Country Music Promotions Even You Might Like

If you're into country music, you'll love these new promos for the Country Music Channel. Hmm. Even if you're not, you might like them too. They're quick and you don'ty have to think too hard to get the message. Just the kind of advertising we like. See the promos here and here and here and here.

Skincare Model Good Enough to Eat

We're not sure if the sexual innuendo was intended here but it sure seems blatant enough to us. These ads for Ella Blache Paris claim to help make "Skin good enough to eat" and feature naked women, with appropriate parts covered, draped over eating and food preparation implements. See additional versions of the ad here and here.

Hilton, GM, Sprint Say 'Yes' Unanimously In Wall Street Journal

Adrants reader Jamie wonders what's up today with the word "yes" in the Wall Street Journal today, writing, "What's the deal with pgs A10, A11 & A13 of today's Wall Street Journal? Hilton, GM and Sprint. All 1/2 or full page ads with the word 'yes' big and bold in the headline. Is there something I should be reading into here? Is 'yes' the new "it" word in advertising?"

Pure coincidence? Anyone from the WSJ, Hilton, GM or Sprint care to comment?

Unicorn, Crab, One-Legged Girl Promote Newport Beach Film Fest

Here's one of those promotions that makes you ask, "WTF???" In a nod to certain movies which have surprise endings, the surprise ending in this clip is twisted. An idyllic day at the beach goes horribly wrong when a crab and a unicorn cross paths. Be sure to check out the girl who becomes randomly one-legged at the end of the clip. Oh, before we forget, the whole thing promotes the Newport Beach Film Festival and was created by Y&R Southern California.

VW My Fast Similar to Honda Speedy Demon

We really ought to create a new category here for the increasing number of look-a-like, rip off and knowing nod ad campaign. Ben Popken from The Consumerist sends us a comparison of Volkswagen's My Fast character and Honda's Speedy Demon. Granted, they are different but there are similarities conceptually. No bid deal. We already know all the good ideas have been taken.

OMG! Check Out These Weird VH1 Videos Before They Go Offline!

So we get this email from some dude who said he received an email from a "friend" who wrote fervently, "WTF!!!!!! Have you seen this yet? Someone's lost their fucking mind! Better download them now, before they take them off the server. http://68.178.246.54/test2.html. Um, yea right.They might as well put out a press release saying, "VH1 is promoting its daily news show Best Week Ever with a series of quirky videos to imbue the decidedly odd character of the show." Anyway, hurry up a view them now because (gasp!) they may not stay online for long!!!

UPDATE: In a very encouraging sign, VH1 has owned up and acknowledged to us they could have handled the release of these video is a less "OMG, check this out" manner. There are no hard and fast rules anymore regarding the so called "correct" way to release a promotion. Especially when there's so many bitchy bloggers like us ready jump all over people who are simply trying to figure out how to get their message out in a media landscape that is changing hourly. So go easy on them. We're all learning here. Well, not too easy otherwise there's be no point for this website:-)

Mattress Company Sells to People Who Don't Sleep

Bucky Turco, roving recorder of all things New York, found this marvelous marketing misalignment. If you're going to co-op the New York City-ism "The City That Never Sleeps," in your advertising, you really shouldn't be a mattress company.

Ad Guy Doesn't Pay Rent, Ad Biz Still Viewed As Sleazy

It seems Toronto ad execs can't seem to stay out of trouble. First, henderson bas President Dawna Henderson gets exposed as a maniacal control freak and now some ad guy has stiffed another out of rent money. An Adrants readers writes us saying, "Toronto Marketing consultant Simon Wood owed my friend thousands ($6,000) of dollars in back-rent, stringing him along until finally disappearing into the night. This friend, also an Ad-guy, got really pissed-off and searched the net for where to track down Mr. Wood. He discovered in the process that Simon had let his B2B site domain's registry slide. My friend (Phil Bonnell according to Whois) bought www.simonwood.ca for eleven dollars and the rest is history."

more »

Strange Clip Promotes BBC Programming Block

The Ebling Group's Convert has created a :30 promo and show open for The Underground, a new programming block on BBC America. The open tells the story of a rabbit and a mushroom which compete to see who can burrow underground the fastest. Both The Underground programming block features classic British soaps and popular new series like Footballers¹ Wives. It's weird. Very weird. See it here.

Laser Hair Removal Campaign Goes S & M

Distancing itself from the more barbaric forms of hair removal, Priciderm, with help from its Quebec ad agency Carte Blance, has launched an S & M themed campaign to promote its seemingly less painful laser hair removal process.Two of the ads use the queasiness of S&M to illustrate hair removal doesn't have to be a painful ordeal. A third execution, gets right to the point with blood in the sink. See the others two ads here and here.