The Olympics has a way of bringing the sap out in advertisers.
Visa's "Go World" campaign, no exception, trots Olympian trivia out to American viewers while convincing us these anecdotes aren't just important; they're a source of pride, a means to connect with the world by way of titanic achievement against insurmountable physical odds.
All this to win the synchronized high-dive? Yeah. See spots...
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In this Funny or Die exclusive, Paris Hilton responds to a recent McCain ad comparing Barack Obama to Britney Spears and herself.
I'm diggin' how Paris -- who announces her plans to run for President (and tap Rihanna for Veep) -- never mentions McCain by name. She only ever calls him "that wrinkly, white-haired guy" and "white-haired dude."
She also proposes an energy plan, which McCain campaign Spokesman Tucker Bounds called "obviously" better than Obama's. Way to take the higher ground, Paid Lackey of White-Haired Dude.
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When last we reviewed Mountain Dew's Green Label Art project, its trussed-up bottles were gleaning inspiration from mean tattoos and revisiting their hillbilly roots with artist Peat Wollaeger.
The bottle art in Green Label Art Volume 2 is slicker and more computer-graphicksy. There's also a batch of new proteges on call, including Mike Sutfin, who's done artwork for Dungeons & Dragons and skate brands like DC; and Mark Smith, CD at Jordan (yes, THE Jordan) Brand.
Smith's bottle design, Happy Heads, almost matches my Macbook Gelaskin (now with matching iPhone skins!). Beverage + tech coordination = total identification with the idle style aristocracy. Modding every item in your Muji bag may not send you to heaven, but it will distinguish you from the other cafe/cubicle cogs that also use Macs, own iPhones and drink cold beverages. And getting a foot in front of them is about as close to heaven as you can get if you're alive, agnostic, overpaid and insecure.
View galleries and artist videos, or create your own bottle art at the website (tutorial here).
To supplement its "Impossible is Nothing" spots for the Beijing Olympics, Adidas busts out with a slightly retro set of prints titled "Gold is Not a Given."
Each piece features an Olympic athlete, training in Beijing six months before the game "in sub-zero temperatures." There's also some Nike-esque pontificating on the meaning of "gold." An example from the ad at left (featuring Haile Gebrselassie):
Gold is more than a colour. It's a dream to keep chasing. It's a dream to keep you going. It's a dream that sometimes gets put on hold. Gold is never a given.
Also see:
o Tyson Gay -- Gold can be lost in a flash. (1, 2)
o Allyson Felix -- Gold is not into predictions. (1, 2)
o Veronica Campbell-Brown -- Gold makes you wait. (1, 2)
o Jeremy Wariner -- Gold is the language of fastest. (1, 2)
o Yelena Isinbayeva -- Gold doesn't play favourites. (1, 2)
Totally different style from the Chinese ads, but in keeping with the grit-and-glory feel. Put together by Amsterdam (180\TBWA).
- It's another raging Hitler appropriation. This one's called "The Rise and Fall of Twitter." Given that we've had similar spittle-fits over Twitter's goddamn down time, it's pretty funny, actually.
- Some nights you just need to pop a Kanye into your glass.
- Lack of bear at Black Bear Diner.
- So I guess the Montauk Monster is a guerrilla effort for an indie movie called Splinterheads.
- British carrier TalkTalk is trying to help fight autism with a campaign called The Forever Story. Alongside the common man, authors like Nick Hornby will contribute to a story that's supposed to go on forever. For every contribution, TalkTalk will donate 1 pound (the currency) to a charity called Treehouse.
So last week, panties were in a twist over what appeared to be the lightening of Beyonce's skin for an appearance in a L'Oreal ad in Elle magazine. Of course, L'Oreal denies it. However, a look at several past images of Beyonce would run counter to that denial.
The net? Who cares. She's beautiful no matter what color she is.
Dr. J puts a little throwback spice into Dr. Pepper with "Drink it Slow" by Deutsch/LA, part of Dr. Pepper's just-launched campaign, "Trust Me, I'm a Doctor."
In the spot, former basketball player Julius Erving -- your homie Dr. J -- encourages users to drink Dr. Pepper slowly, to better savor its 23 flavours. "Hey, I get it, 'cause half my life's been in slow motion," J adds. Cut to a sound bite of his dunking triumphs as he lobs an ice cube, slow-mo-style, into a faraway glass. I like the little kick he does.
Kelsey Grammer will to appear in a future spot as Dr. Frasier Crane. I'm hoping they also use Doogie, but it's doubtful since Old Spice already stole that thunder.
A younger Dr. J also appeared in a Converse spot this year.
For its back-to-school campaign "New School of Thought," Adidas Originals went all hipster and whatnot. The company partnered with trueAnthem to create a widget that gives away free music by Ultraviolet Sound and 30 percent discounts on Adidas Originals gear. The widget also includes short Adidas audio ads mixed by the band.
The street-sassy shoe brand joins Converse, Gap, Cartier and even Vanity Fair in disseminating free MP3s to the masses.
Why this might be smart marketing: if iTunes listeners switch Coverflow on, listening to your track will expose them to your marketing message, along with the album art. And if the campaign music's been uploaded onto last.fm, then last.fm users expose their friends to your brand when they listen to your track. So go stimulate those white earbuds, you go-getters, you.
With the command and elegance he displays on the basketball court, Lebron James, in this Vitaminwater commercial, displays his skill on another court, outing one of the many idiots who try to nefariously leverage the legal system for their own financial gain. All in one commercial, the seemingly transformational energy of Vitaminwater is lauded, a basketball star gets to strut his stuff and a low life scum is trashed. What's not to love?
The spot, created in July by Berlin Cameron was mixed by Sound Lounge.
It's kinda sad to see X-Files fail at the box office. Back in the day, it was actually a great TV show. Sadly, that has not translated into box office success with the show's second movie outing. This past weekend, the movie placed fourth, after Dark Knight, Step Brothers and Mama Mia.
All is not lost for Duchovney, though. He's starring in Showtime's Californication and, yes, he's doing product endorsements. He's fronting a new campaign from Toth Brand Imaging for Johnston & Murphy. J&M wants to believe Duchovney will boost the 157 year old brand. Johnston & Murphy VP of Marketing Jason Dasal said, "We're thrilled to have David Duchovny as part of our ad campaign. David embodies success and confidence, along with a great sense of style, communicating the ideal image for the Johnston & Murphy brand."
Let's hope he can sell shoes.
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