Madonna’s buoyant breasts are an illusion.

But those veins look real. Aka, welcome to the world of advertising. Are people *really* shocked at the amount of retouching that goes on? Of course, that’s why they love stories like the one behind Madonna’s latest ad campaign for Dolce & Gabbana. Dove’s campaign for Real Beauty notwithstanding, the only time this issue comes up is when someone releases before and after shots and everyone gasps in horror. (Or simply goes ewww.)

(Via.)

THE BURGER MCDONALD’S DOESN’T WANT YOU TO HAVE.

(Shhh, relax people. I do this for a living. ALL-CAP headlines are great for SEO.) Mom never made burgers that looked like that. If only the McDonald’s mega burger in this German spot FROM 1955 was available here in America, it would be mass hysteria I say. Trust, nobody at your local *fast casual* chain is standing back admiring their work as the line grows. Das Jahrzehnt des Rock'n'Rolls, der Petticoats und Heckflossen!

(Via βurgerβusiness.)

No boot left behind.

They say jazz is the only original form of art America can call its own, but I beg to differ. Next to reality programming, the political attack ad rules. The one thing they all share in common are hackneyed metaphors repeated ad nauseum. Take our two bffs up top. Forget how they got in the water in the first place, what’s important is the boot. IT’S A VERSATILE METAPHOR. The best part though? U.S. Senate candidate John Boozman’s zombie-like delivery of his disclaimer. No John – we approve of you.

Btw...

– Good-bye, Sally.
– The 10 greatest accidental inventions of all time. (Via.)
– LEGO Death Proof.
– Google hates instant lesbians.
– FREE NEKKID SUITS.

AXA Insurance now offering fire, flood and Godzilla coverage.

To promote their new claims app, AXA Insurance and agency Duval Guillaume ran print ads with a space for your iPhone. The camera then scans a code which plays a clip, which then shows how the event(s) depicted actually unfolded. It’s the perfect extension of a print ad, but is it too frivolous for an insurance app? Maybe. Previously I’d hated the way Nationwide seemed to downplay the serious nature of accidents, and that may be happening here. I could definitely see this though working for other categories and brands, from consumer packaged goods to entertainment because it’s nice way to extend a story. 

(Via.)

Today’s logo: Partly cloudy with a change of shape.

Very cool concept to promote Nordkyn tourism. (That’s some cold-ass longitude in Finnmark county, Norway.) Because weather plays such an important role there, the logo Neue Design came up with reflects this – because it changes based on the weather that day. Did I say cool, because cool. The type treatment keeps things anchored enough to allow the logo to morph as needed, yet still retain and reinforce the identity. (Via, via.)

Whatcha gonna do brother when the quarterback is taller than you.

Wrastlin’ takes a toll kids. Look at the end sequence. Hulk Hogan used to be 6’7” and Troy Aikman is 6’4”. Terry now looks to be 6’2” if that. Or maybe Troy’s wearing lifts?

Google now serving pizza.

Type in “Google” and “overkill” and this is what you get:

A) What in-house ads look like?
B) Pizza?
C) All of the above.

While the first few spots were clever, the recent voice spots and now this pizza search *mini epic* takes aim at but misses the utilitarian simplicity found in Apple’s ads. Instead, we get condescension masquerading as clever. While you may want pizza (or at least be able to order no matter where you are), would you really want that in the middle of an operation, or with goats on a hill? Not sure I really need to be told what to do with a search result either. A Google pizza though wouldn’t be bad right about now, now that they suggested it.

Talk to your kids about Twitter.

PSAs like to focus on how to discuss drugs with your kids, but after this story on the Rutgers student killing himself over a secret taping of his sex life, you'll think maybe the focus should be more on how to address social network abuse. Beyond that though, these are the discussions parents need to have with kids — not just “TAKE DOWN THE DRUNK PARTY PICTURES FROM YOUR WALL NOW!” Problem is, I’m not sure they can speak with the same authority about Twitter that they can about drinking and smoking.

This isn’t just bullying or college pranks gone wrong. The suicide of the person shown in the video stream (by Dharun), takes bullying into a realm where Moms can bully kids into killing themselves. Part of the parent in me detests that a kid was possibly driven to suicide over being outed on camera. The other part of that parent in me sympathizes with the digitally native naive student who did something stupid without considering the consequences beyond their college bubble.

