Deutsch Launches Ad Conceptor, Makes Ad Week Easy

Perhaps to help win back some of its lost business or to poke fun at the ad concepting process, Deutsch has launched The Ad Conceptor, a menu-driven, concept-in-a-box parody of ad creation. The site promises to make your Advertising Week enjoyable by providing the tools to come up with a quick idea so you don't get stuck in the office working while everyone else is out partying and depleting the agency's expense budget.

HBO Ali G Expand-O-Banner Broken

While trawling for his daily feed tube of crucial gossip, Bucky Turco spotted a banner for HBO which promotes comedian Ali G's show. The banner, which only expands if you have Internet Explorer (what's up with you designers" Have you heard half the world uses Firefox now?), allows you to begin a live chat. Unfortunately, there seems to be no responses from Ali G. Perhaps he's too busy making foreign politicians look dumb but you'd think there'd at least be some sort of automated response. Bucky points out Ali G's vocabulary is like no others and the designers, at least, could programmed in some automated verbal gems for our amusement. Let's hope the banner's just broken, will be fixed soon and the agency doesn't get fired.

UPDATE: Apparently, it's been fixed.

Life Kino Launches Trailer

Paris communications agency Antonia has launched a trailer for Life Kino, a web based art and design experiment. Basically, it's a music video filled with stills. Those behind Life Kino say their aim is to create a community of users by inviting the public to submit "loops" or filmed snippets of their lives that will be uploaded on a randomly generated basis and viewable by all who visit the site. The idea behind it, says an email from Life Kino, is to create links between people and places that would never have met in the real world. We don't really get it but, then again, we don't get a lot of stuff. But we did announce it first. That's gotta count for something.

'Real' Sport Ad Says Wrestling Fake, McMahon Pissed

Apparently the only human alive who still believes professional wrestling is real, World Wrestling Entertainment Chairman Vince McMahon is upset over an ad for Spike TV's Ultimate Fighting Championship which says, "What's real? Pro wrestling? No. Boxing? Not anymore. The UFC is real!" The ad aired during a Spike TV broadcast of WWE RAW angering McMahon. Perhaps to save itself from the wrath of McMahon, Spike TV removed reference to pro wrestling from ads aired during WWE RAW but left the reference in ads aired during other programming.

Restaurant Chain Marketed With Chili Freaks

In the just plain weird category, Southeastern restaurant chain Krystal is promoting its line of Chili Cheese items with a cheesy promotion called "Chili-Cheesification." The promotion includes a series of "copy free" television commercials and a special Chili-Cheesification website, featuring "Krystal Lovers" who are so insanely in love with Krystal and its chili, they have slathered themselves in chili for the the greater good or marketing. On the website, you can watch videos of these "Krystal Lovers" showing their love for chili with a chili slip and slide, a chili-filled pool and a game of chili twister.

Luxury Branded Toilet Paper Makes Its Mark

John Brock points us to a Radar piece on luxury toilet paper, how it's taking off in Europe and how may or may not in America. Granted the so-called luxury market - those folks who pay obscene amounts of money for luxury branded stuff when normal stuff would do just fine - is growing rapidly and Toilet Paper World President Kenn Fischburg says the notion is "not dissimilar from enjoying different kinds of wine, a chardonnay versus a cabernet," we're not buying it. No one wants to wipe their ass with a Gucci handbag.

Elegant Cane Yields to Crude Crotch

You have to wonder if this stately gentleman of circa 1800 and something would have ever envisioned an ad such as the one that appears over his shoulder. My, how times have changed. It makes you wonder if we've moved forward or backward.

Comcast Says High Speed Internet Access Blows

Gawker points to a questionable image used in a Comcast ad promoting its high speed internet service. As Gawker eloquently headlines, "We Know the Internet Is for Porn, But Still." Hmm. It's kinda like that snowball facial ad for Vodaphone that ran last year.

Man Drops Flyers From Balcony to Promote Website

Yesterday in New York City, some weirdo decided to hang from a 13th floor balcony of the Kimberly hotel at 150 East 50th Street and drop a bunch of flyers promoting his non-sensical website that seems to be designed to dissuade Florida tourism. Of course, all hell broke loose with police arriving on the scene, closing the block and finally apprehending the kook. The Daily News reports the website mentioned on the flyer is registered to Mauricio Pavez of Miami. It's unclear whether Pavez was the man on the balcony as the police declined to release the man's name.

While idiotic and frustrating to many New Yorkers who were held up due to the street closings, we can be quite sure the man's website is getting a lot more attention today than if he hadn't been caught.

Promoting New Models Agency Craps On Old Models

Acknowledging old agency models are dead and to position itself as a leader in the "new way," Sydney agency, The One Centre, has launched a one million campaign, running in magazines, on TV and on the web, that places old models on the runway with the tagline, "Old models don't cut it anymore." While the analogy might be on target, the use of, very likely, wise and intelligent older women, basically says there's no need for wisdom and the only thing that matters is the new flash.

The One Center Founder and CEO John Ford justifies the campaign by citing his agency's in creating everything from glassware to furniture, T-shirts to shoulder bags, staff uniforms to print ads, websites to direct marketing programs, TV ads to packaging, retail stores to soundtracks, to designing multi-million dollar brand experience centers and concept bars.

Ford goes on, saying, "Advertising is bigger than just broadcast media. Advertising isn't dead. We just need to get more expansive about what we think of as media. We need to look for ways to express brand in everything." Oh, and along the way, if we offend and piss off an entire, and very huge demographic segment who has a boatload of disposable income, who gives a shit.