Nip/Tuck Gets On MySpace Train

Apparently an avid viewer of FX's Nip/Tuck, Bucky Turco points out FOX has tapped into its own network of 25 million MySpace users and has created a profile for "The Carver."

Chinese Coke Billboard Goofy...Or Not

There's something about Chinese culture that makes relatively snark-free advertising like this Coke billboard possible. Of course we have no idea what we're talking about because we've never been to China. But we do know, or at least we're told, there's a bit more innocent goofiness in the culture that makes this stuff possible. Of course, we could be completely wrong about that notion too.

Sony's Street PSP Campaign Getting Tagged, Ragged

While initially it seemed Sony's PSP street chalk drawing campaign in several cities around the U.S. was being well received by some (us), others have dished out a bit of backlash by defacing the drawings and calling for an end to corporations' attempts to co-op the graffiti art form. AdFreak sums up the issue pointing to a rant over at Gothamist, an online petition to stop the practice and street art blog Wooster Collective's collection of PSP street art.

Gallup: Ad Folk Still At Bottom of Honesty and Ethics List

According to Gallup's annual honesty and ethics poll, we all still suck. The poll says advertising practitioners rank below congressmen and just above car salesmen and telemarketers Just as in past years, there's not much respect out there for us ad folk. We'd venture to say purveyors of pop up/unders sure haven't helped our cause. Anything to say in answer to that FastClick, ValueClick, Casale Media?

Site Says Cut The Bull, Calls For Respect

Connecticut-based Outhouse Communications has created a site for Operation Respect CT called Cut the Bull, a site that urges respect among kids, teens and everyone while hoping to eliminate bullying. At the website visitors can spread respect in various ways by making a unique, one of a kind custom respect poster, by sending friends respect notes, by downloading ringtones and by purchasing a "No Bull Shirt" T-Shirt. Outhouse is using billboards to promote the site.

Generation Y Ripe For Experiential Marketing

A recent survey of 2,574 US consumers commissioned by Jack Morton and conducted this year found Gen Y consumers - also known as "millennials" - respond strongly to live marketing events, which they prefer over TV and Internet advertising. While self serving, the study found 70 percent of 13 to 23 year olds say experiential marketing is extremely or very influential on their opinion of a product or brand. Sixty Five percent of 13 to 23 year olds say participating in an event would cause them to act more quickly to purchase a product. Seventy six percent of this demographic say participating in an event would make them more receptive to the brand or product's advertising. Seventy four percent of 13 to 23 year olds say participating in a live marketing experience is something they would tell others about.

Whether or not Jack Morton is drumming up business for it self with this study is irrelevant. What's very relevant is the fact Gen Y, and other demos for that matter, don't respond well anymore to traditional media. The emerging field of experiential marketing - a fancy name for event marketing - appears to be gaining traction and success at reaching elusive, traditional media-averse audiences.

Neil French Says Top Creative Career Incompatible With Kids

Neil French's sudden non-appearance at a Singapore AdAsia conference, held November 21-23, isn't news. What's news are comments he made in a Singapore newspaper article run a day prior to the show in which he tried to claim it's not just woman who are "crap" because they make time for family, it's men too. French claims, according to Ad Age, children are "incompatible with the long hours needed to become a top creative." Egoistically proving his point and hinting fatherhood is for wimps, French told the paper he hasn't seen his only child, an eight year-old boy in months. Keep smokin' that cigar, Neil but humbly suggest you give that Harry Chapin song, Cats in the Cradle, a listen. It's got an important message for you.

Of course, one could claim the above is written from an overly PC, American viewpoint. If you flip the coin and acknowledge cultural differences between America and Singapore, where French has spent most of his career, French comes out smelling like roses as indicated by a comment reportedly made by a creative who said, during a dinner attended by French and, we assume, the Ad Age reporter who reported it, "You have to look at this through a cultural filter. In Singapore, its still legal to beat your wife." While we find that hard to believe, we're not making it up.

CBS to Debut Bonus 'CSI Miami' Scene Online, Hummer to Sponsor

Furthering its embrace (experiment?) of releasing television content online, CBS will produce original content of its hit drama CSI Miami and will show it exclusively on CBS.com. Promising to reveal a major secret about team of CSIs, the scene has local news reporter Erika Sykes (Amy Laughlin) share a piece of information with Detective Ryan Wolfe (Jonathan Togo) that, we're told, will lead to an undercover investigation that will unfold on the show this season. Way to tease, CBS. The bonus scene will appear online immediately following the east coast broadcast of CSI Miami, Monday, November 21.

The bonus material featured on CBS.com will be sponsored by GM's Hummer, featured heavily in the series. CBS and Hummer will promote the combined broadcast/online storyline with spots on the network and ads on CBS.com.

Ashanti Precious Jewel Campaign Causes Concern

Adrants reader Samara Grant writes to tell us she's concerned about Wal-Mart's recent Precious Jewel ad featuring Ashanti. Grant writes, "In her ad she talks about her belief that all young girls are 'precious.' But it is a contradiction to say at the end of ad that her fragrance is a 'sensual' scent. I don't think young girls should wear something that is called "sensual" if they are told in the previous sentence how 'precious' they are. If Ashanti wants to impress young girls and get them as her fans, she needs to put a little more clothes on. It's disgusting and very degrading and is also sending these young girls the wrong message."

Well, like we said in another post, stereotypes are rampant in advertising and so is the urge to grab youth while they are young and vulnerable. Currently, hot pop and Hollywood stars are the way to do it. But, that perpetuates the 12-year-old slut conundrum. Conversely, as Tia Fix writes, at one point in time, youth and sex were quite normal.

50 Cent Stumps The Bubble Project

Apparently, 50 Cent and his movie campaign have stymied the efforts of The Bubble Project, a grassroots effort which placed 15,000 stickers on ads around New York City allowing people to add commentary to ads The Bubble Project says are over running public space. Flicker user and College Humor partner Jackob Lodwick who notes the sticker on the movie poster has been blank for two days and wonders if people are simply too scared of 50 Cent to make a comment.

Recently, several posters for the 50 Cent movie "Get Rich or Die Tryin'" caused complaints for their glorification of violence and were taken down by the movie's studio, Paramount.