There’s no easy answer when the real world and online space become the same battlefield.

Vote naked, vote often.

To promote a new Illinois effort to get people using absentee ballots, the Equality Illinois Education Project wants voters voting in the naked privacy of their own homes. Wait, what abut doing both: voting at polling places and voting naked! Here’s to Vote Naked Wyoming next?

Btw...

– Destroy Facebook (or any page) w/ Asteroids. (Via.)
– How Giants become Jets.
– Monster cereal horror chiller theatre returns.
– Annasweet animation.
– Missing Apollo 11 moon footage—AUSSIES RULE.
– It IS a fact.
– Probably too loud for the military, but that’s a skateboard.
– Abbey Road outtakes.
– Incredibly depressing Mega Millions lottery simulator!
– Citizens on video patrol, rejoice. (Via.)

He who smells it... sells it.

How do you sell the fine aroma of a nice Roquefort? With Cheesemonials! Remember, only Cheese from France is made with Genuine™ fake comments on Youtube! Eat with friends too! Not just the knuckle-dragging NFL fans, but Genuine futbol fans who know what an accent grave is. CHEESE FOR EVERYONE.

“I had some of the guys over this past weekend watching World Cup soccer on tv, and made the Petite Chèvre Pizzas from the website, and wow they were a big hit! Goal!”
– aartsport

“Hey aartsport, what else are you serving during the World Cup?”
– slate239girl

“Lovin' the Wednesday camembert guy--wish I can share a sandwich with him!
– slate239girl

This is the Droid you’re looking for.

I don’t even want to know what the licensing rights must have cost Verizon for this Limited Edition R2-D2 Droid smartphone. (Yes I do.) Still, if your brand has the cash and your product shares the same name with one of the main characters, isn’t it a no-brainer to tap the Star Wars franchise? Sure it’s a stretch to make any other connection beyond the name, but why pass up the chance to hit several generations of fans. (Over 26,000 so far on Twitter.) The site also includes a game slash contest involving the search for clues off their Twitter feed to find stolen plans. (Prizes include a few of the phones.) But wait, there’s more: A launch party in four Florida locations today which can mean only one thing: STAR WARS WOOKIE DROID COSPLAY MADNESS!

McDonald’s meals for manscapers.

Manly men from down under.  (Via.)

(Agency: DDB, Sydney.)

Btw...

– Don’t be Dave. (Via.)
– No teacher left behind. (Via.)
– 70-mph iPad. (Via.)
– They say UFOs tampered with nuclear missiles.
– 8-bit soda displays.
– Hot girls shave everywhere—including the boardroom.
– “The high prophet of cyberpunk and future-noir.”

Grab some Buds, bud.

Digging the whole spirit of this new Budweiser spot, with the “Grab” line serving as sign-off/call to action. I also dig the pre-game ritual theme that includes bras, brats and beer enough to forgive one question mark. I don’t care that baseball is heading into the playoffs, the spot ran all weekend during NFL games with emphasis on Busch Stadium—they couldn’t make a stop at Edward Jones Dome for a little B-roll? (Who cares about that though when it’s free Bud day on 9/29.)

They call it a viral...

The problem with SD memory cards isn’t that they can’t hold up as demonstrated by fantastical *virals* and high-altitude stunts with paper airplanes—it’s that you lose them due to their size. Solve that problem first.

Btw...

– Drink on the job and work for Belvedere vodka—for $100K.
– Be the landlord of Britain’s most remote pub.
– Board a bus to boss around bullies—get invited to speak at a conference.
– Happy hour for your iPhone.
–“Electronic mail is no more efficient than the telephone or the postal service it is supposed to replace.” (Via.)

Van, wailin’.

Okay, so maybe they didn’t use anything from Diamond Dave and the boys, but the reference was just too good to pass up. CALLING ALL NEUTERED MILK-CARRYING MINIVAN DADS: PICTURE YOURSELF AS HEAVY METAL SLAYER. The Honda Odyssey trades in its funk* for some metal with Judas Priest’s The Hellion. Nice little plug though (ouch) for Marshall amps too.** Rock on. \m/(^_^)\m/

*Slash not included. 
**Because funk always had accompanying lava lamps.

Nike boom, boom, boom.

You know, that Nike sure does put a nice tv commercial or three! Tim Tebow. Ndamukong Suh. Manny Pacquiao. Boom. Jamin Thompson. Boom again. Rick Ross? Double Boom. Any questions?

