Crest Whitening Expressions Bigger Than BAM!

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Oh look. How quaint. Yes, it's another consumer generated thingamabogbber. This time around Crest wants people to submit catch phrases (is that laymen for tagline?) in support of the four new flavors of Crest Whitening Expressions. The winning phrase gets the creator $5,000, an all expenses paid trip to the commercial shoot and the appearance of the phrase in the commercial.

Oh yea, "bigger than BAM!" Emeril Lagasse is part of the promotion. Fun, huh?

by Steve Hall    Sep-16-08    
Topic: Consumer Created, Promotions, Video



Billboards Grow Green for Academy of Sciences

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For the California Academy of Sciences, Heat/SF launched a series of outdoor executions that highlight the institution's eco-friendly design and emphasis on sustainability.

To tie in to the "green" roof over the Academy's new facility -- which actually sustains some wild animals and vegetation -- outdoor ads include a "living" bus shelter and billboard, upon which grass or other greens have been planted. See them in San Francisco. TV and digital work will also supplement the campaign.

McDonald's and Ford have also done the living billboard thing. Tell me, minions: is this America or is this Hobbiton?

by Angela Natividad    Sep-16-08    
Topic: Campaigns, Good, Outdoor, Promotions



Chris Blake Uses Digital Angst to Promote Weepy Ballad

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Art, movies, TV, books and music have probably depicted the break-up from every possible angle. So if you're an indie artist trying to ride a power ballad to fame, what's a homie to do?

Tap the zeitgeist. Pun intended. For his song Someone Else, Chris Blake claims to have Googled "biggest regrets" and cobbled the results into a music video, which he then posted on YouTube.

Regrets range from provocative ("My reluctance to hold my daughter") to banal ("Spending too much time on Facebook"). I dig the contrast between the words and backgrounds.

more »

by Angela Natividad    Sep-15-08    
Topic: Online, Promotions, Trends and Culture, Video, Viral



'Heads' Brings a Little Bit of Art to Advertising

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"Heads," an ad where people around Los Angeles sport art instead of faces, brings Magritte to mind -- in part because the images echo certain work of his, but also because they share a muted texture and feel. "Heads" is subtle and almost unsettling.

The tagline, "Getty. It stays with you," weds imagery to action. By M&C Saatchi for The Getty.

more »

by Angela Natividad    Sep-15-08    
Topic: Commercials, Good, Promotions, Television



Stuff Freed, Sun Slams, ANA Complains, Axe Does Disney

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- The Sun slams Australia for winning fewer Olympic medals than Britain with a knock off Australia's tourism campaign, "Where the bloody hell were you?"

- Classmates.com and NetZero have teamed to launch Free Internet, a site on which people can take advantage of free offers, coupons, discounts and other free stuff.

- MySpace and TheWB.com, today announced a content partnership to bring the new digital series "Sorority Forever" - created by director/producer McG and the producers of the Internet series "Prom Queen" - from TheWB.com to MySpaceTV.

more »

by Steve Hall    Sep- 9-08    
Topic: Campaigns, Newspaper, Online, Policy, Promotions



Entourage Buses Sport Chrome on the Wheels

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To promote the Sunday premier of HBO's Entourage, a series that enlivens the imaginations of freeloaders everywhere, Creature pimped out public transport.

Buses in NYC were wrapped with Entourage creative and outfitted with ostentatious chrome rims featuring the series logo. Way to bring LA to Manhattan!

Attesting to the show's success at engaging its demographic, one of the rims has already been stolen. The others will be auctioned off after the promotion.

by Angela Natividad    Sep- 4-08    
Topic: Good, Outdoor, Promotions



Jamba Juice: Now In Handy-Dandy Plastic Bottles!

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Jamba Juice makes its foray into the grocery aisle with a celebratory ad by Publicis/NY and production firm Stardust. In "Fruit Pixels," a bouquet of berries spring out of a Jamba smoothie bottle and shape-shift into a swinging schoolgirl, a swimmer, a volleyball player and the Jamba Juice logo before slipping back into the bottle, now neatly capped.

Tagline: "Live fruitfully." Hrrrm. The Ting Tings, which sing Fruit Machine in the background, could've given you guys somethin' better than that.

Off-topic, I love how personified energy can be used to promote both hip surgery and fruity beverages.



Hannah Montana's Gummy Gear Could Be Mistaken for Penises

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"Why in hell do people still try to make candy in potentially phallic-looking shapes? You'd think they would have learned by now....."

It's definitely a mystery worth pondering. Adrants reader Candace sent over this rawkin' shot of Hannah Montana's Concert Candy. The packaging features our Lolita du jour holding a mic up to her mouth while a giant gummy guitar comes at her from the left.

"Guitar and microphone shapes!" the package boasts, but that guitar doesn't look all that guitar-like, and I don't think the gummy mics will help either.

by Angela Natividad    Sep- 2-08    
Topic: Brands, Celebrity, Packaging, Promotions, Strange, Worst



Fetch the Suspenders! It's Obama Buttons on Parade

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The tireless MoveOn.org is giving free Obama buttons away to anybody willing to part with their email, mobile number and address data. (What a tradeoff!) Packages include:

o One free Obama button.

o Three Obama buttons for a $2 donation. Just think how spiffy your tatty old backpack will look this September.

o 45 BUTTONS for a $20 donation, which, stylewise, would put you in direct in competition with this here little lady.

A moving ticker on MoveOn's site reports over 1,776,804 buttons have been ordered so far. I smell a trend afoot. Don't get left behind!

by Angela Natividad    Sep- 1-08    
Topic: Brands, Campaigns, Cause, Guerilla, Online, Political, Promotions



If You've Envied Sexy Celebrity Teeth, Then You Need 'Celebrity Sexy Teeth'!

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At left: featured ad on my MySpace today. I like how, after scaring the warmth out of your cockles, it takes the ultra-subtle "click here for tips!" approach.

Click-thru brings you here. I'm guessing the ad is for Celebrity Sexy Teeth, because it's the only product on the list I've never actually heard of, and it happens to be number one, and there's even a handy-dandy illustration on how you (yes, YOU!) can access a hidden discount link on the site.

Suspicions are confirmed upon scrolling to the bottom of the site, where Celebrity Sexy Teeth is promoted once more for good measure alongside this subtle arm-twister: "For women wanting to enhance their appearance, a good teeth whitener is a must!"

But I thought Mr. Right, and my ass-pinching boss, would love me no matter what I looked like?

by Angela Natividad    Sep- 1-08    
Topic: Online, Promotions, Worst