Droga5 Gives Qantas Fliers Paperbacks That Last Just as Long as the Flight 10-book box set

Droga5 and publisher Hachette Australia recently bestowed upon Qantas frequent fliers an anachronistic little gift that will come in handy aboard Qantas flights when approved electronic devices must be completely turned off.

The agency's Sydney office packaged together a 10-book box set of previously published paperbacks "specifically edited to last just as long as each of Qantas's key routes." It's a fun idea, and Droga is playing the nostalgia factor to the hilt. "In this world of Kindles and iPads, it seems that the last bastion of the humble paperback novel is actually at 40,000 feet," says David Nobay, creative chairman of Droga5 Sydney. "You only need to look at the bulging shelves at any airport bookstore. Maybe it's the fact that everything seems so far removed from the real world up there."

All 10 books are by Australian authors: James Castrission, Tony Cavanaugh, Sean Fewster, Kimberley Freeman, Lian Hearn, William McInnes, Peter FitzSimons, Jack Marx, Rob Mundle and Roland Perry. The collection spans adventure, crime, women's fiction, literary, history and romance. The books are meant to correspond to the lengths of 10 popular Qantas flights (Sydney to Dubai, Melbourne to London, Perth to Singapore, etc.), with meals and other breaks factored in. Designer Paul Belford created a unique cover for each book.

"One of the greatest challenges in publishing is to remind people of the pleasure that reading brings, and that even though the online world is growing, there is still a romance in the printed page," says Fiona Hazard, publishing director of Hachette Australia. "At Hachette, we are always looking for new ways to bring stories and voices to life, so when Droga5 approached us to discuss this idea we jumped straight in. It's been great fun working with them to get this project off the ground."

Ads for Playboy Fragrances Have Plenty of Happy Endings, and a Few Weird Ones Too Sequel to last year's elevator ad

One of the better Playboy ads of recent years was last year's "Elevator" spot from DDB Paris and directors The Perlorian Brothers. Here are two more ads done in the same style. The earlier spot sold shower gel for men; these are for Playboy's VIP fragrances for men and women. Playboy is at its best when it's not taking itself too seriously. That's (mostly) true here, plus there's the added bonus of a nice structure that keeps things lively. Credits below.

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Teenage Boys Are Suddenly Pregnant in Chicago's Striking PSA Campaign It's not just the girl's problem

Illinois and Wisconsin are currently overrun with pregnant teenage boys, thanks to the Chicago Department of Public Health. Man, that's fun to say. The CDPH's Office of Adolescent and School Health has rolled out a new teen-pregnancy prevention campaign that features pictures of pregnant teenage boys, and the accompanying text reads "Unexpected? Most teen pregnancies are." The intended impact is twofold. Along with the initial shock of seeing a pregnant boy, the ads hope to communicate that pregnancy prevention isn't just the girl's responsibility. They're risky images to run with, but I'm glad that the CDPH didn't try to make a joke out of it. If Junior taught us anything, it's that male pregnancy is no laughing matter. More images below.

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Geico Makes the Perfect Ad for Hump Day Guess what day it is?!

Here is Geico's latest commercial from The Martin Agency. Uploaded on hump day, it's all about hump day. And it stars a certain mammal that hails from the Middle East and Africa. You can see where this is going. Part of the insurance company's ongoing "Happier Than" campaign. Silliness at its best. Credits below.

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Puma's Dance Dictionary Will Leave You at a Loss for Words Out of step with the brand?

The Puma Dance Dictionary, created by Grey London to push the brand's new Sync fragrances (yes, Puma makes fragrances), allows users to select words and phrases which are then translated into dance moves by freestyle performers. These "moving" messages can be shared via social media or emailed to friends. You start with various templates and then shift a few words in and out to create sentences. The pre-set "I love women with heart," for example, can be changed to "I love women with popcorn." Or "I love guys with muscles." Or even "I love women with nuts," if you're into that. Manipulating other templates yields sentiments like "Money makes me want to get naked," "Hey bro, your face is crazy" and "Will you stroke my girlfriend?" This can be amusing, but not very, as the vocabulary is too limited. I understand the dancers could interpret only so many words, and Puma naturally wants to avoid potential hate speech or outright vulgarity. But the enterprise seems hamstrung by a lack of true interaction. The dancing on display is self-consciously goofy: "Women" is signified by hip wiggles and boob gestures, and "nuts" is communicated by pointing to one's head with accompanying eye rolls. Plus, the brand message is ill defined. Maybe Puma should've sat this one out.

Samsung Presents Advertising's Most Idiotically Primitive Husband Ever But can he change?