(Update: Bo knows boom.)

Corona does Bud.

Sorta. When you have an iconic ad campaign, eventually you’re faced with the inevitable decision: how long do you stick with it? So an Absolute (insert whatever) becomes In an Absolute World. Corona has been evolving their classic look towards new scenarios and different perspectives. To that end, they’ve been running this girl gets even approach for months. On the surface, the latest one above where guy gets football skirts Bud territory. Regardless of why two women *may* be on the beach together—NOTHING WRONG WITH THAT—the guy and his football-chucking friends are reduced to their typical beer ad persona: Impress hot chicks.

Public secrets.

Originally, I liked the thoughts found on PostSecret and the forms they took. Scribbled notes. Pictures. Collages. Whatever. But then the online experiment morphed into a book, and I hated that the emotional moments shared by anonymous people were now exploited for profit.

If people had known from the start that their content existed only for someone else to make money off it—and that they wouldn’t share in any of it—would they have shared? Yes and no.

It happened with Nick Douglas’ book of re-tweeted tweets, where people knowingly signed up in hopes of taking part. Their only compensation was being able to say—wait for it—they got a tweet in a book. They knew from the start what the agenda was; it was their choice to participate or not.

Btw...

– Did you know the Lingerie Football League does social media? No, it does.
– Got cherries?
– Because watching people drive an Audi R8 is just like being there.
– Emergency bra-mask for radiation fallout.
– Painting ponies.
– Outdated racial demographic infographic.
– She’s angry.
– Design your own Pringles can art.
– LAS VEGAS HOTEL DEATH RAY.
– She doesn't mind the opposition to it.

Hurt in a wreck? We’ll get you a check!

Superhero™ Glen Lerner to the rescue.

@ShowsMyNetworkShould’veLeftAlone.

It *kinda* rhymes with Bleep My Dad Says, no? Tech Crunch has a piece on  the show based on the internet lottery meme @shitmydadsays. They cover off much of what I was set to riff on. While it apparently did okay following the lead-in of that other excuse for a comedy Big Bang Theory (12.4 million viewers), two things though are going to kill this show. (If there’s a comedy God, and there has to be considering all the opening acts he/she has up there now.)

TC makes one point worth looking at a little more as it applies to brands in general. The show is less a failed line extension of a one-trick internet pony than it is thinking that popularity in one medium automatically translates to another.

There are nuances for each, and if they cared about continuity in that regard, this is a show that should’ve been on cable from the start.

Clean never felt so... .

HOT SEXY SPONGES. France man, France. Hedgehogs named Ernie. Scrubby pads. Ball gags and leather masks. Spontex really knows how to clean. Need more? Sure you do.

All clear.

Spock says the blog should be fine now. Light ’em if ya got ’em.

(Image.)

Old Spice before it was new Old Spice.

Back before it parodied stuff like this... it was stuff like this.

Btw...

– The things that make us... high? (Via.)
– Bikes gone wild.
– Tilt-shit Van Gogh. (Via.)
– Beck's, the band backers, are back again.
– Which came first, the weed or the ice cream.
– Hipper Walmart?
– Housekeeping you want me leave bad review?
– Car type emblems. Hell yeah, American muscle car know-how! (Via.)
– Doga.

...Ask what dead presidents can do for your campaign.

Speaking of quotes taken out of context in times like these... JFK lives on in Linda McMahon’s latest spot. I guess she couldn’t get Getty to budge on Ronald Reagan footage. Speaking, she ain’t budging on taking it down, either.

Old Spice parodies will never die.

Just as Paris fashion that eventually trickles its way down to your local Target, so too the dreaded Old Spice parody. Connecticut may not be providing Alabama-worthy spots lately, but we’re trying. As OS spoofs go, meh. For 3rd district Congressman Jerry Labriola though? The production is surprisingly not bad!

It’s augmented reality and QR code madness!

Augmented reality and QR codes are the new microsites? Aka, the must-have toy that brands will ask for like last month’s Twitter account. So I see Popeyes Chicken is running a QR code as their avatar while Esquire is continuing to use them in ads well after their augmented reality experiment started. Even though some brands have played around with it, it’s still very much in its nascent fire to a caveman stage. What appears to be shaping up is a more minimal use of the tech with codes seen as little more than glorified links.

