind-blowing, because "auditions" are still being taken. The most recent one is from Soo, a would-be diva with -- wait for it! -- Seoul.
We're of the growing suspicion that Milk is gunning for California's tourism department dollars. Really, do we have a tourism department? Because when we think of Cali, we increasingly envision catty heifers and great big cheese wheels.
Anywho, read bios and vote for your favourite meat slab at the website. Facebook add-ons come stock. Work by Deutsch LA.
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Don't you love those commercials that paint the world as a place in perfect harmony? Where everyone is happy? Where children play together happily? Where everyone is optimistic?
While it always seems to be asking too much, that didn't stop Publicis Hong Kong from creating this feel-good Western Union commercial in which floating blobs of yellow form the word "yes" reaffirming that, yes, life does move forward and people are saying yes to a brighter future.
Oh, and Western Union is there to help that happiness happen.
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Last Friday, with help from 180LA, Sony deployed an army of "living" mannequins across Manhattan. Chic gamines, harder around the eyeline than usual, were seen sitting at cafes, Grand Central Station and elsewhere, blogging and updating Facebook pages from their VAIO P Series devices.
The campaign also had a Fashion Week component: the dummies were dressed by designers aiming to promote their wares in conjunction with Sony's wee VAIOs.
Hmm. Plastic chicks with hot tech toys, expensive shoes and limited maneuverability. How on earth did anyone distinguish them from the other Sex and the City groupies?
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