This new ad for Samsung televisions is precipitating foul rumblings across the cyberverse for depicting men as gassy, unkempt, couch-bound louts. Sounds like truth in advertising to me. Especially the flatulence. The spot touts the Evolution Kit, which turns any Samsung television into a smart TV. A young wife saddled with a sorry spouse decides he needs a similar upgrade, and plugs the kits into his back. Suddenly the dude's cooking, cleaning and styling her hair with a vacuum. (Don't try that last one at home! But if you do, let me know how it works out.) The complaints generally follow this example from Reddit: "I find this advert quite sexist. The idea of an 'evolved man' is basically making him the stereotype of a woman. This isn't evolution rather than devolution. If this advert had the women being attached to some machine to make her better equipped to clean/cook/look after children/make her loving to her spouse/partner, there would be an outcry from feminists about equality." Sure, Samsung squeezed out some questionable material. But the clip is nearing 10 million YouTube views in just a week, and generating gobs of attention for the product, so I'd hardly call it a total stinker. Agency: To be determined; CHI & Partners, global agency for Samsung TVs, says it wasn't them.

Warren Buffett Helps Pitch Berkshire Hathaway's Dairy Queen as Barkley Airs First Ad for Chain Visits Omaha DQ with CEO

Warren Buffett is helping to pitch Dairy Queen just as Kansas City, Mo.-based agency Barkley is airing its first TV ad for the chain, five months after it landed the creative account. The godfather of DQ parent Berkshire Hathaway does not appear in the spot—although a lookalike does pop up in the middle of it. (Buffett has done ads before, as you'll surely recall his cringe-worthy star turn as Axl Rose in this crazy 2010 Geico video.) The DQ voiceover explains, "Here's to our fans. The local heroes … and local legends. The next in line … and the next generation. At DQ, we don't make fast food. We make fan food." Buffett is doing his part beyond the advertising, though. On Monday night, he and DQ CEO John Gainor visited an Omaha, Neb., DQ to test the first S'Mores Blizzard of the summer.

Nutella Thanks Its Biggest Fan, Founder of World Nutella Day, by Sending Her a Cease-and-Desist That's nuts!

Most brand marketers can only dream of having a superfan who organizes a global holiday dedicated to their product. And then there's Nutella. The chocolate-hazelnut spread's parent company, Italy-based Ferrero, SpA, has sent a cease-and-desist letter to World Nutella Day founder and organizer Sara Rosso. This Saturday, she plans to deactivate NutellaDay.com and the 7-year-old event's social-media channels in response to the legal notice from the company. "I've seen the event grow from a few hundred food bloggers posting recipes to thousands of people Tweeting about it, pinning recipes on Pinterest, and posting their own contributions on Facebook," Rosso writes in a blog post about the cease-and-desist. "There have been songs sung about it, short films created for it, poems written for it, recipes tested for it, and photos taken for it. The cease-and-desist letter was a bit of a surprise and a disappointment, as over the years I've had contact and positive experiences with several employees of Ferrero, SpA, and with their public relations and brand strategy consultants." So far, the parent company has not responded to several media requests for comment and clarification. Via Consumerist and Neatorama. Photo via chaojikazu.

UPDATE: Rosso emailed AdFreak to tell us there's been a resolution in the matter. As reported this afternoon in Italy, Ferrero has stopped legal action against her, saying it was "a routine procedure in defense of trademarks." The company furthermore "would like to express its sincere gratitude to Sara Rosso for her passion for Nutella, which extends gratitude to all the fans of the World Nutella Day" and considers itself "lucky to have a fan of Nutella so devoted and loyal as Sara Rosso."

Diaper-Buying, Sex-Starved, Death-Obsessed Lonely Island Guys Promote New Album Life of a 'grown-ass man'

Are the guys from Lonely Island trying to say that marriage and kids are shortcuts to the grave? They sure don't seem too happy to be "grown-ass"  men, maybe because they're starving for sex, wiping baby bums and visiting their own funeral plots in "Diaper Money," posted below. The video, released as part of YouTube's Comedy Week, also promotes the trio's latest musical effort, The Wack Album, due June 11. Look for more promos in the coming weeks.

Video is NSFW (language).

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Jack Link's Will Never Get Tired of Messin' With Sasquatch Three more hairy situations

Just when you thought you ran out of ways to mess with Sasquatch, someone comes along with lipstick and press-on nails. And as you'd guess, Sasquatch does not care for his glam makeover. In the ongoing saga for Jack Link's beef jerky, the hirsute man-beast gets punked yet again—three times, in fact, in new TV spots from longtime agency Carmichael Lynch. He's just come out of hibernation, so his backstory goes, and roams too close to civilization, where he's an easy target for public humiliation. He gets "beautified," doused with slop and hosed. Who could resist? Retaliation, which has become a hallmark and creative flourish of these ads, ensues. Those folks will never learn. More spots and credits below.

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