Not that I would drop $798 on an overcoat from Brooks Brothers, but the experience of getting to that item via iPhone and the free ScanIt app was smooth, no doubt. Same too with Popeyes code above, (even though the monitor’s scan rate played a little havoc with how the phone read things).

Still, new as these toys are, I want a better, more enhanced experience beyond a smooth checkout.

There’s a bug in the shower.

How long since we’ve had controversy over a woman in the shower? Too long! Screaming husband at the end will save the day. That, and Western Pest Services. Also available: Exploding cats!

CK goes D&G.

Look at CK X jeans!* Pretty boys on top of pretty girl. Although it’s more like D&G Lite™ because I don’t think her heart and soul were really into the pseudo group sex montage. Certainly, she wasn’t as anywhere near as happy as Krystal punching her way through a Japanese businessman pixelation fantasy. Rebels!

*Wait, are we cuffing that high this season?

Where packages track you.

The legality of recording potentially private conversations aside, here’s a little twist on the let’s follow something through the system meme. This time, they use a dictaphone inside a FedEx box to record the sounds heard along the way. (Big gear; just use a mini dat.) Anyway, the accompanying illustrations outline the sojourn nicely.

Etch A Pad.

Not that I have an iPad—yet—but I’d buy it just to get this cover. What do you do when your 50-year old analog product can’t compete in a digital world beyond its cult status among artists with too much free time? If you’re Ohio Art Company, you license the Etch A Sketch name out. Nostalgia ain’t cheap though: $39 kids.

(Via Geekologie.)

An “under construction” page that doesn’t suck.

Under construction? This is is how you tell a story for what would otherwise be the typical experience of nothingness. This could even be Matt Shepherd’s final site—AND I’D BE OKAY WITH THAT. Sure it's a bit large for a simple site, but he never said he was a dev. We can adjust that later, okay? Yeesh.

(Via.)

Overheard internet...

Yep, they said it...

“I always admired Chewie for his efforts to bring nudism into the mainstream. I guess Jabba the Hutt never wore pants either but I don't know if that counts since he had neither legs nor external genitalia.”
– Brainspore


“The Tea Party is simply the new name for the Moral Majority. New hats, same shit.”
– isthatspam


“if only america was more compassionate and legalize drugs than poor lohan wouldn't have to go to prison. where is the love. she should have the freedom to get stoned. but we should outlaw big macs cuz they are bad for you.”
– rhyytinen


“This looks like a great movie, some of my favorite women.” 
– GrizzlyGroundswell

““Impossible to describe how self-indulgent and weak this way too long spot is.  Not only does it make question my love for the hilarious skittles spots, it makes me ashamed of our creative aspirations.  Zero stars.”
– Lights out [


“Wow, so you're the fucktard holding up the damn customs line and making the rest of us late? Just say "business" like the rest of us and be done with it. Jesus. Fight something worth fighting for a change, douchebag.”
– Anonymous

Crowdsourcing the 9/11 angst.

Ask agencies or ask the people on the street if they should build a mosque near ground zero. You decide! Speaking of building, sorry Newt, but they’ve actually been making progress.

(Image via.)

Future books now.

Aka, flipping is the new reading. I’d seen a few examples of ways in which the book experience might become a more interactive one, but watching this from Ideo, it’s a rewiring. Book of Eli purists will scoff at where things like this are headed, clutching their leather-bound editions of whatever classic they love, but it’s very much like the evolution of how music was and is distributed (from vinyl to streaming), and how that experience has broadened beyond an end user simply listening and sharing it with friends. The musician in many cases has now ceded control to a fan community community that includes interacting, remixing and reinterpreting the actual music itself.

Btw...

– 3D Kate Moss.
– They’ll put a floor anywhere these days. (Via.)
– Opulent airlines—they has it.
– McDonald’s 3:00 minutes or its free Down Under drive-up guarantee mania.
– Kit Kat chocolate Jesus chain letter.
– Can’t be a good sign.

AdVerve 48 - The Renegade Education Confessional

Download the show now.

Matt McDermott (@MMMcDermott) Renegade, the Renegade Agency Confessional and the Baltimore Sun stops by to talk smack about the educational system. Along the way he tells a few hoary stories about his own experience teaching English at a hard-up Baltimore school. Solutions: we discuss them. It ain’t easy. And how does this apply to advertising? EVERYTHING APPLIES TO ADVERTISING, LADIES AND GENTS.

