Six Comedians Help Microsoft Launch Avatar Kinect

To promote the launch of Avatar Kinect and Kinect Sparkler this week, Microsoft has partnered with six comedians who will use Avatar Connect to create 90 second videos. Each of the videos will be posted on the brand's Facebook page where visitors will be invited to vote for their favorite comedian and be entered into a drawing for a chance to win an Xbox and Kinect bundle.

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World Series Sex Could Win You $2,010

While some Giants fans celebrated their first World Championship win in 52 years with toasts, high-fives, and parties in the streets, others took to celebrating in the bedroom. To show support of Giants fans and help build excitement for the team this year, Comcast SportsNet, with help from BBDO San Francisco, is asking those who got busy in the bedroom during the game last year to take note of the brand's Search for the World Championship Baby.

Comcast is looking to find the boy or girl born closest to 7:54PM PST on August 1, 2011, the nine-month anniversary of World Series win. The winning baby will receive a birth certificate signed by the San Francisco Giants, a commemorative brick paver at AT&T Park with the baby's name and a $2,010 gift card.

Brand Loyalty Programs Extended to Social Media With SocialRewards

If you are a travel brand, you may want to check out SocialRewards, a new social media-based loyalty program that allows brands to award those who make mention of the brand on Twitter and Facebook. Less like a pay per tweet program and more like your typical offline loyalty program, brands award points to people based on a sliding scale.

For example, five points are earned for making a mention but up to 250 points are awarded if the mention leads to a booking at the destination. Accumulated points lead to awards such as discounts or free stays.

Using a tracking mechanism, SocialRewards charges brands ten cents per engagement which is defined as a click, retweet, reply or Like.

Top Five Keys to a Successful Online Promotion

This guest post comes to us from Brandmovers Co-Founder Hector Pages

Approximately 42.5 million people enter online sweepstakes every year and millions more participate in SMS and social media contests. In fact, contests and games are the most popular brand tactic used to grow followers and fans in the social media space. Twenty-four percent of the U.S. online audience play branded social games at least once a month with 68.7 million U.S. consumers expected to regularly play branded games of chance by 2012. (ComScore)

Contests, games, and sweepstakes are a key component of the social media marketing movement because they target specific demographic segments, cross diverse brand categories easily, and -- most importantly -- provide a measurable return on investment while creating meaningful engagement with consumers.

Here are the top five tips for success in online promotions.

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Life Sized Hot Wheels Attempt Record Breaking Stunts at Indy 500

Right up there with Lego, playing with Hot Wheels was the coolest thing as a kid. But, as we grow up, we usually leave the toys behind. Well, thanks to Mistress Los Angeles and Bandito Brothers, the Hot Wheels experience has traveled through time to adulthood.

The brand is erecting a full-sized, real word ramp that a real truck with a real driver will travel down at the Indy 500 May 29 in an attempt to break the record of 301 feet for the longest truck jump. The stunt can be seen on ESPN right after the Indy 500 broadcast. It's like Evil Knievel all over again.

Of the project, Bandito Brothers Executive Producer said, "It's been fun working on the biggest branded content project in America. Between the web films, the global brand television campaign, and the thirty minute television show that's going to air after the Indy 500, it's been one of the most exciting projects I've worked on."

We'll definitely be watching!

Fish Sing, Skelotons Walk, Snoop Dog Smells

- Fish sing for depressing. Strange. Very strange.

- Two R/GA creatives, Fabian Berglund and Ida Gronblom. have just joined Wieden + Kennedy.

- A single click can help change the world. Some nice work that's part of the YouTube Cannes Young Lions Ad Contest. It comes from Schacar Aylon in Israel.

- Lymbix hopes to call attention to email misunderstandings and miscommunication with ToneCheck, a site that tests the tone of your email before you send it.

- If you were wondering why there were skeletons on the walk/don't walk sign in New York, here's an explanation for you.

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Winslet Fashions, Mazda Inspires, Nintendo Boobs Bounce

- Kate Winslet is the new face of fashion brand St. John.

- Mazda UK is organizing the Challenge & Inspire 2011 Competition and is calling out to all art lovers to share their most inspiring, innovative or creative ideas. By doing this they can win a number of great prizes including a car for a year and a trip to New York.

- Dead or Alive gets boobalicious Nintendo 3DS Ad.

- In a recent survey of 2,480 female bloggers, 90% of the respondents like partnering with brands, as long as they are compensated. Of the 42% of bloggers approached by brands, the most commonly accepted sponsorship types are online reviews, (26%), affiliate program promotions (15%), and direct advertising (13%).

- For you young creatives out there interested in going to Cannes, there are three Young Lions packages for you to check out priced from €560 to €1,025.

- Coke is celebrating its 125th birthday with the world's largest building projection.

Toyota to Give 100 Cars to 100 Charities

Well isn't this nice of Toyota. Today, the brand announced that public voting for its "100 Cars for Good" program is now open through August 16. The program will award 100 vehicles over the course of 100 days to 100 deserving nonprofit organizations based on votes from the public.

Beginning today, five organizations per day will be profiled on Toyota's Facebook page where the public is invited to show their support by voting daily to help determine the winning nonprofit organization. Each of the 500 nonprofit organizations selected as finalists have created an online profile, which may include a video showcasing how the organization plans to use a new Toyota vehicle to do good in their local community. Voters may place one vote per day, each day, over the course of the program.

Each day, the previous day's winner will be announced and five new nonprofit organizations will be featured for voting. Winning organizations can choose from the following vehicles: Toyota Prius, Tacoma, Tundra, Highlander Hybrid, Sienna or Sienna Mobility.

Dial Gets Men Dirty. Then Cleans Them Up

OK so it's not at all as witty and goofy as Old Spice but perhaps that's the point. After all, Dial is a pretty staid brand so we can't get too wild here. Oh but wait! We can. And that's just what Red Tettmer + Partners did for Dial for Men.

The agency crafted and event called Camp Dirt, a three day event where men can go and do what men...um, boys...do best: get dirty doing things like sliding down a mud pile, drag racing bulldozers, digging with dynamite and playing paintball.

Oh yes. Get these men seriously dirty and then give them some Dial to clean them up. The event will be held August 26-28 in Granby, Colorado.

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Dos Equis Challenges New Yorkers to Eat Strange Tacos

- If you're into tongue, cricket and veal brain tacos, you need to hunt down the Dos Equis Feats of the Brave taco truck currently touring the streets of New York.

- A new trade association made up of media-auditing firms has formed to establish ethics and best practices for this niche of the advertising world.

- "Talk to the Bird" is a campaign for Gigaset, a German phone manufacturer, which shows the bird talking to callers from around the world. Why? We have no idea.

- DeVito/Verdi has created a caption contest for Duane Reade called New York's Least Pretentious Caption Contest. Each week New Yorkers will have the chance to enter and vote for their favorite captions. Then on June 1st, 2011, a final vote will determine the best caption among all finalists.

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