Worth catching: racial tensions, knife fights, and more irrational squid paranoia that leads nowhere but a higher decibel level.

Linkies:

- Marlboro school uniforms.
- The analysis on Professor Ogbu's analysis of the "rich, black ... and flunking".
- INVERTEBRATE GOBBLES SHARK, WHICH MAKES IMPOSSIBLE DOLPHIN NOISE.
- Caustic Soda Podcast.
– Matt from the doc Hard Times At Douglass High.

Btw...

– Shiner Bock not in CT, but they have them some in Texas. (Agency.)
– Big-ass Amurika.
– Retouch the armpit? No sweat.
– Stephen Fry explains 3D TV. No, he does.
– KFBooty.
– One more blast of summer before it’s gone this year.
– Captcha ad creep.
– Halo Reach-$200 million the first day.
– If M.C. Escher made pizza.

SARAH PALIN—SAYING THE WORDS YOU WANNA HEAR, AMERICA!

SORRY FOR GOING ALL JACK BAUER CAPS BUT SARAH MADE ME DO IT. SO I’M EATING A GIANT STEAK, WATCHING TOP GUN AND TED NUGENT SMALL ARMS VIDEOS WHILE SALUTING MYSELF AS I WATCH THE NEW PALIN MINI-EPIC. THIS ISN’T JUST A MOVEMENT—IT’S A RALLYING CRY OF WORDS AND PHRASES, MADE UP OF LETTERS. INDIVIDUAL LETTERS. THEY’RE NOT RED, WHITE OR BLUE EITHER, BUT AMERICAN LETTERS. AFTER THIS, I’M GOING OUT AND RESCUE AMERICAN PUPPIES FROM BURNING AMERICAN CARS. THE KIND DETROIT USED TO MAKE. DID I MENTION TED NUGENT?

(Via Gawker.)

Matter.

Download the show now or listen through iTunes.

Aka, Be Relevant. On this edition, it’s what else... A MARKETING TALK KEYWORD ORGY—LOOK AT THE DESCRIPTION, FRIENDO. I have to do everything for you people. Peter Shankman from Help A Reporter Out, Danny G. from AdPulp and Scott Henderson on Pepsi, PR, Mobile, Search and the good drugs they hide behind the counter at CVS.

Tags: The Beancast

Save money—annoy people.

Heh, heh. More splurgeness here from Wotif.com.

Don’t make the same mistakes Anthony Bourdain did.

There’s an excerpt out from his book Medium Raw about whether anyone interested in cooking should go to school for it or not. The chapter is called So You Wanna Be a Chef, but really, it applies to advertising and managing your career as much as anything. No matter what field you’re in, the gist of it is this: You better fucking love it—because too many times, it don’t love you. Perfect grammar aside, no matter what career you love, the article really is a must-read. His main point mirrors the dynamic found in advertising and how the wrong choices students make right out of school can haunt them down the road financially as well as professionally. He prefers *education* in the real world first—then decide whether to go to school or not.

The new Hyundai Sonata Hybrid—powered by production assistants.

I want to believe this Hyundai ad was made with zero carbon footprint, but I need a list of what was and wasn’t used in it before I check off that box. Factor in all the ways in which a production creates a footprint, from the usual manufactured gear used in a shoot, the crew’s clothing, their food and electricity? I’ll still settle for *mostly* though. Nice thought.

Friends don’t let friends turn into...

Not sure if we’re back to being Real Men™ or not yet—Miller Lite seems to think so—but until we know for sure, Neil Diamond is the perfect compliment to anything slo-mo.

“We will begin marking rows 1-15 shortly.”

Infoplanegraphics—GET YOU SOME. Who needs boring stripes when you have captions like that. On second thought, that’s an awful lot of description for the Kulula Air crew. Long as they know which way is up. 49 other types of  infographics here. (Via.)

Btw...

– The unemployed 50s.
– Hey, one of the lights is out. Can you take a look?
– Spray-on clothes, catwalk style.
– The moon abides.
– More care for jeans than I will ever attempt.

*Sorta cute* need not apply.

No more messing around—beautiful people are just better than you and me, and need their own site.  A place where they can meet other like-minded individuals who know the pain of being too beautiful or handsome to be seen in public among us mere mortals. I’m really not sure though what’s going on with the snake charmer there and David Blaine’s Footloose protégé. That’s a mighty awkward suit though. Maybe it’s the official state uniform for beautiful people moving forward, who knows. For in the future, all the fuglies are gathered up and eliminated.

(Via.)

Google don’t need no stinkin’ agencies.

As they roll out their wares down under, Google’s in-house Creative Labs strikes again, this time touting their display ad service. (Typo and all.) Cue sexy background and 16-color palette, no doubt. Next to crowdsourcing, what more could a brand want.

Btw...

– Autism’s Patient Zero. (Via.)
– POSTAL SERVICE SMACKDOWN. (Via.)
– Canceled Qur’an burning? Too bad. Pay up.
– BP doesn’t dig you digging. (Via.)
– The invisible people.
– Bingo people ARE weird.
– It’s the Lamborghini of chainsaws. No, really.
– DIY movie trailer site.
– Jon Stewart vs. Stephen Colbert rally posters.

Check out our viral tv spot.

An older Kolbalt tool spot running this fine NFL weekend. At least they covered off the necessary viral buzzwords like “OMG!” and “Unbelievable.”

Only we give you more bang for the...

Reminds me of the current damage control print campaign for magazines. AP, still clinging to its turf.

(Via: someone on Twitter, I forget who.)

Carpe Fear.

It’s one thing to vote for someone who’s nice, but are people so desperate that they’ll seriously consider idiots rocking a Palin 2.0 look who seize upon more fear, all the while questioning the patriotism of others? Bill Maher has 22 clips of Christine O’Donnell when she was on Politically Incorrect, and I don’t know that those episode will show me anything more than I already know about her. Given some of the things now being found out about her past, she has responded with two tactics: avoid appearing in public or fall back on the A-Rod defense. I get that people are unhappy with the current POTUS, but their “Anyone but him” view is astonishing if they all they gravitate to are stylish red blazers and folksy accents. Someone needs to tell Bill that real monsters are always nice in public.

Rebranding Hope?

So the Democratic party is rebranding itself. A serious look for serious times. The problem is, a new logo can’t mask a bad product or lousy customer experience with said product. Try as they will, that fundamental principle of advertising and marketing hasn’t changed since, forever. The worst part of this has to be a renewed focus on a message of Change though. Why? This was Obama’s focus that the GOP has hijacked this past year in local elections to instill life into their campaign efforts. Pick a campaign as of late and see if “It’s time to change Washington!” doesn’t pop up. I guess you can look to key moments in a race that determine the outcome. For the GOP, it’s the hijacking of their party going on by the TP’ers, causing Republicans to confront their party’s core beliefs. For the Democrats, this rebranding could be one of those moments: either cementing that message of change among a base that voted for it (and that still believes in it), and those unhappy with the way the country is headed.

The Apple iPad ad they don’t want you to see?

Okay, it’s Newsday’s ad for their app (which is on the iPad in the spot), but supposedly iGod isn’t happy with his new toy being used as a fly swatter. Unconfirmed reports say Apple has issued a cease and desist, but given what BlendTec regularly does to their toys, my armchair inner lawyer says they have no case. Which becomes the stepping off point for some issues with the brand as a whole.

One of the topics discussed this week as part of our Social Media State of the Union panel during Baltimore’s Ad Week was how Apple doesn’t use social media. I say it does, even if indirectly. For weeks prior to the must-have release, Jobs gets his fanboy minions lathered up, who then spread conspiracy theories across the blogosphere as to just what will be released.

He plays them perfectly—and they play long.

But wait, there’s more...

– Carrier pigeons faster than internet.
– University of Florida wants its ‘Gators’ back.
– Ahead warp pad one.
– Kindle-readin’ bus driver.
– School busvertising, NJ style.
– Questions over Palin 2.0.
– Calzone rage.
– Google Facebook ads. Sexy!
– Michigan movie tickets *might* be going up.
– Yawn. Another *stunt* L.A. Times ad.

“Looks like we got a runner.”

I hate how Southwest treated Kevin Smith and friend, but they make some solid spots about competitors’ bag fees.

(Agency: GSD&M Idea City.)

Successful Fail.

The Twitter Fail Whale. Love it? Sick of it? Here’s the origin of the design from the designer, Yiying Lu. Originally called Lifting a Dreamer, the whale started life as an elephant. (Via.)

Every home needs a Harvey.

With the NFL season now underway, I saw this spot for Thinkbox (the marketing body for UK TV), and it reminded me of the fun we have to look forward to in about five months with the Super Bowl. Cute pet spots galore! While Thinkbox doesn’t actually sell pets, they’re selling the idea that TV works. But doesn’t anything work with cute pets? I say it must.

But wait, there’s more...

– Time Lapse Tokyo.
– Why your barista hates you.
– Cardboard Cameras.
– “NOT THE RETARDS WHO STRUGGLE TO READ VANITY fAIR.”
– Judge Judy at half speed.
– Werewolf spell on eBay.
– Mooning the camera.
– Dollar makeovers. (Via.)

AdVerve 47 - Edward Boches Deconstructs the Universe.

Download the show now.

Of social, that is. Chief Creative Officer and Chief Social Media Officer at Mullen, Edward Boches talks Diaspora, that newfangled social node thing hell-bent on saving us from the privacy oblivion that is Facebook. But are we really that oblivious, or is it just the clueless ones that are all freaked out? You gotta KNOW THE CODE like those brassy twenty-somethings (whose women will selectively block access to your Foursquare Player Badge).

Traditional frameworks for social media, recreational activity, thinking about agencies, even for how our brains function are unraveling ... and we unravel right along with it.

Linkage:

– Super Sad Love Story
– Mashable Jobs client on slave quest.
– Creativity Unbound (Edward Boches’ blog)
– @EdwardBoches

“Explosive gameplay.”

Sure, any PR is good PR, but shitty timing is another thing altogether. What do you do when the plot for your video game that’s about to release is based on an oil rig takeover—a month before one of the largest oil spills in history. Oops. You can wait to release (if you can afford to), or stay on schedule and hope people understand that you had the theme in mind long before any tragic event in the Gulf. (Yeah, cuz people are smart like that.) Check out the story here.

But wait, there’s more...

– Katearazzi. (Via.)
– Rat themed labels.
– McDonald’s time of the month. 
– Prison rodeo groupies.
– Agency mobile site meh.
– Hire Kyle.
– Lego lawsuit loss.
– Stop motion printage.
– Time traveling hipster punks.
– Sadly, jetpack technology has not evolved.
– Vote Linda, vote often.
– Swiss kitty vegans.
– Brand colors.

THE STATE FAIR AD THEY DON’T WANT YOU TO SEE.

I love state fairs. They’re like a WalMart Super Bowl. This one for Utah though, the scandal! Brown boots!

“Twitter needs to decentralize or it will die.”

It all gets covered here. All of it. (Okay, well, nearly mostly all.) By now, you’ve likely heard about Twitter updating its site. (HENCE ALL THE #NEWTWITTER TAGS.) Lost in the noise though is a piece from Alex Payne, one of their first employees and the person responsible for building their developer platform. He recently left the company to pursue a new online venture, but writes about his time at Twitter, what they need to address, and his takes on their growth relative to generating income. Straight from the Fail Whale’s mouth, he touches on some of the past concerns voiced by hardcore users who thought ads could lead to the service’s downfall. (No worries—people giving SEO tips on a Saturday night when they should be out getting drunk have already checked off *that* box.) As he says in the title of this post, he sees Twitter at a crossroads, almost facing a Jerry Maguire scenario:

Does Twitter sell out by doing the one thing it needs to in order to survive?

(Via.)

Linda will help you eat your lunch.

Linda McMahon is back with a perfect metaphor storm. Bologna collides with lettuce and tomato on a hard roll of American know-how.

Where less is more.

There’s a hole in the soap in the hotel bathroom. I pick up the Green Natura box and there’s a damn hole where the middle of the soap should be. What it is: “a waste reducing soap designed to eliminate the unused center of traditional soap bars. This soap is cruelty free and contains no animal fat or byproducts. The carton is made from natural recycled packaging and printed with soy based inks.” Oh. Pretty cool then.

Best of all, it’s an Amazon!

Amazon will beat Apple on price and the ability to read in bright light, but the iPad is still the all-in-one device that the Kindle isn’t. Amazon might need a few more features to beat it. Nice sunglasses though. Now, let’s see if them along with that Kindle floats.

Social media video case studies are the new...

From the more stuff the ad blogs get sent department. In theory I like the idea of aggregating your friend’s playlists based on what artists are also listening to as they’ve done here with Xide Mood, I just wish the fuzzy metrics radar didn’t go off so loudly with this one.

But wait, there’s more...

– Never look down.
– The Jonas Brothers are going to redesign the internet.
– It takes balls to promote 9/11 with a lottery theme.
– Copywriters on eBay.
– “The completely unedited ramblings of an idiot.” (Via.)
– First recorded sound.
– Dad was No. 1 with a bullet. Literally.
– Fall pas.
– The Man bypasses your pathetic attempts to block cookies. (Via Tico.)
– As soon as my next deadline is over, I will hug this. (Via.)

Don’t forget to check out ****** on our first episode of ****** *****.”

Little something else from Machinery in Philly besides their Auto Lenders spots that will no doubt make ad blog rounds. It’s their promo work for the upcoming Mark Hoppus show A Different Spin on Fuse. I’ve seen his banners all over the place and after seeing this spot out of the 16 or so they’ve done, he has a little Vince Vaughn snark vibe going on that I’ll probably check out.

The best political attack spot all year?

Could be! Thank you John Dennis. Thank you.

Hey, Lemonade Guy.

I’m not sure Erik Proulx wants to be known as The Lemonade Guy for the rest of his days, but his latest project in production is Lemonade, Detroit. The trailer above is from the yet as unfinished project, but I definitely had this vibe that he’s captured a bigger theme beyond the one of unemployment and second chances found in the original. It’s something that I mentioned in the Palladium shoes post on brands selling against a backdrop of a failed America. Erik has different issues with it than I do, mostly the media’s fascination with ruin porn. I don’t disagree; the media needs its B-roll. So too, the likes of Levi’s etc. cashing in on those dreams. Not that he ever thought he’d be the Lemonade, (insert ruined city) guy, there are enough places in America to keep him busy for years on this topic.

“An internet lets you search browsers.”

No? Older clip promoting Google’s Chrome, but it’s also a snapshot of who’s really online. Yikes. (Via.)

Nike introduces new deer repellent.

So I’ve been doing it wrong then. To get rid of deer, you need the “jewel of French football” Franck Ribéry. (The scars are from a childhood auto accident.)

Windows Phone 7—Microsoft’s next of Kin.

Celebrating a job well done, okay, but maybe instead of an iPhone funeral and dance sequence for the Windows Phone 7 release, why not see how it sells first. (Did they have a service for the Kin?)

(Via.)

A dirty bird can’t fly with a broken wing.

The DIRECTV NFL Sunday Ticket curse must’ve extended over to Buffalo week one. Gonna be a long year gang... a long year.

You fellas quit yer chuckin.

Woodchucks. GEICO. Animals.

Do these Lee jeans make my stereotype look too big?

But it’s okay because it was woman doing it to a guy. It’s almost cute, more fun that way, right? And does Mike Rowe look a little *too* surprised that she’s not his girlfriend?

Toronto really wants your e-waste.

Sup, e! So, basically, if I put out my old Sega out in the recycling bin this week, Chuck and Vince will come get it? Word! Toronto rocks like that. I sure hope it doesn’t end up in an emerging country, though. Otherwise, I’ll just call the Green Team (NSFW)—they’ll know what to do with it. (Not this Green Team.)

(Via.)

No Sonic, no.

*Cue Silence of the Lambs as agent Sonic meets Hannibal*

Sonic: Well, perhaps you’d care to try one of our new burgers!
 
Hannibal: Oh, no, no, no, no. You were doing fine. You had been clever and receptive to cleverness. You had established trust with the couple speaking in the car. And now this ham-handed segue into food porn.

If by chance this and the desert spot are their new general market work, they’re such a departure from where they are and no different than Wendy’s waaay better/Red Lobster territory. If they’re not, why throw this change of voice into the current mix? What I thought Sonic had going for it all along—besides people on rollerblades serving you food—was how it walked away from just these types of adds. Guess someone on the brand wasn’t happy with the :10 secs of product description they were already getting? Now we get showing how a button works at a drive-up. For real? Talking down to the audience now is the last thing I thought they’d do. Look, people figured out ATMs—I think they got this. Sonic’s edge is its unique voice in the dialog spots and the newer attack stuff, not this safety net.